equipment

Recording Software

November 6, 2019 by Joe

VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Recording Software

We’re back once more for our last tech video before we jump into performance tips. Hooray!

Today we’ll cover recording software or as we call it in the audio world: your DAW—Digital Audio Workstation. We love our acronyms in English, and we love puns. Well, some of us do. So, if you can’t remember the acronym DAW just throw a G at the end and call it your DAWG—Digital Audio Workstation Gizmo!

And that’s all you need to know about…DAWGs.

Actually, there’s quite a lot you need to know, but for voiceover it’s pretty simple. The simpler and more clutter-free the better…generally speaking. For basic voiceover, a single track audio editor is perfect because in most cases you aren’t adding lots of sound effects, instruments, or even a music track. Although if you do need to add music, there are some excellent multi-track options, which I’ll mention at the end of this video.

What do DAWs do?

DAWs take the digital signal from your USB mic or your audio interface if you’re using an XLR mic, and displays that in real time (or near real-time) on your screen as a wave form. In its basic use, it allows you to cut, copy, move, and alter the audio. Most DAWs record the audio in their own proprietary file type. Then you must save or export the file as a WAV, AIFF, mp3, etc. for other programs to read the file and play/edit the audio.

Pretty straight forward, right?

How to choose which DAW:

There are four core criteria you should use when choosing a DAW:

The Layout—is it cluttered or clean and can it be customized to your preferences?
Capabilities or features—is it single track or multi-track? Can you insert plugins and tools from other audio programs?
Learning curve—how difficult is it to learn how to use?
Price—many excellent options are free. And some cost more but have many crucial time-saving tools. It depends on your needs.

Popular DAWs:

Professional voiceover artists use a variety of DAWs—some even use different DAWs for different types of work. A few of the most popular paid ones are Adobe Audition (which is subscription based), ProTools (the standard in the music production world), Reaper, and Twisted Wave.

Twisted Wave in particular is very popular because it’s clean, has many specific features voice actors use, and costs $80. But, it’s Mac only. Adobe Audition is well-loved because it’s been around for a long time and has lots of features. But that monthly subscription is a doozy for some. I personally use Reaper because I love the customization and the macros. You can cut down on your editing by quite a bit.

And some professionals use free DAWs. Audacity is by far the most common. A great program with lots of features. Their latest update makes the interface quite smooth and modern. The only two downsides of Audacity are destructive editing, meaning once you delete something there’s no getting it back. Then there are some limitations about plugin compatibility which I won’t get into. Other free options are Ocenaudio—not ocean, but OCEN—and PreSonus Studio One, both free and great options.

All of these DAWs should identify your audio interface or USB automatically, but to get started using them, you can just do a quick YouTube search for the DAW of your choice.

My advice:

So…which should you choose? I’d personally start with Audacity because it’s the simplest, cleanest, and free-est option. And as you get more into recording, definitely check out the others, especially the other free options. And if you really enjoy the free ones, maybe donate $5 or so to the developers. ?

If choosing a DAW is too complicated or you just don’t have the time, a professional voiceover talent like yours truly can certainly help. Email me direct at joe@joepassaro.com.

Audio Interfaces

October 30, 2019 by Joe

VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Audio Interfaces

Welcome back to VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro where I’ll discuss audio interfaces.

Anyway, I’m a big believer in logical progressions when it comes to learning. Don’t head straight for the end boss when you’re a level 1 paladin, assign a 20 page historical essay in the first week of the semester, or offer performance tips before your recording setup is figured out. So, today we’re gonna talk about audio interfaces and next time we’ll cover your recording software.

What are audio interfaces? Last time I explained them as an essential component in the XLR microphone setup. The USB mic as I also mentioned has its audio interface built into the mic itself. If you’re fine with a USB mic, you can skip this video. However, if you want higher quality and greater versatility that comes with XLR, you’ll also need an audio interface (and an XLR cable).

What they do:

An audio interface does two main things: it powers your mic and it converts the analog signal from the mic into digital audio which is then transmitted to your computer. These features are the most important because the quality of your preamps (pre-amplifiers). The quality of your AD/DA converters (analog-digital/digital-analog) can greatly influence the end audio. Crappy preamps mean your mic may not receive enough gain (power) to get its full sound. A warm and rich mic could sound hollow or tinny–shrill. You may also hear a lot of white noise from poor-quality preamps, which makes you just want to turn whole damn thing off and cry. And then great AD/DA converters allow a great mic and great preamp to be accurately recorded on your computer quickly and without any blips due to slow conversion speeds.

Other features and examples:

There are other features to consider, such as how many mic channels it has, high pass filters to cut out any low rumble noise from your neighborhood, etc. Some even choose based on color—not even kidding! There are many audio interfaces out there with various features and prices. I started out in the very very beginning with a Behringer UMC202HD. This worked perfectly fine for me until I upgraded my mic and needed something cleaner with lower self-noise. That cost a whopping $45 on eBay. The go to for many voice actors is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Focusrite also makes a single channel version called the Solo for about 40% less. These are popular because they’re affordable and offer a good clean sound. And they’re sexy red.

