Getting Good Sound for Voice Over: Mic Shootout

[hermesnegrao]

great video.. cool !!!!

[mixermantim]

The mxl was pretty good..

[PrinceOF9Imagination]

So can I record my voice using a mic? If yes, what kind of mic should I get? I need it to voice act for anime or video games. Thank you :)

[Michael55443]

Voices talking over explosions? Are you serious? You are aware voices are dubbed in that instance, right?

[AlphaKrizz]

Why that looks like Toby Turner saying Haha! how Audio in the begining

[orrdoggery]

Thanks for the video, although it's kind of difficult to make accurate comparisons when they are placed differently in relation to your speaking position as a few centimetres here or there will make a big difference. Also using different mic pres has an enormous impact.

[g1981c]

should have used 720p for better sound quality ...

[Gyougle]

I am so excited that i finally got my Yeti condenser mic working with my iPad again. ( since the 4.2 iPad update this hasn't been possible without an external power source.

just search for " Yeti & iPad together again " video . Now i'm TRULY portable again .

[whole27]

ok i am completely new to all of this stuff but need to do voice overs for a compilation of videos i've shot. I don't have any equipment, software, knowledge, etc. I have a low memory, cheap laptop so i know i'll probably need to buy another laptop as well so this seems like it will cost me a lot to complete? How much is all that other equipment and waht all would i need?

[HakerzTM]

Hey I have the Rode Podcaster mic And I get some background noise when I record with it, after I apply a gate and some other VST plugins I can get it quiet like a dynamic mic is supposed to be, but that's exactly what I also do with my very loud MXL 990 mic. I bought the Rode Podcaster dynamic mic so I wouldn't have to do any editing of the audio but it turns our I still get background noise and it's not quiet like some other audio tests I've heard, can you help me? Yes, my room is very quiet :)

[rougerecliner]

see macs are crappy.

[Buhzie15]

the podcaster sounds like crap

[C20rules]

...I'm a fan of realistic sound but anyway, it's also intesting to see the different microphones - as someone said earlier the angle and distance may also affect the sound a little - but on the other hand it's very hard to sound the same from time to time on several recordings.

Btw. why don't use one of the microphones on the stand to talk? - that thing on the shirt, gives poor quality because of it's bad placement.

[C20rules]

Intresting video! - that was as just as I thought. Use compression on talk recordnings - that's just rediculous.

Worse than any radio or TV commersial voice over anyway, is the awful dialog sound in most american movies - it sounds like they talk in a bucket.

I wonder what processing they use there - new movies is even worse than 10 year old ones, so it's obvious that the "movie sound guys" want that crap sound.

[flmason]

Seems like HowAudio.com doesn't work?

[iw2mln]

The MD Sennheiser .... IMHO: is orrible as timber ... quite metallic ... it's strongly colouring the voice

[TheTechHacker]

hello HowAudioTV, could u possibly recommend a microphone with good quality and usb input that I can get for 100 or less? thanks so much

[Jubal24]

The problem with this test is that you don't have the mics up close to account for proximity effect.

[Bondsakakevon]

mac is the best for sounds i dont really know why but tis true

[mesaoneCCK]

I think it would be useful to have an accompanying WAV file to download and compare, because the difference in sound is not reflected properly once YouTube converts the video. Maybe do a multitrack mixdown and offer each WAV for download, so viewers can load each track (w/ and w/o processing) into their own DAW and compare?

[raistlinf]

Hi. Hau you recomendet Sennheyser k6 for recording in studio. That can i use this for record guitar\other instrument. Great thanks.

[kennykensworth]

its funny, i can hear little differences.. but some of them i can't hear at all and i'm listening on monitors so it leads me to believe that those sounds get lost when converted down to youtube quality

[carlcproductions]

Nope, I can totaly tell the difference, maybe you need better monitors perhaps?

[TheBallerdude603]

what kind would i use for voice overs on call of duty montages?

