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jungfrow
Joined: 26 Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Location: Atlanta
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 Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:49 am Post subject: Trying to Learn the tech...and not happy withAKG C214 |
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I'm 2 years into the VO world and trying to get a proper education about the technical aspects of creating a proper VO environment in which to record/edit.
Can any of you recommend some solid building blocks to start my acoustic education?
Also
I've been using the AKG C214>Focusrite Forte>Mac Pro w/ SSD drive and I'm not sold on the way it(AKG) renders my voice.
I understand through the research I've done that it has a "bright" sound.
It seems to be accentuating my "S","P","T"'s etc. Not crazy about that.
I'm curious if any of you have experience with it and might be able to suggest a better alternative for under $1000.
Thank you so much,
Alex |
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Rob Ellis
M&M
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: Detroit
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:20 am Post subject: |
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Alex,
Start by using the Search function here, and go through the archives....this topic has been discussed here numerous times. After you have exhausted your research, then start posting specific questions.
Search words like "acoustic" "reflections" "booth" "isolation" "room" "OC 703"
"Owens Corning 703" "foam" "acoustic foam", "noise floor"
etc. to start. |
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Monk
King's Row
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills
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jungfrow
Joined: 26 Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you both so much for the guidance.
I'll explore!
All the best,
Alex |
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Tom Test
DC
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Posts: 629
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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Very helpful advice so far, Alex!
One mic you should investigate is the CAD e100s. Not only is it a darker mic (so it won't exaggerate your S's so much), it also is fairly forgiving of a recording environment that is not ideal. If you go back a page or two in the Gear forum, you will find a 6 mic shootout that included the e100s.
Keep in mind though that YOUR voice, YOUR environment, and to a lesser extent YOUR preamp may result in a far different experience for you that it did for me. The only way to be sure any given mic will work for you is to try it out in your space. (I've heard that Sweetwater allows you to audition several mics and return the ones you don't purchase).
_________________
Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com |
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jungfrow
Joined: 26 Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks so much Tom, very helpful!
I have no doubt that every factor in any environment is going to react a little differently.
I have an extensive background in photography and when it came to lighting, everything mattered, and in a great way, many of the same principles apply here.
However, new eq and switching from the eyes to the ears is truly a whole new ball of wax...wow, yeah, that was completely Freudian.
Graeme Spicer, who has been a great help, recommended the CAD e100s to me a while back.
I purchased the CAD but when I got home it was actually broken.
I had to fly to BH for a replacement because I had 700 words due the next day, 1st voices.com job.
I got there as they were closing to find out that I had bought the last one. So, they sold me the AKG C214.
I was thinking about taking a trip to a place called Dale Pro Audio here in NYC on monday and taking a look at some mic's. David there was very helpful over the phone.
Anyone have any experience at Dales?
Again, Tom, thanks so much for the input!
Have a great weekend! |
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FinMac
Lucky 700
Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Posts: 707
Location: In a really cool place...Finland!
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| Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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Hei,
Regarding a mic choice you also consider a Lewitt LCT 540, or 640. They resemble the AKG C414 but at a much more reasonable price. The 540 has less pickup patterns than the 640.
There is a great review of the 640 on Recording Hacks.
All the best,
Mac
_________________
www.scottsvoiceover.com - An American voice in Finland
"If you want to get to the top, you have to get off your bottom". (Unknown)
Last edited by FinMac on Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:51 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Scolaidhe
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
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I went to Dale Pro Audio earlier this year. The gentleman I worked with there was a pleasure to deal with. Unfortunately, I don't recall his name at the moment, and don't know where his business card is. (I want to say his name was Eric, but I'm really not sure about that.)
I went in to test the Neumann TLM 49, but decided to stick with my C414-XLS.
They also have the Lewitts in their mic testing room. |
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vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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| Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:19 pm Post subject: Re: Trying to Learn the tech...and not happy withAKG C214 |
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| jungfrow wrote: |
I'm 2 years into the VO world and trying to get a proper education about the technical aspects of creating a proper VO environment in which to record/edit.
Can any of you recommend some solid building blocks to start my acoustic education?
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Alex: I once read in the travel section of a newspaper an article about someone who said: "I plan twice and many trips as I can afford or have time to take.. Planning a trip can be almost as much fun as taking the trip itself."
Part of voice-over, recording and acoustics is the entertainment (to you) value. I have no doubt there are voice folks who are as business oriented as the most successful insurance salesman or car salesman you ever met... but most of us also find some entertainment in the serach for one more acoustic improvement, one more microphone for the locker, and one more little box with knobs, buttons and maybe a meter that wiggles.
