Help! Compression? EQ? Need your advice please!

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Athletic, brunette, female voice-over artist looking for single, cute, smart guy who is ALSO happens to be an audio-engineering wizard who can help me achieve a higher level of expertise with editing my jobs!

OK, just kidding, but need some help though.

Could you guys give me sort of a crash course on EQ? I’ve done zillions of jobs for happy clients from my home studio but I have a new client that loves my recording but wants it to be “fuller and richer.” I know that compressing and EQ can make this happen, but I don’t have the basic steps to make this happen. Can you help me out please? Would lowering the pitch also help?

If a client told you that they loved your recording but wanted it to be “fuller and richer,” what would you do?

I’m extremely grateful for any help or advice you can offer, and sorry if this has been covered in other posts. I don’t have time right now to do a search for previous posts and wanted to ask a very direct question.

Thank youuuuuu…

Max.

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Steve Royal · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Aug 2006 Posts: 167

Jacob Ekstroem · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 721

Max,

here's some bedtime reading for you and everyone else, great stuff here:

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_recording_voiceover/

http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/LaVoz.htm

http://transom.org/tools/editing_mixing/200402.voiceprocessing.html

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Jacob ~

As always, so wonderfully generous with the information you provide. Thank you so much for these great links!!

max
xox

Lance Blair · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008, 18:30 (GMT) Post subject:

Honestly, fuller and richer ought to be the client's job. Whomever is doing the editing ought to be doing the compression and EQ.

Tell them if they want fuller and richer they need to buy you say a U87 and a Great River preamp. Smile

Seriously, an upgrade to your preamp (and it wouldn't take that much) will give you a that richer fuller sound without having to play with any gizmos. I like the AT3035 on you though.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Lance ~

Thanks so much for your note.

Unfortunately, this client wants me to deliver what they want right off the bat....without them having to fiddle with it. It's a very large corporation so I'm not sure what the editing process is on their end, but I'd rather not say..... "Isn't that your job?"

Do you have any suggestions for pre-amps that you like? (The fuller, richer kind...) :~) I should probably put a better pre-amp on my shopping list anyway and would love to hear your recommendations.

Thanks again,

Maxine

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Greg Houser · **Voice Talent** Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 174

Lance is correct. If they're asking for a "fuller" sound, my first instinct is to get you on a mic with either a larger transformer or a valve/tube.

Next thought is to do the same with the preamp.

It's easier to do this in the start of the chain then with processing, and especially since once you've added compression, you can't go back (save for the original file).

More importantly, compression is more like an automatic volume control. Some compressors (and plug-ins) can add more "body", but that's because of the design of the device (that is, because the signal is running over a beefy transformer or tube) more than anything else.

There are some reads where I know I'll use my squeezebox, or my trakker, or even the Fearn, but for the most part I don't use compression unless asked for.

Preamp recommendations:

Requisite Audio
Great River
John Hardy
Millennia
Wunder
D.W. Fearn
Little Labs LMNOPre (not for the novice user, but in the hands of a knowledgable person it's insane)

Some folks swear by the Avalon. Take any of the aforementioned preamps, add a healthy dose of HF and you've got your Avalon (especially when using the GR, JH, or LMNOPre)

EDIT: adding to Jacob's list : ftp://ftp.dbxpro.com/pub/PDFs/WhitePapers/Compression%20101.pdf (best compression tutorial I've seen so far)

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Greg ~

Awesome! Thank you!

You are so high tech compared to me that I'm trying to absorb all your information and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write. Even though I edit jobs all the time and do a good job, there are intricacies with regards to the equipment and processing that I don’t know yet.

I wish there was a class that would teach hands-on processing techniques, step-by-step. (Know of any?) I bet if someone were to put together a basic tutorial video on sound-editing, it would sell like hot cakes.

Thanks again,

Max
xox

Ed Gambill · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jun 2007 Posts: 585

I can give you a deal on a new tube mic. Honest, I am a dealer for the Peluso product line. I'm thinking a 22-251 or maybe a 2247SE.

A new line of Peluso Pre amps are in the works, haven’t hear one yet.

With the 22-251 you will have warm, full range recording that any geek can tweak.

Also I just added the Source-Connect produce line. If you are intrested let me know.

Chris Clementson · **Voice Seeker** Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 216

Maxine -

Here would be my $150 solution for getting a fuller, richer sound:

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/cascade_FAT%20HEAD.html

Yes, a ribbon mic, like Jack Benny used to use:

http://www.jbench68.com/our3doxies/MOVIES%20TELEVISION/ACTORS%20A-F/benny_jack-3_12333.jpg

I'm sorry that I don't have one at www.miclisteningroom.org but I plan to add it to the next batch.

I'll leave it to my comrades to debate the plusses and minuses of this idea.

Greg Houser · **Voice Talent** Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 174

Well, I'm not going to try to sell you on a mic Maxine. For all I know the problem might be solved with what you've already got.

More to the point, I've not put you in a booth with a selection to choose from to decide. Last mic shootout for me lasted 10+ hours for a single tube mic. 5+ for an AD/DA.

But I'm picky...

Ribbons are nice, on the right voice. I own several... rarely use 'em. That said, if anyone finds a nice "Skunk", let me know. Looking for a pair.

Smile

Tubes are great too, but again... right voice for the job.

Max, shoot off a clip of some of your recent stuff please. I'd like to hear it and get an ear for what the clients might be asking for (as I am sure others will as well).

Chris Clementson · **Voice Seeker** Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 216

I wouldn't be so dismissive of ribbon mics, Greg. Among the 65 mics on my site are an RCA 44BX and a 77DX. I don't have a Cascade Fathead (yet) but she can get an idea for how a ribbon compares to many condensers and dynamics. You can't say they're not fuller and richer.

www.miclisteningroom.org

Greg Houser · **Voice Talent** Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 174

did I say that ribbons are useless?

Nope. Just that they don't work for everyone. Same with tube-based mics (and current LDCs).

Again, I want to hear the source. Maybe the answer is a change in preamp, maybe in mic, maybe both... maybe neither (just need to change how she's tracking).

I wouldn't own as many ribbons as I do if they were useless. But one thing I have learned, and this applies to any piece of gear, is that it's going to sound different from person to person. On me, ribbons don't sound so hot, save for one (which would be the skunk). Therefore I don't use them for my own VO. Corey Burton... they sound like the bee's knees (though even he stays away from the more traditional choices in lieu of an RCA KU-3A if I recall).

Fuller? Not on me... got to go to a tube for that in my case. Ironically, I didn't notice a bigger sound using a Royer R122V (a ribbon mic using a tube driven circuit an Jensen transformer). Going to try it again sometime soon, as I think something was wrong with that particular mic (owner did eventually send it back for service, so I'm not outright negating it for my own uses).

Again, figure out what the issue is, use the right tool to get what you need from it. Very Happy

Don Capone · **Voice Talent** Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 89

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Hi Don ~

Long time no see! How great to hear from you and thank you for your post. I agree, I do have a lot of happy clients so I probably shouldn't yank things around too much because of this one instance. It's good to know all the options though.....

And Greg, Jacob, Chris, Ed, Lance, and everyone, thank you also VERY much for all your input! It's incredibly valuable and I'll check out every link. It might take me a while to decipher all the techy jargon that's being bandied about, but I'll make it through.

Thanks again,

Max.

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