Good VO mic?

[Ty Ford]

Hello Matt and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

Only for the web but your current mics aren’t good enough?

Too little information.

The space or room in which your record makes a HUGE difference.

Where you put the mic makes a difference.

How close you get ti it makes a big difference.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Matt Campbell]

Well, web and DVD. I can record decent audio but it just doesn’t sound as good as I think it should. When our audio house send us there VOs, there’s and ours are pretty different. I’m hoping I can get them closer. The shotgun mic pics up everything, so we only use that on camera and on boom. The Sennheiser MD 46 gives a lot better sound but still not as good as studio mics or audio from a booth.

So I guess it might be more of a usage thing. My office is in a 15′ x 14′ room with metal corrigated paneling. I usually hang blankets on some of the walls to help reduce vibration and such. With the mic having a smaller cone, I place it almost nose or eye level and slightly off center about 6-12″ from subject.

I’m just not sure if a studio mic (or large Diaphragm Condenser) would be better served for this purpose or if I should stick with what I got. I just don’t know enough about audio.

Also, is the recording process okay. Simply running the mic via XLR into my Mackie 1202 mixer and recording into FCP via the Log and Capture video. Or even in STP. I’m on FCS 2.

OS 10.6.3, Mac Pro 2 x 2.66 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 16 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Ty Ford]

Yes, well, that’s different isn’t it?

There’s a reason why people spend money on acoustic treatment for recording studios. That’s what you’re hearing.

Ty Ford’s #1 Law Of Microphones is..Get it closer to the source. 2″ and 45 degrees off the side of the mouth.

You still have not told me what the AT mic is. Find it.

Ty Ford

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[Matt Campbell]

sorry ty. Its a audio technica 4073a.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/422104-REG/Audio_Technica__Deluxe_Shotgun_Microphone_Kit.html

OS 10.6.3, Mac Pro 2 x 2.66 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 16 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Ty Ford]

that’ll work!

4073 is a hot mic.

Put up some C-stands around the talker. Drape sound blankets over them, maybe even across the top.

Work the mic 45 degrees to one side or the other and @3” from the tip. Don’t talk into the mic, talk past it but have it pointing at your mouth,

If that fails, hire me to do your VO from my studio. 🙂

https://web.mac.com/tyreeford/Site/VO_and_On_Camera_Demos.html

Regards,

Ty Ford

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Members

[Matt Campbell]

Thanks. I’ll try those things. But with which mic. The AT or Senhessier?

Also, I just watched the first clip on your link. That sounds super clear. My audio never sounds that good. Its very dull. The range is low. That is the kind of audio i’d like to get. Can you recommend a particular mic? Maybe like the one from the first post or something better?

Was that recorded with mix you have hanging there or something else? And was that recorded directly in camera?

OS 10.6.3, Mac Pro 2 x 2.66 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 16 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Ty Ford]

[Matt Campbell] “Was that recorded with mix you have hanging there or something else? And was that recorded directly in camera?”

Matt,

I make part of my living doing VO, so my voice is half the recipe.

What you are hearing is a Countryman B6 on my chest to a Sound Devices 442 mixer to a Canon XL2, plus my ability to know what to do to each one of them to make it punch.

That was shot here in my studio which is acoustically treated. No sound blanket required.

No reason you can’t use either mic.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Matt Campbell]

gotcha. thx for the help.

we also have a Sound Devices MixPre compact 2-channel field mixer. but haven’t been using it lately. the last few times we’ve tried using it, we’ve had weird issues. we get what sounds like waves in the line. I’m sure its a setting we’ve missed somewhere but I miss using it. i had the ability to ride levels a bit. tough to do that on camera.

thx again for the help. i’ll keep fine tuning.

OS 10.6.3, Mac Pro 2 x 2.66 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 16 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card

[Ty Ford]

waves in the line….hmm

wanna send me a clip?

tyreeford@comcast.net

Ty

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[Matt Campbell]

I would, only I don’t have those clips anymore. Deleted them after we went straight to camera for audio, bypassing the mixer.

However, I just tested everything and it was all good. Here’s my set up. maybe before I missed something on the camera and/or mixer.

Panasonic HVX200 & SD MixPre using the AT mic.

XLR cables. Mic to Input 1 on mixer, output 1 from mixer to input 2 on camera. Input on camera set to Line, not MIC. Audio settings on camera CH1 Select on Input 2, CH 2 Select to Input 2, Input 1 is off, Input 2 is on. Channel dials on camera back are set to channel 1 below middle and channel 2 above middle. I do this so if one channel is too hot I can still use the other channel in FCP.

Mixer has levels set and channel to C. I’m assuming C is for Center from L C R. MixPre runs off 2 batteries power is set to INT and switch to TAPE not RTN.

This test work fine. Not sure how I got those waves before. Maybe bad XLR cable or missed setting. FYI, the waves sounded like a didgeridoo instrument.

OS 10.6.3, Mac Pro 2 x 2.66 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 16 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card