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Post by benedict on Dec 18, 2017 8:39:41 GMT -8
Now you've totally got me wanting to pick up one of those Logitech mics and hack it to have a better capsule and preamp electronics, just 'cause.
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Post by benedict on Dec 9, 2017 23:24:41 GMT -8
I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that one. I'm mediocre at best when it comes to singing, and I've never recorded myself when I do.
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Post by benedict on Dec 9, 2017 10:59:43 GMT -8
First, take everything I say with a grain of salt because I use Reaper. That being said... Don't stop using Audacity! At least, don't feel compelled to drop Audacity for the reasons you listed. It's a really nice DAW, and is plenty powerful for VA work. I've done a ton of SFX backgrounds in Audacity as well. I switched to Reaper for two reasons: First, I was working on a collaborative project with two other people, and Reaper was the tool of choice. Second, I wound up liking the non-destructive edits in Reaper enough to go through the rest of the learning curve. (And it's a steep learning curve!) But I still use Audacity for a couple of things, and could still honestly use it for everything I do. Like most DAWs, it's functionality can be extended through plug-ins. If you don't like the compressor that comes with Audacity, there are other compressor plug-ins you can use with it. Here's a tutorial that uses one of the after-market compressors: nototally.com/audacity-tutorial-compression-using-chriss-dynamic-compressor-plugin/Here's the Audacity page on the plug-in: manual.audacityteam.org/man/chris_s_dynamic_compressor.htmlI think you summed it up when you said this: "I've been told many things about my recordings, but I've almost always been told that the quality of the audio clip is fine/clean." The proof really is in the pudding. If your sound is good, your sound is good. Period. As for your other question about people who have looked at DAWs and felt like they couldn't understand a thing, don't sweat it. It happens with every piece of software I use. The software developers come to their particular package with their particular philosophy. Once you've used that package for a while, that underlying philosophy becomes part of how you think about that task. Switching to another one is jarring and involves a lot of re-learning. I learned 3D CAD on a program that was really designed for CG animation modeling (Rhino 3D). Later on I had to switch to Solidworks. The approach is so very very different, the learning curve felt like a friggin' cliff. I'm still trying to make the adjustment, but I'm starting to get the underlying philosophy of Solidworks now. DAWs are no different. Audacity uses a "do this to it" approach. DAWs like Reaper use a "route it through this" approach. Both work fine, but they're different ways of looking at the task at hand. If you do decide to change DAWs, find a good set of tutorials you can work through with your own audio files to really explore the new software. On the CAD end of things, Rhino came with a set of tutorials that took me about a week to plow through. By the end, I was mostly functional. I haven't seen the same for Solidworks, and suspect that's why I'm having such a hard time adjusting. On the DAW end of things, I didn't find a comprehensive set like that for Audacity, but there are so many people using it that finding tutorial videos for specific things isn't that difficult. That's how I got up to speed on it. When I switched to Reaper, I'd have been lost if I hadn't found Mike Delgaudio's tutorials.
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Post by benedict on Dec 6, 2017 21:43:56 GMT -8
Did they give you a spec for loudness and peaks? If they didn't, trying to nail how loud your files are will be a hit-or-miss affair.
I'd be happy to give it a listen, too, so by all means post something up on Soundcloud.
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Post by benedict on Dec 4, 2017 13:35:14 GMT -8
2018 will more or less be my second year as a Voice Actor and YouTuber running a Voice Acting Channel. I've accomplished a lot in my first year, so I'm hoping to get even more done in my second: Goal 1: Getting back in shape so that I can improve my lung capacity (for those long lines) and be ready to finally get a head shot. ... I'm aiming a pretty high with all these goals so it wouldn't surprise me if I don't hit any of them, but I'd like to still like to try to at least land close to a few of them. Hey, you're aiming high, but you've already achieved a lot in your first year. Go for it! On the head shot thing: If you're in school, ask around in the Drama department, Communications, Art, etc. to see if you can hook up with any art students who may be building their portfolio, or with other groups of people who are also getting head shots and may have a good deal worked out with the photographer. When a fashion or portrait photographer is first starting out, they'll often work in exchange for using your head shot in their portfolio. Local camera clubs may also be able to work with you. The club here works with the local modeling agencies for collaborative shoots that result in everyone having a bunch of new stuff in their portfolio. It's a good deal for everyone.
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Post by benedict on Dec 4, 2017 8:34:14 GMT -8
Goal #1: No more injuries!
Goal #2: To copy from Bean, practice, practice, practice.
Goal #3: To also copy from Bean, I'm planning to listen to more audio books (and practice doing what they do!) so I can get a better handle on what works and what doesn't.
Goal #4: Get set up on ACX.
Goal #5: Have my recording space set up well enough to take on at least one short book.
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Post by benedict on Dec 3, 2017 23:07:56 GMT -8
Probably the easiest way to connect it to a computer would be through a USB interface. There are a couple of threads in the forums that touch on some of the finer points to look out for, but a couple that come up frequently are the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, the PreSonus Audiobox, and the Behringer U-Phoria.
