VO Tips Season 3

Colin Campbell · Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007, 04:19 (GMT) Post subject: VO Tips Season 3

OK, back to it. This is a laymen's description of analog vs. digital audio. Thanks for listening.

Gary Johnston · **Voice Talent** Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 57

That's an excellent description of both analog and digital, Colin. And to think that all just spilled out of your mouth without a script. Great job.

Thom Wilkins · **Voice Talent** Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 587

Colin - Great piece, good explanation of digital vs. analog audio - and without a script - IMPRESSIVE Very Happy

one error re: number of levels of audio for 16 bit.

Digital audio is only represented by a 1 or a 0 (a bit) 1 bit audio would represent only two levels of sound - either full off or full on. 2 bit audio would represent 4 levels of sound and so on. With 16 bit audio, there are 65, 536 possible levels( 2^16).

The binary value of 0000000000000000 (zero) corresponds to -32,768 (the lowest possible level), and the value 1111111111111111 (65,535) corresponds to 32,767 (the highest possible level). The higher the resolution, the greater the dynamic range. Digital audio at 16-bit resolution has a theoretical dynamic range of 96 dB

With every bit of greater resolution, the number of levels double, so when we get to 24 bit, we have 16,777,216 levels (2^24) and a theoretical dynamic range of 144 dB

More dynamic range - better signal to noise, less distortion, less audio compression needed to capture the lowest to the loudest signal

Chris Heier · **Voice Talent** Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 13

Also worth noting is that a 16 bit unsigned integer goes from 0 to 65536 while a signed 16bit integer goes from -32768 to 32767.

Details may not be relevant here, but in signal processing and programming, you might live or die by the signed and unsigned variables.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007, 12:55 (GMT) Post subject:

I do understand most of the math but I thought if I tried to explain it, I would get bogged down. For these simple explanations it would be a bit much. I just recently started to understand the relationship between bit depth and signal to noise. Very interesting.

Joe J Thomas · **Voice Talent** Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 1521

Thanks Colin!

Interesting as always.

Since we're all dealing with digital audio at some level, I was wondering about the best point in the chain to do the conversion.

My setup is analog, with very little processing, until it hits my sound card.

I know there are two camps on the issue of "Process Before A to D" and "Process After A to D" - just wondered where you think is best.

Much appreciation - love season 3!,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

p.s. does Xeno's paradox apply in A to D conversion? can I get extra credit for answering?

Colin Campbell · Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007, 14:50 (GMT) Post subject:

I do some of both. Gotta make the voice sound decent in the analog world before conversion in my opinion so I use an analog mic processor before conversion. For full production effects though, digital is just so easy if your effects are good. I find that a lot of software compressors and reverbs suck but amazingly the ones in Audition 1.5 aren't too bad. I do want to buy a Lexicon MX-200 when I get some extra cash though because it has a USB port to become a "hardware plugin" BUT you can also use it as an analog effects processor pre A to D if it suits you. It's only $200 and Lexicons are supposed to be great.

It's a mixed up world.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007, 02:41 (GMT) Post subject:

The debut of "VO Tips #11." "Phone Patches..."

Freddie Molina · Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007, 14:55 (GMT) Post subject:

Thank you Colin, I really like how you can break things down and transmit the information on an easy to listen way.