Broadcast quality voice recording/processing

[51m0n]

What can be achieved with some mic position knowledge, a bunch of free vsts and a capable DAW these days is absolutely ridiculous.

Edited July 1, 2021 by 51m0n

[51m0n]

The really clever bit about setting up your own linear phase crossover of course is that you can get even more clever with per band parallel compression.

I feel I may be breaking some people's heads now, I'll bugger off and leave you all to it

[lurksalot]

[DubDelay]

Kind of a cheat but I do a weekly local digital radio show in a terrible room with lots of reflective surfaces. Easy way to fix the environment issues is always have a quiet bed of music under my voice. I duck the music volume about 70% and bobs your uncle. Not applicable in every situation and not a sophisticated fix but it works. It's also handier than putting rugs everywhere, which I do sometimes if needs be.

 

 

[Beedster]

On 01/07/2021 at 09:56, 51m0n said:

What can be achieved with some mic position knowledge, a bunch of free vsts and a capable DAW these days is absolutely ridiculous.

 

It's a fair point, but I think you'e missing something @51m0n, understanding of how to use the VSTs!

 

Thanks for your input above, I'm in the UAD environment, what do you think of this as a starter of the multi-band compression journey?

 

https://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins/mastering/precision-multiband.html

[Beedster]

And thanks for the helpful posts above folks, I'd completely forgotten about this thread 🤔 

[lurksalot]

There is a multi band compressor in reaper for free , but , well , it’s a step more than I really know what to do with 😁

[Beedster]

18 hours ago, lurksalot said:

There is a multi band compressor in reaper for free , but , well , it’s a step more than I really know what to do with 😁

Yep, the one I linked to above is included in my UAD package also, but I have a similar problem! However, the fact that so many people seem to swear by multi-band compression, even on a speaking voice (which is where a lot of my work is going to be from next month), inclines me to better understand and use it.

 

I'm going to be watching those tutorial videos this weekend I suspect! 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Beedster

[51m0n]

Watch the videos matet! 

 

I would say reaper is apparently almost unique in having routing options capable of doing this but in all honesty I am not up to speed on new UAD stuff so it could be doable elsewhere.

 

Building your own crossover network will really help you understand what is going on in the allvin one multiband crossovers too.

[Beedster]

2 minutes ago, 51m0n said:

Watch the videos matet! 

 

I would say reaper is apparently almost unique in having routing options capable of doing this but in all honesty I am not up to speed on new UAD stuff so it could be doable elsewhere.

 

Building your own crossover network will really help you understand what is going on in the allvin one multiband crossovers too.

 

That I will do! Yes I'll investigate what the UAD version does and perhaps have a look at the Reaper version to compare 👍

[Beedster]

This was also helpful on the ‘whys’ of multi-band compression https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/how-and-when-use-multiband-compression?amp

[Beedster]

So, I’ve done my homework on multi-band compression. I understand its application in music, I’m less clear regarding it’s use - at least by comparison with a single band compressor - with the spoken word. I guess a good question would be what frequency ranges could I be looking to target more than others and why, assuming there are no plosives or esses to deal with? 

[Kickass]

I used to work in a pro studio doing adds, AV and other commercial recording in the middle of Edinburgh. Although the studio was in a stone chapel, with top end designed and built floating studio and control room inside the ground floor of the building, we got bleed from the city hum, transport rumble and occasional city linked sounds (drunk banging on the back door). The bottom end part of multi band compression would enhance this background chaos. With very good mics and speakers top end compression would enhance the saliva sounds, paper sizzle and other unwanted artefacts. I wouldn't use Multiband. Cut the top end and the bottom end with HPF and LPF and use a good, single band comp sim with between 2:1 and 3:1 ratio. I think the real difference in a treated room is you can distance the mic and crank the gain without getting ROOM! (and exterior ambience). With good voice artists we could use a condenser mic 2ft from the mouth and a foot higher pointing a foot, or so, to the side of the mouth, and the voice would be focussed a foot below and to the side of the mic, crossing the mic's focus. This is a huge generalisation but given to give you an idea of how we captured good voice work. Close micing a voice for intimacy or to catch character/mood would often need fine control of the voice artist and more retakes, and splicing of 1/4" tape. Our adds used to bang the PPM and jump out of peoples radios... I used to make the cart and 1/4" copies for distribution to local radio stations, every copy was played and checked before packing. I could hear one add over 100 times in one day! Mistakes in the recording got tedious/annoying quicker than the banal adverts.

