So, you've got the voice...Great! Having a good voice and delivery is 80% of the battle. But now what? How do you deliver your outstanding voice to potential clients? There are a number of delivery methods you can use, which I will get to...But first, you've got to make your voice sound good as a recording. No matter how good your pipes are, no one is going to care if your voiceover sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, using an answering machine.

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SECTION I - MIC CHAIN

This section is all about hardware. If you're satisfied with your hardware setup, skip to section II...Otherwise, read on!

1) YOUR MIC - That's right, your $20 Radio Shack mic isn't gonna cut it. PC Mics? No way. There is a reason that pro talents use mics that costs $1000-$3000 and sometimes even more. That doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune to be successful...But you will need to spend more than $20. How much more? Well that's up to you and your budget. Personally, I reccomend a mic in the $200 range. There are many good mics in that range...But I understand that many people cannot afford $200. There are mics that will do the trick for as little as $50, but you must hand-pick a mic that cheap...You must test it out at a store, not order from a website. Typically, you will be looking for a cardoid, super-cardoid or hyper-cardoid large diaphragm condenser microphone. Avoid dynamic microphones, especially "stage-style" dynamics. Also, buy a shockmount for your mic, as this will reduce background noise. A mesh pop filter will help with popped "P" sounds.

2) PRE AMPS & MIXERS - For voiceover, a mixer isn't always needed, but a pre amp is essential. The pre-amp will supply the 48 volt power to your condenser mic and transform the signal to make it ready to go to your PC. If you have a mixer, it will likely be suitible for use as a pre amp. You may also want to consider a pre amp with compression and EQ, so that you can process your voice before it ever hits the PC. You can find a standalone pre amp for about $40 up as much as $3000. Mic processors (with built in pre amps) start at around $100. What you purchase is largely dependant on your needs and desires.

3) SOUND CARD - On board sound cards are bad, plain and simple. Avoid products from Creative Labs (i.e. Soundblaster, Audigy, etc.); these cards are good for gaming and personal use...But not very good for recording. A Soundblaster will do the trick, but instead of spending $130 on a high-end Soundblaster, consider the M-Audio Audiophile 2496. It costs about $100. For under $100, SB Live cards will get the trick done. Most importantly, buy a card with a "Line In" option. Using the "Mic In" that is found on most cards is bad. You'll have noisy, distorted, nasty recordings.

4) HEAD PHONES - Yes, you need them...No, consumer headphones will not do. You not only need to be able to listen to yourself as you voice scripts, but you need to be able to listen back to make sure the quality is good. Good cans will also be a tremendous help as you're setting your mic processing. How much should you spend on headphones? How ever much it takes. Most good headphones will be in the neighborhood of $100. Don't bother spending much more than $100. I have two primary pairs...My Beyerdynamic DT-770 ($200) and my AKG K-240M ($100). Both are great, but the AKG's sound better, even though they're cheaper. The reason I bought the Beyers, is because they are closed-ear and they are built like a tank. I have a headphone-bleed problem with the AKG cans, as they are open design. I strongly suggest closed headphones, as this will drastically reduce bleed and feedback problems. Also, consider a good set of studio monitors, especially if you're doing production as well as voiceovers.

5) CABLES & CONNECTORS - Don't waste money on "Monster" brand cables. You DO NOT need expensive cables, but do buy high-quality cables. Buy from a professional audio supplier and ask for mid-priced cables. Hosa is a common brand that does well. Don't worry about gold connerctors.

6) YOUR ROOM - The room can make or break your sound. You must isolate your PC, to avoid noise. Keep that PC fan as far away from your mic as possible. Also watch out for windows and vents, which may allow noise to enter. Fan noise can completely ruin a good recording. You must also treat the room for acoustics. I realize that few people are able to truly factor in reflections to create an optimal recording area, but even some fabric or carpet on the walls can make a huge difference. The deadder, the better!

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SECTION II - MIC PROCESSING

Ahh, the most complicated (and most fun) part! This is where you add that professional "sparkle" to your sound. It's very important to note, less is more. Processing is all about making minor changes to the overall sound. Your clients should not hear the processing, in most cases.

