Voices of Eden - Voice Acting

Oh, I know how to calculate it, but embarrassingly enough for someone who teaches math for a living it's just getting around to applying it that's the problem. Plus DST doesn't really help either. I'm STILL confused about that after 6yrs of living here, derp. But enough excuses from me.

Any topics that anyone would like me to go over in my mini-tech blurb? So far, I'm thinking of writing about:

1) Equipment and how to set it up
2) Proper mic techniques (which I should follow too--I'm not always good about doing this, and we should all get in the practice)
3) Audacity and Reaper overview (only because these are the two I use and they're both free-ish.)
4) Some useful effects/settings/plug-ins

[font=verdana][color=green]Oh I see. I'm not convinced ; P Well, both England and America have Daylight Savings, so that shouldn't be a problem when I give you a time. It the countries that don't have it that have the confusion.

Yes, I like those topics of conversation for technology. I can't think of anything else, personally; and I'm quite intrigued by what you mean by "proper mic techniques".

Well- this time I simply misread it as it being 5PM for us over here. (UTC -5)

[color=#ff0080]-smacks Jacky in the butt- No excuses!! 50 push ups, now!

Haha. Funny that you say that- because I just finished doing so (I do some basic exercise when I wake up and before I go to bed).

So....you get all sweaty before you get into bed? >.>;

I take a shower after that, you silly girl.

[font=verdana][color=green]For future reference, I wonder if I should calculate all the times, as I did in the past, just to ensure that people can't get the times wrong. I don't want to have to do that, but I'd rather do that than have CRs cancelled at the designated time due to people getting the time wrong.

Let's have a vote on that, actually.

We'll be waiting for your audition with bated breath ❤



[color=#ff0080]Well I hate to have you do so much work, especially as our numbers grow...is there something I can put in the OP that would help?



This would be super helpful, Neko. Let me know when it's done and I can link it in the beginning. : )

That felt a little sarcastic. :/

Aww, I was trying to be dramatic I think. But it was serious, arty-poo ❤

OK...in that case, thank you, Circe-chan. <3

[font=verdana][color=green]I'll think of a little paragraph or something to put on the OP to help people calculate timezones. Maybe a list of countries with/without DLS as well. I'll get back to you on this, for you to check over and do with it as you will.

I am back, and I am glad too see we're no longer Hipster.

Hipster? What does that mean? I think it's a fashion style...lol ^^;;

Hipster = being underground

Tech blurb go!

Before I start, I'd like to say that I am not a professional, and all the stuff I've written here comes from advice from people who work in the music and/or voice over industries, and from my own noob experimentation. Don't take what I say as the gospel truth, but rather as a starting point for your own learning and experimentation. I'm writing this with amateur or hobby voice acting in mind, although some of the tips I write can apply to the professional world as well.

I said I was going to cover these points:

1) Equipment and how to set it up
2) Proper mic techniques
3) Audacity and Reaper overview
4) Some useful effects/settings/plug-ins

I started typing them all up, but it ended up being super long, and my CTS is killing me. So I'll focus on just one of the points in each post. Today's post is about:

Equipment and how to set it up

Here are the basic things you need to get started with voice acting:
Microphone
Pop shield/pop filter
recording software

At the amateur or hobby levels, the brand and type of microphone is not as important. Let me repeat that: the mic is not as important! An expensive mic is not necessarily a guarantee of good sound--the setup is much more important. I've had quality problems with my expensive Zoom H2 recorder because I didn't set it up correctly. Of course having a good mic will help a lot, but I've had decent results recording with a headset that I bought at the dollar store--yes, a $1 headset! Of course, since it was that cheap, it fell apart after about two weeks of use (cheap wiring, boo), but I digress... The point is, don't worry too much about the mic, and don't spend a lot on it if you don't have the budget for it.

