I recently subscribed to your channel and have been thoroughly enjoying your content; your teaching style feels very natural. In our line of work, which involves filming sit-down interviews and client testimonials for various projects like commercials, documentaries, and corporate communications, we rely on professional location sound recordists 90% of the time to ensure our post-production process begins with the best possible audio quality. However, there are occasions, when either our camera operators or myself have to take on the responsibility of capturing location audio. It's evident that nothing can match the expertise of a seasoned location sound recordist with decades of experience and top-of-the-line equipment. Even if we were to use the same gear, our lack of proficiency and experience with it leaves us feeling uncertain. We're constantly seeking ways to bridge this gap and feel more confident in our abilities. While our audio quality is far from subpar, I'm always eager to elevate our storytelling, especially in challenging environments such as near noisy elevator lobbies, swimming pools, outdoors, or areas with uncontrollable HVAC systems. Unless voiceover is specifically planned in the script, we don't have the luxury of a controlled recording environment. That said, I'm interested in learning about any courses or training opportunities you offer, Lenny, that could help us enhance our skills and tackle these audio challenges more effectively. Thanks~
Hi Lenny, if you want to be even more precise you can clearly see that many waveforms are lopsided. In your first example you can see that the positive (northern) side of the waveform peaks higher than the negative (southern) side. If you phase rotate the lopsided peaks to balance them your normalization becomes even more precise. On some male vocals it's quite common to see those lopsided waveforms or peaks. Izotope RX has a very useful phase rotation tool but I would very much welcome a standalone plug-in doing the same thing at a reasonable price.
Thank you so much for this video Lenny. Perfect timing! I recorded my vo at the correct levels, then proceeded to destroy it using normalization incorrectly because I had no idea what it was or what I was doing. Love how you explained it in a way that makes so much sense. I really like how you also included a sample with an excited voice spike. I do educational VOs for children and the client wants excitement, it is just more challenging to level it all out without warping parts. Just in one video, you helped thousands of children around the world enjoy better audio! Wow! Thank you so much! -Cara 😀
This is what a truffle pig must feel like when they find a whopper in the woods! SO happy I found your channel. You are knowledgeable and straight forward while providing concise and carefully concentrated material. I will definitely be looking into your courses! I do have a question, if that's ok? I do mostly animation and interactive work and when recording auditions I still don't know the best course of action when dealing with those dynamic scripts. I just had a soldier whispering to his squad and then suddenly yelling actions as they were discovered. I didn't know if should record them separately at different gains and then deal with the noise difference with Noise Cancelation (which is another thing I would love to hear your thoughts on) -OR- If I should find a middle ground gain and then lean back and go more off mic for the shouting and just try hard not to peak the mic. Thanks again, gotta go now and watch all of your videos :)
Hi @taylorflowers8987, that is a great question. Coincidentally, I am working on a video that addresses this precisely. My answer is a little too involved to deliver here as text. There are many different ways to capture ultra-dynamic content (at an optimum level/without distorting). I'd be happy to share these techniques with you. Send me an email, and we can continue this conversation. email lenny@lennyb.com
Hi Lenny! Great refresher! My concern with increasing my gain knob on the Scarlett to where you suggest it to be is that my noise floor is suddenly above ACX standards. I'm not in a booth and my apartment is pretty quiet so not much more I can do except use processing afterwards for the gaps. By the way, your image looks great - what 4K camera are you using?
Hi @alainpatry, Thanks for reaching out. I use a Sony 6100 with ECamm. Much of the quality comes from good lighting BTW. Regarding your gain, it's very dependent on the mic you're using. Different mics require different amounts of gain. Noise can be coming from the mic, the preamp, or the room. (PS, I see your drum skills! Nice!!!)
