AUDIO Trick Needed: Giving more presence to a voice (V.O.)

[Mark Raudonis]

Marco & Ian

The point is… THERE IS NO QUICK FIX to making audio sound great. You’re asking for a simple answer to a very complex question… and then get defensive when people tell you your expectations are unrealistic. Sound designers, mixers, musicians, etc. devote their entire career to the pursuit of clean crisp sound. We’ve told you the basics, now it’s up to you to spend the time to learn it. It’s not going to happen in one session or on one project. You’re also NOT going to learn it from a few posts on this board.

Next time you’re in one of your audio sessions, ask the mixer how he does what he does. Ask him to “preview” different types of EQ and compression. That’s how you learn what tools to use to do it your self.

You also may want to seek out and post your questions on a similar “audio only” list for Pro Tools or Fairlight, or Sound track Pro. You’re more apt to get a more detailed response.

Mark

[Gunleik Groven]

First:

Agree with all the above… sort of -;)

Then.

As working with video is fun, so is working with audio.
If you have a paying client, you _should_ advice him or her to take the pro route. If that is not possible: Have some fun!

None of us here can give an exact answer, even if the audio recording is “state of the art” (whatever that might be without adding context). Simply because we cannot hear the recording and don’t now the exact audiovisual context it is supposed to fit in. So we cannot give anything but general (and in given situations: totally wtrong!) advices.

It all boils down to this: If you’re gonna fool around with audio: Please do, and have fun with it. The most important tools are YOUR EARS. And some time…

But you can be in for a ride without some experience, and there are ways to better the result.

First of all there isn’t two similar pairs of ears or equal listening conditions. So:
When you’re happy. Take a copy and listen to it on different equipent. This usually gives you a hint of what you didn’t do right the first time.

Take it back
Adjust (But not only with adding more FX!!!)

etc untill you’re happy.

This is sort of the quick way to learn how compression effects recordings.

It is regrettably impossible to tell you to compress the midrange by a ratio of X and then gaining it X desibels, adding Y hum remover and Z EQ without listening and familiarizing to the material first.

So:

Spend some time. Have some fun.
Or… pay someone else -;)

Gunleik

[Samuel Frazier]

Definitely a pro is the way to go if you have the money. In the meantime, learning a little more about audio will give you an idea of where you want to go. Here’s a link to a place that talks a lot about compression, but I believe it also gets into EQ and other audio related things:

https://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/B425578C027460898625661000745390

I’m definitely no expert, but I actually learned a good bit about audio post production from DVD tutorials. Bought the one for STP but haven’t watched it yet. Of course, if you have the time Jay Rose’s book “Audio Postproduction for Digital Video” would be ideal. It has a nice CD to give you examples of techniques, before and after audio, etc.
Postproduction audio is defiitely a world unto itself, but don’t be afraid! Personally, and partially because as FCP’s audio controls drive me crazy, I’d just start off with the STP training DVD and go from there. Good luck!

[Steven Gonzales]

I have heard great things about the Golden Ears audio ear training course. This is a long term aid, of course, but this will train your receptors to help you catch the subtle differences that the pros know about.

https://www.moultonlabs.com/gold.htm

From the web page:

Golden Ears will teach you:

to recognize the effect of compression on a variety of different signals
to identify fast and slow compressor release times
to hear musically relevant equalization problems
to recognize when loudness is the only difference between two signals
to distinguish ranges of 1 – 10% and 10 – 30% Total Harmonic Distortion in musical examples
to recognize anomalies in the stereo image (reverse image, mono summation, polarity reversal, pseudo-stereo etc.)
to identify channel-to-channel time differences over the 1 – 50ms range
to recognize gated and ungated reverb and
much, much more, including 1/3 octave changes and double octave cuts and boosts

[Torben Johansen]

Hi Marco

Exelent Youtube video here answers your question ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67uYmKnMgIU

Torben

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