You don't use overall noise reduction, i.e., for ambient background noise? Also, at the end do you simply normalize to -3db ... for Audible, anyway? Do you ever do further processing after that, i.e., expander or EQ? Thanks so much for your tutorials.
Not much of at all. That’s why I invested in the fancy booth. For audiobooks, because there is a pretty strict standard for audio loudness I do a bit more than simply normalize. It’s a bit much to dive into via comment, but I’ve got other vids on that and will likely do a full walkthrough at some point.
Hi Jay, thanks for the video! Just a couple of questions: 1) When you process your VO, are you assuming the client/engineer will work on it further, or are you aiming to create a finished product? 2) I noticed you didn’t do/mention any additive eq. Do you generally try to avoid it? Or do you just consider your mics to complement your voice well enough? Thanks in advance!
Hi Matthew! Great questions. 1) generally I’ll provide raw audio to clients as well as a processed file. In both cases, I’m most often assuming the client will have their own engineering pipeline to move things towards a finished product-as they’ll likely need to add my VO into a comp with video music etc-in which case it’s just better if they handle it. The processing I’m showing in this video is more or less general purpose, and if I were to take things towards a finished product it would get a bit more specific/detailed. 2) more often than not I find additive EQ does more harm than good in the long run. Partly this is because if/when a client brings you into a studio or wants raw audio, you’ll sound different which isn’t really going to help you out. Easier in my opinion to keep your sound consistent by avoiding additive EQ. So yes generally I just trust that the mic is going to take care of me, and more or less leave it at that. Hope that helps! And let me know if anything else pops up
Hey Jay! Got Nectar and gonna give this vocal chain a whirl. I was accused of being AI recently and I know it's because I'm over-processing. Wish me luck.
Sure! I'm just using QuickTime's screen recorder software, but the whole video is a composite of raw audio, video, and screen capture. I'm trying to find a way to streamline them all, but keep experiencing a dip in audio quality depending on the capture software I try. Hope that helps!
Hey! Great content man. I really appreciate your sharing your knowledge about this stuff. A question about the rx10 package with the de-click. The isotope rx10 elements has a de-click but not "mouth de-click" Is there a marketable difference? The elements suite vs standard is a fairly big difference in price. Can you explain the difference in them? Thanks!
Of course! I'm not 100% certain on the programming behind the two, but here are some insights from my experience on two of the main differences: -The Mouth De-Click is more tuned for frequencies and clicks that happen in speech, whereas the De-click is more broadly tuned. At times the De-Click can mistake consonant sounds (i.e. "t" "ck" "pt") as clicks and end up altering your speech slightly. -The Mouth De-Click is much less CPU/GPU intensive than the De-Click--meaning it processes your audio much faster without throttling your computer. Very helpful for longer audio files and if your computer isn't terribly fast. Ultimately, both will get the job done. Mouth De-Click is just more surgical and nimble in my experience. Not to sway you either way (again I think both plugins serve) I would say that if you're willing to invest in the "standard" package, I've found it worth it despite the price tag. Hope that helps!
You should really be more popular. You're a great man to go to for learning about voiceover. I've got a question that does not really pertain to this video in particular or the voiceover stuff a lot. It's more of a general question when it comes to voices and how microphones treat them. My voice is relatively high, and it does miss some low end, I feel. now. For getting a microphone that fits. Should I try to get a mic that supplements the low frequencies that my voice lacks, like the notoriously dark-sounding Shure SM7B? Or do I try to get a microphone that prioritizes the high frequencies my voice has, like the bright-sounding Rode NT1A? Sorry for the practical essay length that is this question.
Thanks for the kind words! And thats a great question. My advice would be first-to not worry about it too much. Any mic will sound just fine on any voice beyond a certain point and both the SM7b and NT-1 are well above that threshold, so you’ll be in good hands with either I think-regardless of your natural vocal tone. (If you haven’t watched my best mics vid yet, I talk about this a fair amount there as well) Next I’d advise that I’d you can float snagging a couple mics and keeping the receipts to return, thats a great way to get a feel without committing. Give the mics you’re curious about a try and keep the one that fits best. If none fit, go back to the drawing board. Lastly, your voice doesn’t “lack” any frequencies. It’s just your voice! Sure one mic might be more complementary than another, but no mic will fill in sound that isn’t there-and it shouldn’t! If your voice is higher, that gives you an edge in that ‘zone’ or ‘market’ whatever you want to call it, and trying to change or improve your voice’s sound is somewhat of a fools errand. Hope that’s somewhat helpful and let me know if you have other questions, and of course please let me know what mic you end up with!!
Ah I did have one thought to add. If you're looking for a mic that's 'neutral'/'dark' one mic that I've had success with is the Earthworks ETHOS ($399) if that's in your budget. It's featured as well in the mic comparison video I have, if you want to hear how it sounds relative to the SM7b.
Thank you for the insides. It would have been even more helpful if you demonstrated everything at the sample you showed. You explained your process very well but to really hear what the plug-ins do, it would be better to listen to them in action instead of you only describing them.
Yes! Thanks, Jay!! This is awesome, man.
You bet!
There is a niche for my voice 😍? Hallelujah!
Heck yeah, thanks Jay!
My pleasure!