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Kickass
To add detail

[Leonard Smalls]

11 hours ago, Kickass said:

The bottom end part of multi band compression would enhance this background chaos.

Once I hadn't been able to finish checking the final mix of a drama I'd been Post Production Manager on. It was needed the following day so I took it home and played the 1/4" on my Revox through my stereo.

I discovered that throughout the post production process nobody had noticed that one particular location had a loud but very low frequency rumble - I guess it was a tube train as the location was in central London. The reason that no-one had noticed was  because all editing was done on Rogers LS3/5a speakers, which are excellent but have virtually nowt below 75Hz, and track laying and dubbing had been done using Rogers LS5/8 speakers, which looked imposing but produced no bass below 45Hz!

The Beeb soon commissioned new speakers for dubbing theatres after that (they bought big Harbeths)...

[Owen]

1 hour ago, Leonard Smalls said:

played the 1/4" on my Revox through my stereo.

PROPER OLD SCHOOL!!!!!!!

[Beedster]

21 hours ago, Kickass said:

I used to work in a pro studio doing adds, AV and other commercial recording in the middle of Edinburgh. Although the studio was in a stone chapel, with top end designed and built floating studio and control room inside the ground floor of the building, we got bleed from the city hum, transport rumble and occasional city linked sounds (drunk banging on the back door). The bottom end part of multi band compression would enhance this background chaos. With very good mics and speakers top end compression would enhance the saliva sounds, paper sizzle and other unwanted artefacts. I wouldn't use Multiband. Cut the top end and the bottom end with HPF and LPF and use a good, single band comp sim with between 2:1 and 3:1 ratio. I think the real difference in a treated room is you can distance the mic and crank the gain without getting ROOM! (and exterior ambience). With good voice artists we could use a condenser mic 2ft from the mouth and a foot higher pointing a foot, or so, to the side of the mouth, and the voice would be focussed a foot below and to the side of the mic, crossing the mic's focus. This is a huge generalisation but given to give you an idea of how we captured good voice work. Close micing a voice for intimacy or to catch character/mood would often need fine control of the voice artist and more retakes, and splicing of 1/4" tape. Our adds used to bang the PPM and jump out of peoples radios... I used to make the cart and 1/4" copies for distribution to local radio stations, every copy was played and checked before packing. I could hear one add over 100 times in one day! Mistakes in the recording got tedious/annoying quicker than the banal adverts.

 

 

9 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Once I hadn't been able to finish checking the final mix of a drama I'd been Post Production Manager on. It was needed the following day so I took it home and played the 1/4" on my Revox through my stereo.

I discovered that throughout the post production process nobody had noticed that one particular location had a loud but very low frequency rumble - I guess it was a tube train as the location was in central London. The reason that no-one had noticed was  because all editing was done on Rogers LS3/5a speakers, which are excellent but have virtually nowt below 75Hz, and track laying and dubbing had been done using Rogers LS5/8 speakers, which looked imposing but produced no bass below 45Hz!

The Beeb soon commissioned new speakers for dubbing theatres after that (they bought big Harbeths)...

Really enjoyed reading both of those, also very helpful, many thanks @Kickass and @Leonard Smalls 👍

[Beedster]

8 hours ago, Owen said:

PROPER OLD SCHOOL!!!!!!!

Tell me about it mate  

[Leonard Smalls]

Sold the Revox years ago... But had to borrow a Dolby SR unit to listen to work stuff...

Amazing my Ditton 66/2 and Lumley valve monoblocks speakers had a much more extension than BBC broadcast kit!

[Bigguy2017]

First it's the room - usually a proper vocal booth which is pretty dead, and keeps out unwanted sound. 

This can be approximated with hanging duvets making a booth into a corner, but anything with early reflections will sound like your bathroom...

 

Next is mic choice and position.

I've used MKH416, Neumann U87, EV RE20, Rode NT1, SM7, Coles ribbons and others.

Some voices need a different mic - Mariella Frostrup had a very gravelly voice... never had to de-ess with the right mic choice.

Mic position was usually 45 degrees front/above around arm's length. Closer for cosey narration.

 

Some minor EQ - mostly high pass, and mild compression for most stuff, heavy for commercial radio.

 

A felt top lectern for scripts and talkback or cue lights

 

A voice artist also helped lots - Emma Freud and Lesley Judd were both 'one take wonders' - company COs and similar with no mic experience could be a pain.