[sbkite]

*FACEPALM*

[danihobinsen]

009** Sorry

[danihobinsen]

even without headphones you can hear that for the U87. The best one in my opinion for your voice is 809.

[Vercent1]

Which would you reccomend for making a song?

[remusjacobs]

u87

[TimeshipStudio]

Thanks for the great tutorials! We posted some on our website, where we teach radio drama acting and production. Godspeed!

[henryvrgl]

I think it's kind of unfair in certain aspects, especially for the two USB mics. They don't have anything in the signal chain processing the signal, EQ,comp,Pre-amp, etc.

[Killzxxxxxx]

there all the samthing u dick FUCKYOU

[ONEyeMarco]

I really wish i had your microphones,

I have a question, right now i have a 8 mic preamp/ firewire interface. If i wanted to do external eq and compression using hardware, how would i interoperate that, would i plug the mic into the compressor, and the compressor into the firewire interface?

thanks

great video

[lilden101]

What softawre did he use for that voice-over

[ToneZillaLLC]

Pro Tools

[ONEyeMarco]

that is pro tools i believe. industry standard if you believe in all that :)

[HarleyjXXX]

Other have pointed out the flaws in this video. Shotgun mic is not realistic for everyday reads.

Regarding the Sen 432-take that foam crap off-that's what gives it an "AM" sound.

[CharlieGnarley]

@HarleyjXXX

Not true, really. Many guys, including myself, use a 416 daily for VO. Granted, it may not be the best mic for more mellow or natural reads, but it still works great for those.

Like all mics, certain ones work better for certain voices, and not so much for others.

[deadendkid1968]

I thought that the Senn MD421 wasnt a sibilent with less of the low end than the shotgun...the U87 seemed to be as bad as the cheap Chinese condensers.

[overmyhead875]

where can I find a good mic

[niclashbg]

overmyhead875, that is like asking "where can i find good cheezeburgers?" .. hehe.. go to your local musicstore or google it.

[coxshow]

The problem with this comparison is you recorded them all at once without pointing your mouth directly at each mic or using optimum distance. The shotgun mic sounded best because it points at your mouth like a laser, but the others need closer proximity and/or less off-axis recording from your mouth hole.

[4543563]

Strongly agreed. Not fair.

[hueseph]

@coxshow There's nothing wrong with this shootout. It's the only way to do this with that many mics. My problem is with the static. There's an incredible amount of static in the background and the quality of the audio is horrible. It sounds like a bad mp3. I'm sure he does fine work but this video is not a good example of that.

[stuarttwentythree]

Psalm 23. Been a while since I've heard that. Great Vid by the way

[njpete987]

In the next couple of days I'm purchasing pro tools with a very simple interface and a mic. Would love some info on cost of these (and other mics). I'm a new V.O. artist and just recorded my 1st commercial reel. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide

[Muzishan2]

hey mate if your new, definitely try out the Rode NT1-A studio condenser mic. lowest self-noise of any mic in the world, really really popular for lower budget recording. check it out.

[4543563]

Best USB Condenser would be the MXL .009 by far. You will NOT be disappointed.

[jokerhwp]

i think the samson co3u takes the plate as far as usb condensers

[KillingDestiny]

hello, i am looking to buy a shotgun mic for a camera, do you recommen one? with good sound but under 200 euro if possible thanks

[psppunk]

kudos for the bible

[pete5668]

@psppunk I second that. It's comforting to hear it in these times of Christian-bashing.

[incensereviewsman]

@psppunk hes reading the satanic bible lisen closs

[JRPLink]

For voice-over using Final Cut Studio, I use the PodCaster, mainly due to price, but despite what is said here, it does have an 'OK' low end too. However, and as said here, you do have to get close to it. Good mic for the money.

