I need to do some voice overs...

[Mike Horrigan]

I have Adobe Audition 1.5 and I was wondering how to do some voice over. What's the easiest to record this? Can someone request a good mic? Will it record to my HD? Do I have to record it with Audition?

I've never attempted this so any help would be great.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

I have Adobe Audition 1.5 and I was wondering how to do some voice over. What's the easiest to record this? Can someone request a good mic? Will it record to my HD? Do I have to record it with Audition?

I've never attempted this so any help would be great.

You can record VO direct to your hard drive with Audition or other programs like Audacity and there are a number of good mics you might use. Can you give us a bit more information about what recording gear you have and exactly what you need to do?

[Mike Horrigan]

I really don't have any gear, that's why I'm starting here. I'm not sure how to approach this. I could use the stereo mic on my DV camera and then play with it in audition?

Any ideas appreciated.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

I really don't have any gear, that's why I'm starting here. I'm not sure how to approach this. I could use the stereo mic on my DV camera and then play with it in audition?

Any ideas appreciated.

VO is usually done in mono. Are you wanting to record extensive narration alongside picture, brief announcements, what? Will this be a one-shot deal like for a school project or are you putting together a kit to eventually "go pro?" What kind of budget do you have to work with?

At the very least you'll need a sound card or audio interface for your computer, a decent microphone, and quiet place to work. You can also get microphones that connect directly to the computer through a USB port. For best results you might want a higher grade soundcard called an "audio interface," a small mixer of some sort to control levels, equalization, low freq noise filtering, and to provide power for the microphone if the mic you get needs it, and a studio condensor or broadcast style dynamic vocal mic with stand. Oh, and a good set of headphones (NOT hi-fi headphones or earbuds) to use monitor with while you're recording.

Your very first step should be a bit of reading and study, both for background knowledge and to help you define your objectives. Two excellent sources are Jay Rose's "Audio Postproduction for Digital Video" and "Great Sound for Digital Video." Another good primer is the DVD "Roger McGuinn's Guide to Home Recording on a Computer." It's oriented to music recording but the principles and setup he demonstrates and the way he uses the software (Audition, BTW) are some of the exact same techniques as you'd use for spoken vocal. You can order them all from Amazon if you can't find them locally and the McGuinn DVD is also available for rent from the Technical Video Rental web site.

[Paul Cypert]

I use the Shure Sm7 for VO work. It's a great mic for most voices and isn't as incredibly expensive as some of the other "must have" studio mics. Couple this with a good pre amp/input device and use whatever software editing suite you're comfortable with.

Paul

[Mike Horrigan]

It's just for a short film project that I'm working on. Very brief scene.

I just want it to sound decent. I'll look into some of the options given thus far.

Thanks guys,

Mike

[Jay Massengill]

You may want to look at a less expensive mic that will give decent results and be useful for many tasks since this is a one-time deal for the moment.
This is especially true if you don't have a great space to work in. Typical large-diaphragm mics for VO, especially condenser mics, can pick up a lot of the problems in your recording space.
Some mics that can work well for VO if employed correctly, but aren't that costly, can be useful for many tasks, and will more easily mask your recording space are cardioid and hypercardioid dynamic or low-sensitivity condenser vocal mics. For example: Sennheiser e835, e845, older AKG D880, Shure SM87, EV N/D767.
If you use a good pop filter and windscreen you can stay in their beefy proximity zone and give a fully-emotive performance without popping the mic.
A good preamp is important with these lower sensitivity mics as well as good closed-back headphones. Some mild compression and EQ is also helpful for final polishing. There are past threads on all of this here, as well as audio interface models.

[Dave Largent]

MXL makes a USB mic kit that you plug right into
your computer. Some are using it
for podcasts. I think it's about $100.

[Kristian Indrehus]

Originally Posted by Dave Largent

MXL makes a USB mic kit that you plug right into
your computer. Some are using it
for podcasts. I think it's about $100.

I second that, and add that almost anything is better then using your cam sterio mic's. Make sure you record in a room not too small and with as little ambience as possible.

[Mike Horrigan]

Thanks everyone, I'll probably start off by buying a USB mic and see how that goes.

Mike

[Bill Mecca]

If you go the USB route you will have to use the pc's sound card to monitor. I use Audition 1.5, Wavelab4, Audacity, sonar4, so if you have any questions just drop me a line. HTH

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

Thanks everyone, I'll probably start off by buying a USB mic and see how that goes.

Mike

If you visit the VASST website you can DL a video clip by forum regular Douglas Spotted Eagle that show's how to build a desktop "voice booth" out of some acoustic foam and a piece of foamcore board from the art supply store that only costs a few bucks and will improve your VO's audio quality immensly no matter what mic you use.

[Bill Mecca]

just popped over there, nice article but the link to the video on the desktop booth is dead.