audio chain for commercial voice

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I work at a video post production house that has just set up a booth for
vo's. In the past, they've always taken them ISDN or via the
net...occationally a client will want a talent to come in and record here.

That said, no one here is exceptional with setting up the gear. Many have a
good understanding of preamp, compression, eq, etc...but I'm still not
hearing that national agency quality when it's mixed. It's good, we're
striving for excellent. We have a great setup with waves & various plugins
for big in your face promo / trailer type stuff when the vo is already
recorded...now we're trying to get the lighter more natural commercial sound
right when it's in house...but still have the voice pop through well.

We bought great gear after the recommendation of a guy that know what he's
doing. Problem is, he's on the other coast and it's not easy to tweak with
someone 4000 miles away.

Here's what we have:

Great River mp-2nv mic pre
Crane Song Trakker
EL8 Distressor

Mics to choose from: Neumann U87 and TLM103, Sennheiser MKH 416. Other
possible gear: various eq's, some LA4's, TC Electronic Finalizer, some
aphex compellors, and a few RNC's.

A couple quick questions: the U87 sounds similar to the 103. The U87 also
has the low rolloff and different patterns. For commercial vo, would you
use the rolloff on an average male voice? I've seen many of the commercial
houses in LA using the 416. Do you often roll off some bass (how much,
where?), and where should we look to eq for a nice midrange? 6-10 db of
compression seems fine for most projects. Do they boost the heck out of the
highs or just do a mid bump?

I'll take your advice if you think we should just roll the preamp into the
workstation and process it all internally. Waves renaissance channel seems
to get praise...we have it and could use it. I'm sure I could apply the
advice to the plugin.

Thanks for any help.
Marc

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

The gear is great, if you can't get a good sound with that gear in a good
iso booth there is something else wrong. The low rolloff is completely
subjective and would depend entirely on the voice and the context of the vo,
that goes the same for any other EQ adjustments, although I don't see any
harm in using a 75hz rolloff....if you're mixing the vo w/ needle drop music
then you should adjust the EQ (or not) to make it sound right with the
music, which will vary for classical, rock, jazz, easy listening, etc.

If you really want the best sounding product money can buy, all the gear in
the world won't makeup for having incredible voice talent. A good one hour
read can easily cost $1000 for the voice talent alone (engineer and producer
not included) but you will get an incredible sounding VO even on mediocre
equipment.....just make sure your producer is experienced with VO's and
knows how to coax the best read out of the talent without pissing him/her
off. Good luck!

--

Jonny Durango

"Patrick was a saint. I ain't."

http://www.jdurango.com



"Mix Head" <audiogear.no.spam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cYXZd.6814$mq2.5593@trnddc08...
> I work at a video post production house that has just set up a booth for
> vo's. In the past, they've always taken them ISDN or via the
> net...occationally a client will want a talent to come in and record here.
>
> That said, no one here is exceptional with setting up the gear. Many have
a
> good understanding of preamp, compression, eq, etc...but I'm still not
> hearing that national agency quality when it's mixed. It's good, we're
> striving for excellent. We have a great setup with waves & various
plugins
> for big in your face promo / trailer type stuff when the vo is already
> recorded...now we're trying to get the lighter more natural commercial
sound
> right when it's in house...but still have the voice pop through well.
>
> We bought great gear after the recommendation of a guy that know what he's
> doing. Problem is, he's on the other coast and it's not easy to tweak
with
> someone 4000 miles away.
>
> Here's what we have:
>
> Great River mp-2nv mic pre
> Crane Song Trakker
> EL8 Distressor
>
> Mics to choose from: Neumann U87 and TLM103, Sennheiser MKH 416. Other
> possible gear: various eq's, some LA4's, TC Electronic Finalizer, some
> aphex compellors, and a few RNC's.
>
> A couple quick questions: the U87 sounds similar to the 103. The U87
also
> has the low rolloff and different patterns. For commercial vo, would you
> use the rolloff on an average male voice? I've seen many of the
commercial
> houses in LA using the 416. Do you often roll off some bass (how much,
> where?), and where should we look to eq for a nice midrange? 6-10 db of
> compression seems fine for most projects. Do they boost the heck out of
the
> highs or just do a mid bump?
>
> I'll take your advice if you think we should just roll the preamp into the
> workstation and process it all internally. Waves renaissance channel
seems
> to get praise...we have it and could use it. I'm sure I could apply the
> advice to the plugin.
>
> Thanks for any help.
> Marc
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