[Hidd3nTalents]

Hello, i'm going to buy a mic i live in the the uk could you give me some advise

[HowAudioTV]

Is the mic strickly for VO's? Or? I like the Shure SM7B or the MXL USB.009 (if you want a USB mic)

[Hidd3nTalents]

I'm sure they are good, i had a look they are abit to much i'm only 14 dont have much cash lol, i had a look on ebay there is a mic CAD GXL2200SP Studio Condenser Mic, wich sounds ok (cheap and iSK Studio Desktop Broadcast dont know. do you think you'd be able to tell me if they are good or not thanks.

[jephthastudios]

A Shure SM57 with a pop screen on it can sound very close to the more expensive SM7b. I'd choose this over the CAD mic myself.

[Hidd3nTalents]

Ok thanks

[Freddypacino]

@HowAudioTV I have just been booked to do 30 second voice-overs for a real estate company. I'm talking about hundreds of different scripts each being 30 seconds. They will email me the scripts.....I record the voice-over on my computer and email the recording back. I have less then 2 weeks to figure out how to do this. HELP!!!!!!

[romerouno17]

@HowAudioTV I Just Got Rode NT 1 A. Excellent quality and price. read some reviews if u want to consider.

[romerouno17]

@Hidd3nTalents @HowAudioTV I Just Got Rode NT 1 A. Excellent quality and price. read some reviews if u want to consider.

[tearared]

What program can I use on my mac that would help me do my voice overs? Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

[dkrumrie123]

there are tons, to get started use garageband. its free on your mac. if you want to upgrade the choices are endless. logic, pro tools, sonar, cubase, audition, digital performer. any of them will get the job done.

[DizzyDougTV]

Thank you. Very informative.

[spoon12bil]

Very cool, thank you for the information

[Lucem2]

I just hit the BUY button to get the 009.

That is the one for me

Thanks for your great review.

[spoon12bil]

What directional setting do you use on your U87?

thanks

[jephthastudios]

It was in cardiod.

[mc2spades23]

the Rode Podcaster!

would you reccomend this mic for recording? recording vocals for songs that is.

i am curious and am looking into this mic for recording as it is apparently very good for a dynamic (although you gotta be very close), but with the condenser mics i dont like the sensitivity.

[HowAudioTV]

We would NOT recommend the Podcaster for recording vocals. At best, use it only for podcasting and even then it's only average. If you're looking for a plug and play mic for recording we like the MXL USB .009 24/96 bit mic. If you don't need a USB mic there are plenty of other choices that are much better.

[mc2spades23]

ah ok, thankyou for the reply it is well recieved. I will definately look into the MXL series. thanks once again

[joperman]

Why and what are the disadvantages of using the podcaster in recording vocal elements??? Hope you could help me out too... Thanks

[HowAudioTV]

The Podcaster's design is in it's name, i.e. made for Podcasting. You have to be right on the mic for it too sound decent, it doesn't have a lot of gain. It's a 'thin' sounding mic, not a lot of body. It was designed, I think, with a person, speaking, and distributing over the Internet. It's not designed to record someone singing. I'm doing a review right now on the Blue Snowball usb mic. It's only $99 and supposedly it sounds good enough to record vocals, guitar and entire band, live.

[joperman]

Thanks for the help... So what you're trying to say is that mxl is better than podcaster in recording vocal stuffs? Thanks... I hope you could answer this too...

[ChrisW12208]

Actually it should work great for recorded vocals. Like a Shure SM7B. A lot of people use the SM7B in the studio.. Metallica/Shadows Fall/Arch Enemy/Micheal Jackson ect.. You dont need a special vocal booth with these type mics either. So yeah the Podcaster is almost the same thing as a Shure Sm7B or an Electro Voice RE20. They too are considered broadcast mics but are great for loud/ overly sibilant singers. Another great thing is that you shouldnt need to eq too much or use comression

[bsbllowns26]

haha thats my favorite psalm. great comparison by the way!I can tell obvious differences in some of them but there are some that are hard to pick out.

[MXLMICS]

Nice review. It's good to see a fair comparison.

Thanks

[C0SMICP0PE555]

good choice of voice-over material. Psalms is a great book

peace n'

love,

-pope