YKWTS James, thank you so much for this fantastic information for the VO community. I could have used your advice when I first stared, as a now "recovering" SM7B owner (as you said, not great for VO, outstanding for everything else). Even though I'm not quite able to attend one of your classes just yet, I am certainly going to do so as soon as I can. Everyone! Listen to this man! He speaks the truth!
Thank you so much for those kind words! and for watching through the video! It really means a lot to me! I look forward to meeting you one day! :) Also you killed me with "recovering" SM7B owner! Hahah!
YKWTS... You´re always very very very polite, James. And also funny. I've been trying to follow every single tip you say since I've found your yt channel. And... passing trough your excelent information about mics, equipments, and all above everything your advises about sound proofing, acoustic isolation etc etc. So I'm here just to say thank you very much and to say you can count on me to sprad and/or share your content here in Brazil
First, thank you so much for making it through the video! And thank you so much for the kind words! That's so awesome to have a subscriber from Brazil! :)
Great Video! I really like you are saying about there is an industry standard for each certain type of work and whatever you change to that (for good or for bad) it will cause work to do for others which they do not like. Very wise! Please go ahead with these videos.
James, YOU'RE AWESOME! You're going to BLOW UP!!!! So, with that said I appreciate your last two vids and you're vid editing production. Straight to the point and very needed! Keep it up! I hope that (later on), you'll reply to my comments. Thanks again for your talented skillset!!!
YKWTS. Very informative video. I have a Shure SM7B though it comers some way down my list for preferred mics, for podcasting. Little known fact is that the 7B is pre-equalised in its 'flat' state. This is somewhat counterintuitive since you'd think that engaging the presence 'boost' is applying EQ, but it actually removes it. The 7B capsule is very similar to that in the SM57 - a mic with a rather thinner, nasal and crunchy sound on vocals. The 7B applies passive filters internally to flatten the presence area and it reduces output in this region by 3-4dB. Ever wondered why the 7B has lower output than the technically very similar and related 57/58? - well knocking out that presence spike loses you 3-4dB. Having the mic capsule set slightly further back also reduces output slightly. I get your point about the hassle of applying EQ, but in all honesty a decent £100 mic with a little EQ is preferable sonically IME given you are also battling the higher noise floor with the Shure. Positives - great build, reliability and good plosive resistance.
Just to let you know I have the RODECaster Pro II and the RE20 and used the presets that they provided. It sounds amazing! I purchased the DBX 286s, 166xs, 215s and the MOTU M4 and have been able to replace it with this ONE unit! I also didn't have to adjust anything and it sounds amazing! I'm sure (over time), I'll make my own adjustment. But for now it's sounds great!
Man! I want to get a RODECaster Pro II so bad! Those things are awesome! I use the RC1 each month but I want to get my hands on the II. And the MOTU interfaces are great as well!
This is a must watch for any potential SM7B buyers. I, too, fell for the pitfall described at 15:50 in this video. Thank you for spreading quality information.
YKWTS Excellent video, really opened my eyes (ears?) as to the pros and cons of the SM7B. I use it for live-streaming, and go back and forth between flipping the brighter sound switches on the back. As is, I'll trust that going flatter is better for long form content. Great stuff, thanks for making the video!
Thank you so much for watching the video and for the comment! :) You could definitely turn on the "brighter" switch in the back if you'd like but personally, I like to record with everything as neutral as possible so I have as much flexibility with the audio as I can in post production.
Great review! I run a Rode NT-1 but I've thought of working on a SM7B (with a SoundDevices MixPre-3 II) for my stuff too and I still might, who knows! I'm intrigued!
YKWTS Shoot man I could stop right when you said it’s made for loud dynamic sounds. That really speaks to me as a more soft spoken person. That just gave me something else to actively think about while I shop for a mic, probably a large diaphragm one. I was super curious to hear what you had to share because of your title.
YKWTS Amazing video man! As I commented on the last video, I bought a sm7b but also planning on buying the Rode NT1 later as well. I love both microphones and I even took a month trying to understand and research which one I should buy first. The sm7b came up on top because it fits what I want. It is also one of my dream microphones to own haha. I switched from a condenser microphone to a dynamic one because my room isn't really "sound treated" and there are noises coming from the hallway, downstairs, and the neighbor mowing his lawn at 10:00 AM when I'm trying to talk with my buddies. Right now I'm not really regretting buying the sm7b because I know its good and it fits with what I'm planned on doing with it, but having the Rode NT1 would be amazing as well for other projects. I have a few questions on a varity of topics... 1. I have a relatively deep voice, deep enough where I get some recognition from friends and randoms on how someone so young can possibily have a voice of a 25 year old man. My question is... would a condenser microphone work better to channel that deep voice into something "potentially better?" I know the sm7b has a flat response but hearing it from other people that uses it, they make it sound like they... control it...? I'm not sure how to say what I mean, probably because my ear isn't trained lol. 2. I know you have a class on how to sound treat your room to be more like a studio, but how do you combat comfortability over efficiency? What I mean is that when treating your room (I'm assuming), you're putting anything noisy like a fan outside of the room and putting in more objects that absorbs the sounds instead of it having bouncing around the room. If that fan or AC was a source of keeping you cool, removing it would remove some levels of comforability. But of course you could just stop the fan or AC to do some voicelines, but what should you do if you want to leave them on without it disrupting the audio of your recordings or voicecalls? If this is too much then I might need to just buy the class XD 3. When this channel blows up, would you consider opening up some sort of community to help each other out on these things? Maybe like a Discord server? 4. Random question but... When did you decide that you wanted to go into the "audio field"? I know that a lot of people get inspired by VAs into persuing VA as well, but what was your story? Thank you for sharing your knowledge on audio with us and I am looking forward for those weekly videos, whenever they come!
Hey there! Thank you so much for the kind words and questions! If you're up to it, We'll probably need to schedule a consultation for this one. Email me jyaudiodoctor@gmail.com and I'll shoot you over some information so you can decide what would be best for you. I'm also in the middle of trying to get my website re-done so I'll let you know when that's finished and ready!
YKWTS.....Love LOVE this James!! Very informative and love how you've put this together! Caught myself laughing out loud, whilst sat watching on a plane! Not had a chance to try out the SM7b, however I 157% agree with this. Its akin to using a shoe has a hammer. It'll work, but it's not the right tool for the job! Looking forward to the course! 👍🏾😁
I just responded from the wrong TH-cam channel and now the response isn't showing up! :( Long story short, that analogy is great and I'm stealing it! :) and thank you so much as always for your continued support my friend! :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! The good news is this usually doesn't happen during the first round of auditions. Normally an engineer won't be present until they have narrowed it down the the top actors they are trying to pick from. What's got you afraid? Your space? Mic technique? Something else?
@@JamesYounger Good to know. My space and some technical issues. You'll hear from me soon James. It's def acoustics I need help with so I'll be reaching out.
YKWTS Congratulations on another great video, James! I would like to know your opinion about Electro Voice RE320, which is brighter, if it could be used professionally for VO. Cheers from Brazil
Thank you so much William! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! I personally like the way the RE20 sounds just like I do the SM7B but the industry looks at it in the same light unfortunately :( The industry basically looks at any dynamic microphone in the same way. I will say however, you could probably get away with using it for a while but all it takes is that one client or engineer catching it and saying something you know? First impressions :( BUUUUT just like the SM7B it's great for content creation of all kinds :)
@@JamesYounger Thanks for the answer, James! Good to know about this industry issue on dynamic microphones. Thanks a lot! I wish you more and more success with the channel!
YKWTS, I've always just seen the sm7b as an sm57/58 in a radio studio friendly body. Thats not a criticism, but if you cant get your voice and/or your equipment to work with a 57/58, then dont think the sm7b is going to us some kinda magic to sound better, in fact it'll probably be worse!!
YKWTS thank you for this info. I actually got the sm7b from my late brother so I could record his audiobook. I'll need to invest in another mic, sure, but given the circumstances I'm probably going to keep using the sm7b for a long time. Kind of feels like a way to keep connected to my brother :-)
So sorry to hear about your brother. And I LOVE the SM7B and honestly it SHOULD be totally fine to use in VO circumstances (as long as you know how to use it) but unfortunately the industry doesn't agree. But I think you're totally fine to use it for that audiobook.
@@JamesYounger thanks man, I really appreciate it. And yeah! After watching this video I went out and looked into your website on shotgun mics, picked up the AT875R to use for character demos and commercial, but will definitely be using the sm7b for audiobooks going forward!
" years ago I did not know nothing about this subject...Today, I know a 0.5%. but, after your video I feel I´ve learn a bit more. Thank you very much. I don´t own a SM7B, just a "brand new" SM58 connected to a Roadcaster DUO. Im so happy with the sound quality! Im trying to learn how to EQ and is super fun. Perhaps never learn a thing but the good time is guarantee. Thank you!
YKWTS. Im curious, I’m in the market for a new mic set up for my YT voiceovers. 90% of my videos are recorded with a prewritten script. Not necessarily “professional” aka sending to big companies, but wanting my voiceovers to sound as clean as possible to make my videos as high quality as possible. Would you still recommend against getting the SM7B in my situation? Would it be better to just get an NT1? Do I need to get anything with either one of them to make them sound even better? Audio is a new place im looking to get much better at so you can point me to a video as well. TIA.
I do something very similar - but mainly online courses and some YT videos. Most students just want someone they can understand without environmental distractions like echoes - which means your recording space is more important than the mic. However, if you can't do much with the recording space - then the mic can help get around some of those issues - which is why dynamics like the SM7B (or RE20) are so popular. Most YTer don't have access to a pro studio or soundbooth. Condensers really benefit from a quiet environment like a booth - the exception would be shotgun mics since they are hyper focused pick up pattern. Either way, you will still need _some_ form of sound treatment like acoustic foam (good stuff, not cheap crap off Amazon) or blankets. If your recoding space is decent, then many mics under $300 will be more than adequate for your use case. This video is aimed at VO pros - so not exactly the same market as us.
YKWTS: Wonderfully informative video! Gosh I know the industry standard is bright and it's so annoying lol. I do have two bright mics for the locker the MKH416 and the TLM103 and I get it, like you said, cuts through a mix, easy to understand which is great! However, oh my gosh when monitoring I have to take breaks so frequently. the harshness hurts my ears haha. I'm actually looking to get a Lauten Atlantis! Was going to get a U87 but, been doing a good amount of research into the Atlantis and oh my gosh Lauten are mad scientists. Also, it might just be me but in the last year have you noticed that studios are starting to fall back to a more neutral dare I say subtly warm sound? Noticing the usual suspect mics being traded out in recording for more full neutral mics lately.
Hi James, what microphone do you recommend for smoky, husky voices for voice over work? And also what do you think of voice over artists purchasing refurbished, top-tier microphones?
Honestly, I have yet to hear the Rode NT1 sound bad on anyone's voice. It's just a great sounding mic at an amazing price. I'd definitely go with that one. And I'd say while refurbished can definitely be a good purchase, on the other side of the coin, some microphones can definitely change in sound as they age. I wish I could give you more concreate advice about refurbished gear but that's about as much as I can say on the topic. Thank you so much for the questions! :)
Knowing what to listen for (ear training) is a critical distinction. I do this with public speaking too - when I coach someone on public speaking - I basically ruin their ability to listen to other people speaking because 99% do it poorly. For example, a director at a company I worked for used filler words (disfluencies) nearly _every_ - um - _other_ - um - _word_. I pointed this out to a co-worker - he hadn't noticed it until I pointed it out but then that made listening to the rest of the presentation nearly unbearable. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
YKWTS This is a great video! Thank you! Even though i am 100% NOT in any show biz nor am i an audio engenier or an expert. Im prett much a nobody. However i like what i like. Not every voice can use amy mics. If you used the SM7B the entire time making this video then the audio soundds awesome for any job. Even vouceovers. If i heard this audio b4 i saw this video then i’d thought the audio was outstanding. Didn’t heR any noise evennwith headphones. If anybody is buying a mic try to test every mic you can to know what mic fits your voice. the best. From business i get it, tou want the best and cllean audio but from consumers, average people tjey can just trll if a couce spunfs good or not or if a mic sounds good or not.