1) EXPANDER/GATE - This should always come first. An expander or gate is used to remove sounds below a specified level. It is a type of dynimics processor and functions much like a compressor. I use a downward expander with my setup...It makes the recording sound much more "dead". My expander has a slope of 2.3 and a threshold of -50dB. That means that as soon as the sound input drops below -50dB, the expander will quickly kick in and drop in to -inf or null...Total silence. A gate has no slop, while an expander does. That means, an expander will have a slight fade once sound hits the threshold, but a gate will immediately chop to -inf. An expander is much more desireable with VO, but a gate will do the trick.

2) DE-ESSER - Got a problem with the "S" sound? Are your siblance overly shrill? A de-esser will take care of that problem. A de-esser is a type of compressor that only compresses sounds within the frequency range where the "S" sound lies. Don't use it if you don't have a problem with siblance and don't over-use it if you do. A de-esser is to soften siblance, not remove them. If you use the de-esser, it should follow the expander or gate.

3) COMPRESSOR - The compressor should come next. I don't reccomend using any more than a 4:1 compression ratio...Just enough to control the levels...If you hear pumping, you're using too much. Always use a fast attack. For a more aggressive sound, make the release fast. For a smoother sound, make the release slower. Start by setting your threshold at -10dB and adjust accordingly

4) EQ - There are many different kinds of equalizers. The most natural sounding comes from the parametric EQ. Begin with a low-cut to remove rumble. Most people choose to remove at 75Hz...I choose to go a little lower to 60Hz. It depends on your voice, just experiment! If your voice sounds boomy, try a cut between 80Hz and 125 Hz. If it sounds muddy, try a cut around 250Hz-300Hz. If you sound too nasal, a cut at 1kHz should help. To add "edge" to you voice, a little boost at 3kHz will help. To add an "airy" sound, 5kHz will do the trick. 1-3dB per boost or cut should be enough. Don't go overboard.

5) LIMITER AND MAXIMIZER - You don't need to limit the final product, but if you choose to, again, don't over-do it. Only limit the largest peaks.

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SECTION III - DELIVERY

All ready to go? Not quite, read on!

1) MP3 - The most common way to send. Use at LEAST 128kbps, 44,100. You may send in mono or stereo (dual mono). Don't bother sending at a higher sample rate (i.e. 48,000)...Instead, go for 160kbps or even 192. There won't be much difference between 192 and 320kbps.

2) ISDN - If you can afford it, do it.

3) WAV - 16-bit, 44,100 is the way to go. Files are big.

4) AIFF - Good for ProTools users. Large files. Uncompressed, much like wav files. Mac file.

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The idea is to get your voice to your client without losing quality. Any way you can find to do that, is a good way.

I hope some users find this to be useful.

If anyone want to argue or add to what I've said, please post it in this thread.

If you have general questions, post them here...For more specific or in-depth questions, PM me.

If you found this useful, please boost my rep!

Emmett

Emment,
Thanks for the useful info.

Emmett, just found it, great stuff. I'll hit you with a + when the system is back up. Very usefull stuff, thanks !!

Awesome guide. Man, this helped me out a lot.

It turns out that I bought a good lot of equipement, and was on the right track to getting it setup properly!

Rep+ for you, Emmett. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

Mike

Emmett, whats up ? First of all fair warning, just a beginner here and I,m trying to set up a beginner home studio, cheap but starting somewhere. Here's the main problem I'm having now, SOUND CARDS, you recommended M-Audio Audiophile 2496, checked it out online, thought I would need a 1/4" input with my new sound card to connect to my pre-amp, didn't see one on the 2496, haven't purchased a pre-amp yet but planning on a Studio Project VTB1, how would I connect the 2496 sound card to it, also having worries about any new sound cards to be compatible with my computer, read lots of horror stories on the subject. Just for the heck of it here's some of my current info............ MICROPHONE - Behringer B1. CURRENT SOUND CARD - Realtek AC '97 ( stock ). COMPUTER - Hewlitt Packard Pavilion AMD Athlon XP 2400+ 2.00Ghz 480mb of Ram. and for beginner Production - Wavepad 2.10 ( Free Version ) . I have to say I figured there was another way to connect pre-amps to get balanced voiceovers but what can I say except Daaaa, anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks +++ .................... Jimmyz (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Either 1/8" stereo to RCA or 1/4" to RCA depending on your mixer output. Just remember you can never have enough adapters!