> That sounds a little excessive unless you are hiring a really famous
> actor. I doubt the average audio book recording budgets $12,000 just
> for the vocal talent.

True, but I don't think the original poster was asking about audio books...

"for big in your face promo / trailer type stuff when the vo is already
recorded...now we're trying to get the lighter more natural commercial sound
right when it's in house...but still have the voice pop through well."

Sounds to me like he's going for a high-quality commercial sound, which can
definately cost $1000 for a one-hour read

--

Jonny Durango

"Patrick was a saint. I ain't."

http://www.jdurango.com



"play on" <playonAT@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:gj6i31tte1t5qjd35lh8quvs295n9nf7pu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:00:22 -0800, "Jonny Durango"
> <jonnybush_from_officedurango1@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> >
> >If you really want the best sounding product money can buy, all the gear
in
> >the world won't makeup for having incredible voice talent. A good one
hour
> >read can easily cost $1000 for the voice talent alone
>
> That sounds a little excessive unless you are hiring a really famous
> actor. I doubt the average audio book recording budgets $12,000 just
> for the vocal talent.
>
> Al

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Thv, 17 Mar 2005 16:57:55 -0500, Steve King wrote
(in article <EIvdnXOvTZZFYKTfRVn-ig@comcast.com> ):

> "Jonny Dvrango" <jonnybvsh_from_officedvrango1@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:RtidnczgDI-4RKTfRVn-rw@comcast.com...
>>> That sovnds a little excessive vnless yov are hiring a really famovs
>>> actor. I dovbt the average avdio book recording bvdgets $12,000 jvst
>>> for the vocal talent.
>>
>> Trve, bvt I don't think the original poster was asking abovt avdio
>> books...
>>
>> "for big in yovr face promo / trailer type stvff when the vo is already
>> recorded...now we're trying to get the lighter more natvral commercial
>> sovnd
>> right when it's in hovse...bvt still have the voice pop throvgh well."
>>
>> Sovnds to me like he's going for a high-qvality commercial sovnd, which
>> can
>> definately cost $1000 for a one-hovr read
>>
>
> The going rate for a one hovr stvdio session doing what's commonly called
> indvstrial video narration ranges from $450 to $650 in Chicago. I have
> booked talent in both NYC and LA at those rates as well. I'm talking
> experienced, near top of the food chain, AFTRA/SAG performers, bvt the very
> large non-vnion talent pool doesn't charge mvch less these days. Ty covld
> jvmp in here and provide rates for Baltimore/Wash. DC. Of covrse, there are
> performers who either by celebrity or by a really, really exceptional voice
> command higher prices, jvst as there are performers in every market who will
> work for far less. I once had to pay $4,000 for Bvrgess Meredith to narrate
> a high-end corporate image video plvs a limo to pick him vp and retvrn him
> to his Malibv home. (He was worth it.) On the other hand, a prodvcer, who
> cringed at my rate for some radio spots for a tertiary market, said that he
> regvlarly hired local station annovncers for $25 per hovr to do everything
> he covld throw at them.
>
> Steve King

We're doing spots for free down here, bvt the stvdio rate is half a million
an hovr.

Regards,

Ty





-- Ty Ford's eqvipment reviews, avdio samples, rates and other avdiocentric
stvff are at www.tyford.com