Thank you so much for the kind words AND for watching through the video! And to be fair, I did a good bit of de-noising to the audio for this video (Other than for when I cut back to the first video I ever made)
YKWTS... All you say in this video is completely right. The SM7B was made mainly for radio broadcast (tailored for voice), the other uses in what it can be used were experimental, some proved to be good, like singing (Michael Jackson and some other), recording instruments, etc. Also, most people who owns one of this microphones, one of their complain about it, is the fact it needs much gain to sound good, so at this point the explanation is very simple, it was made to be used with broadcast profesional mixers, with preamplifiers that can provide enough gain without distort or add noise to the microphone. Very interesting video, thanks!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words AND for making it through the video! I really appreciate it! I'll add the RE-20 to my list of microphone to review :) I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one to test anyway, so that will be fun!
YKWTS I know this is not related to VO work specifically and after watching the full video I still have some questions. If you're someone that's looking to do professional work and need a diverse microphone that fits most things, is the SM7B the best choice? I'm talking about some VO work for courses, some podcasts, even some music vocals from time to time and youtube videos. From what I hear there are still some heavy drawbacks to it, mainly the low gain volume, high noise floor, my interface is pretty old (M-audio fast track pro) and I'm worried it wont have enough gain boost for it. What would be the a best all rounder Mic for such a case if not the SM7B? Provided I'm working in a medium sized room with some treatment. Also I found it absolutely amusing that the SM7B is considered a colored microphone in the VO world even though it's one of the flattest microphones out there, that's hilarious but your explanation made absolute sense.
First off, thank you so much for watching the video and for the comment! I actually think for your situation, the SM7B would be a great option! I'd just say for you to buy a gain booster like a cloudlifter or dynamite stick. You can find those in my recommended equipment list in the description of the video if you want to check them out! And you're right! It's so bizarre for the industry to view the SM7B as a colored microphone! 😂 but they're used to what they're used to haha!
A few points to add,, condenser mics especially large condensers pick up a lot of room noise,, so its not enough just using one for VO,, you have to accoustically treat your space too. Its this combination of a more sensitive mic with a treated space that makes these mics work best for VO. Lastly,, it was mentioned that using a cloudlifter can boost the sm7b,, that is true but these still add self noise to the signal path,, maybe not as much as the mic pre but it does add some and that self noise is then further amified by the mic preamp. So the end result is usually better but not as good as youd think.
Acoustically treating a space won't help with room noise. That's what soundproofing is for. Acoustically treating is for reflections. I cover all of that in multiple videos on my channel. Acoustically treating your space is 70% to 80% of having pro sounding audio. This video goes into a lot of that: th-cam.com/video/pQ-X1Sv2jtM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=oo1WiktA3rkkyuY5
YKWTS ref that gainbooster and audio interface "has enough gain" bollocks.. the problem with their reasoning is that cheaper audio interfaces have "sweet spots" in their gain structure that if you max it out (or use too little) it can introduce artefacts, noise and harmonics. Zoom, Focusrite and a few others suffer from this. I once asked a classical engineer what he would choose for a small, portable interface rig for on the go and he said "buy RME as they've a lot of gain and are transparent pres". I feel like that advice would benefit anyone getting into VO.
YKWTS The painful situation that I'm in is that my family got me a shure with a cloudlifter for my birthday because they wanted to support me on my goal to start a voice over career, it was beyond what I could have ever expected and I have other uses for it such as the ones you mentioned. That being the case I am finding it extremely difficult to sell it. I've also developed an ear that prefers the shure over my previous mic, the at2020 and I'm not financially stable enough to to just pick up another good quality mic or afford training for either voice acting or audio engineering. Being stuck in this rut has really made me lose confidence in pursuing VO work in general, I just don't know what to do
First off, thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! I truly appreciate it! I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. :( If I were you, I'd actually try to sell both if possible and use that money to get yourself a Rode NT1. You'll even come out with some extra money. Have you tried Facebook marketplace? A few years ago my SM7B sold on there in literally 15 min. Also look into selling on Mercari, it's also a great place to sell things but they do take a commission unlike FB marketplace. However I will say, you can get away with an SM7B for a while on Pay to play sites like voices 123 or voices.com. Just don't take jobs that are below your worth. I hope this was helpful in some way!
@@JamesYounger Thank you for the response. But would the nt1 be good for a person with a deeper voice? I'm also planning on sound treating my roughly 5x4 walk in closet with MLV and 2' acoustic foam, maybe some moving blankets if needed. Would it still be a good mic in that kind of space or should I go with a shotgun mic instead?
@@MyAbsoluteLimit Both a shotgun or the Rode NT1 would be great! But something I teach in my classes is that IF going with foam you MUST go with 4" thick foam, no less. If you go any less than 4" think foam it's practically like putting nothing on the walls so be careful there. I buy my foam from thefoamfactory.com and get the 4" thick pyramid foam. But also look into GIK acoustics. Acoustic panels are always the best for treating a space properly. The 242 panels are great. There's A LOT that goes into properly treating a space. If you want to learn anymore about this stuff you can sign up for one of my classes over on my website: www.audiodoctor.tech/
Ykwts Hey bro I use persoune revelator io 24 with cloudlifter and the electeovoice and 27 of gain but it seem like mic audio is to low on obs even compresor enabled at 57 the you think I have bad mic? What is you recommendation on the m Meter for obs clean audio like your or if you can make rewies on re20 with cloudlifter that be great..love the video
Ykwts…i don’t know what they say, but I suppose I should based on my inclusion of YKWTS…great video though. Touched on all the pros and cons very well.
I tend to watch VO content because that is closest to my use case than what most folks focus on (music/singing). Also, every person is different. Those with a higher register voice might benefit from the SM7B. If someone has about $1500 to explore mics - order about 5 or so and try them out to figure out what works best for your voice and recording area - then return the ones that don't work well. For me, I have two different recording environment - a professional soundbooth and a semi-treated basement. My dynamics work well in the basement - especially while other people are still active in the house. However, the soundbooth allows me to use condensors that have more detail. I have two places to record because sometimes I need to do critical audio recording, but I'm not setup for live streaming there - and the booth gets hot very fast - so I can only do 20 minute sessions in there. Anything longer form like live streaming or podcasts need to be done in the basement. For myself, I create online courses on technical IT topics. Even making decent money - most folks would consider income replacement level - a $100 mic is sufficient. I built most of my courses with the Blue Yeti (yeah that thing). I have reinvested a good deal of my income into building a solid recording setup with more-than-adequate equipment. But, honestly, as long as my students can clearly understand me without environmental distractions - that is all that matters.
YKWTS. Great info. Since the MK416 is the standard for VO and it seems that other condensers can sometimes be used (Rode NT1, Neumann U87, etc.), are there any dynamic microphones in general that would be acceptable or are they all just too colored and/or noisy?
Good question. If it were up to me, dynamic mics like the SM7B would be totally fine to use, however I understand the industry not wanting people to use them because in most cases people don't use them the way they were meant to be used and then end up with not so great results that then put more of a strain on the engineer in post production as well as making the project take longer. Long story long, I can't think of any that would be acceptable due to the treasons you mentioned. I am interested in reviewing and testing out the sE electronics Dynacaster because it has a gain booster built into the mic. I just have no idea how it sounds.
@@JamesYounger I have not used the Dynacaster so don’t know about it. To date, I’ve only used the U87 & C414 for VO but don’t really do that much of that type work and those were in perfect studio conditions. My experience with the 416 is that it works great outdoors or in well treated spaces, but is terrible in a typical residential room. I prefer to use the e935 in those instances and for travel interviews as it is portable and is much more flexible with noisier environments. It would be an easy recommendation for podcasts or less formal work. Here is a link to a comparison that John Steinbeck made, it might be interesting to you or your subscribers. th-cam.com/video/vvHzXh76egw/w-d-xo.html Thank you for sharing your great experience, it is appreciated!
YKWTS: I'm looking to upgrade from my Blue Yeti for streaming, and I'm stuck on the SM7B vs. the RE20. My voice isn't very deep and I would prefer a microphone that accentuates the low end a bit more (at least I think). The conflict I am running into is that the SM7B is often described as "darker" and has a stronger proximity effect, whereas the RE20 is designed to avoid the prox effect. However, I've also heard that the SM7B has a really sharp cut in the bass ranges (which goes against the common conception that it's darker), whereas the RE20 has really solid response in the low end. Also, I've learned that the RE20 is highly sought after for recording bassy instruments. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm really not sure which direction to go based on what I'm looking for. Any advice?
Hey! Thanks for the question! First I'd say give this video a watch to hear the difference: th-cam.com/video/KlI8DtXP3aE/w-d-xo.html and secondly I'd say it's just really difficult to make a decision without hearing your voice. I always recommend people buy both and just return the one they don't like as much. I've had no issues with returns so far. The other thing is that the SM7B is easier to listen to over long periods of time because of it's darker or warmer sound so there's that. But you could just EQ and process the RE20 to sound warmer in post. I hope this was helpful!
YKWTS… What about SM7B for an audiobook I’m doing for my own book? You mention the dullness of SM7B makes it easier to listen to for longer periods. This make is not good go VO per your video but what about an audiobook?
Oh definitely the Rode NT1. I'd go with the Rode NT1 5th gen with both USB and XLR connections because it has a lot of other stuff that comes with it software wise and 32bit float.
YKWTS There is one thing I like to add and that is something a lot of sound engineers don't like to hear or want to realize but do realize it, is that the VAST majority of the people don't hear much of those subtle differences. I have watched many videos and I use decent headphones, the DT-770 pro and a lot of time where they say, you can clearly hear the difference I go ... wait, what difference, it just sounded the same. And then you also have to add the music and sound effects to many of the commercials so I really wonder how many people would really hear the difference with a "perfect" sound file vs a 80% perfect sound file. But, sound engineers are important and we all have to defend our jobs so I guess they still want the best of the best even though the majority of mortals wouldn't hear it anyway. :) But it was an interesting video and thing also is, everybody is different, I don't like to listen to mics with a very high clarity, it hurts my ears very quickly. I wonder what Sir David Attenborough’s mic is, I really prefer to hear his warm voice in the voice over work he does.
I totally understand where you're coming from and personally I think the SM7B SHOULD be part of the industry standard but the industry doesn't agree with me haha. And ohhhhh boy! Sir David Attenborough! Literally my favorite narrator EVER!
YKWTS - what about using a voiceover mic (which one do you recommend?) with an apollo twin X? would it then be good for youtube tutorials? i dont speak clearly, so i'm looking for a solution that wont make my voice sound more muffle than it already is.
Hey there! Thank you so much for watching my video! I really appreciate it! I would suggest the RODE NT1!. It sounds amazing and is very affordable. I have yet to hear it sound bad on anyone's voice AND it won't make you sound muffled :) It's a very "present" sounding mic in a good way.
YKWTS - at this point it’s brand recognition. People see the sm7b all over the shop and thing well it has to be there for a reason. I’d like your take on condenser mics like the earthworks icon or lauten LS-208.
Because it's tough to concentrate on not moving when playing games I'd suggest using one for sure. I don't know what kind of mic you have but I'd probably just go with a pop filter.