Realtek AC '97 - Disable it now! :) Total CRAP card. We started with one initially to get a quick start and that thing haunted us from the get-go. We had huge probelms with the built in AGC circuit on the Realtek AC '97.

We moved to a Creative Labs Audigy 2 and then to a TurtleBeach card after that (both are still in use here on the machines).

In all honesty I have noticed little difference with the M-Audio card other than the additional input capability. YMMV

StopAndGoRadio, THANK YOU ! Your response is greatly appreciated. Well,........ here I go again, if I connect to my preamp with RCA's will I be balanced, does it matter were I line out of my preamp as far as qaulity, before I began looking into soundcards I just assumed I would be hooking up an XLR cable to a preamp, plugging it into a new soundcard and bam be ready to go, O.K, back to reality, here's the rear view of a VTB1 preamp http://www.mojopie.com/VTB1rear.jpg Is there anyone else that has one of these preamps? What kind of soundcards do you have? How about cables? Anyone, feel free to give me your exact setup advice. DON'T GET MEEE STARTED! Whoops, to late. Hey StopAndGoRadio -Thanks Again-! Now I'm all over those other two soundcards you mentioned. If I ever get myself going you may actually hear some voiceovers from me. ......... Jimmyz

That's a pretty straight forward connection.

Line out on the preamp to line in on your card. Shouldn't be much more needed than that.

1/4" mono to 1/8" stereo.

O.K. ..........The main reason I was worried about output cables - 1/4" - 1/8" and RCA stuff was because I was worried about making sure I was recording my voice with a balanced preamp output cable to soundcard, well so much for that, I received my soundcard today .......... yeah went ahead with the Audiophile 2496..... and what did I read TODAY , balanced output does not matter connected to the 2496 because the 2496 is not balanced and both connections must be balanced to achieve balance ! Is this correct ? Or, did I read that unbalanced stuff out of context ?

Yes and no. Yes, that's correct that the 2496 does not accept balanced inputs. However, that isn't really too important...Much more important is having a balanced connection between the mic and the preamp. It won't make much difference to have balanced inputs on the soundcard...The only fairly cheap card with balanced ins is the Echo MiaMIDI...Don't worry too much about it. I've discussed this with people who know a lot more than me and *most* of them agree that the Audiophile is a more solid choice for VO...The majority recommend the Audiophile over the (more expensive) echo...

Emmett

Yeah..... Gonna get the shortest cable I can go with, don't know if it will make a big difference in this situation, but it can't hurt. Thanks Emmett-- StopAndGoRadio Thanks Again-- ........... Jimmyz

Question...

I record in Adobe Audition 1.0
44100/16 bit in stereo
When I record dry it plays 128k I want at least 192k
When I produce depending on what music/effects I use it plays 320k
What can I do to change from 128k to 192k when recording dry

Thanks,
JL

When you record, you're not recording as an mp3, you're recording as PCM data (or the equivelant of a wav). If you're saving a session, ALWAYS save EVERYTHING as a wav file. When you do your mixdowns to archive, save anything important as a wav file. Mp3 is a terrible sounding format, and it gets much worse each time you open and re-save something. Only use it for web delivery.

If you're just sending dry voice, save it mono. Voice is mono, your mic is mono...No point in wasting size saving in stereo. A 160kbps mono mp3 sounds better than a stereo 320kbps mp3 and is half the size! I deliver my dialy voice tracks as 96kbps mono mp3, and my higher end VO stuf as 160 kbps mono mp3.

That being said, all you have to do is select "Options" from the save dialoge that appears when you save a file. It's down below the filename box and the file type dropdown. In the options box, you can select the mp3 rate and there's also a mono checkbox. To improve your quality further, uncheck "save non-audio information". For stereo files lower than 224kbps, check "Allow intensity joint stereo". I wouldn't suggest ever using "allow narrowing of stereo image" or "allow mid-side..." MS sucks. You can find all of those things under "Advanced" options.

Emmett