This topic is intended to ask questions about and have discussions on the Audio Engineering Tutorial. Feel free to contribute below!
At 2/12/22 12:41 PM, LuckyDee wrote:This topic is intended to ask questions about and have discussions on the Audio Engineering Tutorial. Feel free to contribute below!
What does TLC stand for and what does it mean?
At 2/24/22 08:37 AM, SuperLucas wrote:What does TLC stand for and what does it mean?
Oh, hah - 'tender loving care'. Some more attention to the production levels, from recording through mixing and editing, to maximize the sound quality.
At 2/24/22 10:04 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 2/24/22 08:37 AM, SuperLucas wrote:What does TLC stand for and what does it mean?
Oh, hah - 'tender loving care'. Some more attention to the production levels, from recording through mixing and editing, to maximize the sound quality.
Ah! Okay. Thank you! Yeah, I'll try to work harder on that next time.
At 2/24/22 10:22 AM, SuperLucas wrote:Ah! Okay. Thank you! Yeah, I'll try to work harder on that next time.
That's a great attitude, but it's not about working harder - it's about understanding how audio engineering works a making optimal use of the tools at your disposal. Start by listening to your work, identifying what could be improved and investigating how to do this. Ask around for feedback and advice. And take it one step at a time - if you manage to improve one little thing with each release, you're all good.
At 2/24/22 11:02 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 2/24/22 10:22 AM, SuperLucas wrote:Ah! Okay. Thank you! Yeah, I'll try to work harder on that next time.
That's a great attitude, but it's not about working harder - it's about understanding how audio engineering works a making optimal use of the tools at your disposal. Start by listening to your work, identifying what could be improved and investigating how to do this. Ask around for feedback and advice. And take it one step at a time - if you manage to improve one little thing with each release, you're all good.
Okay. Thank you!
Response to Audio Engineering - Questions & Discussion 2022-11-17 04:56:12 (edited 2022-11-17 05:01:04)
I would like to improve, please thank you for your time. I apologize for my lack of professionalism.
The vocal chain for general-purpose videos and mastered for online services.
True Peak Max - 2.0
From my observation, YouTube videos do not necessarily comply with mastering standards, from my observation target of -13.0 LUFS
Seems to be a good loudness for YouTube videos.
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Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio (1st Gen) USB Audio Interface and Recording Bundle
Complete DIY Vocal Booth PREMIUM - 200x200cm
SB-VG Blankets
Foam shield
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The reason that a glitch out sometimes is that Cantabil is AHHHHHHHHHH. I know that I could have just recorded it inside my DAW.
Of course, I would like a Telefunken TF51, or a Numan, LCT 440 PURE. But that would require money!
At 11/17/22 04:56 AM, Aalasteir wrote:I would like to improve, please thank you for your time. I apologize for my lack of professionalism.
Thanks for the explanation of your set up, but I'm a bit lost as to the first line of your post - what exactly is it that you are looking for more info on?
Thank you so much for your message.
My question was how do I improve the sound quality with the resources that I have?
There's always the option of having multiple different setups for different applications.
The current setup showcased in the video is not optimal for voice acting, it's made for videos.
Perhaps it is best to just send the raw files and then have all of the wrong audio with no processes and have one guy processor the same.
One person stands for mixing all of the audio so it sounds cohesive.
And all the people who are part of the production record at the same input level, at the same. Wishful Thinking.
I would love to hear your message, really appreciate your time. You are very kind!
Sorry for the delay, I meant to respond to this sooner.
At 11/21/22 04:15 AM, Aalasteir wrote:There's always the option of having multiple different setups for different applications.
The current setup showcased in the video is not optimal for voice acting, it's made for videos.
I don't really get this - how would recording for video require a different quality audio than recording for voice acting? Because that is basically what your set-up determines.
At 11/21/22 04:15 AM, Aalasteir wrote:Perhaps it is best to just send the raw files and then have all of the wrong audio with no processes and have one guy processor the same.
This kinda depends on the project, but for most projects I am involved in as an actor, I:
- Make sure the input level of the recording is decent (not too high, not too low)
- Edit the clips to make sure there are no unnecessarily long silences in them
- Apply a de-esser to my voice (I have a light tot moderate lisp)
- Apply basic equalization to filter out the worst frequencies
- Apply a mixing limiter to the master bus to give the output volume a slight boost and ensure any possible clips end up not clipping in the final mix
As a producers, yes, I would want one and the same guy to do all the other processing. Or even do the parts described above when working with actors who don't really know their way around a DAW.
