Indoor recording...need to sound like outdoors

[Nathan Quattrini]

I recorded one line of ADR in someone living room, and for me I can tell the difference in the reverb between it and the outdoor footage it is being spliced into. How could I make it sound more like an outdoor recording in an open area? The indoor sound isn`t super echoey or anything, but still noticeable to have an indoor sound. I have Adobe Audition3 to work with. Your help would be great. I can supply samples if need be.

[Daniel Epstein]

Nathan,
Have you mixed in some outdoor ambience with the track? This is when you hope the soundman got to record room tone for the scene. Usually you also want to make the micing technique similar to what you are replacing so there is less of a difference in overall sound quality. HTH

[Nathan Quattrini]

yea there is ambient sound with it as well, but its the reverb difference in the voice that is noticeable. I may be overacting as an editor, not sure, but sound isn`t my strong point. I am playing around to hope to stumble on a way to make it sound better, but someone knowledged in how it works would be a huge help. Its a 3 word line that is holding up completion of the film hahah

[Colin Pearce]

It strikes me you had a room with a bit of echo or reverb. Did you have the walls covered with curtains or some other sort of sound dampening devices?

Once echo is in the recording you cannot get it out.

Without having a proper sound recording studio, there is one trick that I have used. Get the person being recorded to stand in a wardrobe, among the clothes hanging.

Better still, take the talent outside, preferably to where the original sound was recorded.

When you have a clean recording you can add effects to match the main audio.

[Jon Goodman]

I suppose it is out of the question to record the lines outside ?
Cheers
Jon

[Marco Leavitt]

"I suppose it is out of the question to record the lines outside ?"

That's exactly what I was thinking. Can you duplicate the circumstances outside? It is, after all, just a single line. If possible, you will want the same location, mic, time of day and even time of year. You'll never get it match doing it indoors, at least I couldn't. The only only other possibility I see is making the recording in as dead of a space as possible and then trying to EQ into line with the other footage. That's the sort of thing the pros get big money for.

[Dean Sensui]

I don't recall where I read this (Studio Daily?) but a director would have actors ADR their lines in the same -- or similar -- environment in which they were performed. For example, put the talent in a car if the scene were in a car.

With the availability of smaller LCD monitors, etc., that becomes very possible.

The other option is to hang lots of moving blankets. The cheap ones you can get from Costco or UHaul. They'll help dampen the room and reduce or eliminate the unwanted reverb.

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Nathan Quattrini

I recorded one line of ADR in someone living room, and for me I can tell the difference in the reverb between it and the outdoor footage it is being spliced into. How could I make it sound more like an outdoor recording in an open area? The indoor sound isn`t super echoey or anything, but still noticeable to have an indoor sound. I have Adobe Audition3 to work with. Your help would be great. I can supply samples if need be.

Hello Nathan,

Be brave. Open the door, step outside, hit record.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Nathan Quattrini]

took me almost 3 months to get the line. And outside where we were was too noisy to do it. I`ll just have to bite the bullet and pretty much leave as is. Likely I`ll be the only one to notice that bad, and other film makers.

[Noah Cook]

Originally Posted by Dean Sensui

I don't recall where I read this (Studio Daily?) but a director would have actors ADR their lines in the same -- or similar -- environment in which they were performed. For example, put the talent in a car if the scene were in a car.

Actually, even if the scene wasn't in a car, put the talent in a car. They make really excellent voiceover booths in a pinch.

[Ty Ford]

If you want a recording that sounds like the inside of a car.

There's a lot of parallel glass in a car.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Jon Fairhurst]

It's not too hard to get an outdoor shot to sound like it's indoors. (There are no echos - assuming you're not near any buildings - so you can simply add the desired room echo.) Taking room echo away to make it sound like it's outdoors is another story.

Don't underestimate your audience. They won't know why the line sounds wrong, but they will know that it does.

I'm with Ty. Try recording it outside. Drive to a quiet location, if needed. Who knows? Maybe you'll nail it on the first take. If not, what's the cost? An hour or two?

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

There's a lot of parallel glass in a car.

So true. Isolation is only half of the story.

If it's the best you have, cover the windows with shipping foam, blankets or something. Same with the seats, if they're leather or vinyl.

Another trick is to buy a little acoustic foam and mount it in an open cardboard box. Put the mic at the edge of the box. You just killed all the reflections from behind the mic. Of course, that alone doesn't solve the isolation problem...

[Noah Cook]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

If you want a recording that sounds like the inside of a car.

There's a lot of parallel glass in a car.

True, but it's better than an average untreated living room. I have a little "porta-booth" made from a box lined with acoustic foam as the post above describes. Set that up in the back seat of a car or van, and you can get decent results. The major downside is that the talent has to be sitting down, which isn't ideal for a lot of reasons.

[Colin Pearce]

Originally Posted by Colin Pearce

Get the person being recorded to stand in a wardrobe, among the hanging clothes.

It works well for me. No echoes, either. Quick, easy, effective.