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Voice-over Recording Studio Tips
Previous messages of note (and my replies): What a superb article on voiceover mics, very helpful. I completely agree with you regarding the Audio Technica ATM31A, it does have a very rich sound to it and I've used one myself many times in the past. A very under-rated and often overlooked piece of kit indeed. Q: Hey Ben, I found your article on voice over microphones very interesting. Since it seems that you like to answer questions, I was wondering if you have any tips for minimizing environmental noise. I am in NE Brazil and need to voice over about 18 hours of audio for an English course; my equipment consists of a computer with ProTools LE (MBox), and an SM57 and a set of Sony headphones. It is hot enough where I am that closing windows is not really an option, unless there is an air conditioner going (this would be very noisiy, and counterproductive). I am thinking of recording at night when it is quieter, and maybe surrounding myself with clothing to cut out any remaining noise. Thanks for any tips! Karl Ben's response: It must be nice in Brazil. It's one of my favourite Frank Sinatra songs!
Seeing as you have an SM57, you don't need to do anything about the noise
except buy a Behringer Composer Pro MDX2200. The SM57's pickup is so small
compared to condensers, that you don't need any acoustic treatment in
the room really (unless it's really bare and echoey). However, the MDX2200
has the function you will need - a noise gate. After
you've set it up (easy - only 2 I do recommend the large windshield for the SM57 or popper stopper - it will stop you popping the mic - the windshield A81WS will let you lip-mic. I love it, but it wasn't cheap. I prefer recording at night. I don't have problems with temperature as I live in the north of England - the sound of rain outside is more of a problem! Q: I (who know nothing about audio recording) have been tasked with
buying a microphone and minidisc recorder to take out with me to Tanzania
in 2 weeks for a friend wanting to make recordings of broadcast quality
for bbc world service. My friend in TZ knows v.little about equipment
requirements and other friend at BBC W.S was equally vague saying "Sony
minidisc recorder about £150 + Beyerdynamic M58 mic" but also
something about recorder being able to automatically adjust recording
level to voice rather than needing a mixer...means nowt to me! Obviously
it needs to be a portable recorder and have a usb connection but there
are so many models and I don't understand the technical blurb. Can you
recommend any particular sony models? I don't have a problem with the
mic.
I would assume you can borrow this sort of equipment from the BBC. But most importantly you must gain a good grasp of the equipment and recording techniques before you go out recording in the field, or your recordings will show inexperience. Take lots of batteries, and I would advise a back-up mic too.
Best wishes, & good luck! Q: Hi, Ben ! I`m 30 years old musician, composer, radio & TV (sound) advertising, VOICE OVER maker from Serbia. I have a litle private studio (special isolation room, PC with EMU0404 card, Tannoy Reaveal monitors, Alesis RA150 amp, Behringer mix...) So many years i work with dynamic Shure SM58, than with Beta SM58a. Now it`s time to get a some condenser microphone in a budget. I`m thinking about AT 3035, or RODE NT1a.What is your sugestions? Thank you, very much !
I used to use large condenser microphones, but recently I've been using an SM57 and have been receiving more compliments than before! (although they are all 'domestic' clients). Other people will advise you to go to a microphone shop and try a few microphones out to hear which one sounds best with your voice, but I've always felt this is impractical. Good luck & best wishes, and let me know how you get on. ====================FOLLOW UP======================
Ben's response: Yes - you are 'popping' the mic. Maybe
you are too close to it. If you can angle it so that it is slightly to
one side of your face, then when you say anything with a "P"
the microphone capsule does not receive the full-on force of plosive air
from your mouth. A popper-stopper should stop it though. Q: Dear Ben
Condenser mics, especially larger diaphragm ones like those I've suggested, will reveal the acoustics of your bedsit. Use duvets and blankets to deaden the sound if it's echoey. Ultimately though, you need a proper mixer to be able to EQ the sound before it goes into your computer. Q: Hello, I'm making a short film with a very low budget on a Panasonic PV-GS65 Camcorder. Hey, you got to start somewhere. Anyway, I need to record a great deal of Voice over and I was wondering if you had any ideas of what someone can use for cheap. Any advice would be great. Ben's response: If it's on a camcorder, the audio quality will probably not be 'broadcast quality' so you don't have to worry so much about the frequency spectrum of professional studio microphones to record your narration with. Almost any good microphone will do - condenser microphones (some use batteries to power them) will sound richer than dynamic mics - just make sure that you don't make any handling noise when you're recording (by moving your hands or the mic cable) and avoid plosives (whenever your narrator says the letter 'p', e.g. postman) as it will overload the microphone and distort the sound. To get a sound without hearing the acoustics of your room, record them under a duvet which will prevent sound waves bouncing off bare walls and ceilings. Q: Hi Ben, great VO article on your site . . . thanks for posting that. Have you ever used a Shure SM7 mic (now called SM7B)? It's fairly common in U.S. radio broadcast studios. I'm considering buying it because my existing large condenser (A-T 4047) picks up EVERYTHING and I just can't acoustically treat this place as much as I would like. My primary use is not VOs exactly, but rather webcasts and personal audio journals. Thoughts?
Ben's follow-up: I bought an SM7B after this email, and you can read the review on page 1 of this article.
