I am so lost ...

[wildgrace]

I've spent the last week looking through the web and found this website. Have read many posts. Hopefully you can point me in the right direction.

I am a trainer. I create training videos with a screen capture program. So I record images on my computer, click here, go there with my voice is speaking over the visuals. I am very dissatisfied with the sound I am getting.

My work is not willing to invest any money in getting a good audio setup (we have a cheap mic its worked for other training videos why spend money on a better audio setup). However for doing the voice over I've decided to invest some of my own money to get better sound.

After some looking I had narrowed down my choices to the SM57 and AT2020 microphone. I went with the SM57. Solid reputation and with the windscreen (the expensive one) it seems to eliminate most plosives (which seem to be something I am very good at).

Now I need to connect the microphone to my computer. Since I am using the work computer it will need to be connected via the USB port and be portable.

I am thinking of the M-Audio Mobilepre. However it may not have enough gain for the SM57. So now I need a preamp and I was looking at the M-Audio DMP3 preamp. Now we're talking about $300 or so together for the Mobilepre and DMP3.

Is there one piece of equipment that I could add that would work with the SM57 and provide enough gain to get a good sounding recording into my computer via the USB port? If so which one.

I don't want to buy something cheap, at the same time I don't want to spend a fortune. I want good sound. Am I out of luck in my price range?

 

[Dani Pace]

Almost any preamp should provide enough gain for a SM57 when doing voice over work. Check out the tweakheads website for a good idea of prices and specs, as well as some basic info on how to use them.

 

[andyhix]

MobilePre would do you just fine, I would think. If it's not loud enough (which it probably will be), turn it up in the computer.

 

[knightfly]

Also, to get rid of the rest of the plosives try setting the mic up at about a 45 degree angle off to the SIDE of your mouth, but still aimed at your mouth. Also, if you get a directional mic too close to your mouth it'll emphasize the bass which may or may NOT be a good thing.

If you're doing videos, you may wanna optimize for TV speakers for clarity - depending on your voice characteristics, this might mean using some sort of plugin or audio program (such as Sound Forge) to EQ some of the low midrange out of your voice, maybe add a slight amount of treble, and then a VERY slight amount of reverb once you've edited all the voice track to get rid of clicks, pops and throat clearings, etc.

Congrats on wanting to improve on the typical crappy "how to" vids - wish more people would... Steve

 

[R.A.E]

Also, to get rid of the rest of the plosives try setting the mic up at about a 45 degree angle off to the SIDE of your mouth, but still aimed at your mouth. Also, if you get a directional mic too close to your mouth it'll emphasize the bass which may or may NOT be a good thing.

If you're doing videos, you may wanna optimize for TV speakers for clarity - depending on your voice characteristics, this might mean using some sort of plugin or audio program (such as Sound Forge) to EQ some of the low midrange out of your voice, maybe add a slight amount of treble, and then a VERY slight amount of reverb once you've edited all the voice track to get rid of clicks, pops and throat clearings, etc.

Congrats on wanting to improve on the typical crappy "how to" vids - wish more people would... Steve

Agreed.

The mobile pre should be able to work it for you. Not sure why you wouldn't think so. I mean your not doing SERIOUS recording, your doing voice overs so you don't need hard core gear. The set up you're trying to buy sounds perfect to me. Just with the mobilepre and the SM57. If you know what you're doing you should be able to do wonders with that.
By "if you know what you're doing" I mean know how to edit it. I'd advise taking the advice previously stated.

 

[groovyisland]

i have never seen voice-over done with an sm57...

i have seen it done with large diaphragm dynamics and condensers

like an sm7 or broadcast type mic, or a regular large condenser

a 57 is the standard for snare drums and guitar cabinets.

 

[knightfly]

Agreed, but that's what he bought and it should work, just not as crisp or as high a level as a LDC. I usually use an AT4033 myself, placed as I suggested earlier. I end up rolling off @ 300 by 6 dB (just my voice, not a rule) after recording thru an Art DMPA, light compression into an Echo Audiofire 8. I then clip, snip and drag things around til everything's synced with pix the way I want it, and finally add just a taste of 'verb, then back it off til it sounds like it went away. (almost).

