Which of these mics for DVD voiceover work?

[amra]

I have a small project studio, and I have a DVD video project to record some voiceovers on. This is my first attempt at serious voiceover type recording, so any kind of advice on that would be welcome, even if a tiny bit off topic for this particular forum.

These are the mics I currently have:
1 - Studio Projects B1
2 - Joe Meek JM27s
4 - Sure SM57s
1 - Sure Beta 52

Which of these mics (that I already own) would be the best candidate for this type of work?

Also, on a related note, what kind, if any, reverb is appropriate for this type of recording?

 

[mrbowes]

Depends on the voice. Male, female? I'd try the B1 first.

I'd pay more attention to quality compression than reverb for standard VO, but again, this decision entirely depends on the type of material you're overdubbing.

If you something else that might fit the bill, get a Shure SM7(b) or a RE20. Both of these mics require lots of gain, so you'll need a decent pre to boot.

 

[Ford Van]

I do not believe that the SM7 or the RE20 is the "standard" for voice over work. They might be standards in the DJ control room of radio stations, but certainly not for voice over, which is a VERY broad field (commercials for radio and tv, corporate presentations, tutorials, audio books, etc...)

Any high quality large diaphram condensor mic that offers a very clear sound, and a good quality, low noise mic preamp, and a good quality compressor is going to give you great results.

Of course, there is also the GIGO part of things.

 

[steveanthony]

Depends, too, on how quiet and treated your room is. Computers, fluorescent lights, and a multitude of extraneous noises can creep, let alone cars driving by, water running in pipes, and even air running through the ductwork. The dynamic mics you mentioned will pick up less background noise than the condensors. If a music track will be running constantly under your voice, then you can probably bury noise. I've never used any of the mics you mentioned, but I would lean toward using a condensor mic if you can control the noise.

As for reverb, probably not. Radio commercials get away with it, but you probably want to get a more one-on-one conversational style going. Reverb can make you sound bigger, but distant. Then again, that depends on the project.

This all may sound rather vague, but without knowing more about the project and your environment, it's difficult to get into specifics.

 

[amra]

Cool, thanks for the advice!
I live on 20 acres out in the country, and I have a "recording room" seperate from my control room so noise shouldnt be a BIG issue. I have recording room in quotations because, while it is a room that I use strictly for recording or rehearsing - it is untreated. So I am more worried about crappy room sound, than extraneous noise. I usually try to mask some of that with reverb, but I guess with spoken word stuff, you don't really hear verb except on those "SUNDAY! SUNDAY!" type ads for car shows or goofy stuff like that.

The vocals will be male, and it will be vocals reading on-screen text, with music fading in and out softly in the background during what basically amounts to a slide show on DVD.