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Post by benedict on Apr 26, 2017 23:14:08 GMT -8
I have had one bad experience with a used mic, but to be honest most of it was my fault. (Ok, SOME of it was my fault.) I wound up paying more in shipping than I did for the mics and one of them was dead on arrival. Sending them back would've cost more than they were worth. Good news was they were donor mics for a mic building project so I didn't really care. But lesson learned.
On point C on your previous previous post, what do you look for in a good pair of over-the-ear headphones?
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Post by benedict on Apr 26, 2017 19:02:43 GMT -8
I'm using a Tascam DR-70D, which has built-in mics, but I don't use them. I use it as more of a preamp/digitize/storage kind of thing. And you're right, the mics were a pair of SDCs in a stereo boundary array. They never quite clipped, so it was closer to #2 in your diagram, but something weird was happening at that point in the recording. For the most part I only ever use them on quiet sources, so I was well into the land of the ughknown when I made that recording. I haven't used them on anything that loud since then.
In any case I'm planning to use an LDC for VA work. My other mics are good for frogs and birds, but they're... unkind... when it comes to my voice.
Cheers!
Tom
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Post by benedict on Apr 26, 2017 9:27:41 GMT -8
Awesome! Thanks a ton, Duffy. I'm a rambler, too, so I appreciate all the pointers and stories.
You raise another question, though. The only example I have is a field recording story, though, so my apologies in advance for drifting so far from VA to ask it:
I'm using a field recorder rather than an interface at this point. (I can't afford both right now, so I'm using what I have.) One of the features it has is that I can record two channels from a single mic at two different gain levels. Basically one of the channels acts as if it has an attenuation pad in front of it. Would this be a good route to go?
The one drawback to this is that if the mic hits its max SPL, it still distorts even if the preamps don't. I ran into this while recording booming surf a couple of months ago. I dialed back the gain as far as I could and set up the second pair of channels at -12dB, but during a couple of impacts both tracks distorted even though neither one peaked. (To be fair the surf was big. I was on top of twenty foot cliffs, and the spray was popping up another thirty feet over that. Poor mics never stood a chance.)
I don't have a lot of experience using microphones for voice. Is there a risk of hitting the max SPL on a vocal mic without calling in the forces of nature?
Ok, that was more than one question. Sorry.
And thanks again!
Tom
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Post by benedict on Apr 25, 2017 1:48:19 GMT -8
Razzle, the "Ford vs. 4-wheel drive" is a good way to look at it. I can take a stab at a longer explanation. If anyone sees any errors or points of confusion, please let me know so I can fix it. At its most basic, a microphone consists of a sound sensitive element and enough electronics to boost the output so it can travel down a wire without loosing too much signal. Unfortunately the word "amplifier" or "amp" gets used a lot when talking about microphones. At this point we're still talking about stuff that lives inside the microphone, and is usually hidden from view. You only see these bits if you take the microphone apart.
At the other end of the wire you need another amplifier to boost the signal from the microphone so it can be fed into your recording equipment.
Since we're trying to record to a computer we need two other pieces of equipment: an interface to digitize the microphone's amplified signal, and a computer to record the output of the interface. Almost any computer recording setup is going to have these five components. How they're arranged and where they live depends on how they're packaged. In the case of a USB microphone, everything but the computer is wrapped up into one device. Sound goes in one end and a USB cable comes out the other. Examples of this are the Blue Snowball, the Blue Yeti, and the Audio Technica AT2020USB, though there are many more.
In the case of an XLR microphone the mic and amplifier are one device, and the preamp and interface are a separate device. Examples of XLR mics include the Audio Technica AT2020 (the non-USB version), the CAD E100S, the Shure SM7B, and a whole host of other mics. Examples of interfaces include the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, the Steinberg UR22, and the PreSonus AudioBox USB, though again, there's a good selection out there.
So why use an XLR mic at all if it just complicates things? A lot of it comes down to flexibility. Unlike the AT2020, not every microphone is available as a USB mic, so it opens up the possibility of using a wider range of microphones. Another way it adds flexibility is that if you're recording very loud or very quiet sources, you can add other devices like an attenuation pad (which reduces output) or another preamp (which increases output) to the chain to help handle the difference in levels.
All of which comes with added cost and complexity, which is something to keep in mind when starting out. (Actually, it's something to keep in mind at every stage.)
The rest of the difference between microphones comes down to that first bit in the chain: the sound sensitive element. There's more than one way to turn pressure waves in the air into an electrical signal, so there's more than one kind of microphone.
The dynamic microphone uses a diaphragm to move a coil along a magnet. (It's basically a speaker in reverse.) Air pressure causes the diaphragm to move, which causes the coil to move through the magnetic field, which causes current to flow through the coil. This produces the electrical signal that gets passed down the chain to the computer. Some classic dynamic voice mics are the ElectroVoice RE20, the Shure SM7B, and the Shure SM57.