But there are lots of audio interfaces. Ultimately, what makes sense for you depends on your budget, the specific features you need (or don’t need), and the quality of the brand. What’s important is not to get overwhelmed. Try a cheaper option (not the cheapest!) and then go from there.

Just like with the mic discussion, audio interfaces can be overwhelming. If you need more help or would prefer to leave it to a millennial voice actor like yours truly, then email any time: joe@joepassaro.com

USB Mics versus XLR Mics

October 9, 2019 by Joe

Alright, welcome back to VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro!

Last time we discussed condenser versus dynamic mics, and I thought it wise to continue the next logical topic: USB versus XLR. Aaaand what am I talking about?

What they are:

USB mics plug directly into your computer, tablet, etc. through a USB port. XLR mics require an XLR cable and something called an audio interface, which I’ll cover in a separate video. But essentially both of these do the exact same thing. They convert soundwaves into digital signals (1s and 0s) which your computer can then read and display as a 2D waveform. USB mics, however, are generally lower quality and more limited in their use.

Why USB mics are limited:

For example, last week we talked about condenser versus dynamic mics. Say I normally use a condenser mic like this but needed more external isolation and wanted to use a dynamic mic. I could simply swap them out easy-peasy. You’d have to adjust many settings on your computer if you wanted to swap out a USB mic because you swapped out the audio interface as well. Also any preamps and added signal processing tools, which I’ll discuss later, but essentially things to make the mic and therefore my voice sound much nicer, cleaner, louder—better—cannot be added to a USB mic.

Some great USB options:

There are some very powerful plugins that can do a lot to enhance mic signals, and USB mics ARE getting increasingly better in their quality. The Rode NT-USB is my personal favorite. Many voice actors unashamedly take pride in their Apogee MiC (M I C) USB mics, and then there are others like the Audio Technica 2020. The Blue Yeti is the ubiquitous mic for anyone looking to start their podcast and in general produces an OK sound. It’s likely good enough for you to start out. However, if the goal is to make better sounding audio, you’ll eventually want to upgrade to a dedicated audio interface and XLR mic.

And again, if you have a poor recording space—no sound isolation or acoustic treatment—a dynamic mic would be your best bet.

As always if this is too much to wrap your head around or you’d prefer a conversational, millennial voice talent to tackle the nuances of a good mic for you, then feel free to email me direct: joe@joepassaro.com

Condenser Versus Dynamic Mics

October 2, 2019 by Joe

VO Tips on Mics: Condenser versus Dynamic

And we’re back with another VO Tips on mics: condenser versus dynamic! You’ve probably noticed I’m wearing the same shirt—because I decided to do two videos back to back. Get over it!

Anyway, I promised to make short videos and so they shall be! We’re gonna start with the topic you probably need to know about first: microphones.

The Importance of mics:

Yes, everyone starts with mics, and people will likely poopoo this beginning topic. Most amateurs fret too much about their mic and not enough on acoustics or actual performance. But I don’t care. Because you’re not actors. You don’t need to start with understanding the motivation of your character or digging into your soul to bring truth to your performance. YOU just need to record your voice quickly and effectively.

Condenser Mics:

You could write a whole book on microphones, so I’m going to focus this video simply on explaining the difference between condenser and dynamic mics in a way that the lay person understands. In short, condenser mics are high quality and meant for very detailed audio recording, like in studios. This sensitivity also means they pick up everything—so you better be in a sound-proof, acoustically treated space like this. The major exception to this generalization are super-cardioid condenser mics, like this one here which has a very tight pickup pattern. It blocks out a lot of side and rear noise, and people use them for on location recording—think of any film sets. The guy with the boom arm looking like he’s feeding ferocious actors and trying to keep a safe distance is using a shotgun mic.

Dynamic Mics:

The other type of mic is called a dynamic microphone, which is what radio stations use and what performers use on stage. These are great because they only pick up sound very nearby. This is why you have to talk more closely to them and also why you don’t hear the crowd in live performances. They’re also very rugged, meaning you can perform a wonderfully cliché mic-drop and not necessarily hurt the mic.

What Do I recommend?

So, what do you need for your audio? I’d recommend a dynamic mic if you don’t have a very soundproof or acoustically treated space. Or a super-cardioid mic like I have here—which I’ve used to record a small role in a video game in a Fiat 500 while on vacation in Italy—it was certainly not as sexy as a Fiat commercial would have been. There was a lot of sweat though since it was about 90 degrees…outside the car.

I’ll have more VO Tips on mics on the future, but if this just overwhelms you and you’d rather have a professional voice talent take care of it, feel free to email: joe@joepassaro.com

Joe Passaro

Voice Actor