[LAU] Looking for voice recording suggestions

[Fons Adriaensen]

On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 11:54:14PM +0100, hollundertee at gmx.net wrote:
 
> I'm currently taking part in a game jam and I'll have to do a whole lot
> of voice recordings tomorrow.
> I have barely any experience with that.

Recording voices well can be a lot more demanding than most
inexperienced sound engineers expect.

Some hints (probably too late...)

You probably want as little room sound as possible, unless this
is 'radio drama' and the room matches the scene to be recorded.
So go for a dry room, and use whatever damping material you can
find. Put it where the mic 'sees' it, e.g. behind the actors.

Background noises can be a real pain in case you need any editing,
so find a quiet place.

Be conservative with levels while recording, keep your RMS level at
around -20 dB FS, in particular with non-professional speakers.
Higher recording levels will NOT give you a better S/N ratio, and
you can always adjust levels and reduce peaks later. Few things
will upset you actors more than having to repeat a recording just
because your signal clipped.

If actors are reading from paper, have them hold it at the side of
the mic, not below (that would make them look down and change their
voice). That way they not speak directly at the mic and that will
help avoid pop noises.

As already suggested, don't let the actors fiddle with the mic.
Be strict about that.

If you have highpass filters, use them while recording if possible.
Cut out everything below 100 Hz.

For post-production you'll want at least a peak limiter in your
master strip, and probably some EQ on each track.

Good luck !

-- 
FA