You don't use overall noise reduction, i.e., for ambient background noise? Also, at the end do you simply normalize to -3db ... for Audible, anyway? Do you ever do further processing after that, i.e., expander or EQ? Thanks so much for your tutorials.
Not much of at all. That’s why I invested in the fancy booth.
For audiobooks, because there is a pretty strict standard for audio loudness I do a bit more than simply normalize. It’s a bit much to dive into via comment, but I’ve got other vids on that and will likely do a full walkthrough at some point.
Hi Jay, thanks for the video! Just a couple of questions:
1) When you process your VO, are you assuming the client/engineer will work on it further, or are you aiming to create a finished product?
2) I noticed you didn’t do/mention any additive eq. Do you generally try to avoid it? Or do you just consider your mics to complement your voice well enough?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Matthew! Great questions.
1) generally I’ll provide raw audio to clients as well as a processed file. In both cases, I’m most often assuming the client will have their own engineering pipeline to move things towards a finished product-as they’ll likely need to add my VO into a comp with video music etc-in which case it’s just better if they handle it. The processing I’m showing in this video is more or less general purpose, and if I were to take things towards a finished product it would get a bit more specific/detailed.
2) more often than not I find additive EQ does more harm than good in the long run. Partly this is because if/when a client brings you into a studio or wants raw audio, you’ll sound different which isn’t really going to help you out. Easier in my opinion to keep your sound consistent by avoiding additive EQ. So yes generally I just trust that the mic is going to take care of me, and more or less leave it at that.
Hope that helps! And let me know if anything else pops up
Hey Jay! Got Nectar and gonna give this vocal chain a whirl. I was accused of being AI recently and I know it's because I'm over-processing. Wish me luck.
Happens to the best of us. Good luck!
Jay, can I ask which screen recording software you're using?
Bo
Sure! I'm just using QuickTime's screen recorder software, but the whole video is a composite of raw audio, video, and screen capture. I'm trying to find a way to streamline them all, but keep experiencing a dip in audio quality depending on the capture software I try. Hope that helps!
Hey! Great content man. I really appreciate your sharing your knowledge about this stuff. A question about the rx10 package with the de-click. The isotope rx10 elements has a de-click but not "mouth de-click" Is there a marketable difference? The elements suite vs standard is a fairly big difference in price. Can you explain the difference in them? Thanks!
Of course!
I'm not 100% certain on the programming behind the two, but here are some insights from my experience on two of the main differences:
-The Mouth De-Click is more tuned for frequencies and clicks that happen in speech, whereas the De-click is more broadly tuned. At times the De-Click can mistake consonant sounds (i.e. "t" "ck" "pt") as clicks and end up altering your speech slightly.
-The Mouth De-Click is much less CPU/GPU intensive than the De-Click--meaning it processes your audio much faster without throttling your computer. Very helpful for longer audio files and if your computer isn't terribly fast.
Ultimately, both will get the job done. Mouth De-Click is just more surgical and nimble in my experience. Not to sway you either way (again I think both plugins serve) I would say that if you're willing to invest in the "standard" package, I've found it worth it despite the price tag.
Hope that helps!
@@jaymyersvoiceover That's very helpful! Thanks
You should really be more popular. You're a great man to go to for learning about voiceover. I've got a question that does not really pertain to this video in particular or the voiceover stuff a lot. It's more of a general question when it comes to voices and how microphones treat them. My voice is relatively high, and it does miss some low end, I feel. now. For getting a microphone that fits. Should I try to get a mic that supplements the low frequencies that my voice lacks, like the notoriously dark-sounding Shure SM7B? Or do I try to get a microphone that prioritizes the high frequencies my voice has, like the bright-sounding Rode NT1A?
Sorry for the practical essay length that is this question.
Thanks for the kind words! And thats a great question. My advice would be first-to not worry about it too much. Any mic will sound just fine on any voice beyond a certain point and both the SM7b and NT-1 are well above that threshold, so you’ll be in good hands with either I think-regardless of your natural vocal tone. (If you haven’t watched my best mics vid yet, I talk about this a fair amount there as well)
Next I’d advise that I’d you can float snagging a couple mics and keeping the receipts to return, thats a great way to get a feel without committing. Give the mics you’re curious about a try and keep the one that fits best. If none fit, go back to the drawing board.
Lastly, your voice doesn’t “lack” any frequencies. It’s just your voice! Sure one mic might be more complementary than another, but no mic will fill in sound that isn’t there-and it shouldn’t! If your voice is higher, that gives you an edge in that ‘zone’ or ‘market’ whatever you want to call it, and trying to change or improve your voice’s sound is somewhat of a fools errand.
Hope that’s somewhat helpful and let me know if you have other questions, and of course please let me know what mic you end up with!!
Ah I did have one thought to add. If you're looking for a mic that's 'neutral'/'dark' one mic that I've had success with is the Earthworks ETHOS ($399) if that's in your budget. It's featured as well in the mic comparison video I have, if you want to hear how it sounds relative to the SM7b.
Thank you for the insides. It would have been even more helpful if you demonstrated everything at the sample you showed. You explained your process very well but to really hear what the plug-ins do, it would be better to listen to them in action instead of you only describing them.
Noted! Thanks for the feedback. I’ll do that next time