As for equipment recommendations...google. There are many people more knowledgeable than I who have written articles about it, so just do a search for "best mic for [your budget]" and pick one you can afford. Or just use your webcam mic, headset mic, or whatever you have on hand.

What's important is that any mic you use, at whatever price point, should have a clear enough signal. That is, you should be able to adjust the volume levels so that you can hear your voice loud and clear with little to no static or other mic noise. If your mic is super bad, do upgrade to a better one. If you can hear your voice fine, even if there is a little bit of static, there are methods to fix that with post-processing, which I'll discuss later. However, you really do want to get it as clear as possible so that you avoid any difficulties later.

Ideally, you should record in a small, quiet space with no echoing. People have recorded in closets, cars, small rooms...the possibilities are endless. This isn't always possible to do, however, and that's ok. The important part is that you should really minimize any background noise. Shut your dog up. Turn off all the fans/ac/whatever. Close your windows and doors. To minimize echo and to absorb noise, you can hang quilts on the walls.

Another possibility to think about if you don't have a good acoustic space is to build a mini-recording booth just around your mic, like this one. They're pretty easy and cheap to make. The best results come from acoustic foam (expensive!), but for our purposes other cheap alternatives can work well enough, like inexpensive foam, layers of old rags sewn into squares, or a cut up quilt. Or you can even build a pillow fort around the mic...looks stupid, but it can work pretty well, apparently. I've never tried the pillow fort method myself, but some swear by it. Whatever you do, it is important to isolate the mic as much as possible from any outside noise.

When you plug your mic into the computer, whether it's a usb mic or one you plug into the mic port, you want to adjust the gain/volume levels in your recording program so that it is loud as possible without static/mic noise and clipping. Clipping is when you speak as loud as you will go into the mic and it pops into the red zone of your recording program. It'll produce a horrid crackling sound when that happens (not to mention it's bad for mixing), so adjust the levels down in that case. Generally, don't go beyond +/-3dB.

If you're using a headset, don't worry too much about this part. This is mostly for table-top or other mounted mics. Set your mic up on a stable surface as far away from your computer as possible, so it doesn't pick up any fan noise. Ideally it should be about level with your mouth, but depending on your mic's "sweet spot" you may want to move it a bit higher or lower or a bit left or right. It's different for every mic, so experiment with the placement to get the spot that works best with your mic and your voice.

A pop shield isn't strictly necessary, but it can really help filter out the plosive consonants and some other unwanted noises. You can buy them if you want, but you can also make them cheaply out of old pantyhose and a wire hanger. Basically, bend the hanger into a roughly circular shape big enough to cover your mic, then stretch the pantyhose over it. You can bend the hook of the hanger into a stand, or twist it to wrap around the base of the mic or some other place. If you're using a pop shield, set the shield up about 3in from the mic and place yourself anywhere between 1-7in away from the shield.

As for recording software, use anything you are comfortable with. I use Audacity and Reaper, which I will discuss later.

Those are pretty much the basics for equipment! Next post will be about proper mic technique.

[font=verdana][color=green]Oh wow, that's all very helpful, Neko. I'll probably give it a thorough read and make it more concise before it goes on the OP. I hope you don't mind if I do.

This totally isn't a sneaky bump. No sir >>;

@Sammy: go ahead, but I might add to my posts as I remember things, so I would suggest holding off until I've put up all four parts before editing them.

Tech blurb 2 go!

Again, as I've mentioned, I'm not a professional, yadayada... I've mostly learned these techniques for recording singing, but some of it crosses over to recording speaking as well.

This second post will be about:

Proper mic techniques

The first rule in mic handling is that there are no rules, only guidelines. The second rule is that you will have to try what seems like a million things before you get it right, because it's an art. Think of the mic as just another instrument--just as you have to learn how to play the violin, you have to learn how to use the mic until it begins to feel like an extension of yourself.