As far as the mic stands go, that'll depend more on how you like to work with your microphone. I started out using a light stand I already owned, but it felt weird to stand that close to it. My feet kept clipping the legs of the stand. (I'm a klutz.) I wound up getting a scissor arm that I'm still using. Different strokes for different folks.
Cheers!
Tom
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Post by benedict on Nov 28, 2017 17:19:09 GMT -8
Here's a tech tutorial request: majorke600 started a thread asking for help with a demo reel: voiceacting.boards.net/thread/1613/demo-reel-help (Sorry for dragging you into this, majorke600.) I've done audio engineering for SFX and field recordings, and for VA stuff I've done, but I've never done a demo reel. There are some good threads that touch on what you as a voice actor want out of a demo reel (duration, slating, how much time to devote to each voice, etc.) but I don't know if there are any that touch on the technical aspects of making a demo reel. I realize this is probably a bit of a touchy subject since a bad job on a demo reel can be more of a detriment than a help, and can have long-lasting effects if it's poorly done. But every sound engineer has to start somewhere.
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Post by benedict on Nov 20, 2017 17:23:36 GMT -8
I don't have a success story for you, Synastra, but I do have an observation about going to university. I didn't come to voice acting until quite late, so bear with me on how obvious some of this should have been.
While I was at university I did a project in one of my Japanese classes that put each of us in a vocal booth, reading an essay we'd written in Japanese. At the time I found the experience mildly terrifying. I'd never recorded my voice before, so I was a little overwhelmed.
Now I'm pounding my head on my desk. I had access to vocal booths! Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I was reading into a Neumann microphone! Even worse, several years after I graduated I wound up running the IT department for the College of Liberal Arts, which included the Linguistics Department where I'd made the recording. I had full access to those booths and mics as a member of the staff! ARGH!
Life will throw opportunities in your path. It's up to you to recognize them and take advantage of them. I didn't recognize that one and failed to take advantage of it. Twice! Now I'm having to learn from scratch without access to sound booths and equipment, acting classes the university offered, student-led projects I could've participated in, any of it.
It never hurts to have a second career to fall back on. You can always go to university and study something else. But while you're there, take classes in the drama department. Take classes in the communications department. Do voice acting for student films. Join a fandub group. Being there will give you access to things that you won't have, otherwise. It's not an either-or kind of thing. It's a "what does this let me do?" kind of thing.
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Post by benedict on Nov 17, 2017 12:05:47 GMT -8
Got the thumbs-up from the ENT! Mild irritation on one side I'm pretty sure is from a vocal tic, but he poked, prodded, and stuck a camera down my nose, and said I'm good to go.
Tom
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Post by benedict on Oct 12, 2017 23:42:35 GMT -8
A relatively short-lived one (end of October): Eventide is giving away their EQivocate plug-in (normally $99): www.eventideaudio.com/promo/equivocateOnly reason I found out about this was Duffy's post on matching two different microphones. The EQivocate plug-in automates the process Duffy described, albeit with a pretty sharp learning curve. But once you sort out how your DAW uses the plug-in, it's darned impressive. Only draw-back: You have to install a license manager for their software (bleah). But it works a treat.
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Post by benedict on Oct 12, 2017 23:38:55 GMT -8
The recorder I'm using is a DR-70D. I think I've used the internal mics a total of one or two times. This is all with external mics. Here's the blurb page for the DR-70D on the Tascam site: tascam.com/product/dr-70d/If you look for "Dual Recording" you'll see the thing described. I'm pretty sure the Zoom F-series, the new Mixpre 3 and Mixpre 6 from Sound Devices, and a number of others have the same feature. I haven't really tried it for voice, but I did a recording at the Nakalele Blowhole on Maui earlier this week that turned out really well. The lower gain channel caught the "wump" of the water coming up through the blowhole without peaking, while the higher gain channel caught the water falling down afterward. It's a really handy feature for field recording and SFX. I'd be surprised if there weren't interfaces that had it as well.
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Post by benedict on Oct 7, 2017 11:15:15 GMT -8
At a guess, that's what Dwayne Johnson is doing in this picture: metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/the-rock.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&strip=all(As soon as I started reading this tutorial, I started laughing because it answered the question I had the first time I saw that photo of Dwayne: "What's he doing with the other mic, aside from intimidating the heck out of it?") A number of portable recorders have a dual-gain recording option. The one I use for field recording lets me record two tracks for a single input, the second with a lower gain. This lets you pull the same trick with a single mic. Do you know if any interfaces also offer this feature? It might make this a little more available as a technique.
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Post by benedict on Oct 4, 2017 20:04:48 GMT -8
Will do!
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Post by benedict on Oct 4, 2017 14:55:06 GMT -8
Thanks for all this, Duffy! I'm going to be off-island for a couple of days next week, and need to bring a portable setup. I'll give it a whirl and see (or hear!) how it goes.
Cheers,
Tom
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