Best Location to Record Voiceovers?

[Patrick Wieland]

So I need to record a narration voiceover for a new feature I am working on. In the past we have done it my office and outside. I'm wondering if you guys have exeperience and tips for best location/setup to do this?

I'm using a H4N with a Seinheisser Shotgun mic setup 10inches from the talent pointing slightly down at their mouth.

I also have a set of Seinhessier Lavaliers I could wire up on the talent but in the past I get a lot of ambient noise with the lavs.

Inside I have gotten mixed results with sort of a echo/muffled sound.

Outside is usally best accept for occasional leaf blower/airpline/car noise/leaves blowing in the wind.

I know going to a professional studio would be ideal but theres no budget to studio time on this project.

 

[David W. Jones]

Narration for a feature, my thoughts.... If it is a hobby film you are just having fun with record it as you have been. If on the other hand this is more, rent time at a professional VoiceOver studio already setup with talented engineer, quality gear, and a great sounding booth.

 

[Terry VerHaar]

If you are really in a bind, find a walk-in closet (full of clothes). Really. Nice dead sound. Not the best but usually cheap and available.

 

[Glen David Miller]

Sound foam, about 12 dollars per 2.5' square, works to lower sound reflections. If you had a decent sized closet, you would want to put up foam to cover the walls. Angle two of the walls, or a wall and ceiling, about 15 degrees off square with the foam and that will help. It won't deaden the room, but it can help.

Sound blankets, moving blankets, etc hanging about 6 inches in front of the door, outside the room, can also help stop some sound from hitting your mic. You won't be able to do much about the sound coming through the structure of the building itself.

Also, you don't want to use a shotgun to record narration if you can help it as, it is a two-sided mic. A shotgun can record signals almost as high from the rear as the front. That would increase your echo. Use a hyper-cardoid mic in place to control that. iF your booth is very quiet, another mic that sounds amazing for the price is the Studio Projects C-1 - amazingly warm.

Outside of all that, but, because of all that, I usually, as others have suggested, go to a facility with sound pros working. When someone pulls out a mic that costs more than all the audio gear you might own at home, because they have listened to your voice and your other recordings, and then run that through pre-amps that cost more than the mic.... well.... that makes the real differences. While I know places like Todd AO aren't in everyone's budget, they make all the difference in the world.... it is a mix of amazing gear and amazing talent.


G

 

[Nick Morrison]

Go inside a car in a very quiet neighborhood. Sounds cheesy, but modern, good cars that are sound proofed are surprisingly good for run-n-gun voice overs.

 

[Mark Phelan]

OK, I'm going to share a little secret that costs next to nothing. All of the above are good suggestions as is a car interior with the engine turned off, so yes, it gets a bit stuffy.

But for on location recording, here's an idea I've used with great success that comes from Harlan Hogan. He's a voiceover guy who sells a kit, but his original idea is featured here: http://voiceoveressentials.com/content/portaboothArticle.htm It costs next to nothing and the collapsable boxes are sold at Target. You'd be amazed at how well it works. The idea being the microphone is what needs to be isolated more than the talent. Yes, you need to find the best room you can with the least amount of noise, especially HVAC noise.

Another trick I learned from Joe Cipriano was to place yourself in front of curtains which will act as a sound baffle. The curtains being behind the talent with the box/microphone in front, obviously. If you do these two things, you can get sound booth quality audio while on location. I recorded VO on a project for Steve Sherrick several years ago in a steel manufacturing warehouse, which is anything but quiet. We found an office off the factory floor, set up and presto, instant studio.

Here's a photo of the collapsed box and foam I use.

 

[PatrickFaith]

Cool Mark, I've noticed a lot of sound actors for corporate jobs work from home, they must use kits like this in a small room (i do notice they work "standing" ... so rigging this so the person is standing ... like in that one link you gave, is important). I think it makes a difference between women sound actors vs men, men are a bit easier since you can use directional mic's with them.

 

[Marc Wielage]

So I need to record a narration voiceover for a new feature I am working on. In the past we have done it my office and outside. I'm wondering if you guys have exeperience and tips for best location/setup to do this?

The best place to record voice-overs is a purpose-built VO booth designed specifically for sound recording, with sufficient soundproofing to keep out background sounds, vibrations, air conditioning, traffic, and other distractions.

I agree with Mark Phelan's comments above. In a pinch, you can bring along some sound blankets on C-stands and surround the VO performer on the front, and have them deliver the lines that way. Get rid of as much of the floor and front reflections as possible. Give them a music stand (or similar support) for the lines, preferably one dampened with cloth so you can't hear page turns.

A shotgun microphone is not ideal for this purpose, but some people like them and use them. The best mic I've ever used for VO is a Neumann U87, but a close follow-up is the Sennheiser MKH40 or MKH50, preferably with a pop filter. I think 12" to 18" away is about right, depending on the voice and intensity. It's up to the performer as to whether they like to use headphones or not.

Outside is usally best accept for occasional leaf blower/airpline/car noise/leaves blowing in the wind.

That's very sad. I think you just answered your own question. Maybe late at night might solve some of these problems.

 

[Arnold F.]

I always get into trouble when replying to sound issues because I always say to go the pro route (why are camera people messing with sound - sound guys don't bring cameras to set) but I'm going to change it up here. Over 25 years of production and post-production sound and many less-than-perfect VO sessions (Tom Cruise/hotel room, Deniro/bathroom - his choice and who says no to Deniro?) I can say that if you wish to get the best sound for the least amount of money the closet full of clothes is by far the best option. It can easily be as good as professional booth. Personally, I would not choose a car or open air.

Another thing to watch out for is proximity effect, where the low end is accentuated because from being too close to the sound source. Listen also for pops and breathing on the mic. Experiment with that distance. You might need to back off to a foot or 14 inches.

Also, another decent and affordable mic option, not that you asked, are the cardiod mics from Oktava, which are looked upon very favorably by sound mixers who use them alongside mics costing literally 10-20 times as much.

Good luck.