YKWTS... I trust you brother, you seem like you know exactly what you're talking about. Very knowledgeable and have credits to back it up. I'm returning my Shure MV7X and M-Audio M-Track Solo Interface, with the CableCreation XLR cables. I only had them a week. You saved me time and possibly losing out on future jobs. I'm now picking up the Rode NT1 Signature Series (Red), Rode AI-1 single channel interface, OneOdio A70 Black/Red Bluetooth headphones and Aokeo isolation shield. Is this a good setup you think? Thanks for your help bro
Hey man! Thanks so much for watching the video! Personally, I'm hoping in the near future that they will allow dynamic mics into the fold but who knows? If I were you this is what I'd get Rode NT1 5th GEN: geni.us/j8tO4OQ Scarlett Solo 3rd gen: geni.us/FocusriteScarlettSolo Disclaimer: -- LINKS -- (When available, I use affiliate links and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you )
@@JamesYounger Thanks for the recommendations. Unfortunately those are a bit pricy for me at the moment. My daughter was just born on my birthday May 11th, and we have a 2 yr old son. So money is really tight right now. I live in Canada so prices are double for me unfortunately. Would the NT1 Signature Series work just as good for the time being? And the Rode AI-1 single channel interface? What should I do for sound isolation though? I was thinking of getting the isolation foldable shield and putting it on my tripod. Would that work for now? I'd get the arm but like I said, I have nowhere to attach it. Thanks for your time and reply
@@MikeAmazonInfluencer Congratulations! Naw the signature series will work just fine. The 5th gen give you both USB and XLR connectivity as well as 32 bit but you really don't need those features. You can defiantly just go with the sig series. However, I'd still suggest going with the Focusrite solo 3rd gen. NOT the 4th gen. Also, the 3rd gen is only $100 so you actually save money there. That Rode interface has been known to be a little noisy.
@@JamesYounger Thanks Brother! OK Focusrite 3rd gen, got it. It's only $10 more. What about sound isolation? Would that foldable shield work? I don't have a closet to use, can't setup foam, etc... Have a toddler need I say more lol. I'm gonna get the red version NT1. I'm shocked that I haven't seen a single video with anyone showing it off. So I guess I will be the first. People use it as the thumbnail, but then in the video they show the black one.
@@MikeAmazonInfluencer Before you do anything give theses videos a watch: 1. th-cam.com/video/pQ-X1Sv2jtM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pw5hrHxcAji4T0X3 2. th-cam.com/video/LyzdcKNFlYE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=X4XgF-4C5YdHCSDe You'll have a better idea of your space and treatment after watching those videos.
YKWTS, I've heard many people complimenting the Rode NT1(Black) and saying it's got the one if the quietest noise floors and so on and so forth, would you say that as an audio doctor/engineer that audio from a NT1 is easy to work with? A Green flag per-say? Or if you could is there a video on your channel or one that you are aware of that tells you how to know if you are using your microphone properly. I am a budding Voice Actor in South Africa and I'm wanting to invest in the NT1 with its AI1 counter part in Rodes set package due to the compliments I've seen and heard. I want to turn this into my career and your earlier part of the video spoke to me in a way, it made me open my eyes... Would you recommend the NT1 as an investment or are there mics that you've seen work well or better in your line of work with your company? Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for such amazing quality and informative videos.🤘
Thank you so much for the comment and for watching! You're totally good to go with the Rode NT1. It's my favorite mic at the moment, however I'd actually advise you go with the Rode NT1 5th gen. It's even more affordable and gives you more flexibility. Check out the video I did on it here: th-cam.com/video/23nVA9hwIkM/w-d-xo.html also I wouldn't get the rode interface. I'd get the focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen or the solo depending on how many inputs you need. You can check out the video I did all about interfaces here: th-cam.com/video/l3jjMbrTpjg/w-d-xo.html and then I also did a video on how to properly set up and use an interface here: th-cam.com/video/PdjQ-GYQQmk/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps!
YKWTS As a longtime radio engineer--retired still got radio in my blood--I must let you know you are completely RIGHT. Most of us who worked for top group owners in the rock radio heyday had two "enemies" -- the program director and the consultant. Neither wanted "great" audio, each wanted the audio he or she WANTED TO HEAR. Often what they wanted to hear wasn't the cleanest, most stand-out sound we engineers who lived, ate and breathed on-air audio, but rather what THEY thought was most competitive. Makes sense the young decision makers in charge are convinced they know what's competitive in film, streaming, games and more. The flatest, true-est sound is somehow not powerful, or something. The worst case was when a major market program director fell into directing the on-air product not to satisfy the target audience but instead to out-do the program directors at the other stations(!)(?). Sounds like nowadays the decision makers think the Sennheiser Mike is the 21st century equivalent of the Neumann U87, or the like. You are giving excellent advice to folks hoping to become well thought-of in the "Industry." There are many subtleties to signal to noise ratio, self noise, gain, and headroom. To get really into all that, a voice-over actor would have to get as much experience as YOU have. Not enough time. In retirement I want to do audiobook narration (or audiobook "reading"). But it's great to hear an expert point out how often the "component-of-choice" for, say, podcasts devolved to not much more than "what everybody saw everybody else using" and the "first choice" was, well, what all the newcomers thought everyone expected them to use. Don't minimize the value of real expertise. It could help one actually attain the coveted "stand-out" status. Thanks. End of rant.
Yeah sorry about that 😮💨 I get so much hate when talking about this microphone I just wanted to make my stance and points super clear and even that didn't help 😵
So far I am deciding between the Rode NT1 5th Gen and an AT2020 which was also recommended to me. Would you recommend the Rode over the AT2020 as well for TH-cam/Twitch & Voice Acting? @@JamesYounger
@@ApexAshan I've never used the 2020 so I can't say for sure, however I have own both the NT1 and NT1 5th gen and love them. One day I'm going to have to buy a few AT mics to try them out and compare them. All I can say is you will be very happy going with either of the NT1's, however for more flexibility I'd go with the 5th gen AND if it's still the case it's actually a little cheaper than the standard NT1.
YKWTS : this is an amazing video and I have only looked at a few of your videos and have come to my conclusion to not buy this mic or al least for my purposes. I do have a Question though, how do I know if my voice is right for VO and I have a lot of people tell me i have a great voice i should do "radio" or "VO/VA" should I believe them and just trust them or not i have been wanting to do VO or VA for a wile finally got a job that allow me to be financially stable until i can get a stable income from VO/VA.
Thank you so much for watching through the video! It means a lot! :) Here's my two cents on VO. I personally think that anyone can do voice over as long as they are willing to put in the work. I'm always going to be super honest right up front, it can be a TON of work. It's not easy, but if you're willing to work hard, train, and put in the time I believe you can absolutely do it. Some people book their first job almost right away and some people don't book for the first couple years. No ones journey is the same and that's one of the reasons a lot of people don't pursue it. It's not like there is one clear path you know what I mean? Everyone get's their a different way. I highly suggest taking the "Into To Voice Over" class at Atlanta Voiceover Studio and seeing how you feel after. It's a great way to test the waters, learn a lot about VO and see if it's something you really want to pursue.
YKWTS. This video helped me understand that the SM7B is probably a good mic for what I need (miking informational videos and recording vocals for my original music). By the way, Joe Cipriano is an old friend of mine, and I've actually been consulting with him for what mic to get (in addition to watching videos like this). It was a treat to see his name come up in the video.
YKWTS... I want to record podcast but I'm going direction "voiceover". What microphone I should get for not the best environment? Are shotgun like ngt2 good and dont sound narrow?
@@JamesYounger Both :) I would like to start with podcasting while practicing my voice. I understand that I can also use a microphone for voiceover for podcasting and that's what I'm looking for. I saw your review of the AT875R and I really liked it (mic and review :) ). I'm looking for a shotgun microphone because my recording space is not ideal. I was considering the sennheiser mke600 because I could get it for 170 euros, but there aren't many opinions on whether it's good for voiceover. At the moment the AT875R is my go-to but I'm still searching for the best option. Thank you for an answer
@@iljin9089 In that case, I'd say go with the AT875R. The mke600 is too noisy :( I used to work at a studio that used the 600 for their clients and I always complained to the owners of the studio about how unprofessional the mic was and how it was hurting the clients that were coming into the studio to record but they wouldn't listen to me 🤷♂I think in your situation the AT875R is a great choice.
YKWTS Hi James, just wondering if there's a difference in your opinion between audiobook work and voice actor work. Especially in the case of authors or narrators wanting to record in their own homes versus a studio and whether we should be advising them to use dynamic mics or condenser mics.
Hey there! Thanks for the question! This sums up how I feel pretty well: th-cam.com/video/_vSOwrym6Ws/w-d-xo.html But to add to it I (personally) don't see why actors couldn't use a dynamic mic for audiobooks (assuming they understand how to properly use it to get the best sound out of it) however the industry still doesn't agree which is what I talk a little about in that clip. Let me know what ya think.
@@JamesYounger The issue I'm having is I work with a lot of authors or people that aren't used to work like this - voiceover work in general, content creation, or working with any of this equipment. And because it's sometimes done remotely and not inside studios it can make it hard to determine what is happening in the setup to cause issues. I was thinking of maybe suggesting the MV7 as an option for those that aren't used to this but have received pushback for it being a dynamic microphone and not a condenser. However, we're working with people that do not know sometimes even basics about audio work because that's not their job, but I have to still produce an audiobook all the same.
@@wombataudio That's gotta be incredibly frustrating. I personally don't think that voice actors SHOULD have to learn all of this technical stuff, but unfortunately they MUST because of the way the industry has shifted. And even though I don't think they SHOULD have to learn all the technical stuff, at the same time, I personally would have learned as much as I could on the technical side as a voice actor because it can only help to know about your equipment and all the other technical stuff. I just know most voice actors couldn't give 1 hoot about that stuff.
@@JamesYounger It is incredibly hard to convince authors working remotely that need to record their own voices, and especially if they live in rural areas, to learn and to get on top of this. Especially when they're older as well and don't have a basis to work off of (the amount of times I've had to talk to relatives of authors to help with aspects of troubleshooting). I'm just wondering if using a dynamic mic like my suggestion with the MV7 would work for a smaller publishing house looking to put these books out. These authors aren't professional voice actors and will likely only ever do this for the 1-3 books they might be asked to record.
