Your 2¢ on spoken word setup and mix

[Adam Christopher]

Hi All,

I'm excited to have a new mic setup that is:
MK4
Shock Mount
SE Reflexion Filter
Stedman Pro Screen

(Through MBox Pro)

Any thoughts on how to optimize the sound quality, (whatever; plugin suggestions and settings, physical arrangements, etc.)? It's being used mostly for copy reading without a sound booth.

All the best,
Adam

[albee1952]

A loaded question It starts with the voice and room acoustics(which the Reflexion filter will certainly help). Once you have the track recorded, I will manually level the track by using Clip Gain(In 10 and 11) or the AudioSuite GAIN plugin(older versions) to bring up any parts that are too soft, and tame any really hot sections(sort of manually compressing the track). Reason being to drive the compressor more evenly and because compressors can only do so much

Next, I would insert the following plugins in this order:

EQ(any EQ and set it to hi-pass between 100 and 15Hz, depending on the voice(higher voice can use a higher hi-pass)

Compressor(any will work, I use BF76 a lot) to smooth out levels a bit, maybe 3-4db of gain reduction

Compressor 2(for character) I use SMACK!(or any "character" compressor like a Fairchild or LA-2A) to do a bit more compression smoothing, and add the "spice" that this type of compressor is known for.

EQ(can go here or between the compressor plugins) to sweep and tame any hot frequencies(I rarely boost anything as I prefer to reduce the ugly stuff, which makes it sound nicer)

Pultec EQ1-A to add some "air" or "sheen"(which the compressors tend to take away). Some boost at 10 or 12KHz works great with a Pultec(and maybe with the Mag AIR EQ band), but no other EQ does it quite the same

Finish with a touch of verb and/or delay according to the song needs(but keep it very subtle)

[Adam Christopher]

That's awesome. Many thanks!

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

When I do VO work I generally mic from just above the bridge of the talent's nose down toward the upper lip, depending on the mic, anywhere from 3-6 inches away or more, also depending on the content and/or the talent. If I use an additional pop filter I will put it as close to the mic as possible.

The reflexion can be helpful in a small reflective environment or less than quiet space if you don't have a booth but you kind of have to get right up on the mic, which doesn't always make for the best recording. I would do a test recording with and without to see which sounds best. It will definitely sound drier with it. I have recorded VO in really nice studios, really small booths, living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, hotel rooms and glass conference rooms. Only used the reflexion once.

Good talent should have good technique for a hands off recording but if the performance is a little uneven volume-wise I'll ride the input to even it out then spot touch up with clip gain. Watch your levels! I will use something like a K Meter for general work or something like the TC LM2 radial meter if I am doing a broadcast project. If you are using the standard PT metering then keep things in the green.

A decent mic should sound good enough on its own otherwise use a different mic! I only EQ to fix problems, usually from location sound or to match quality of different speakers (talent, not monitors ) and/or mics. Generally for me location sound is a combination of lav and boom mics and I will have to match that to VO from an LDC in a booth. Same goes for compression. I only use it to help with issues. If it is just voice with no background ambience or music then I may leave it alone unless it's for broadcast then I will limit it to tighten up the dynamic range. If there is music/bg then I may compress/limit the music/bg to support the voice. Dialogue is king so that should be the focus.

But it all starts with good mic placement. That will save having to use EQ, de-essers and compression to make up for a bad recording. Garbage in- garbage out. Listen for mouth noise, clothes rustle, jewelry rattle, plosives, uneven breathing and pace. If the talent has issues with plosives use the pencil trick, it's quite effective. Read along with the script to ensure proper reading for takes. Make sure someone is taking notes for best reads/takes. It will save time later.

Also listen to similar projects to what you want to produce to get an idea what you are shooting for.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by CygnusX-1Bk2

But it all starts with good mic placement. That will save having to use EQ, de-essers and compression to make up for a bad recording. Garbage in- garbage out. Listen for mouth noise, clothes rustle, jewelry rattle, plosives, uneven breathing and pace. If the talent has issues with plosives use the pencil trick, it's quite effective. Read along with the script to ensure proper reading for takes. Make sure someone is taking notes for best reads/takes. It will save time later.

Not to mention be mindful of page turning or shuffling of the script. It's amazing what a mic picks up in a quiet environment!

[lexaudio]

Well,

If the room isn't treated for it, then don't mic above. Its gonna sound roomy. Use the SE with the VO artist speaking toward the mic.

I don't know where your thing is going to play so it may or may not matter.

I've never heard the mic you have, so I can't comment on how it sounds. I lent my AT 4050 to my client during pilots for a show that was picked up that has alot of VO as temp in the edit room.

We recorded the VO at Warner Brothers with a U87. There were a few performance lines the EP liked better from the temp than the actual VO performance and it worked.

I did notice a difference on the main speakers, and minimal on the smalls, a little EQ and it fit fairly well. Under music, it was much better.

I will say the Mbox mic pres are crap. They are thin, noisy and not worth the space in the box.

Nothing is going make the Mbox sound better.

If you can still return that mic, I would. Check out advancedaudio.ca.

I got a 87SE from them, did an A/B comparison VO with a Neumann 87, in a proper room with the same mic pre (John Hardy) and the difference was very minimal.
Went to the dub stage with both and let the mix decide. Liked them both. was hard to tell.

we ended up using the AA CM87SE for the VO on this series for the rest of the season.

I know budgets are tight, and you might not be able to afford a decent mic pre. But if you do this a lot, I'd replace the mic, audio interface and get a decent mic pre.

Best of luck to you.

LEX

[Adam Christopher]

As always, many thanks for the thoughtful replies. Truly appreciate the attention and advice!


Adam