At 11/21/22 04:15 AM, Aalasteir wrote:My question was how do I improve the sound quality with the resources that I have?
This is the main one of course, but you can't judge the quality of sound by looking a pictures of a recording set-up - that's kinda like asking what the color purple smells like. I'd say record a couple of sentences and publish the unprocessed output, and I could make recommendations based on what I hear.
Response to Audio Engineering - Questions & Discussion 2022-12-09 04:21:29 (edited 2022-12-09 04:30:11)
Really appreciate your response! It means a lot.
The publishing platform for Newgrounds animations is Newgrounds and YouTube, I guess it doesn't make that big of a difference. If the mastering is done tastefully, and I don't end up over-compressing voice work. (As long as the sounds are not annoying the audience, it's fine.)
Standardized practices should also have the raw audio of the voice lines, for the mixing and mastering engineer process, along with standardizing the recording input volume.
Guess that's just wishful thinking.
At 12/9/22 04:21 AM, Aalasteir wrote:Really appreciate your response! It means a lot.
Hey nice work on the video! At work for now, but I'll try and find some time to go through it and get back to you a.s.a.p.
At 12/9/22 04:21 AM, Aalasteir wrote:Really appreciate your response! It means a lot.
Finally had a chance to look at your video, and it seems we're talking about two different things here. In terms of audio production, I have no experience with producing audio for any other purposes than just being audio - all additional production is done by the animation team, or in some cases, by the platform itself (compare an mp3 of your voice with an instance of that same mp3 having been uploaded to Newgrounds for example, and you'll compression kick in).
You say audio for YouTube has to be compressed to death (or something along those lines), but I think this is just Loudness Wars in action - it's the attention grabbing aspect, the fact that so many producers do it that your piece will sound bad in comparison. The human brain is sorta wired to think 'louder = better', which is why the sound on commercials is always even more heavily compressed that the medium they are inserted into. From a sales perspective, this makes total sense. From an audio engineering perspective this practice deserves to be set on fire and kicked off the planet D:
Thing is, this is about production choices that - in my opinion - are completely separated from the recording part. Recording is the art of capturing the sound with the highest possible quality, i.e. best signal-to-noise ratio, least amount of reflections, absence of noise pollution of any kind, optimal frequency response, those kind of things. You aim to get the best capture, because this is exactly what allows production to turn that recording in the best possible result, regardless of how that result is defined. But to the best of my knowledge, that doesn't require a different recording set-up (unless you're aiming for specific creative choices). If you ask me, I'd recommend the same basic set up for each recording artist regardless of what they are looking to create.
Hope this clears stuff up!
Thank you, having good recording input from the get-go is way more important than mixing and mastering.
I really appreciate your message, thank you so much. Wish you an amazing day.
i have a question about amplification,
Ive got a new setup, an xlr dynamic mic instead of a usb condenser.
in windows recording devices its at 100% and in the audio interface its also at 100% but i still have to amplify when i record by about 10db, which is fine in that case.
but is there a way i can just tell windows to boost the recording device by 10db?
im aware of inline amps and cloudlifters, as well as in app boosting like discord, i just dont want to have to do it for every app and game i ever want to use my voice in.
At 10/2/24 04:03 AM, Dahakka wrote:i have a question about amplification,
Well, since you have an XLR mic, I assume you will also have a hardware interface. What brand/type is that?
At 10/2/24 05:26 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 10/2/24 04:03 AM, Dahakka wrote:i have a question about amplification,
Well, since you have an XLR mic, I assume you will also have a hardware interface. What brand/type is that?
its a 3rd gen focusrite scarlet
Response to Audio Engineering - Questions & Discussion 2024-10-02 11:21:43 (edited 2024-10-02 11:23:44)
At 10/2/24 10:08 AM, Dahakka wrote:
its a 3rd gen focusrite scarlet
Ok, that one has a very obvious input gain knob on it. Are you telling me you have to turn that up to the max and still not get a decent signal?
And you are aware that the mic requires you to turn the 48V feed on?
At 10/2/24 11:21 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 10/2/24 10:08 AM, Dahakka wrote:
its a 3rd gen focusrite scarlet
Ok, that one has a very obvious input gain knob on it. Are you telling me you have to turn that up to the max and still not get a decent signal?