@@wombataudio Unfortunately I have no idea if that would work for them or not. Personally, I don't see it as an issue (using the MV7) but there's no way for me to know if the publishing house will go for it or not. Each will probably have their own varying response 😕
YKWTS James - Relative to all the topics you have covered here, there is not much to say about this video. Straight to a lot of points. And i agree to most of them. To start my actual comment of, i want to point out, that I am a hobbyist. A very nerdy one, but still, a hobbyist. So what I will say, I don't claim to be all true. With this being said: The biggest point will be the sound signature of dynamic microphones. In general, they are not fitting for VO work. What i noticed on them is a certain "compressed" feel to them, like an unnatural divide between the room and your voice. While it is their strong suit, if you use them the way it is intended by their technical concept, that is up close, to make use of what they can do best, it just doesnt feel as natural, as a condenser does. I'm not sure about the sound signature, required by the industry standard. If you have a voice with a lot of high frequency concent to begin with, i'd expect a a harsh sounding microphone not to be your best friend. But that doesnt change what I said before, about the compressed sound signature of dynamic microphones. But: Would it still be the correct choice for voice over to get a microphone with boostest high frequencies? I'd say, yes, but only, if the top end of the microphones response is as smooth as possible. For Example, i've heard quite a few samples of various voices on the Shure KSM32 and that microphone is ridiculously smooth sounging, even though it clearly has a boost on the higher frequencies. Would you recommend that microphone? To talk about the SM7B specifically, I both agree and disagree to your take on the noise of the SM7B. Let me explain why, by starting with what I agree on: Yes, in a use case similar to yours, it is really noisy. I have guessed the distance you used, to be about 10 inches from the wind shield of the SM7B. Based on that i tested it myself, to get a self-noise only sample. I want to point out, that you don't even need the SM7B to test that. In the end, its a matter of doing some math, based on things that we know. I was surprised, though I expected the outcome. I did expect it, because of the distance. I know the room noise in an untreated room with a computer in it to be about 10dB louder, than the self-noise. So it didn't surprise me to get a self-noise of about -52dBFS peak, -64dBFS RMS. Thats exactly 10dB below the noise in your recording. With the room noise being easily 10dB louder it almost perfectly matched your results. But then it hit me: Wait a minute... isn't that a kind of recording booth you're in? Granted, its open, so noise from the outside is bleeding in. (But in that case any microphone at that distance, that doesnt pull the voice as strong as the Sennheiser MKH 416, would be a bad choice.) But anyways... the point i disagree with, while being admittedly just a matter of how to phrase things, is you arguing, the SM7B has to be used at that distance. Because no, thats really not how you use a dynamic microphone. If you don't use it like that, you complain, because you don't use the microphone as intended. Of course, that doesnt make the SM7B any more fitting for VO work - rather the contrary, really. I would put is this way: The SM7B's weak point is that it has to be used up close. Even in a perfectly quiet room, you'd have Signal to Noise Ratio (S/N or SNR in short) of 66dB *AT BEST.* With the microphone like 10 inches / 25 cm from your mouth, the SNR plummets down to 48dB, which is basically unusable, as you have demonstrated, even tho with room noise. But using the microphone up close doesnt make things better, because if you use any microphone that close to you, you get a proximity effect, boosting the bassier parts of whatever hits the microphone tfrom up close. This makes your voice bass-heavy and often enough boxy sounding. Sure, you can do EQ, but as you have put it yourself - nobody likes extra work, if it can be avoided. Also, you will always get the best sound quality, if you use the recording as little EQ as possible. Most of the time, it makes perfect sense for darker sounding microphones being just that. They sound exceedingly harsh, when subjected to a high shelf, unless you keep it subtle enough. So bubtle in fact, that one might ask: Why even bother? And if you start picking freqeuencies around the sharsh sounding parts to boost, its very difficult to make it natural sounding. Anyways... Lots of text, but i'll end my comment the way i started: Great Video! Don't mind me too much. I'm just a nerdy guy, who got lost in the technical side of recording way too much. xD
YKWTS very interesting, very surprised that they wanted to create a flat mic. I think what people like about it is it's his tone. But since I listen to the Sennheiser it looks flat 😄 What about the industry standard (in the US) for women? By the way this standard is a niche inside a niche. To become a top Voice over talent, doing tv and radio ads or dubbing it takes something like what? 10 years ? But there are a lot of voice over jobs who don't require this very particular tone of the Sennheiser. Also, as soon as you do eq choosing between a flat or coloured mic is not important anymore, so, don't you think it's better to choose a mic matching your recording environment? For example, if it's noisy opting for a podcast dynamic or shotgun mic, if you have a correct diy booth, going to a cardioid etc. ? Because I believe you have this knowledge, could you do a video about the correct size of a booth and what are the mics who requires very specific conditions ?
Hey there Laurent! I hope you're doing well! To become a top talent it can take a slew of totally different things for different people. There is no bench mark for when someone will or won't make it and that's what's so frustrating for so many people. It may take one person 10 to 20 years to make a dent in the industry, but then there are other people who break in and have thriving careers in just a year or two. It's incredibly unpredictive. The 416 is just one example of what the industry is used to hearing. They are also super used to the TLM 103 and the Neumann U87. Those are both staples in the industry as well, and aren't as "bright" sounding as the 416 but definitely a lot "Brighter" than the SM7B. But you could use a Rode NT1 for your entire career and never have any issue and that mic is only $170 but it's a large diaphragm confessor, not a dynamic mic like the SM7B. The jobs out there where you can potentially get away with using a mic like the SM7B would be on P2P sites and lower paying jobs. Not at the top levels of the industry. Using EQ to fix a microphones sound is counter productive (Specifically talking about Voice Over, not music or content creation or anything else) the main reason for this is because most engineers don't want you to touch the audio with post processing because they can't undo the processing you've done to the audio when you send it which ties their hands with making the audio sound how the client wants it to for the specific music, effects and tone of the spot. You can't un-bake a cake you know what I mean? Also, your space should be properly acoustically treated so that ANY mic would sound good in your space. Your home studio should be so well treated that the only reason a microphone wouldn't sound good is only because it doesn't sound good on your particular voice. But you gave me great idea for a video so I'll make a video diving WAYYYYY further into this information because I could write 50 pages just on these topics so I'm going to put it on my list of videos to make! :) Thank you so much for the questions and comments! I'll speak on rooms and treatments in the video as well!
It would be totally fine for that. You'd just want to make sure you paired it with a gain booster OR get the new SM7DB with the gain booster built in. That way you don't have to crank the gain WAYYYY up to get good levels which would introduce hiss.
When is someone considered a professional? To keep it short and sweet, if you want to make a lucrative career out of voice over (and in order for you to do that you would need to follow the industry standards) that's when I'd consider you a professional. The day you decide you want to make this a career and that you will do everything in order to make that happen. That's when. I mean technically yes, if you haven't booked any jobs how can you be a professional? But to me, as long as you are doing everything the right way and busting your butt, you're a professional. If you're purposefully not using an industry standard mic, not training and coaching, not properly treating the space you're recording in etc... Then you're most definitely not a professional.
To be honest, I took down one of the videos because the studio I used to work at ended up doing some shady crap that I didn't agree with so we parted ways. Don't really want to promote a studio that's taking advantage of people (thank God I found out) you can find the other videos on my channel.
@@JamesYounger Voice over work that turns into dark fields involving pain and suffering. I'm interested as an independent-freelancer VA. Never heard of such stories from the industry; i'm curious
YKWST. By making me use this opening comment tag, it really puts a cramp in my normal passive aggressive openings. So, that seems a bit mean. As for the actual video, LOVED IT. Wide ranging & complete overview. Thanks.
YKWTS While you are mostly correct about the SM7b (just missed one thing) I don't think you will reach as many people as you hope to as the video spends way too long warning us about what is coming and I would guess that to many people you will probably just come off sounding like a dick. I actually watched at 2X speed to be able to even get though all of it. In a nutshell (as you eventually get to in the video) real VO work (not podcasting) requires a mic that is capable of very low noise, excellent transient response, and a clear open sound. The SM7b while a great mic for lots of stuff performs rather poorly at these things. The one point you really missed was that even when using a Cloudlifter which provides a bunch of gain, the SM7b is still a warm/dull/smooth mic that lacks good transient response and detail and the Cloudlifter simply offers the same ol SM7b sound just at 20-ish db louder while not really improving the signal to noise ratio unless you are using a truly awful micpre like you would find in a small handheld Zoom recorder. I know my comment here is pretty lengthy but it is super short compared to your entire video and I wrapped up what you were getting at along with a correction in just a few sentences rather than taking nearly 23 minutes.
I actually talk at great length about the sound of the SM7B in the "The Sound Of The SM7B" section of the video. You said and I quote "The one point you really missed was that even when using a Cloudlifter which provides a bunch of gain, the SM7b is still a warm/dull/smooth mic that lacks good transient response and detail" yet, during that section I talk all about the "flat" "dull" "warm" sound of the microphone and go into the history of how the mic was made to be as flat as possible which gives you that sound. But thanks so much for the critique. I'll go back in and edit the video down to a shorter length. Always looking to improve. Have a good day!
In the part where you discuss the Cloudlifter it seemed to me that the take away from that was the Cloudlifter simply adds more cost but I thought it implied that it does solve all the issues the SM7b has. Maybe I should watch it again but that was my impression. Anyway, not just trying to give you sh!t but to provide some detailed feedback for you. I watched some of your other stuff and thought the video on room treatment was really excellent as well as the one one on the recording booths. Great mix of myth busting and providing quality info while not seeming as clickbaity and terribly preachy in the way this video seems to come off to me. Even with all of my complaints on this one your points and info, once getting past the other stuff, are really top notch!
YKWTS . Hey thank you so much for this!! I live in Chicago and I really want to do Hispanic voice over as a living, I build my own home studio with all I need for this but I don't know where to start, right now I'm trying to record my voice over demo to make my 4000 investment make sense hah let me know if you have some info where to start here in Chicago. James you really deserve a lot more Subs but well, TH-cam algorithm its really aggressive when becomes Educational vs entertainment. and yeah I just made A SM7B VS TLM03 narration and clarity and open sound is the key.
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YKWTS James, thank you so much for this fantastic information for the VO community. I could have used your advice when I first stared, as a now "recovering" SM7B owner (as you said, not great for VO, outstanding for everything else). Even though I'm not quite able to attend one of your classes just yet, I am certainly going to do so as soon as I can.
Everyone! Listen to this man! He speaks the truth!
Thank you so much for those kind words! and for watching through the video! It really means a lot to me! I look forward to meeting you one day! :) Also you killed me with "recovering" SM7B owner! Hahah!
YKWTS...
You´re always very very very polite, James. And also funny. I've been trying to follow every single tip you say since I've found your yt channel. And... passing trough your excelent information about mics, equipments, and all above everything your advises about sound proofing, acoustic isolation etc etc. So I'm here just to say thank you very much and to say you can count on me to sprad and/or share your content here in Brazil
First, thank you so much for making it through the video! And thank you so much for the kind words! That's so awesome to have a subscriber from Brazil! :)
Man, great video. I've been waiting for someone to finally make this review. Thanks!
Thank you so much! :)
Great Video! I really like you are saying about there is an industry standard for each certain type of work and whatever you change to that (for good or for bad) it will cause work to do for others which they do not like. Very wise! Please go ahead with these videos.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that! :)
Glad to see another video man 😁
Thank you so much! :)
James, YOU'RE AWESOME! You're going to BLOW UP!!!! So, with that said I appreciate your last two vids and you're vid editing production. Straight to the point and very needed! Keep it up! I hope that (later on), you'll reply to my comments. Thanks again for your talented skillset!!!
Thank you so much for those kind words! I really appreciate it! :)
YKWTS. Very informative video. I have a Shure SM7B though it comers some way down my list for preferred mics, for podcasting. Little known fact is that the 7B is pre-equalised in its 'flat' state. This is somewhat counterintuitive since you'd think that engaging the presence 'boost' is applying EQ, but it actually removes it. The 7B capsule is very similar to that in the SM57 - a mic with a rather thinner, nasal and crunchy sound on vocals. The 7B applies passive filters internally to flatten the presence area and it reduces output in this region by 3-4dB. Ever wondered why the 7B has lower output than the technically very similar and related 57/58? - well knocking out that presence spike loses you 3-4dB. Having the mic capsule set slightly further back also reduces output slightly. I get your point about the hassle of applying EQ, but in all honesty a decent £100 mic with a little EQ is preferable sonically IME given you are also battling the higher noise floor with the Shure. Positives - great build, reliability and good plosive resistance.
Just to let you know I have the RODECaster Pro II and the RE20 and used the presets that they provided. It sounds amazing! I purchased the DBX 286s, 166xs, 215s and the MOTU M4 and have been able to replace it with this ONE unit! I also didn't have to adjust anything and it sounds amazing! I'm sure (over time), I'll make my own adjustment. But for now it's sounds great!
Man! I want to get a RODECaster Pro II so bad! Those things are awesome! I use the RC1 each month but I want to get my hands on the II. And the MOTU interfaces are great as well!
