Voice Over Advise needed..
 

Hi folks. I wish to do a voice over but i have no idea what is the most cost effective way. I was thinking of using a Giant Squid with the Iriver, or even the rode videomic with the Sony FX1. Any tips n suggestions? How do u guys do it? Do I need a mixer board and some software?

can anybody help here?

Don't see why you'd need a mixing board for a v/o. I use a Univox cardioid mic (any decent mic should do), record a v/o track in Vegas and export it into Sound Forge, where I clean it up and usually fatten the bass end with the eq. All depends on what type of v/o I'm looking for. Of course, with the perfect voice you might get what you want just using the IRiver/GiantSquid combo, but I would think it would turn out a bit flat sounding.

Sean--Just browsing through my Maximum PC cd and came across this sound editing program that might be right up your alley if you're hurting for cash--it's called the Audacity Audio Editor, and it's completely free--
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Hope this helps you out.

hmm..

okies, well, there are afew ways to do this.. do u want mobility or do u want to do this in the studio?

mobility, i'd recomend the giant squid iriver combo, studio, id run a mic straight into the PC and record with an audio editor like soundforge. I dont know what NLE ur using, but many these days offer voiceover recording, but even wiht this feature, i would risk the background noise (fans etc etc) try to find a nice dark quiet closet, baffled the walls and go nuts... another option is to record teh voiceover in a car at 3 am in a park car park.. youd be surprised how much noice cancellation is possible in a car.. and at that time of day 9depending on where u live) u might get next to no background noise..

hmmm... 3am in a car park...doing an 'interview' are we Sir? Is that a super cardoid or are you just pleased to see me? Let's have a little interview down at the station... lol

I've seen a video tutorial by DSE (Douglas Spotted-Eagle) somewhere for creating your own cheap voice over box but now I can't find it.

LOL
i do alot of voiceover work (well, my wife does the voice, and i do the recording.. ) and sometimes when i just cant get it right, i just do this.. works for me.. also gives us a chance to relive our courting days when were done with work.. roflmao.. shut up pete..

Hey that nice advise guys. I'm using Vegas. I didnt know I could plug the mic directly into the PC. I already have the giant suid/iriver combo. It works pretty well but I was thinking of more indoor recording. I think that the iriver cant work if I plugged it directly into the PC. Would probably need a powered mic in this case.

As for the sound box, I read somewhere that we could use a carton board with a small hole which we could 'speak' into to cut the ambient noise. I'm gonna do my recording at home but there could be some noise even late in the night!

Why do you need a direct mic plug-in to the PC? Just record the dialog to the iRiver, transfer it and put it on a Vegas timeline.

Not at all, Pete. I was reading another website a while back that also spoke of using your car in the garage for doing voiceovers. The author mentioned (and rightly so) that auto makers spend millions of dollars of R&D into making car interiors quieter. The only downside is if you are one of those who prefers to stand up while doing VO work.

-gb-

I have a friend who records the host segments of his successful podcast in his car. (he does drive to a remote location and watches the submarine races as well!) LOL

DSE's video tutorial is gone( i know I've tried to find it and keep getting the error code) but you can find the article on the site. Basically its a 2x2x2 4 sided box with acoustic foam on those four panels, set the mic about 10-12 inches into the box, and your body will block the rest of the room. Also put down a towel or even some on the desk to kill those reflections. Can be tough to read a script in that box, but it does work pretty well.

there are other variations, I've buitl one out of foamcore but only 3 sided, I left the top off, others have made them with 4 sides(pegboard) hinged together and no top, still others have actually used a cardboard box.