And you are aware that the mic requires you to turn the 48V feed on?
yeah thats at 100%, the mic dosnt need phantom power (rode podmic)
but ive also heard the same for sure sm7b's, they just dont work out the box and you have to buy a cloudlifter or other inline preamps
Ive also used other mics with it and they function as expected, with dynamics and condensers they both had decent levels without being at 100% input gain.
At 10/2/24 08:53 PM, Dahakka wrote:
yeah thats at 100%, the mic dosnt need phantom power (rode podmic)
but ive also heard the same for sure sm7b's, they just dont work out the box and you have to buy a cloudlifter or other inline preamps
Ive also used other mics with it and they function as expected, with dynamics and condensers they both had decent levels without being at 100% input gain.
Ok, never saw a condenser that didn't need 48V before, but it seems you're right. Also seems like you've answered your own question the.
At 10/3/24 01:55 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 10/2/24 08:53 PM, Dahakka wrote:
yeah thats at 100%, the mic dosnt need phantom power (rode podmic)
but ive also heard the same for sure sm7b's, they just dont work out the box and you have to buy a cloudlifter or other inline preamps
Ive also used other mics with it and they function as expected, with dynamics and condensers they both had decent levels without being at 100% input gain.
Ok, never saw a condenser that didn't need 48V before, but it seems you're right. Also seems like you've answered your own question the.
its a dynamic mic not a condenser, but are you really saying the solution is to buy something else? why would anyone manufacture a microphone that way?
At 10/3/24 04:23 AM, Dahakka wrote:
its a dynamic mic not a condenser, but are you really saying the solution is to buy something else? why would anyone manufacture a microphone that way?
Oh my bad, I read your original message as it being an 'XLR condensor', so I screwed up the input info :S
You yourself state this type of mic is known to have these kinds of issues, in which case plan A would be to get in touch with Røde. As far as I can see, there's no attenuation/pad/filter option on the mic itself (which I think only condensors have), so there's nothing you can tweak there either. I'm at a loss to explain why the mic behaves the way it does.
All that aside, for voice acting I strongly advise to use a condensor rather than a dynamic mic. Condensors are powered mics, which makes them far better for recording higher frequencies, and you'll want a clear pickup between 3 and 6 kHz for a good voice capture. Dynamics rely on the energy of the input signal to power them, and higher frequencies = less energy.
Looking at the frequency response chart, the podmic is actually better at this than I would have expected a dynamic mic to be. However, the line fluctuates heavily all over the spectrum, especially compared to for example the NT1-A that I use myself. This means the podmic will color the sound of your voice a lot more than the NT1-A.
If plan A fails, my advice for plan B would be to ditch it in favor of a quality condensor mic. The AT2020 is roughly the same price as what you have now, and one I can definitely recommend.
Hope this helps.
At 10/3/24 04:41 AM, LuckyDee wrote:At 10/3/24 04:23 AM, Dahakka wrote:
its a dynamic mic not a condenser, but are you really saying the solution is to buy something else? why would anyone manufacture a microphone that way?
Oh my bad, I read your original message as it being an 'XLR condensor', so I screwed up the input info :S
You yourself state this type of mic is known to have these kinds of issues, in which case plan A would be to get in touch with Røde. As far as I can see, there's no attenuation/pad/filter option on the mic itself (which I think only condensors have), so there's nothing you can tweak there either. I'm at a loss to explain why the mic behaves the way it does.
All that aside, for voice acting I strongly advise to use a condensor rather than a dynamic mic. Condensors are powered mics, which makes them far better for recording higher frequencies, and you'll want a clear pickup between 3 and 6 kHz for a good voice capture. Dynamics rely on the energy of the input signal to power them, and higher frequencies = less energy.
Looking at the frequency response chart, the podmic is actually better at this than I would have expected a dynamic mic to be. However, the line fluctuates heavily all over the spectrum, especially compared to for example the NT1-A that I use myself. This means the podmic will color the sound of your voice a lot more than the NT1-A.
If plan A fails, my advice for plan B would be to ditch it in favor of a quality condensor mic. The AT2020 is roughly the same price as what you have now, and one I can definitely recommend.
Hope this helps.
I contacted the place i bought it from so see what they thought, but they avoided the problem and just asked if i wanted a refund so i accepted lol.
This will be the end to my venture into dynamic mics, thanks for the info.