Point understood and appreciate your hardwork
Thanks so much for watching!
This is a must watch for any potential SM7B buyers. I, too, fell for the pitfall described at 15:50 in this video. Thank you for spreading quality information.
YKWTS Excellent video, really opened my eyes (ears?) as to the pros and cons of the SM7B. I use it for live-streaming, and go back and forth between flipping the brighter sound switches on the back. As is, I'll trust that going flatter is better for long form content. Great stuff, thanks for making the video!
Thank you so much for watching the video and for the comment! :) You could definitely turn on the "brighter" switch in the back if you'd like but personally, I like to record with everything as neutral as possible so I have as much flexibility with the audio as I can in post production.
YKWTS very informative and awesome. looking forward to your training when ready.
Thank you so much for making it through my video! :) I'm looking forward to it as well!
Great review! I run a Rode NT-1 but I've thought of working on a SM7B (with a SoundDevices MixPre-3 II) for my stuff too and I still might, who knows! I'm intrigued!
YKWTS .... I love this channel!Thank you so much for this video. It was so helpful. Blessings!
Thank you so much! That really means a lot! :)
YKWTS. Thank you. It was the most useful video to understand and decide why exactly and what mic should I buy.
YKWTS Shoot man I could stop right when you said it’s made for loud dynamic sounds. That really speaks to me as a more soft spoken person. That just gave me something else to actively think about while I shop for a mic, probably a large diaphragm one.
I was super curious to hear what you had to share because of your title.
Thank you so much for watching :) I really appreciate it!
YKWTS...this is super informative, James. Thank yaaa
Thank you Wendell! :)
YKWTS
Amazing video man!
As I commented on the last video, I bought a sm7b but also planning on buying the Rode NT1 later as well. I love both microphones and I even took a month trying to understand and research which one I should buy first. The sm7b came up on top because it fits what I want. It is also one of my dream microphones to own haha.
I switched from a condenser microphone to a dynamic one because my room isn't really "sound treated" and there are noises coming from the hallway, downstairs, and the neighbor mowing his lawn at 10:00 AM when I'm trying to talk with my buddies. Right now I'm not really regretting buying the sm7b because I know its good and it fits with what I'm planned on doing with it, but having the Rode NT1 would be amazing as well for other projects.
I have a few questions on a varity of topics...
1. I have a relatively deep voice, deep enough where I get some recognition from friends and randoms on how someone so young can possibily have a voice of a 25 year old man. My question is... would a condenser microphone work better to channel that deep voice into something "potentially better?" I know the sm7b has a flat response but hearing it from other people that uses it, they make it sound like they... control it...? I'm not sure how to say what I mean, probably because my ear isn't trained lol.
2. I know you have a class on how to sound treat your room to be more like a studio, but how do you combat comfortability over efficiency? What I mean is that when treating your room (I'm assuming), you're putting anything noisy like a fan outside of the room and putting in more objects that absorbs the sounds instead of it having bouncing around the room. If that fan or AC was a source of keeping you cool, removing it would remove some levels of comforability. But of course you could just stop the fan or AC to do some voicelines, but what should you do if you want to leave them on without it disrupting the audio of your recordings or voicecalls? If this is too much then I might need to just buy the class XD
3. When this channel blows up, would you consider opening up some sort of community to help each other out on these things? Maybe like a Discord server?
4. Random question but... When did you decide that you wanted to go into the "audio field"? I know that a lot of people get inspired by VAs into persuing VA as well, but what was your story?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge on audio with us and I am looking forward for those weekly videos, whenever they come!
Hey there! Thank you so much for the kind words and questions! If you're up to it, We'll probably need to schedule a consultation for this one. Email me jyaudiodoctor@gmail.com and I'll shoot you over some information so you can decide what would be best for you. I'm also in the middle of trying to get my website re-done so I'll let you know when that's finished and ready!
YKWTS.....Love LOVE this James!! Very informative and love how you've put this together! Caught myself laughing out loud, whilst sat watching on a plane! Not had a chance to try out the SM7b, however I 157% agree with this. Its akin to using a shoe has a hammer. It'll work, but it's not the right tool for the job! Looking forward to the course! 👍🏾😁
I just responded from the wrong TH-cam channel and now the response isn't showing up! :( Long story short, that analogy is great and I'm stealing it! :) and thank you so much as always for your continued support my friend! :)
@@JamesYounger LOL!! The first one's always free, James! 😂 👍🏾
@@TrueNorf I'd also do a laughing emoji here but it doesn't give me the option... LOL :( is that just for mobile?
@@JamesYounger I guess so with the emojis, however I think copy/paste works from WhatsApp or some other platform if you're on a desktop. 👍🏾😊
YKWTS my biggest fear is a client listening to one of my auditions with an audio engineer sitting next to them
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! The good news is this usually doesn't happen during the first round of auditions. Normally an engineer won't be present until they have narrowed it down the the top actors they are trying to pick from. What's got you afraid? Your space? Mic technique? Something else?
@@JamesYounger Good to know.
My space and some technical issues. You'll hear from me soon James. It's def acoustics I need help with so I'll be reaching out.
YKWTS Congratulations on another great video, James! I would like to know your opinion about Electro Voice RE320, which is brighter, if it could be used professionally for VO. Cheers from Brazil
Thank you so much William! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! I personally like the way the RE20 sounds just like I do the SM7B but the industry looks at it in the same light unfortunately :( The industry basically looks at any dynamic microphone in the same way. I will say however, you could probably get away with using it for a while but all it takes is that one client or engineer catching it and saying something you know? First impressions :( BUUUUT just like the SM7B it's great for content creation of all kinds :)
@@JamesYounger Thanks for the answer, James! Good to know about this industry issue on dynamic microphones. Thanks a lot! I wish you more and more success with the channel!
Cool stuff!
Thank you so much! 😊
YKWTS, I've always just seen the sm7b as an sm57/58 in a radio studio friendly body. Thats not a criticism, but if you cant get your voice and/or your equipment to work with a 57/58, then dont think the sm7b is going to us some kinda magic to sound better, in fact it'll probably be worse!!
YKWTS 😂
I just wanted to say, I re😂enjoy your attitude! Thanks for the information since I'm looking for a vocal microphone! Well done 👏 👏 👏
😂 Thank you!!
YKWTS thank you for this info. I actually got the sm7b from my late brother so I could record his audiobook. I'll need to invest in another mic, sure, but given the circumstances I'm probably going to keep using the sm7b for a long time. Kind of feels like a way to keep connected to my brother :-)
So sorry to hear about your brother. And I LOVE the SM7B and honestly it SHOULD be totally fine to use in VO circumstances (as long as you know how to use it) but unfortunately the industry doesn't agree. But I think you're totally fine to use it for that audiobook.
@@JamesYounger thanks man, I really appreciate it.
And yeah! After watching this video I went out and looked into your website on shotgun mics, picked up the AT875R to use for character demos and commercial, but will definitely be using the sm7b for audiobooks going forward!
@@harrisonbeesonvo Love it! Best wishes! :)
" years ago I did not know nothing about this subject...Today, I know a 0.5%. but, after your video I feel I´ve learn a bit more. Thank you very much. I don´t own a SM7B, just a "brand new" SM58 connected to a Roadcaster DUO. Im so happy with the sound quality! Im trying to learn how to EQ and is super fun. Perhaps never learn a thing but the good time is guarantee.
Thank you!
YKWTS. Im curious, I’m in the market for a new mic set up for my YT voiceovers. 90% of my videos are recorded with a prewritten script. Not necessarily “professional” aka sending to big companies, but wanting my voiceovers to sound as clean as possible to make my videos as high quality as possible. Would you still recommend against getting the SM7B in my situation? Would it be better to just get an NT1? Do I need to get anything with either one of them to make them sound even better? Audio is a new place im looking to get much better at so you can point me to a video as well. TIA.
I do something very similar - but mainly online courses and some YT videos. Most students just want someone they can understand without environmental distractions like echoes - which means your recording space is more important than the mic. However, if you can't do much with the recording space - then the mic can help get around some of those issues - which is why dynamics like the SM7B (or RE20) are so popular. Most YTer don't have access to a pro studio or soundbooth. Condensers really benefit from a quiet environment like a booth - the exception would be shotgun mics since they are hyper focused pick up pattern. Either way, you will still need _some_ form of sound treatment like acoustic foam (good stuff, not cheap crap off Amazon) or blankets. If your recoding space is decent, then many mics under $300 will be more than adequate for your use case. This video is aimed at VO pros - so not exactly the same market as us.
YKWTS: Wonderfully informative video! Gosh I know the industry standard is bright and it's so annoying lol. I do have two bright mics for the locker the MKH416 and the TLM103 and I get it, like you said, cuts through a mix, easy to understand which is great! However, oh my gosh when monitoring I have to take breaks so frequently. the harshness hurts my ears haha.
I'm actually looking to get a Lauten Atlantis! Was going to get a U87 but, been doing a good amount of research into the Atlantis and oh my gosh Lauten are mad scientists.
Also, it might just be me but in the last year have you noticed that studios are starting to fall back to a more neutral dare I say subtly warm sound? Noticing the usual suspect mics being traded out in recording for more full neutral mics lately.
Hi James, what microphone do you recommend for smoky, husky voices for voice over work? And also what do you think of voice over artists purchasing refurbished, top-tier microphones?
Honestly, I have yet to hear the Rode NT1 sound bad on anyone's voice. It's just a great sounding mic at an amazing price. I'd definitely go with that one. And I'd say while refurbished can definitely be a good purchase, on the other side of the coin, some microphones can definitely change in sound as they age. I wish I could give you more concreate advice about refurbished gear but that's about as much as I can say on the topic. Thank you so much for the questions! :)
Knowing what to listen for (ear training) is a critical distinction. I do this with public speaking too - when I coach someone on public speaking - I basically ruin their ability to listen to other people speaking because 99% do it poorly. For example, a director at a company I worked for used filler words (disfluencies) nearly _every_ - um - _other_ - um - _word_. I pointed this out to a co-worker - he hadn't noticed it until I pointed it out but then that made listening to the rest of the presentation nearly unbearable. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
YKWTS This is a great video! Thank you! Even though i am 100% NOT in any show biz nor am i an audio engenier or an expert. Im prett much a nobody. However i like what i like. Not every voice can use amy mics. If you used the SM7B the entire time making this video then the audio soundds awesome for any job. Even vouceovers. If i heard this audio b4 i saw this video then i’d thought the audio was outstanding. Didn’t heR any noise evennwith headphones. If anybody is buying a mic try to test every mic you can to know what mic fits your voice. the best. From business i get it, tou want the best and cllean audio but from consumers, average people tjey can just trll if a couce spunfs good or not or if a mic sounds good or not.
Thank you so much for the kind words AND for watching through the video! And to be fair, I did a good bit of de-noising to the audio for this video (Other than for when I cut back to the first video I ever made)
YKWTS... All you say in this video is completely right. The SM7B was made mainly for radio broadcast (tailored for voice), the other uses in what it can be used were experimental, some proved to be good, like singing (Michael Jackson and some other), recording instruments, etc.
Also, most people who owns one of this microphones, one of their complain about it, is the fact it needs much gain to sound good, so at this point the explanation is very simple, it was made to be used with broadcast profesional mixers, with preamplifiers that can provide enough gain without distort or add noise to the microphone.
Very interesting video, thanks!!!
Thank you so much for making it through the video! :) And couldn't agree more! Yes!
YKWTS.... What are your thoughts on the RE-20? I'd love a video about it. Thanks for your work, it's actually quite useful to me.