Thanks for the video Lenny. Good stuff as always, but you leave one question unanswered. If you're shooting for -6dB as an input level, why normalize on a peaky transient? Why would you not manually bring that peak down to somewhere closer to the "average" level of the recording? In many of my recordings, I see those peaks at the beginning of a sentence when I have a fresh lung full of air. I realize there's some voice and mic technique at play there, but if the peak is an undesirable outlier, why not trim it down and normalize the rest of the file to -6? In most cases that peak will probably be compressed anyway, bringing it closer in line to the average level of the file.
@jrbcjim, great question. There are a few situations that we need to be careful when it comes to the recoding level. You bring up one of them. A transient that is (substantially) louder than the rest of the file isn't a good guide. In that case, I'd separate the "peaky transient" word or phrase and adjust it's input gain separately. You make an excellent point! My Optimal Record Levels For Voice Over course addresses this at a deeper level and illustrates a few other situations to be aware of. Thanks for your input. I love these types of questions!!!! www.lennyb.com/optimal-recording-levels-for-voice-over
Hi, did you did a tutorial for lufs normalization process that is the most important part before to load any content for youtube or other streaming service? Thanks.
Yes, these three videos may help. ua-cam.com/video/F6mw15-Q7cs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/jABAfRnnoxo/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/kxYghG8o8vY/v-deo.html
Len, which Screen Recording software do you use? I love the zooming coordinated with your mouse. Great look. Thx for this awesome info. I'll buy the course Bo
Hi Bo, I use Ecamm to capture. However, that's not where the zoom is coming from. There are some screen capture apps that do the Zoom thing (like Screenflow from Telestream.net), but I'm using a plugin effect called mKBHD ( www.motionvfx.com/store,mkbhd-fcp,p3756.html ) to Zoom into something on the screen. I edit in Final Cut Pro. Thanks for grabbing the course!
Good question! You can do that. However, just understand that (if I understand Audition's Speech Volume Leveler) you are adjusting the "Ouptut Gain," not modifying the gain of the audio file.
Hello @SuzieBeeAuthorNarrator, yes absolutely accepting submissions. Thanks for the catch. The link was mistyped in the description of this video. It's now fixed! Thanks!
►► Optimum Recording Level For Voice Over Course www.lennyb.com/optimal-recording-levels-for-voice-over
This is hands down the best voice over channel on all of youtube. A hidden gem. I wish your channel attracts more audience.
I recently subscribed to your channel and have been thoroughly enjoying your content; your teaching style feels very natural. In our line of work, which involves filming sit-down interviews and client testimonials for various projects like commercials, documentaries, and corporate communications, we rely on professional location sound recordists 90% of the time to ensure our post-production process begins with the best possible audio quality. However, there are occasions, when either our camera operators or myself have to take on the responsibility of capturing location audio.
It's evident that nothing can match the expertise of a seasoned location sound recordist with decades of experience and top-of-the-line equipment. Even if we were to use the same gear, our lack of proficiency and experience with it leaves us feeling uncertain. We're constantly seeking ways to bridge this gap and feel more confident in our abilities. While our audio quality is far from subpar, I'm always eager to elevate our storytelling, especially in challenging environments such as near noisy elevator lobbies, swimming pools, outdoors, or areas with uncontrollable HVAC systems.
Unless voiceover is specifically planned in the script, we don't have the luxury of a controlled recording environment. That said, I'm interested in learning about any courses or training opportunities you offer, Lenny, that could help us enhance our skills and tackle these audio challenges more effectively. Thanks~
Hi Lenny, if you want to be even more precise you can clearly see that many waveforms are lopsided. In your first example you can see that the positive (northern) side of the waveform peaks higher than the negative (southern) side. If you phase rotate the lopsided peaks to balance them your normalization becomes even more precise. On some male vocals it's quite common to see those lopsided waveforms or peaks. Izotope RX has a very useful phase rotation tool but I would very much welcome a standalone plug-in doing the same thing at a reasonable price.
Really good breakdown on normalization. Thanks Lenny B!
