Fledgling voice artist seeking counsel.

[kozikowski]

Nobody can follow written dialog with 40 different people all at once. I can't make it past about four. Can we assume this isn't Doctor Zhivago?

Can you time share some of the voices as the chapters go by? This isn't a radio play.

Koz

[MichloIW]

Well I've just listed out the ones who are main characters and / or will be more distinctive. Fortunately, I've narrowed down the accents at least. Apart from a generic, flat American, I'll only need:

Tennessee (college educated), Arkansas, New York, Western Kentucky, Illinois and basic redneck (and this last just once).

I do rather feel I've been thrown in at the deep end, that's for sure. heh.

I'm now trying to find out if successful voice actors record all the lines of each character and then splice them altogether or just learn how to switch. I can see the pros and cons of each.

Cheers.

[MichloIW]

Greetings once again. I hope you are all well.

I know it has been a while. Life threw some curve balls (as it often does).

I must humbly ask for your help once more.

I've had three short guides published and all three went through with no kick-back for changes requested by ACX. I was rather surprised and pleased. So first, thank you very much for all who helped me get this far. I haven't posted them here since they are nothing special and I wanted to wait until I have Cattle finished.

Progress was being made on the (long awaited) first actual audio book when I decided I ought to be more comfortable in my booth (it was causing me some back-ache the way I had it). I lowered the microphone arm a shelf, took away the stool, added a chair and also took away the rickety old box (my former mini-booth) which the laptop was resting on. I still have room to stand when I wish but for long sessions I may now actually sit comfortably. Please see attachment.

For the benefit of Golden Ear, I am positioned near one of the corners of my booth in a chair with a thick cushion. To my left is a small table with the laptop. In front of me is the boom and microphone. It is still fairly close to the centre of the room but (obviously) a little closer to the corner I'm sitting in now. I still have the Auralex tiles and the Auralex Mudguard but to my immediate left is a large blank space (which I shall rectify) where the old mini-booth used to sit atop the table.

Unfortunately, this has lead to a hideous, unwanted background noise which I've yet to pin down. I thought it might be the refrigerator as the kitchen is next door and now that the box has gone and I've not yet put up foam in its place, it was bleeding through. The sound appears even when the 'fridge isn't noticeably humming, however. Then I discovered it seemed worse if the cable I bought (as recommended by you all) for the microphone was closer to the laptop (as it all is now with the new setup) so I tried moving it further away whilst still maintaining the new layout. Again, no joy.

So I must come to you masters and hope that you still have the time and patience to assist me.

The raw WAV and the processed AUP are here: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=F ... lder%2caup

I followed the same steps that I always do, as taught by my gurus:


1) Record in mono. Sample rate 44100 Hz.

2) Equalization: "Rob's correction for speech"

3) Change pitch: -0.318 (this one I added as a personal preference)

4) Click remover with defaults

5) Noise reduction:
24 (instead of 12)
0.00
200
0.15

6) Look for any parts which are noticeably louder or quieter than the rest, and manually adjust using the Amplify effect or Envelope Tool.
(scale 0.5 s) = half volume

7) Compressor:
-8db
ratio 4.5 to 1

8) Normalize to 0.

9) Limiter:
-10 (previously -3)
10

10) Amplify to -3 dB

11) Export as WAV.

12) Export as MP3. 224 kbps CBR.


I definitely plan to put up some dampening on the wall right next to the laptop where the box used to be but I don't think that can be the only thing can it?

Thank you in advance.

[Paul L]

I would not trust noise removal at -24 dB.

[MichloIW]

Hi, Paul,

that is all I have used thus far. What would you recommend?

[Paul L]

Stop the mystery noise at the source first, as best you can! Do not use noise removal as a crutch! I am truly sorry I can't be more specific than that.

I don't use more than -6 dB noise removal.

Noise removal in 2.1.0 will be improved (I should know), and it might be pushed farther without distortions in the voice, but even so I want to use it as little as I must.

[kozikowski]

Allo, allo, allo.

We can't play an AUP file. That's only the Audacity Project Programming and Management text file.

Anyway, the WAV file (Ambient Noise File) works fine. You are very low volume. The background fffffffff noise is in the 60s where I would expect it, but your voice is -25 or so and it should be -6. Waaaay too low. That's probably why you can't get the volume and noise to both work at the same time. Windows, as I understand it, can change the volume of a USB microphone. This is still your Snowball, right? Check your Windows control panels and make sure your Audacity volume controls are up. I can't believe your Audacity sound meters were bouncing at -6 while you were recording that. Watching the sound meters is a Really Big Deal.

What happened to La Brea Studio One in the broom closet? That worked out pretty well, I thought.

Koz

[MichloIW]

'Ello, mate.

Long time no speak.

Yup, this is still my Walker's Words Audio Closet. As I said, it seems to have been fine until my re-adjusting of the furniture.

I just did a little more moving around (before I saw your response). I have the microphone a little further away. I have the Audacity microphone level set at 55% (I think I used to use 60%). I've put up more dampening and even put the Auralex foam feet on the bottom of the music stand. Yes it is still the Snowball and I have all other audio inputs disabled.

I can now completely remove the much lower ambient noise UNTIL I use the compressor. Then all hell breaks loose.

I've put a second WAV file in the OneDrive folder.

Would you mind having a listen again please, Koz?

Cheers.

[kozikowski]

That's....... worse.

What happened to the volume of the performance? Attach (at the bottom) is your performance on the timeline around 5 sec.

This is approximately how it's supposed to look.



Your voice has to hit 0.5 up and down and your sound meters should make it up to -6dB. Approximately.

it seems to have been fine until my re-adjusting of the furniture.

Ummmmmm. Did you disconnect your snowball while you were moving stuff around? Are you recording from the wrong microphone now?

Make sure the Snowball is connected when you start Audacity and that Audacity is switched to the Snowball.

This is the inaugural run of this sound clip.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/ScratchTest2.wav

Koz

[MichloIW]

Sorry.

I was trying with the microphone farther away from me. I'll put it back.

Why is it that I can now get rid of the ambient noise until I use the compressor? Any idea please?