With the 57, I'd think maybe a bit of shelving boost at around 8-10k unless your voice is already too ssssssssibilant :=) Steve

 

[XLR]

I've used a 57 with a Tascam US122 interface and it worked very well for vocals with the Tascam's built-in preamps.

 

[wildgrace]

Thanks, everyone.

I don't know what I am doing at the moment. However, there's only one way to learn -- dive in, make mistakes, fix them Will Audacity work to play with the sound, such as EQ, etc?

 

[knightfly]

Never used it, but just looked at their site; should work fine.

Unless you have a soundproof room, you'll need to find the quietest place you can to record your VO tracks - if you have a choice between a place with steady state low noise (Air Conditioner, fan, etc) or a quieter place but with RANDOM noise, I'd probably pick the steady state noise area - if Audacity's noise reduction works anything like Samplitude or Sound Forge, it's easier to quiet down a recording with repeatable, PREDICTABLE noise.

I typically end up with several tracks of audio in a Video - the actual VO track, at least one "room tone" track, a music intro/outro track, a sound FX track, a "scratch" VO track (the first attempt at a VO, to get dumped eventually) - this is MINIMUM for one of my corporate/industrial video projects.

For what (I think) you're doing, you'll wanna do your VO's in a closet (don't take out the hanging clothes) to get rid of the typically nasty "boingy" sound a lot of un-treated rooms have - then after you have removed all clicks/pops/gulps/smacks, etc, so all that's left is what you actually WANT to hear in your track, listen to it on both full range speakers AND the small tinny speakers found in most TV's so you'll know how it'll sound on whatever it will be normally viewed/heard.

I would also record several minutes of "room tone" in an area where the background noise is what you'd expect to hear for your type of material - this is your background track, but don't make it NEARLY as loud as real life - you want to mix in just enough of this to make it sound "real" without making it sound distracting.

My method of doing a VO track - if I'm not the expert on the subject, I find out who is - pick their brain, learn enough about the subject NOT to sound like a "copy reader", write out a "script", print it and run it by your "expert", make changes, repeat until the expert likes it (but do NOT copy any of his/her voice mannerisms ("don'cha know", "like that", "know what I'm sayin'", etc) - then, record it while watching the picture (re-word it if it won't fit, or lengthen any stills a bit if necessary) Next, re-record it but do NOT watch the picture, just try to keep the cadence you used for the rough cut - then "slice and dice" any pauses or mouth noises and make separate clips out of each phrase, and slide them around on the timeline til they sync with the picture.

After you're entirely happy with timing, etc, and have figured out what (if any) EQ you need so your voice sounds right on BOTH speaker systems, then add less than HALF of the amount of reverb you think it needs (only if this is your first time doing this) and it should be about right.

If Audacity is all you have, you'll need something else to get to your finished file type - I saw nothing about video on their site (but may have missed it) - I use Vegas 7 plus several hundred $$ in plugins, but you can do a LOT with Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, and for a LOT less $$ - around $70 or so. That will let you burn to DVD or make QT and WMV files, depending on where/how your vid will be shown/viewed.

Other than that, just DO it; show the (semi) finished result to friends/wife/etc, watch it yourself several times, make any changes you/they think it needs, and after a few times you'll develop a plan of attack for projects like that one.

Next step might be one of the Epson direct disk printers (the R series mainly) and some "hollywood video" style DVD boxes - you can print graphics on glossy photo paper, trim them, and slide them under the plastic overlay on the boxes so it looks more "Pro" - and direct printing on disks is WAY better looking than magic marker - hope this helps.... Steve

 

[SRR]

I have done VO recordings with SM58's which aired in more countries then I have fingers and toes to count them on. A 57 is fine. We are talking about training videos that will be played back on computer speakers most likely? Well either way, 57/58 is fine for spoken word on a budget.

 

[Track Rat]

I have done VO recordings with SM58's which aired in more countries then I have fingers and toes to count them on. A 57 is fine. We are talking about training videos that will be played back on computer speakers most likely? Well either way, 57/58 is fine for spoken word on a budget.

+1 on this statement.