Ben's response: I use an SM57 with the huge windshield that Shure recommend for it for use in winds up to 30 mph, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot pop it at all! I'm not sure if it would fit the SM58, although a conventional windshield would stop popping quite a bit. Worth a try. Behringer do a Feedback Destroyer rack mounted unit. This would solve problem 2! I think it delays the signal by a matter of milliseconds and it makes all the difference. Q: I live in California and am trying to set up a home VO studio. I was thinking about getting an AT2020, but it doesn't seem like it will do very well. I can't afford the SM7B, as much as I would love to have it. I was wondering what would be a good mic to purchase in the $100 range. Also are MXL or CAD good brands. I would appreciate any help you could offer, and thanks for creating such a great site. I learned a lot today. Ben's response: Thanks for your comments on the site. I'm afraid I live in England so I'm not familiar with product prices in dollars. The AT2020 is cheap. The AKG P100 is cheap too. I'm not too sure why you've decided the AT2020 won't do very well. Could you explain? Why not get an SM57? They sound so similar to SM7Bs that it's really hard to hear the difference. They don't lose much value, so if your financial situation improves you can eBay it and use the funds to buy a more expensive mic. Anthony replies: Thanks for the reply. I guess I assumed that since you used the AT2020 for applications other than VO that it wasn't very good. I've also read that it was designed for project studios. Not sure exactly what that means, but I guess I assumed that it wasn't the way to go for VO. Ben's response: Not at all - it's a very
good mic. It's just that for a time I used it for voice recognition because
it was quite cheap and would be on my desk all the time where it was liable
to get dusty and knocked and sneezed on all the time, where I wouldn't
want my AKG C414 (which cost about 10 times as much!). Q: Greetings Ben, Thanks for your informative site. I am a musician (cello) in Melbourne and have some podcasting ambitions (classical music related and radio plays) using an old broadcast console. I have been seeking cheapish microphone alternatives to the SM7 (which our national broadcaster uses, and which I like) and read with great interest your comments on the SM57. Just wonder if you did the transformer removal mod at all? This seems to be a well received upgrade, although levels are lower. Any thoughts as to the best way to suspend the SM57 and an appropiate arm arrangement? I was thinking of a long gooseneck in preference to a "folding lamp type" arm..? Also where would you recommend the best place to source the mega windscreen you use? Many thanks for any ideas, and congratulations on such an informative and friendly website. Ben's response: Thanks for your nice email. I'm glad
the site was useful! I didn't try the mod, because I find the mic excellent as it is. I think the mod is more for recording engineers who have a lot of SM57s miking up drum kits and amp cabs, where the sources to be recorded are very loud. Doing it for the purpose of recording the human voice may be risking too much of a noise floor to make it worthwhile. As I say on the site, I have an SM57 and an SM7B and for the difference in price, there's no huge difference in sound when you put the windshields on.
I got my mega windscreen from an online UK audio shop. It might be worth checking out Shure dealers in Austrialia? It would be a great investment - you'd never have to re-record anything to get rid of a pop. Hope this helps. Let me know how you get on! Q: For voice over...what are your thoughts on the Sennheiser MKH-416? Which mic preamps would you suggest? I have access to a totally rebuilt and updated tube TL Audio mic pre. Your thoughts? Please compare the AKG 414 to the Sennheiser 416. Also, what sound card do you suggest into mu laptop? Ben's response: Corey Burton has a view on the MKH-416 for voice work which is worthy of reading: http://www.coreyburton.com/sennheiser.html I have since purchased one after seeing some (hilarious) Ernie Anderson voice-over clips on YouTube... it's certainly an alternative to large diaphragm condenser mics, and doesn't pic up room noise. Not cheap - mine was £583. Q: Thanks for bothering to write "Voice-over Recording Studio Tips". It's interesting real-world, non-star-struck stuff. One thing that caught my eye was the use you're making of the AT2020. I'm looking for a microphone to use with my computer: I want something I can use every day for calls over the Internet. I have phantom power, and decent preamps and A/D convertors but currently have no mics other than an unsuitable measurement microphone and a poor mic on a very basic headset. I'm considering everything from boundary mics (AKG C 400 BL, Audio-Technica PRO 44 and the like - it's a shame the Beyerdynamic MPC 70 USB isn't cardioid), through dynamics (I wish the Beyer M 99 were a bit cheaper) and small condensers, to large condensers (anything from the AT2020 to something as versatile as the NT2-A). I'd welcome any advice and recommendations. Might the low response of the AT2020 below 500Hz be a problem for me, and also the lack of a shock mount? Thanks for your nice comments. Two feet is quite a long way to be from any studio microphone. It's normally a hand-span that's recommended for the correct pick-up from studio mics recording voice if you don't want to pick up too much room reverb. If you have your speakers on as well, you'll need something like a hyper or super-cardioid polar pattern, otherwise you'll get feedback. I'm not greatly experienced in boundary mics, but I'd have thought that these were the last thing that would be appropriate for your application. Their pick-up field is huge and room-sized and would again lead to feedback. I don't have a shock mount for the AT2020, but if I was doing VO work with it, I wouldn't put it on a table stand without a bass cut as the vibrations from the PC would be picked up through the desk. Condenser mics pick up more than dynamics I have, but will also pick up what your speakers are doing. A dynamic wouldn't so much, as it would have a smaller pick-up field, but you'd need to be closer to it so that it could hear you. Not sure if this is of any help really. You could try a Rode Podcaster or one of these USB direct mics? Contact me to have your question answered!
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