Thank you so much for the kind words AND for making it through the video! I really appreciate it! I'll add the RE-20 to my list of microphone to review :) I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one to test anyway, so that will be fun!
thank you! I thought I was going insane with the noise floor - everyone I asked about it kept telling me "it's your space". it is NOT.
Oh goodness 🤦♂ haha I'm glad this was helpful!!
@@JamesYounger I've just bought an NT-1, and thank you for that recommendation!
YKWTS I know this is not related to VO work specifically and after watching the full video I still have some questions.
If you're someone that's looking to do professional work and need a diverse microphone that fits most things, is the SM7B the best choice? I'm talking about some VO work for courses, some podcasts, even some music vocals from time to time and youtube videos.
From what I hear there are still some heavy drawbacks to it, mainly the low gain volume, high noise floor, my interface is pretty old (M-audio fast track pro) and I'm worried it wont have enough gain boost for it.
What would be the a best all rounder Mic for such a case if not the SM7B? Provided I'm working in a medium sized room with some treatment.
Also I found it absolutely amusing that the SM7B is considered a colored microphone in the VO world even though it's one of the flattest microphones out there, that's hilarious but your explanation made absolute sense.
First off, thank you so much for watching the video and for the comment! I actually think for your situation, the SM7B would be a great option! I'd just say for you to buy a gain booster like a cloudlifter or dynamite stick. You can find those in my recommended equipment list in the description of the video if you want to check them out!
And you're right! It's so bizarre for the industry to view the SM7B as a colored microphone! 😂 but they're used to what they're used to haha!
A few points to add,, condenser mics especially large condensers pick up a lot of room noise,, so its not enough just using one for VO,, you have to accoustically treat your space too. Its this combination of a more sensitive mic with a treated space that makes these mics work best for VO.
Lastly,, it was mentioned that using a cloudlifter can boost the sm7b,, that is true but these still add self noise to the signal path,, maybe not as much as the mic pre but it does add some and that self noise is then further amified by the mic preamp. So the end result is usually better but not as good as youd think.
Acoustically treating a space won't help with room noise. That's what soundproofing is for. Acoustically treating is for reflections. I cover all of that in multiple videos on my channel. Acoustically treating your space is 70% to 80% of having pro sounding audio. This video goes into a lot of that: th-cam.com/video/pQ-X1Sv2jtM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=oo1WiktA3rkkyuY5
YKWTS ref that gainbooster and audio interface "has enough gain" bollocks.. the problem with their reasoning is that cheaper audio interfaces have "sweet spots" in their gain structure that if you max it out (or use too little) it can introduce artefacts, noise and harmonics. Zoom, Focusrite and a few others suffer from this. I once asked a classical engineer what he would choose for a small, portable interface rig for on the go and he said "buy RME as they've a lot of gain and are transparent pres". I feel like that advice would benefit anyone getting into VO.
YKWTS The painful situation that I'm in is that my family got me a shure with a cloudlifter for my birthday because they wanted to support me on my goal to start a voice over career, it was beyond what I could have ever expected and I have other uses for it such as the ones you mentioned. That being the case I am finding it extremely difficult to sell it. I've also developed an ear that prefers the shure over my previous mic, the at2020 and I'm not financially stable enough to to just pick up another good quality mic or afford training for either voice acting or audio engineering. Being stuck in this rut has really made me lose confidence in pursuing VO work in general, I just don't know what to do
James said the SM7B is good for longform narration. It's not a total loss since you can use it for audiobook auditions
First off, thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video! I truly appreciate it! I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. :( If I were you, I'd actually try to sell both if possible and use that money to get yourself a Rode NT1. You'll even come out with some extra money. Have you tried Facebook marketplace? A few years ago my SM7B sold on there in literally 15 min. Also look into selling on Mercari, it's also a great place to sell things but they do take a commission unlike FB marketplace. However I will say, you can get away with an SM7B for a while on Pay to play sites like voices 123 or voices.com. Just don't take jobs that are below your worth. I hope this was helpful in some way!
@@JamesYounger Thank you for the response. But would the nt1 be good for a person with a deeper voice? I'm also planning on sound treating my roughly 5x4 walk in closet with MLV and 2' acoustic foam, maybe some moving blankets if needed. Would it still be a good mic in that kind of space or should I go with a shotgun mic instead?
@@MyAbsoluteLimit Both a shotgun or the Rode NT1 would be great! But something I teach in my classes is that IF going with foam you MUST go with 4" thick foam, no less. If you go any less than 4" think foam it's practically like putting nothing on the walls so be careful there. I buy my foam from thefoamfactory.com and get the 4" thick pyramid foam. But also look into GIK acoustics. Acoustic panels are always the best for treating a space properly. The 242 panels are great. There's A LOT that goes into properly treating a space. If you want to learn anymore about this stuff you can sign up for one of my classes over on my website: www.audiodoctor.tech/
@@JamesYounger 4” might be “Industry standard” but going less still helps. Just like a carpet or thick curtains work.
Ykwts
Hey bro I use persoune revelator io 24 with cloudlifter and the electeovoice and 27 of gain but it seem like mic audio is to low on obs even compresor enabled at 57 the you think I have bad mic?
What is you recommendation on the m Meter for obs clean audio like your or if you can make rewies on re20 with cloudlifter that be great..love the video
Ykwts…i don’t know what they say, but I suppose I should based on my inclusion of YKWTS…great video though. Touched on all the pros and cons very well.
Yo! Bandrew! Thanks so much for the love! I'm a big fan. Been watching your videos for years. And trust me, YOU know what they say 🤣
I tend to watch VO content because that is closest to my use case than what most folks focus on (music/singing). Also, every person is different. Those with a higher register voice might benefit from the SM7B. If someone has about $1500 to explore mics - order about 5 or so and try them out to figure out what works best for your voice and recording area - then return the ones that don't work well. For me, I have two different recording environment - a professional soundbooth and a semi-treated basement. My dynamics work well in the basement - especially while other people are still active in the house. However, the soundbooth allows me to use condensors that have more detail. I have two places to record because sometimes I need to do critical audio recording, but I'm not setup for live streaming there - and the booth gets hot very fast - so I can only do 20 minute sessions in there. Anything longer form like live streaming or podcasts need to be done in the basement.
For myself, I create online courses on technical IT topics. Even making decent money - most folks would consider income replacement level - a $100 mic is sufficient. I built most of my courses with the Blue Yeti (yeah that thing). I have reinvested a good deal of my income into building a solid recording setup with more-than-adequate equipment. But, honestly, as long as my students can clearly understand me without environmental distractions - that is all that matters.
Oh yeah, that's all gravy for Content Creators for sure. No problems there.
YKWTS. Great info. Since the MK416 is the standard for VO and it seems that other condensers can sometimes be used (Rode NT1, Neumann U87, etc.), are there any dynamic microphones in general that would be acceptable or are they all just too colored and/or noisy?
Good question. If it were up to me, dynamic mics like the SM7B would be totally fine to use, however I understand the industry not wanting people to use them because in most cases people don't use them the way they were meant to be used and then end up with not so great results that then put more of a strain on the engineer in post production as well as making the project take longer. Long story long, I can't think of any that would be acceptable due to the treasons you mentioned. I am interested in reviewing and testing out the sE electronics Dynacaster because it has a gain booster built into the mic. I just have no idea how it sounds.
@@JamesYounger I have not used the Dynacaster so don’t know about it. To date, I’ve only used the U87 & C414 for VO but don’t really do that much of that type work and those were in perfect studio conditions.
My experience with the 416 is that it works great outdoors or in well treated spaces, but is terrible in a typical residential room. I prefer to use the e935 in those instances and for travel interviews as it is portable and is much more flexible with noisier environments. It would be an easy recommendation for podcasts or less formal work. Here is a link to a comparison that John Steinbeck made, it might be interesting to you or your subscribers.
th-cam.com/video/vvHzXh76egw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing your great experience, it is appreciated!
YKWTS: I'm looking to upgrade from my Blue Yeti for streaming, and I'm stuck on the SM7B vs. the RE20. My voice isn't very deep and I would prefer a microphone that accentuates the low end a bit more (at least I think). The conflict I am running into is that the SM7B is often described as "darker" and has a stronger proximity effect, whereas the RE20 is designed to avoid the prox effect. However, I've also heard that the SM7B has a really sharp cut in the bass ranges (which goes against the common conception that it's darker), whereas the RE20 has really solid response in the low end. Also, I've learned that the RE20 is highly sought after for recording bassy instruments. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm really not sure which direction to go based on what I'm looking for. Any advice?
Hey! Thanks for the question! First I'd say give this video a watch to hear the difference: th-cam.com/video/KlI8DtXP3aE/w-d-xo.html and secondly I'd say it's just really difficult to make a decision without hearing your voice. I always recommend people buy both and just return the one they don't like as much. I've had no issues with returns so far. The other thing is that the SM7B is easier to listen to over long periods of time because of it's darker or warmer sound so there's that. But you could just EQ and process the RE20 to sound warmer in post. I hope this was helpful!
YKWTS… What about SM7B for an audiobook I’m doing for my own book? You mention the dullness of SM7B makes it easier to listen to for longer periods. This make is not good go VO per your video but what about an audiobook?
YKWTS: would the Earthworks Ethos or Rode NT1 be better for voiceover? Which would be better as an all around mix for voiceover, music and streaming?
Oh definitely the Rode NT1. I'd go with the Rode NT1 5th gen with both USB and XLR connections because it has a lot of other stuff that comes with it software wise and 32bit float.
YKWTS
There is one thing I like to add and that is something a lot of sound engineers don't like to hear or want to realize but do realize it, is that the VAST majority of the people don't hear much of those subtle differences.
I have watched many videos and I use decent headphones, the DT-770 pro and a lot of time where they say, you can clearly hear the difference I go ... wait, what difference, it just sounded the same.
And then you also have to add the music and sound effects to many of the commercials so I really wonder how many people would really hear the difference with a "perfect" sound file vs a 80% perfect sound file.
But, sound engineers are important and we all have to defend our jobs so I guess they still want the best of the best even though the majority of mortals wouldn't hear it anyway. :)
But it was an interesting video and thing also is, everybody is different, I don't like to listen to mics with a very high clarity, it hurts my ears very quickly.
I wonder what Sir David Attenborough’s mic is, I really prefer to hear his warm voice in the voice over work he does.
I totally understand where you're coming from and personally I think the SM7B SHOULD be part of the industry standard but the industry doesn't agree with me haha. And ohhhhh boy! Sir David Attenborough! Literally my favorite narrator EVER!
YKWTS - what about using a voiceover mic (which one do you recommend?) with an apollo twin X? would it then be good for youtube tutorials? i dont speak clearly, so i'm looking for a solution that wont make my voice sound more muffle than it already is.
Hey there! Thank you so much for watching my video! I really appreciate it! I would suggest the RODE NT1!. It sounds amazing and is very affordable. I have yet to hear it sound bad on anyone's voice AND it won't make you sound muffled :) It's a very "present" sounding mic in a good way.
YKWTS
I have a James, what do you think about hyped broadcast mics like the RE27EV or the PR40 for promo if you have any experience with those?
YKWTS - at this point it’s brand recognition. People see the sm7b all over the shop and thing well it has to be there for a reason. I’d like your take on condenser mics like the earthworks icon or lauten LS-208.
Thank you so much for watching the video! I'm adding those mics to my list right now! :)
The Sm7B sounds like an ocean in the background with that amount of noise floor.
YKWTS I can't find the link for the video about voice overs :)
What are your thoughts on the AKG 214 for voice over/ narration? I bought one not to long ago and I’m still testing in out to see how I like it.