The condenser microphone uses a diaphragm that's closely spaced against a back plate. One is held at a low voltage and the other at a higher voltage. As air pressure strikes the diaphragm and moves it closer to or farther away from the back plate, the whole thing acts like a variable capacitor. The amplifier in a condenser microphone uses this to produce an electrical signal that gets passed down the chain to the computer. Some examples of condenser mics are the Neumann U87, the Rode NT1A, and the Octava MK-012.
The ribbon microphone uses a corrugated metal ribbon placed between two strong magnets. As air pressure strikes the corrugated ribbon, it moves through the magnetic field which causes current to flow through it. This produces the electrical signal that gets passed down the chain to the computer. Some examples of ribbon mics are the AEA R84, the Rode NTR, and the classic RCA 44.
There's no one right way to turn sound into an electrical signal. Each one of these has its own characteristic sound and its own limitations. And each one can be found as an XLR microphone or as a USB microphone.
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Post by benedict on Apr 23, 2017 10:36:29 GMT -8
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Post by benedict on Apr 22, 2017 10:02:06 GMT -8
One other thing: Don't be afraid to buy used, and don't be afraid to get creative. The egg crate foam is a great example of re-purposing something to suit your needs. You can see a couple of examples of it in the "What does your home recording setup look like?" thread: voiceacting.boards.net/thread/586/home-recording-setup You can also see examples of blankets used for the same purpose. I live in the tropics, so I don't have enough blankets to go that route, but it's a great approach to controlling reverb. My mic stand is a photography light stand a friend found at a garage sale for $5. The Blue Yeti comes with its own stand, so you might not need a stand if you go that route. But if you do, used light stands, c-stands, and tripods show up for reasonable prices used. (I'm still looking for a good used boom stand.) This is true for mics as well. As Razzle pointed out, not every mic works with every voice. And in the mic thread you can see people trade up from time to time. Buying a mic used can make an almost out of reach microphone a lot more affordable. (Razzle, I really appreciate your point about thinking in terms of months of discretionary money! That's excellent advice.)
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Post by benedict on Apr 21, 2017 15:30:02 GMT -8
I'm still starting out, too, so most of this is just pointers to threads on this site that discuss setting up home studios: voiceacting.boards.net/thread/94/recording-environment-tin-why This thread is probably the best place to start. It discusses how to set up a recording environment, where NOT to set up a recording environment, how to minimize room noise, how to control reverberation, pop filters, etc. The whole thread is well worth reading. voiceacting.boards.net/thread/185/mic-geeks-favorite-mics-whyThis thread is a nice run-down on the microphones people are using. In it are discussions from people using the Blue Snowball and Blue Yeti, two USB mics made by Blue Microphones. I'm guessing the person you spoke to was talking about one of them. There are also discussions of other USB microphones, as well as XLR based microphones. voiceacting.boards.net/thread/586/home-recording-setupThis thread offers a look at a number of people's home recording setups. It's right in line with the questions you're asking. I was looking for other threads to post links to, but anything else I'd post boils down to, "Read all the sticky posts at the top of each forum." There's a wealth of information here, and the sticky threads are all worth reading. I can relate to your online ordering and shipping issues, living in Malta. I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific. It's amazing to see what people won't ship out here, even from inside the same country. The last time I bought a microphone I went through about four vendors before I found one willing to ship it to me. Cheers, Tom
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Post by benedict on Apr 16, 2017 12:58:02 GMT -8
I think I may have to ease in a new microphone into my favorites. Its a cheapo Chinese XLR condenser called the "BM-800". It feels sturdy, cheaper than my Samson C01U, came with a shockmount and a boom arm. The thing is cheaply made and the only thing that makes it seem heavy is its metal housing. The funny bit about it is that it came with an XLR to 3.5mm cable. The sound sucks when you just plug it straight into the PC but it still works. But when you introduce it to a 48v phantom power source by simply replacing its cable with a male-female XLR cable and hooking it up to your interface, it sounds goddamn good. When considering its price, it sounds too good for it. Here's a sample of me doing a quick sound test. Didn't bother doing anything other than rendering it right after recording it to preserve its "rawness". instaud.io/Iw2This is cool to see someone else looking at the BM-800! Not all BM-800 mics are created the same. I'm pretty sure they all have the same basic circuit inside, but the capsules will vary from one re-seller to the next. I picked up a pair of Neewer NW-800 mics to use as donor bodies for a project and wasn't all that impressed with the sound. But I've seen photos of the insides of some other people's BM-800 mics that looked nothing like mine. I think you got a good one. I concur with you on the cable. Depending on the input you're plugged into, the plug-in-power on most 3.5mm inputs will typically be somewhat less than 5V - well under what the regulator inside the microphone is trying to clamp to. Swapping that out for a straight XLR cable and feeding it 48V improves matters a lot, just as you said. If you don't mind some soldering, this is what I did with one of my BM-800 mics: www.instructables.com/id/Modify-a-cheap-LDC-Condenser-microphone/It replaces the existing capsule with the one in the CAD E300S and replaces the electronics with a slightly stripped-down version of the Schoeps CMC-5. Mine is slightly modified because I found the high end too harsh for what I was doing, but there's a lot of flexibility in the design for tuning. My only real complaint with the microphone is that the head basket rings like a bell any time you handle the mic. (Simple solution: Don't touch it!)
