NEW APPROACH TO VOICE- OVER TRACKS

[Don Henry]

I've used every trick in the book on male voice-over tracks to try to make them sound brilliant and ground-shaking. But I'm tired of using the same old techniques. Anyone with any fresh new tricks, new approaches? Thanks!

[Bokir]

How 'bout sharing some of that boring tricks?
I really interested to learn. Thanks.

[AdamFrick]

i've learned over time that the best way to get that close, big sound is to get the talent right up on the mic. that proximity effect is very hard to fake with eq and compression. other than that, i often use L1 as my compressor when i need a voice to pop out over a track, because its very clean and very easy to control - it always just seems faster than toying with makeup gains, thresholds, etc for every new spot.

hope that helps.

=adam=

[dBHEAD]

If it's shorter than a few minutes, you might try this trick I just thought up a few weeks ago and used on a project yesterday.

If the audio can be chopped into segments of less than fifteen or twenty segments, take each segment, and use the time compressor/expander on it like this:

Do one TCEX where you've set the ratio ar .999:1 -- then take the same (original) segment and do a TCEX with the ratio of 1.001:1.

Put them in three different tracks. Nudge the original 1 ms for every two seconds of length; nudge the .999:1 TCEX 2 ms for every two seconds of length. Do not nudge the 1.001:1 TCEX at all. Then play.

Adjust the gain on both TCEX tracks until you have the sound you want. Yes, there is a phase shifting effect -- which is exactly the point. Used with subtlety, it can give you a deeper low end and more pristine high end. NOBODY who heard the project I did this with noticed a phase shift at all and several people commented that the voice-over sounded great.

[DigiDawg]

DbHead,

The idea is intriguing. Are there any mono compatibility issues with this approach?

I work on a lot of radio projects, and I find that using MS on an announcer adds the necessary "distinct" sound without any mono problems.

Nothing worse thatn a client complaining that something they paid for doesn't sound the same on a bad radio speaker, etc.

-DigiDawg

[stuart newman]

This technique that you thought up dbHead is VERY similar to a Bob Clearmountain technique, even Ricky Martin's producers picked up on the technique for "Livin' la Vida', they created two new tracks, copied the same region, panned hard left and right, pitched one up 12cents, pitched one down 12 cents, preceeded the lower pitched track 18ms, proceeded higher pitched track 18ms. Found a good mix. Voila.

[Don Henry]

Here's one thing that I recently tried: I tracked the VO using two mikes at the same time, using a U87 and a Solidtube. Each mike went into a separate track. The signals were totally separate of each other to avoid phase problems. Once recorded, I applied a lowpass filter on the Solidtube track cutting everything above 400Hz. For the U87 track, i ran it thru a highpass filter cutting everything below 400Hz. Next was to delay the Solidtube track for a ms. After this, apply your usual compression, dynamics, etc. to your specific taste. It's good for certain applications. It sounds different. The best part about it... no audible phasing problems. http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

[dBHEAD]

DigiDawg:

Actually, the VO was mono. I did not pitch the TCEX tracks to either side -- everything was centered.

I wonder what it would sound like with both the technique I described PLUS M/S decoding?!

Hmmm. I'll have to give that one a shot.