ADR/Narration/Voice over

[Flash Czerkies]

I was wondering what everyone else does with their voice over work? I do a lot of Narration type projects and I'm always trying differen't ways to make it sound better. does any one know the most common way to have narration or voice over? kind of like movie trailer stuff.

Has anyone ever used the voice over in stereo?

[mellodge]

Voice over in stereo won't help you. Remember, we have one mouth, so its a mono application. Thats not to say you can't use more than one mic. In my opinion getting a good voice over is down to the performer, a good mic and preamp, in a good acoustical environment.

[Flash Czerkies]

I hear that answer from every engineer. No offense to you mellodge, but I just don't like that answer because it's not really telling me anything. It's like If I asked, how do you get a good guitar sound? and someone says, "Get Eddie Van Halen, a good microphone, a good pre amp and be in the studio."

I've spent some time working in studios and a lot of times the performer isn't that good, but they're paying me to make them sound good.

A good vocal microphone could also be explained as Neumann U87, U47, TLM103, Sennheiser MKH-70.....

A good pre amp could be an amek 9098


So once you get those things, then what do you do? It seems that people on these boards don't share real information. But thank you Mellodge for at least answering the question.

[robertruetz]

What you're asking isn't easy to explain. Most of us have many many years of personal experience. Trial and error is how most of us got to where we are. All anyone can really do is tell you how to hook up the gear, approximately where to put the microphone and roughly what settings will do what to the signal. The rest is up to you to experiment with. There are volumes of information on this subject out there, but none of it will guarantee you a good sound. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you can't ask the most generic question possible and expect exact answers. Be patient, and don't jump on people for attempting to answer a vague question with a vague answer.

Now then, what do you mean exactly by "what do you do?" Ask specific questions about specific parts of the process. I do a lot of work with narration and voiceover. I don't use fancy mics or fancy outboard gear. Typically I use a Shure SM-7 straight into the inputs of an audio interface, straight into my DAW (currently Reaper, but soon-to-be ProTools). Personally, I don't like to commit to outboard EQ, Comps, etc. I want a dry signal to work with in-the-box. That being said, a good pre-amp with very low noise and very little sound coloration can always help out, especially for a gain-hungry mic like the SM-7 I mentioned. I'm currently thinking about laying out for a nice pre-amp, instead of just relying on the interface amps I've been using. I think that mic placement is of the utmost importance, especially when doing strictly voiceover. I like an off-axis approach, slightly above or below the speakers mouth, about 4 to 5 inches away (this distance can vary depending on what mic you use and its pickup pattern). Throwing in a pop-filter can't hurt, especially for people who are particularly prone to plosives and sibilance. The mics you listed are all highly recommended for capturing good voiceover, however, they might be a little out of reach for people without extra cash laying around. My personal opinion is that you can still capture a great voiceover with a less expensive mic by using good placement technique and not overdoing the processing. Other mics I like are the Rode NT1A (very low noise, great sounding, good build quality) and you can't go wrong in most situations with a good old Shure SM57. Good to basic equipment, coupled with good mic technique will usually render a very accurate recording of whatever source you're trying to capture. You mentioned "movie trailer" in your o.p., what exactly do you mean? If you've got the same pipes as the 5 or 6 "big" VO guys out there, then all you'd need is a good accurate recording of it. Most of those guys use high-end stuff (Neumann U87 is probably most common along with a great pre-amp) with very basic home-recording setups. I'd bet they could get a similar sound with a less-expensive mic/amp combo too, mostly because they've got a skill/gift that not everybody has.

I don't do a lot of instrument recording, but there are countless ways to get a "good" sound ("good" is completely subjective, you realize). You name it, and an engineer has probably done it to get "that" sound they were looking for. So, what kind of guitar sound are you looking for? Don't just say "good." By the way, don't discount the fact that a sucky player will sound sucky no matter what you do. Having actual talent will still kick the hell out of generally not having any talent. There is no magic fix-it stick that you can wave at a crappy musician or singer/vocalist.

Welcome to the forums, BTW. I think you'll find that lots of people here can be very helpful, as long as you ask questions that allow us to answer in an educated way. Much like any recording, you'll get out what you put in. Crap in, crap out. So, try giving us some more details about exactly what you're looking for. I apologize if this post was in any way terse, but we get a lot of "magic-button" questions here, and that was basically what your original question amounts to.

Rob

[Flash Czerkies]

well, i didn't mean for it to sound like a magic button question. I guess what I'm asking is, what exactly does a good voice over sound like? After you've hooked everything up and you hit record, what are you listening for? There's the obvious like sibilance, pops, and clicks, but what about tone? sometimes I roll off the low end and take out 1k, and it usually sounds better than what I've started with.

I don't like a nasal and thin sound, I like a thick rich tone that doesn't get lost with other sounds like the soundtrack. What are some ways to get a rich thick tone?

What about Reverb? is that something that should be there but barely heard? or just leave it dry?

I know that every performance and recording is differen't so you don't typically do the same thing for every project but what are some things that people have tried and it actually works out?

[robertruetz]

Unfortunately, every situation is different (as you mentioned). The general rule is do what sounds good to you. At some point, you have to trust your own ears. I would also remind you that "good" is subjective. Good VO to me starts with good talent--a skilled and educated voice actor who uses their voice like a finely tuned instrument. Once you've got a good voice to work with, my main concern is that the recording is technically sound, meaning getting good consistent levels, with as little extraneous noise as possible. I also recommend rolling off the low end (below 100Hz), as this will help deter some plosives and other air-related noises. I think most of the tone is going to be dependent on the talent, but a slight mid-range boost can enhance the presence of the voice. I don't know where reverb would fit in to straight voiceover, unless it's an effect you wanted for the whole production. Reverb would be more of a personal taste option depending on your project.

Again, trial and error is going to be your best bet. This is why I like to record as dry as possible--allowing me to fiddle with things in post until I get the sound I'm looking for. Of course, you have to make sure you're getting an accurate recording to start with. Like you said, each session is going to be different, each talent is going to be different. You'll have to make adjustments based on the particular recording situation you're in at that particular time. Trust your ears, and do what pleases you.

Rob

[robertruetz]

One thing I forgot to mention is dynamic range. Make sure that you don't squash all the dynamics with too much compression (pre OR post). Human speech is supposed to have ebb and flow to it. It adds personality to the recording. This is all within reason of course, but a little peak and valley certainly won't hurt the integrity of the production. This is probably common knowledge, but you'd be surprised how many engineers and producers over-compress a voice track until there's no personality left in it.

Rob

[Flash Czerkies]

Thanks Robert, do you know what frequencies are most commonly brought up or lowered for a VO?

[dcwave]

Originally Posted by Flash Czerkies

Thanks Robert, do you know what frequencies are most commonly brought up or lowered for a VO?

Depends on what it has to cut through.

For a recent film I worked on had to roll, off everything below 100hz on some production DIA in order for the voice to not sound muddy in context of the scene.

For a book reading, I used a MB compressor to tame the low end to smooth it but boosted around 5k by 1 or 2 db to "open" up the voice a little more.