Tips on voice recording?

[Erwin_Br]

I've been using the search option, but couldn't find anything on voice acting.

So do you guys have any advice on how to avoid pops, hisses and other annoying noises when recording your voice?

Also, tips about how to 'act' (instead of just reading the lines) are also appreciated.

I want to gather information about this to put it into a document for people who keep mailing me for advice. People who want to do voices for my game often don't know how to start.

Thanks!  

--Erwin

[Ionias]

I've found that a wind screen for your mic is a must for avoiding those annoying pops.  The hissing and some background noise can be edited out, very tedious though.

I've found that recording the lines all in a row instead of one at a time helps you get more comfortable in the role. It's hard to get into the part when you just say one line and then hit stop. I've even gone as far as recording my lines 2-3 times over on the same take just to get into the flow.

This link is invaluable: http://planethalflife.com/studiosound/voice.htm

Good luck.  

[MrColossal]

if it's a good mic don't speak directly into it, speak over it so your breath doesn't woosh and the "p" doesn't pop

i say the lines repeatedly and try and record every try because you never know then i just edit out the TERRIBLE ones and keep the good.

also, i wouldn't worry about getting them all into ego1.wav or whatever the style is until you're done with the block of lines

[Ghormak]

I just want to point out that a wind screen like Ionias mentioned can be something as simple as a sock put over the microphone.
Take your time, and make sure the voices are consistent when it comes to volume and quality.

[LordHart]

I suggest to turn the volume down on the microphone to about 10%, perhaps lower. Once you have recoreded it, use a sound editor to raise the volume.

Doing this allows the microphone to usually only pick up voices, without any of the other sounds of breath, pops and also any background noise.

[Ben]

Eh? Doesn't that add noise? I'm pretty sure with digital audio you're supposed to record as loud as you can without clipping. Changing the volume like you suggest would be like scanning a photo at 100 dpi and enlarging it to 1,000-- you get much lower quality than you would if you had just scenned at 1,000 in the first place..

[remixor]

Yeah, Ben is right.  You record as loud as you possibly can, then reduce the volume once it's recorded.  Doing so should reduce all (or most of) the background noise away.

[R4L]

RAP, we don't promote warez on this site.
- m0ds

[yak@work]

I've mucked about with wind-screens a bit.  The foam or crappy cloth covers than come on many omni-directional mics don't do a whole lot to minimize this. The sock idea works some but in my experience tends to muffle the sound.  I found some advice on this awhile back and tried it out. Bend a wire frame (or buy one) out of coat-hanger, stretch some pantyhose over it - the tension as well as the thin medium tend to stomp out some of the pops and clicks.  I was able to speak towards my mic from around 3-4 inches away without any voice-related static.

My other comment would be that a $5.99 computer mic probably isn't the best tool except that I can't stand by that, not having purchased a decent one (yet).

[Gregjazz]

If the sock is muffling it too much, you can do some EQing and boost the higher frequencies to make it sound better.

[Minimi]

Could someone please remove the post of RapIt4Life??

If you want to have a good audio edit program, and don't want to spend money, you can get "Audacity" for free. It's a very strong application and totally freeware.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net


Also about recording your voice, it's the best to have an headset, or a microphone with a standard. That's because when you hold it in your hand, then point of sound changes all the time. I myself have a headset of 29,99 euro, wich is about $40

[MadReizka]

If you are using a cheap microphone to record voice, and the "studio" is your own room, I suggest that you surround with towels or other fabric the mic and the actor. This removes pretty good all other sounds (PC hum, other people etc) and also removes echos, that might came from your room.

[Paper Carnival]

I recommend you GoldWave. It's shareware, but it's fully functional (just a pop-up at the beginning and a popup every 150 actions {but you can restart the program to reset those}) and does a great job on reducing the noise. Just hit the "Noise Reduction" button and then "ok" (you can also adjust some options there, but the default settings are good for just reducing noise).

[foz]

I just want to point out that a wind screen like Ionias mentioned can be something as simple as a sock put over the microphone.
Take your time, and make sure the voices are consistent when it comes to volume and quality.

Coat hanger and some ladies tights...(panty hose in america..i think).....real pop shields can be expensive.....

also edit in sound forge or something similar...

[Evil]

As for voice acting, it is really all about the reading. Dont read it like a book, but dont read it overly dramatic either. Read it as if you were the character. Whats going through their heads'? IMO, if the charater is getting attacked by aliens, what is he going to sound like? Surely not calm, probably more scared and worried. Try reading it many ways and listen to the results. Try even some ideas that arnt the best to see how they compair. If you get stuck, ask somebody else to read it to see how they would say it.

[LordHart]

Yeah, Ben is right.  You record as loud as you possibly can, then reduce the volume once it's recorded.  Doing so should reduce all (or most of) the background noise away.

Odd, I have always had the volume set low and then raised the volume and it worked nicely.

And when you said Ben, I thought you meant I was right.

[BOYD1981]

i was watching this programme on tv once about amateur film making, and one tip they had for recording voice overs was to make a soundproof box thingy, i think how they made it was by getting a large-ish cardboard box and attaching some empty cardboard egg cartons to the sides then placing the microphone inside it, when you want to record you put your face inside it...
you probably wouldn't even need the egg cartons if the box was thick enough, although you might end up with a bit of reverb

[Evil]

Boyd: The same goes for music studios, thats what that pointy foam is. Somehow it mutes the echo and blocks interfearing sound. Its a good idea, but you are probably better off just in a closet.

[Azure]

I'm afraid our tutorials our down but serach the forum at http://www.voiceacting.co.uk/site
As for pops clicks its all abut set up. Try using your mic slightly to the side of your mouth, a decnt recoring programe and quality also helps.
For the best quality get a USB mic, hope this helps.


As for emotion it's tricky to get right and different for each person. But try to get inside your character. Imagine how they would feel in the situations and don't be afraid to retake.

[goldenmonkey]

No A closet will create echo, because your sound wave (voice) will bounce from wall to wall inside.
The way the pointy foam and egg cartons work are best explained like ripples in a lake.

Say you throw a stone into a lake, the water ripples, the ripples get lager until there isn't enough force to propel the ripples any further, this is the same with a sound wave, when you emit a noise from your mouth the sond wave grows lager the further it travels from you, making a larger area of the same sound, causing it to be fainter the further away  the mic is.
If you are in a closet, the sound wav, instead of flowing away, will hit the wall directly in front of you, rebound back and hit the wall behind you, it will continue to do so until there is not enough energy to continue to do this and will die out. the side effect is, the bouncing causes and echo to the microphone.

The pointy part of the egg carton acts like a rock sticking out of the lake, when the ripple hits the rock it disperses, and becomes weaker this is what happens to the sound wave when it hits the pointy part of the egg carton.

also avoid areas with alot of glass as glass reflects soundwaves better than other materials.