Voice Over

[Allen Minor]

I'm learning how to do a voice over on Final Cut Pro. I have a Sony PCM-D50. My concern is that this recorder cannot be used to do voice overs on Final Cut Pro 7. That I will need a unit like Apogee One. Thanks for any help.

[Allan Black]

Can't you go direct to FCP via your computer?

Getting the room acoustics right is a huge part when doing voice over .. this'll help .. Harlan Hogan - Voice overs Narrations Commercials Promos
and this RDE Microphones - Podcaster

The mics on the D50 while very good .. are not suitable for spoken voice work.

Cheers.

[Allen Minor]

That't the information I needed to know. Thank you very much.

[Battle Vaughan]

At my newspaper, our web-video suite had a USB mike on the edit Mac, and we just used the (very nicely done) voice over function in FCP. The advantage we found is that your voice-over person can see the video they are voicing and pace accordingly, right there on the timeline, and no importing and synching is needed.

Was also of great help when we had to voice in a second- language version.

You can use an external recorder, but why bother? This assumes you can have decent acoustics in your Mac area, of course. The USB mikes --- Audio Technica, Blue, Samson, MXL and others make them --- are reasonably priced. We had a Samson cardioid on one of those articulated arm supports that broadcasters use, worked a treat...

[Allan Black]

Originally Posted by Allen Minor

That's the information I needed to know. Thank you very much.

.. and when you're learning to do voice over from your script, record 2 or 3 takes of literally everything.

Don't rush it, recognise when you sound best, eg: I'm better after a nice malt whiskey then 6hrs sleep. Early in the morning is best, so I set the rig up the night before, black coffee and straight into it.

And when you're learning to do voice over from your script, double quadruple check every single detail, especially pronounciations and technical names.
If you've written 2 or 3 versions of something because you're not sure which is correct, which works or sounds best, record all of them straight off and choose later.

Setting things up again to exactly match the sound of what you've already recorded can be a nightmare, very difficult at any time but almost impossible when you're new at it. For your own motivation, keep a copy of your first script recordings and compare them with your later ones to check your progress, it works :) HTH.

Cheers.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Allen Minor

I'm learning how to do a voice over on Final Cut Pro. I have a Sony PCM-D50. My concern is that this recorder cannot be used to do voice overs on Final Cut Pro 7.

I'm puzzled as to why you think a D50 won't work with FCP7. I've used mine many times for VO/looping, without any problems.

-- peer

[Stan Harkleroad]

The D50 is a great recorder. There should be no reason you can't use it for VO.

[Chad Johnson]

The reason NOT to use the D-50 (which I own and love) is that it is a stereo recorder. VO and dialog should be recorded mono, so the voice is right up the center. Stereo micing a voice can present phase issues and is just not not good cricket. Yes it CAN be done, but it's not correct. Disregard if you don't care about proper production techniques.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Chad Johnson

VO and dialog should be recorded mono

It "should" ...?

-- peer

[Chad Johnson]

Absolutely. You shouldn't for the reasons I described. Basically the voice, the main element of the presentation, loses focus. It's like recording in 3D. It makes no sense unless there's a reason for doing it, i.e. you want the effect.

You could say that rules are made to be broken though. But there should be a reason for a stereo VO. What's the reason you are consciously choosing to do a stereo VO? Not having the right gear isn't really a choice.

[Vincent Oliver]

The other point which Chad has not touched on it, the D-50 mikes are hyper sensitive and even a slight breeze (from your mouth or other source) will create a thunder rumble.

I also love the D-50 and use it with an external mike (Rode NTG2). For screen shot tutorials I am now using the Audio Technica BPHS headset which has a broadcast quality mike (mono) and I can keep the mike at a constant distance when doing screen shot tutorials. The mike has a very shallow pick up area which cuts out 95% of computer fan noises.

For other voice over work I also use the Rode NT1a, a superb mike but very sensitive and picks up too much noise from the computer, so I am not using this for screen shot tutorials.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Peer Landa

It "should" ...?

-- peer

Seconding Chad's advice. Unlike an orchestra where the sound is spread lateraly across a stage, the human voice is a single point-source of sound, it has no spread. It should come to the viewer of a video from a single point, dead centre in the image, the same it would if you were sitting in the audience listening to an in-person lecture and focussing your attention on the speaker. To have it to one side or the other of the image is disorienting. You record in mono and during post you pan that mono track equally into the left and right stereo channels for output.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Steve House

Seconding Chad's advice. Unlike an orchestra where the sound is spread lateraly across a stage, the human voice is a single point-source of sound, it has no spread.

Yes, you are correct, the human voice is a "single point-source", but the human receptors -- our ears -- are two points. That's why we do voiceover/looping in stereo.

-- peer

[Rick Reineke]

"Yes, you are correct, the human voice is a "single point-source", but the human receptors -- our ears -- are two points. That's why we do voiceover/looping in stereo."
-- What mic config ? X/Y, MS, a Blumlein pair? Thanks for pointing out 'the-error-of my-ways. I'll run right out and buy another U87 for this afternoon's narration session. For a surround project, should I use five mics positioned around the head.. How about a 'belly mic' for LFE?

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Rick Reineke

What mic config ? X/Y, MS, a Blumlein pair? Thanks for pointing out 'the-error-of my-ways.

From quite extensive research in an anechoic chamber we found that the best (and maybe easiest) way to do this is with a dummy head equipped with a pair of hi-end microphones.

-- peer