I bet it's great just by researching it but I've personally never used one. Adding that to my list of mics to review :)
@@JamesYounger sweet can’t wait to hear what you think! 🧐 thanks for replying too. 👍
@@theghostof94 No Problem! :)
How do you make that voice effect on 1:19 LOL! I think it's interesting
I actually did a full tutorial on how to do that here: th-cam.com/video/rWsNJiZkGqI/w-d-xo.html 😁
@@JamesYounger PERFECT!!! Thanks man!
@@CoolDownCat No problem! :)
YKWTS i just wanted to ask that for gaming and youtube stuff shoid i use a pop fileter or a foam windscreen
Because it's tough to concentrate on not moving when playing games I'd suggest using one for sure. I don't know what kind of mic you have but I'd probably just go with a pop filter.
YKWTS... I trust you brother, you seem like you know exactly what you're talking about. Very knowledgeable and have credits to back it up.
I'm returning my Shure MV7X and M-Audio M-Track Solo Interface, with the CableCreation XLR cables. I only had them a week. You saved me time and possibly losing out on future jobs.
I'm now picking up the Rode NT1 Signature Series (Red), Rode AI-1 single channel interface, OneOdio A70 Black/Red Bluetooth headphones and Aokeo isolation shield.
Is this a good setup you think? Thanks for your help bro
Hey man! Thanks so much for watching the video! Personally, I'm hoping in the near future that they will allow dynamic mics into the fold but who knows? If I were you this is what I'd get
Rode NT1 5th GEN: geni.us/j8tO4OQ
Scarlett Solo 3rd gen: geni.us/FocusriteScarlettSolo
Disclaimer: -- LINKS --
(When available, I use affiliate links and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you )
@@JamesYounger Thanks for the recommendations. Unfortunately those are a bit pricy for me at the moment. My daughter was just born on my birthday May 11th, and we have a 2 yr old son. So money is really tight right now. I live in Canada so prices are double for me unfortunately.
Would the NT1 Signature Series work just as good for the time being? And the Rode AI-1 single channel interface?
What should I do for sound isolation though? I was thinking of getting the isolation foldable shield and putting it on my tripod. Would that work for now? I'd get the arm but like I said, I have nowhere to attach it.
Thanks for your time and reply
@@MikeAmazonInfluencer Congratulations! Naw the signature series will work just fine. The 5th gen give you both USB and XLR connectivity as well as 32 bit but you really don't need those features. You can defiantly just go with the sig series. However, I'd still suggest going with the Focusrite solo 3rd gen. NOT the 4th gen. Also, the 3rd gen is only $100 so you actually save money there. That Rode interface has been known to be a little noisy.
@@JamesYounger Thanks Brother! OK Focusrite 3rd gen, got it. It's only $10 more. What about sound isolation? Would that foldable shield work? I don't have a closet to use, can't setup foam, etc... Have a toddler need I say more lol.
I'm gonna get the red version NT1. I'm shocked that I haven't seen a single video with anyone showing it off. So I guess I will be the first. People use it as the thumbnail, but then in the video they show the black one.
@@MikeAmazonInfluencer Before you do anything give theses videos a watch:
1. th-cam.com/video/pQ-X1Sv2jtM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pw5hrHxcAji4T0X3
2. th-cam.com/video/LyzdcKNFlYE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=X4XgF-4C5YdHCSDe
You'll have a better idea of your space and treatment after watching those videos.
MKH 50 is great for long-form content also but I guess you don't need a mic that's out of frame.
YKWTS, I've heard many people complimenting the Rode NT1(Black) and saying it's got the one if the quietest noise floors and so on and so forth, would you say that as an audio doctor/engineer that audio from a NT1 is easy to work with? A Green flag per-say? Or if you could is there a video on your channel or one that you are aware of that tells you how to know if you are using your microphone properly.
I am a budding Voice Actor in South Africa and I'm wanting to invest in the NT1 with its AI1 counter part in Rodes set package due to the compliments I've seen and heard.
I want to turn this into my career and your earlier part of the video spoke to me in a way, it made me open my eyes...
Would you recommend the NT1 as an investment or are there mics that you've seen work well or better in your line of work with your company?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for such amazing quality and informative videos.🤘
Thank you so much for the comment and for watching! You're totally good to go with the Rode NT1. It's my favorite mic at the moment, however I'd actually advise you go with the Rode NT1 5th gen. It's even more affordable and gives you more flexibility. Check out the video I did on it here: th-cam.com/video/23nVA9hwIkM/w-d-xo.html also I wouldn't get the rode interface. I'd get the focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen or the solo depending on how many inputs you need. You can check out the video I did all about interfaces here: th-cam.com/video/l3jjMbrTpjg/w-d-xo.html and then I also did a video on how to properly set up and use an interface here: th-cam.com/video/PdjQ-GYQQmk/w-d-xo.html I hope this helps!
@@JamesYounger
It helps tremendousl, thank you. I appreciate your content and will be checking out those videos soon.
YKWTS As a longtime radio engineer--retired still got radio in my blood--I must let you know you are completely RIGHT. Most of us who worked for top group owners in the rock radio heyday had two "enemies" -- the program director and the consultant. Neither wanted "great" audio, each wanted the audio he or she WANTED TO HEAR. Often what they wanted to hear wasn't the cleanest, most stand-out sound we engineers who lived, ate and breathed on-air audio, but rather what THEY thought was most competitive.
Makes sense the young decision makers in charge are convinced they know what's competitive in film, streaming, games and more. The flatest, true-est sound is somehow not powerful, or something. The worst case was when a major market program director fell into directing the on-air product not to satisfy the target audience but instead to out-do the program directors at the other stations(!)(?).
Sounds like nowadays the decision makers think the Sennheiser Mike is the 21st century equivalent of the Neumann U87, or the like. You are giving excellent advice to folks hoping to become well thought-of in the "Industry." There are many subtleties to signal to noise ratio, self noise, gain, and headroom. To get really into all that, a voice-over actor would have to get as much experience as YOU have. Not enough time.
In retirement I want to do audiobook narration (or audiobook "reading"). But it's great to hear an expert point out how often the "component-of-choice" for, say, podcasts devolved to not much more than "what everybody saw everybody else using" and the "first choice" was, well, what all the newcomers thought everyone expected them to use.
Don't minimize the value of real expertise. It could help one actually attain the coveted "stand-out" status. Thanks. End of rant.
LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much for watching the video and your words are dead on!! It's unfortunate but as you know it's reality :(
Kinda feel in trouble the whole time I’m watching this haha
Yeah sorry about that 😮💨 I get so much hate when talking about this microphone I just wanted to make my stance and points super clear and even that didn't help 😵
YKWTS is there any jack of all traits microphone? I make youtube videos and stream, but i would also like a career in voice acting
I'd say the Rode NT1 or the Rode NT1 5th gen is definitely a jack of all microphone for sure. And it's very affordable to boot.
So far I am deciding between the Rode NT1 5th Gen and an AT2020 which was also recommended to me. Would you recommend the Rode over the AT2020 as well for TH-cam/Twitch & Voice Acting? @@JamesYounger
@@ApexAshan I've never used the 2020 so I can't say for sure, however I have own both the NT1 and NT1 5th gen and love them. One day I'm going to have to buy a few AT mics to try them out and compare them. All I can say is you will be very happy going with either of the NT1's, however for more flexibility I'd go with the 5th gen AND if it's still the case it's actually a little cheaper than the standard NT1.
YKWTS : this is an amazing video and I have only looked at a few of your videos and have come to my conclusion to not buy this mic or al least for my purposes.
I do have a Question though, how do I know if my voice is right for VO and I have a lot of people tell me i have a great voice i should do "radio" or "VO/VA" should I believe them and just trust them or not i have been wanting to do VO or VA for a wile finally got a job that allow me to be financially stable until i can get a stable income from VO/VA.
Thank you so much for watching through the video! It means a lot! :) Here's my two cents on VO. I personally think that anyone can do voice over as long as they are willing to put in the work. I'm always going to be super honest right up front, it can be a TON of work. It's not easy, but if you're willing to work hard, train, and put in the time I believe you can absolutely do it. Some people book their first job almost right away and some people don't book for the first couple years. No ones journey is the same and that's one of the reasons a lot of people don't pursue it. It's not like there is one clear path you know what I mean? Everyone get's their a different way. I highly suggest taking the "Into To Voice Over" class at Atlanta Voiceover Studio and seeing how you feel after. It's a great way to test the waters, learn a lot about VO and see if it's something you really want to pursue.
its funny that you mentioned Michael Jackson in a video about why the SM7B isnt good enough hehe
YKWTS. This video helped me understand that the SM7B is probably a good mic for what I need (miking informational videos and recording vocals for my original music). By the way, Joe Cipriano is an old friend of mine, and I've actually been consulting with him for what mic to get (in addition to watching videos like this). It was a treat to see his name come up in the video.
Man that's awesome! He seems like a really nice guy. So glad you found my video helpful! Thanks so much for watching! all the way through! :)
YKWTS... I want to record podcast but I'm going direction "voiceover". What microphone I should get for not the best environment? Are shotgun like ngt2 good and dont sound narrow?
So wait, you want to record a podcast or voice over?
@@JamesYounger Both :) I would like to start with podcasting while practicing my voice.
I understand that I can also use a microphone for voiceover for podcasting and that's what I'm looking for.
I saw your review of the AT875R and I really liked it (mic and review :) ). I'm looking for a shotgun microphone because my recording space is not ideal.
I was considering the sennheiser mke600 because I could get it for 170 euros, but there aren't many opinions on whether it's good for voiceover. At the moment the AT875R is my go-to but I'm still searching for the best option. Thank you for an answer
@@iljin9089 In that case, I'd say go with the AT875R. The mke600 is too noisy :( I used to work at a studio that used the 600 for their clients and I always complained to the owners of the studio about how unprofessional the mic was and how it was hurting the clients that were coming into the studio to record but they wouldn't listen to me 🤷♂I think in your situation the AT875R is a great choice.
@@JamesYounger Thank you James
YKWTS
Hi James, just wondering if there's a difference in your opinion between audiobook work and voice actor work. Especially in the case of authors or narrators wanting to record in their own homes versus a studio and whether we should be advising them to use dynamic mics or condenser mics.
Hey there! Thanks for the question! This sums up how I feel pretty well: th-cam.com/video/_vSOwrym6Ws/w-d-xo.html
But to add to it I (personally) don't see why actors couldn't use a dynamic mic for audiobooks (assuming they understand how to properly use it to get the best sound out of it) however the industry still doesn't agree which is what I talk a little about in that clip. Let me know what ya think.
@@JamesYounger The issue I'm having is I work with a lot of authors or people that aren't used to work like this - voiceover work in general, content creation, or working with any of this equipment. And because it's sometimes done remotely and not inside studios it can make it hard to determine what is happening in the setup to cause issues. I was thinking of maybe suggesting the MV7 as an option for those that aren't used to this but have received pushback for it being a dynamic microphone and not a condenser. However, we're working with people that do not know sometimes even basics about audio work because that's not their job, but I have to still produce an audiobook all the same.
@@wombataudio That's gotta be incredibly frustrating. I personally don't think that voice actors SHOULD have to learn all of this technical stuff, but unfortunately they MUST because of the way the industry has shifted. And even though I don't think they SHOULD have to learn all the technical stuff, at the same time, I personally would have learned as much as I could on the technical side as a voice actor because it can only help to know about your equipment and all the other technical stuff. I just know most voice actors couldn't give 1 hoot about that stuff.
@@JamesYounger It is incredibly hard to convince authors working remotely that need to record their own voices, and especially if they live in rural areas, to learn and to get on top of this. Especially when they're older as well and don't have a basis to work off of (the amount of times I've had to talk to relatives of authors to help with aspects of troubleshooting). I'm just wondering if using a dynamic mic like my suggestion with the MV7 would work for a smaller publishing house looking to put these books out. These authors aren't professional voice actors and will likely only ever do this for the 1-3 books they might be asked to record.