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Post by benedict on Apr 16, 2017 12:18:04 GMT -8
From the land of the "I haven't recorded any VA yet", I've got some questions:
Do you tend to stick to one mic per job? Or do you switch mics for different takes?
Say if you're doing a set of lines at a whisper and another set at a scream, would you switch to a mic with a higher SPL for the screaming parts? Would you switch technologies, say, from a condenser for the whispers to a dynamic for the screaming?
If so, how do you deal with the change in sound the change in mics introduces?
Thanks,
Tom
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Post by benedict on Apr 16, 2017 11:46:03 GMT -8
A good TV example of this would be Bob Newhart, who had stumbling speech down to an art form.
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Post by benedict on Apr 10, 2017 13:01:28 GMT -8
Hey, this is encouraging! Thanks, Razzle.
Most places around here are pretty safe, even at midnight. I'm lucky in that regard. The bigger challenge is that lots of things around here like to make noise, even at night. But I tried it in the parking lot at work, and without any tweaking I got an average noise floor around -53dB with some peaks (birds) around -47dB. Much much better than at home.
Thanks again!
Tom
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Post by benedict on Apr 9, 2017 10:51:46 GMT -8
I've seen some threads that touch on this, but I get the feeling I may be missing some details that are well-known to experienced voice actors. I live next to a highway. It's small, but the traffic is incessant and the asphalt is less than thirty feet from my back door. At one point I wanted to see if there was any hour of the day or night that didn't have traffic, so I set up my gear to record out the window. 24 hours later I dropped all the tracks into Audacity and looked at the peaks. At no point was there more than a five minute gap between cars. Most of the time it was closer to a minute. I can't out-wait the noise, so I tried to accommodate it. I went through duffywebber's thread on setting up a recording environment voiceacting.boards.net/thread/94/recording-environment-tin-why (Thank you, Duffy!) and was able to tame most of the reverb in the room I'm using, but even with my microphone's null point aimed at the highway, the vehicular noise bounces around enough to still get through. Then I was reading LadyStardust's thread on the expectation of availability voiceacting.boards.net/thread/265/expectation-availabilty and ran across this line: "Taking a remote recording setup every time you travel is pretty much a given..." Aha! So here's the question: What do people pack for their remote recording setup, and what assumptions do you make about available resources at your destination? At this point my best plan is to throw everything in my car, drive to an abandoned road out in the middle of nowhere some time in the night, and set up in the back seat. I really am that desperate, so any ideas, no matter how wild, are more than welcome. Thanks, Tom
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Post by benedict on Mar 31, 2017 18:10:36 GMT -8
That's actually a really clever design! Thanks for sharing the schematic.
A couple of other thoughts, all of which may affect the vintage sound aspects of the mic...
Capacitors in the signal path are a common source of noise. For non-polarized caps, C0G film capacitors are a safe choice. Wima makes good ones. Ceramic capacitors (the big brown discs) are microphonic, and can cause issues. Tantalum capacitors have a tendency to give a "whooshy" character to a mic (not in a good way). I try to avoid both.
I normally see polarized capacitors used for supply filtering, but it looks like there are a couple in the signal path (C7, C8). These are another source for noise. Using polystyrene electrolytics here may help. (For filtering I've had good luck with Nichicon capacitors. Not sure what they'd do in the signal path.)
Do you know what VT1 was in the original microphone? Also, do you have a translation of the note on R10 and R11? The bias voltage on a FET typically needs to be dialed in for each individual FET, even when sticking within the same model number. Changing to another FET will almost certainly require different values for a couple of the resistors, possibly including R5, R7, and R8. Bias resistors of 1Gohm aren't at all uncommon in FET designs.
Aaaand at this point I'm getting wildly out of my depth. I build mics, but I'm not a designer by any stretch. I understood most of that schematic, but I couldn't help looking at some parts of it and thinking, "Here there be dragons!"
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by benedict on Mar 31, 2017 13:51:20 GMT -8
Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it.
Cheers!
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Post by benedict on Mar 29, 2017 17:52:29 GMT -8
Hi,
I'm new to voice acting, so most of what I'm doing right now is reading, learning, trying, and playing. I apologize in advance for all the questions I'm likely to ask.
The bulk of my background in sound revolves around field recording, which involves a lot of not making my own sounds while the recorder is running. Speaking into a microphone still feels alien and wrong (but fun!) As part of that I build most of my own microphones, though most are tailored specifically for field recording rather than voice. As odd as that sounds it does make a difference.
I have been reading aloud to my kids every night for the last eighteen years. This is what actually sparked my interest in voice acting. My eldest is leaving for college in the next few months, so the only way I can continue to read to them all is to begin recording my sessions. CB Droege's post in the "What were the reasons you started voice acting?" thread really resonated with me in that regard. Rather than cassettes in the mail, it'll be WAV files in email.
Plus, I'd like to improve. I've enjoyed doing voices since I was a kid, watching Bugs Bunny cartoons and marveling at the range of voices Mel Blanc could produce. I know I'll never reach his level, but I want to get better.
Thanks for having me.
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