But you specifically asked for some ACOUSTIC help. And that one becomes a fragile search, because much of what you can read will be written by someone who may not know any more than you do, or by someone who has acoustical product for sale... whether it is any good or not.
Beat the Internet to death. There are a number of sites where people who are building small "project studios" for music recording. I will try to find some of those links later.
I used to think of discussion groups and forums populated by people from radio broadcasting were good resources for acoustics, but those folks today (unless they, too, are building a home studio) are not outstandingly savvy in acoustics. But they can teach you something about electronics and cable.
Search for forums and discussion groups of people who do sound for houses of worship. Most of their acoustical discussion is for LARGE spaces, but there too you can sometimes glean some good technical education of wiring and connecting audio chains into a system.
Vendors who sell to the church and broadcast market will have sales reps with a different perspective that those who sell to teen-age rock bands who are looking for loud-and-cheap. |
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Monk
King's Row
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills
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| Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not a fan of small booths, my "booth" is 13x15 feet with an 8 foot ceiling designed by me and Mike Sommer.
Each room needs it's own treatment to sound right, it can be difficult. I wouldn't use anything smaller that 1500 cubic feet. But that's just me.
_________________
Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...
www.monksvoice.com |
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jungfrow
Joined: 26 Jun 2013
Posts: 14
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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FinMac...thank you so much for the tips...recording hacks was very resourceful. I'll actually put my hands on them tomorrow.
Scolaidehe...Awesome...David is the guy I've been speaking with at Dale's...I'm excited to check out the variety. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Vkuehn- I surmise...the journey is the destination. That's how I live life.
I have been and will continue to scavenge every source for info.
Great recommendation on the church source approach...makes a great deal of sense. I'm working in a very sophisticated...CLOSET...at the moment.
Oh what the future will bring...! |
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Scolaidhe
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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RE: small booths...
Philip's booth sounds OK. |
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Quicksilver
Been Here Awhile
Joined: 29 Oct 2012
Posts: 217
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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http://homerecording.com/bbs/
www.gearslutz.com
- both great sites to learn and waste time on. If you are researching gear try searching ABC mic vs XYZ mic, etc..
Be careful not to confuse enjoying gear talk with furthering your career though. It's a recurring problem for me and many. IMO there is a basic standard that must be met for audio and the point of diminishing returns comes rather quickly. Don't forget that the basic standard for the big name pros is often nothing more than building a pillow fort or putting a hotel blanket over there head (gross btw) and using a shotgun mic with great technique. I train with a guy who does promo for several network shows and he told me he's recorded live via source connect from tons of hotel rooms and he's only been called out a couple times, usually by an engineer who knew the sound of his home studio well, which was custom built with staggered studs, silent vents etc, basically one of the best VO setups money can buy.
Not to say that having an awesome custom built studio isn't something to strive for, they do sound better and if you want to be a top talent they are a reflection of your status and ambition. But if you follow some basic guidelines you can get good even great but maybe not amazing audio that will work for most clients.
If you any specific questions there are lots people on this board that know tons about acoustics and gear and are very generous with their knowledge. |
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vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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On the topic of booth size/studio size. The key is matching the size and the acoustics to your voice. A smaller booth will apparently create something that is kinfolk to proximity effect. Some deeper strong voices are enhanced by that and those folks will say to me: What proximity effect? My booth doesn't do that! Some of us have voices that proximity effect or the similar effect that may be cause by a smaller booth to just be MUDDY while others sound RICHER.
If you have a choice, if you have the space for a larger studio, make some recordings in both kinds of spaces. Hopefully with more than one mic. Then listen. THE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE you trust also listen. Some people have a golden ear for judging even their own voice. I don't have that benefit! |
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heyguido
MMD
Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 2507
Location: RDU, the Geek Capitol of the South
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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Damn, Drew....
Everything once in a while, you chime in with a piece of wisdom that's right on the money...
I sometimes wonder why you're hiding in Alaska.... And then I remember Alaska. 
Last month, I recorded from a resort motel on a golf course on the SC Golf Trail. In September, I'll be on a pristine mountain lake, in a cabin with a spare bedroom lined with moving blankets.
Kafer records in a closet, with a teddy bear in the upper corner, and a backdrop of blankets. Bob Souer's space looks nothing like a studio, but more like a well lived office. Scott turned a handful of Walmart comforters into a functional space.... Dan Lenard turned military surplus into a portabooth. And Monk turned a season of weekends into a showplace.
Documentary filmmakers manage to turn out filmworthy audio with a 416 and a field recorder.
It's more about woodshedding than what you got.
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?" |
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