Before you even approach your mic, make sure that you are relaxed. Tension in your body will translate to tension in your voice, so unless you are going for that sort of emotion, do some stretches or other exercises to relax. Feel free to gesticulate or move around as long as it doesn't make unnecessary sounds and it doesn't affect your distance from the mic (which will affect your sound). Warm up your voice as well.

If you're using a headset mic, hurrah! They are designed for capturing speech, so you can just put it on and talk into it. You will lose some of the control with this type of mic since they are at a fixed distance in relation to you, but for amateur recording, that should be fine.

For most other mics, the most general rule is that you want the mic to be about level with your mouth, and you should speak about 3-12in away from the mic. Any closer and you usually get a very muddy sound with lots of plosive (popping) consonants, and any farther and you might as well not be on mic at all. For most applications, you want to be at the midrange, about 7in away from the mic. Quiet, intimate, or low-pitched sounds should be done closer, and higher-pitched and louder sounds should be done farther. For more nasal or high-pitched sounds, point the mic higher than your mouth, and for more chesty, throaty, or deep sounds, point the microphone lower than your mouth. Like I mentioned in my previous post, each mic has a "sweet spot" that works with your voice, so play around to try to find it.

Now, on to speaking into the mic...which you aren't supposed to literally do most of the time. For most things, you should actually be projecting to a point beyond the mic, sort of like speaking to an imaginary audience, or to another person who is behind the mic. Think of it as the mic being there to catch your voice like a net, rather than a hole you have to aim your voice into. This is especially true for condenser mics, because if you speak directly into it, the sound could get muddy. For mics that aren't condensers (dynamic mics, for example) it's more ok to speak into the mic. That being said, there will be times where you need to direct your voice into the mic; for example, if you need to get a certain pitch quality, or if you're speaking very softly. It depends a lot on what you're trying to do, so experiment with what works best for you.

Soft sounds are easy enough to do with a microphone, but loud sounds are another matter--too loud and you will overload the mic and cause distortion (clipping). If a scene calls for shouting or raised voices, you should not literally yell, but you should try to get the feeling of yelling into your voice, if that makes any sense. Don't worry about volume--the mic will amplify it for you so don't literally raise your voice too much. Focus more on the emotions that you are supposed to portray with the yell or loud sound. Is it a yell of anger? Pain? Joy? Step at least a foot away from the mic, really feel the emotion, and direct your voice behind the mic rather than right at it. You can also lower the gain if you still get clipping.

If you have a pop shield/filter, it will be easier to avoid plosives (popping b or p sounds) and sibilance (overemphasized s and t sounds) in your recordings. If you don't have one, there are several things you can do to avoid those noises. The first is distance--be at least 6in away from the mic. This is ok for most things, but not if you have to get closer to the mic for quiet, intimate sounds. The second technique you can use is speaking off-center from the mic, which is convenient to do if you're reading from a script and holding it to the side of the mic. The third technique is just to be vigilant about diction, which takes a lot of practice. Even if you do have a pop filter, it's still good to use these techniques in conjunction with it to minimize noise.

Everything I've discussed so far is very fiddly, with lots of moving the mic or moving yourself around. However, once you find the spot that is right for what you want the recording to sound like, do not touch the mic. At all. The less you handle the mic, the better off you'll be, and the more consistent your recording will be. Plus handling noise from the mic is annoying to get rid of post-recording.

Now, this is getting really long, and as you'll notice, a lot of the stuff I say is vague or even contradictory. The thing you really have to remember is that each voice is unique, and what will work for one person will not work for another so try as many of the techniques as you can to find the right ones to use for your voice, your mic, and your project.

Next up will be the Audacity and Reaper overview.

[font=verdana][color=green]Thanks for the heads-up, Neko. I was going to start on the first one as soon as you posted the second one. Lucky that I decided not to do it when I said I was going to do it.

But Neko, give yourself credit. You're posting a lot of information here, a lot more than I ever knew. You're a Pro in my eyes.

But now onto the Audacity/Reaper battle....hoo boy.