@@wombataudio Unfortunately I have no idea if that would work for them or not. Personally, I don't see it as an issue (using the MV7) but there's no way for me to know if the publishing house will go for it or not. Each will probably have their own varying response 😕
YKWTS James - Relative to all the topics you have covered here, there is not much to say about this video. Straight to a lot of points. And i agree to most of them. To start my actual comment of, i want to point out, that I am a hobbyist. A very nerdy one, but still, a hobbyist. So what I will say, I don't claim to be all true. With this being said:
The biggest point will be the sound signature of dynamic microphones. In general, they are not fitting for VO work. What i noticed on them is a certain "compressed" feel to them, like an unnatural divide between the room and your voice. While it is their strong suit, if you use them the way it is intended by their technical concept, that is up close, to make use of what they can do best, it just doesnt feel as natural, as a condenser does. I'm not sure about the sound signature, required by the industry standard. If you have a voice with a lot of high frequency concent to begin with, i'd expect a a harsh sounding microphone not to be your best friend. But that doesnt change what I said before, about the compressed sound signature of dynamic microphones. But: Would it still be the correct choice for voice over to get a microphone with boostest high frequencies? I'd say, yes, but only, if the top end of the microphones response is as smooth as possible. For Example, i've heard quite a few samples of various voices on the Shure KSM32 and that microphone is ridiculously smooth sounging, even though it clearly has a boost on the higher frequencies. Would you recommend that microphone?
To talk about the SM7B specifically, I both agree and disagree to your take on the noise of the SM7B. Let me explain why, by starting with what I agree on: Yes, in a use case similar to yours, it is really noisy. I have guessed the distance you used, to be about 10 inches from the wind shield of the SM7B. Based on that i tested it myself, to get a self-noise only sample. I want to point out, that you don't even need the SM7B to test that. In the end, its a matter of doing some math, based on things that we know. I was surprised, though I expected the outcome. I did expect it, because of the distance. I know the room noise in an untreated room with a computer in it to be about 10dB louder, than the self-noise. So it didn't surprise me to get a self-noise of about -52dBFS peak, -64dBFS RMS. Thats exactly 10dB below the noise in your recording. With the room noise being easily 10dB louder it almost perfectly matched your results. But then it hit me: Wait a minute... isn't that a kind of recording booth you're in? Granted, its open, so noise from the outside is bleeding in. (But in that case any microphone at that distance, that doesnt pull the voice as strong as the Sennheiser MKH 416, would be a bad choice.)
But anyways... the point i disagree with, while being admittedly just a matter of how to phrase things, is you arguing, the SM7B has to be used at that distance. Because no, thats really not how you use a dynamic microphone. If you don't use it like that, you complain, because you don't use the microphone as intended. Of course, that doesnt make the SM7B any more fitting for VO work - rather the contrary, really.
I would put is this way: The SM7B's weak point is that it has to be used up close. Even in a perfectly quiet room, you'd have Signal to Noise Ratio (S/N or SNR in short) of 66dB *AT BEST.* With the microphone like 10 inches / 25 cm from your mouth, the SNR plummets down to 48dB, which is basically unusable, as you have demonstrated, even tho with room noise. But using the microphone up close doesnt make things better, because if you use any microphone that close to you, you get a proximity effect, boosting the bassier parts of whatever hits the microphone tfrom up close. This makes your voice bass-heavy and often enough boxy sounding. Sure, you can do EQ, but as you have put it yourself - nobody likes extra work, if it can be avoided. Also, you will always get the best sound quality, if you use the recording as little EQ as possible. Most of the time, it makes perfect sense for darker sounding microphones being just that. They sound exceedingly harsh, when subjected to a high shelf, unless you keep it subtle enough. So bubtle in fact, that one might ask: Why even bother? And if you start picking freqeuencies around the sharsh sounding parts to boost, its very difficult to make it natural sounding.
Anyways... Lots of text, but i'll end my comment the way i started: Great Video! Don't mind me too much. I'm just a nerdy guy, who got lost in the technical side of recording way too much. xD
YKWTS very interesting, very surprised that they wanted to create a flat mic. I think what people like about it is it's his tone. But since I listen to the Sennheiser it looks flat 😄
What about the industry standard (in the US) for women?
By the way this standard is a niche inside a niche. To become a top Voice over talent, doing tv and radio ads or dubbing it takes something like what? 10 years ?
But there are a lot of voice over jobs who don't require this very particular tone of the Sennheiser.
Also, as soon as you do eq choosing between a flat or coloured mic is not important anymore, so, don't you think it's better to choose a mic matching your recording environment?
For example, if it's noisy opting for a podcast dynamic or shotgun mic, if you have a correct diy booth, going to a cardioid etc. ?
Because I believe you have this knowledge, could you do a video about the correct size of a booth and what are the mics who requires very specific conditions ?
Hey there Laurent! I hope you're doing well! To become a top talent it can take a slew of totally different things for different people. There is no bench mark for when someone will or won't make it and that's what's so frustrating for so many people. It may take one person 10 to 20 years to make a dent in the industry, but then there are other people who break in and have thriving careers in just a year or two. It's incredibly unpredictive.
The 416 is just one example of what the industry is used to hearing. They are also super used to the TLM 103 and the Neumann U87. Those are both staples in the industry as well, and aren't as "bright" sounding as the 416 but definitely a lot "Brighter" than the SM7B. But you could use a Rode NT1 for your entire career and never have any issue and that mic is only $170 but it's a large diaphragm confessor, not a dynamic mic like the SM7B. The jobs out there where you can potentially get away with using a mic like the SM7B would be on P2P sites and lower paying jobs. Not at the top levels of the industry.
Using EQ to fix a microphones sound is counter productive (Specifically talking about Voice Over, not music or content creation or anything else) the main reason for this is because most engineers don't want you to touch the audio with post processing because they can't undo the processing you've done to the audio when you send it which ties their hands with making the audio sound how the client wants it to for the specific music, effects and tone of the spot. You can't un-bake a cake you know what I mean? Also, your space should be properly acoustically treated so that ANY mic would sound good in your space. Your home studio should be so well treated that the only reason a microphone wouldn't sound good is only because it doesn't sound good on your particular voice.
But you gave me great idea for a video so I'll make a video diving WAYYYYY further into this information because I could write 50 pages just on these topics so I'm going to put it on my list of videos to make! :)
Thank you so much for the questions and comments!
I'll speak on rooms and treatments in the video as well!
Hei. What if you are doing guided meditations?
It would be totally fine for that. You'd just want to make sure you paired it with a gain booster OR get the new SM7DB with the gain booster built in. That way you don't have to crank the gain WAYYYY up to get good levels which would introduce hiss.
@@JamesYounger thank you !
IN MY OPINION... I personally like RE20 more, becuase it's less "bassy". I think RE20 is better for my voice, as it's a bit brighter.
Hello. I got the same sound with the SL40. I suggest you to try.
YKWTS: Simple and small question, is someone considered a Professional Voice Actor?
When is someone considered a professional? To keep it short and sweet, if you want to make a lucrative career out of voice over (and in order for you to do that you would need to follow the industry standards) that's when I'd consider you a professional. The day you decide you want to make this a career and that you will do everything in order to make that happen. That's when. I mean technically yes, if you haven't booked any jobs how can you be a professional? But to me, as long as you are doing everything the right way and busting your butt, you're a professional. If you're purposefully not using an industry standard mic, not training and coaching, not properly treating the space you're recording in etc... Then you're most definitely not a professional.
@@JamesYounger
Thank you for letting me know I appreciate you replying so quickly, thank you.
@@logicalvillan806 Of course! Thank you so much for the comment and for watching the video!
where are all these "videos in the discription", this is becoming a common theme these days.
To be honest, I took down one of the videos because the studio I used to work at ended up doing some shady crap that I didn't agree with so we parted ways. Don't really want to promote a studio that's taking advantage of people (thank God I found out) you can find the other videos on my channel.
@@JamesYounger That's crazy. How can voice over work turn into that?
Wait, turn into what?
@@JamesYounger Voice over work that turns into dark fields involving pain and suffering. I'm interested as an independent-freelancer VA. Never heard of such stories from the industry; i'm curious
@@chanselur th-cam.com/users/shortsD_E2ABbxOos?si=WnAiRO_rr2suVcWM
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YKWTS -- just so you know.
😂
👇 𝐩𝓻Ỗ𝓂Ø𝓈Ｍ
YKWTS why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?
Because many word needed
@@JamesYounger Touché
YKWST. By making me use this opening comment tag, it really puts a cramp in my normal passive aggressive openings. So, that seems a bit mean. As for the actual video, LOVED IT. Wide ranging & complete overview. Thanks.
🤣 Thank you so much!!
YKWTS. Thank you.
I wish the sm7b was good for voice acting
I mean, if it were up to me it would be totally acceptable to use it for voice over. It's just the majority of the industry doesn't agree.
YKWTS While you are mostly correct about the SM7b (just missed one thing) I don't think you will reach as many people as you hope to as the video spends way too long warning us about what is coming and I would guess that to many people you will probably just come off sounding like a dick. I actually watched at 2X speed to be able to even get though all of it. In a nutshell (as you eventually get to in the video) real VO work (not podcasting) requires a mic that is capable of very low noise, excellent transient response, and a clear open sound. The SM7b while a great mic for lots of stuff performs rather poorly at these things. The one point you really missed was that even when using a Cloudlifter which provides a bunch of gain, the SM7b is still a warm/dull/smooth mic that lacks good transient response and detail and the Cloudlifter simply offers the same ol SM7b sound just at 20-ish db louder while not really improving the signal to noise ratio unless you are using a truly awful micpre like you would find in a small handheld Zoom recorder. I know my comment here is pretty lengthy but it is super short compared to your entire video and I wrapped up what you were getting at along with a correction in just a few sentences rather than taking nearly 23 minutes.
I actually talk at great length about the sound of the SM7B in the "The Sound Of The SM7B" section of the video. You said and I quote "The one point you really missed was that even when using a Cloudlifter which provides a bunch of gain, the SM7b is still a warm/dull/smooth mic that lacks good transient response and detail" yet, during that section I talk all about the "flat" "dull" "warm" sound of the microphone and go into the history of how the mic was made to be as flat as possible which gives you that sound. But thanks so much for the critique. I'll go back in and edit the video down to a shorter length. Always looking to improve. Have a good day!
In the part where you discuss the Cloudlifter it seemed to me that the take away from that was the Cloudlifter simply adds more cost but I thought it implied that it does solve all the issues the SM7b has. Maybe I should watch it again but that was my impression. Anyway, not just trying to give you sh!t but to provide some detailed feedback for you. I watched some of your other stuff and thought the video on room treatment was really excellent as well as the one one on the recording booths. Great mix of myth busting and providing quality info while not seeming as clickbaity and terribly preachy in the way this video seems to come off to me. Even with all of my complaints on this one your points and info, once getting past the other stuff, are really top notch!
YKWTS Your channel really deserves more attention.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that! And thank you so much for making it through the video! :)
YKWTS .
Hey thank you so much for this!! I live in Chicago and I really want to do Hispanic voice over as a living, I build my own home studio with all I need for this but I don't know where to start, right now I'm trying to record my voice over demo to make my 4000 investment make sense hah let me know if you have some info where to start here in Chicago.
James you really deserve a lot more Subs but well, TH-cam algorithm its really aggressive when becomes Educational vs entertainment. and yeah I just made A SM7B VS TLM03 narration and clarity and open sound is the key.