Thank you so much for this video Lenny. Perfect timing! I recorded my vo at the correct levels, then proceeded to destroy it using normalization incorrectly because I had no idea what it was or what I was doing. Love how you explained it in a way that makes so much sense. I really like how you also included a sample with an excited voice spike. I do educational VOs for children and the client wants excitement, it is just more challenging to level it all out without warping parts. Just in one video, you helped thousands of children around the world enjoy better audio! Wow! Thank you so much! -Cara 😀
Wow, this is really nice to hear. Thanks for taking the time to write. It's appreciated.
This is immensely helpful and answered many questions that I’ve been trying to work through. Thank you!
So glad!
Masterclass, thank you so much Lenny
Good stuff Lenny.
Thanks for all the fantastic videos.
This is what a truffle pig must feel like when they find a whopper in the woods! SO happy I found your channel. You are knowledgeable and straight forward while providing concise and carefully concentrated material. I will definitely be looking into your courses!
I do have a question, if that's ok? I do mostly animation and interactive work and when recording auditions I still don't know the best course of action when dealing with those dynamic scripts. I just had a soldier whispering to his squad and then suddenly yelling actions as they were discovered. I didn't know if should record them separately at different gains and then deal with the noise difference with Noise Cancelation (which is another thing I would love to hear your thoughts on) -OR- If I should find a middle ground gain and then lean back and go more off mic for the shouting and just try hard not to peak the mic.
Thanks again, gotta go now and watch all of your videos :)
Hi @taylorflowers8987, that is a great question. Coincidentally, I am working on a video that addresses this precisely. My answer is a little too involved to deliver here as text. There are many different ways to capture ultra-dynamic content (at an optimum level/without distorting). I'd be happy to share these techniques with you. Send me an email, and we can continue this conversation. email lenny@lennyb.com
Hi Lenny! Great refresher! My concern with increasing my gain knob on the Scarlett to where you suggest it to be is that my noise floor is suddenly above ACX standards. I'm not in a booth and my apartment is pretty quiet so not much more I can do except use processing afterwards for the gaps. By the way, your image looks great - what 4K camera are you using?
Hi @alainpatry, Thanks for reaching out. I use a Sony 6100 with ECamm. Much of the quality comes from good lighting BTW. Regarding your gain, it's very dependent on the mic you're using. Different mics require different amounts of gain. Noise can be coming from the mic, the preamp, or the room. (PS, I see your drum skills! Nice!!!)
Thanks for the video Lenny. Good stuff as always, but you leave one question unanswered. If you're shooting for -6dB as an input level, why normalize on a peaky transient? Why would you not manually bring that peak down to somewhere closer to the "average" level of the recording? In many of my recordings, I see those peaks at the beginning of a sentence when I have a fresh lung full of air. I realize there's some voice and mic technique at play there, but if the peak is an undesirable outlier, why not trim it down and normalize the rest of the file to -6? In most cases that peak will probably be compressed anyway, bringing it closer in line to the average level of the file.
@jrbcjim, great question. There are a few situations that we need to be careful when it comes to the recoding level. You bring up one of them. A transient that is (substantially) louder than the rest of the file isn't a good guide. In that case, I'd separate the "peaky transient" word or phrase and adjust it's input gain separately. You make an excellent point! My Optimal Record Levels For Voice Over course addresses this at a deeper level and illustrates a few other situations to be aware of. Thanks for your input. I love these types of questions!!!! www.lennyb.com/optimal-recording-levels-for-voice-over
Thank you so much.
After normalization what should follow...?
There are many options. This course will answer many of your questions www.lennyb.com/beginning-voice-over-production-workflow
Hi, did you did a tutorial for lufs normalization process that is the most important part before to load any content for youtube or other streaming service? Thanks.
Yes, these three videos may help.
ua-cam.com/video/F6mw15-Q7cs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/jABAfRnnoxo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/kxYghG8o8vY/v-deo.html
Len, which Screen Recording software do you use? I love the zooming coordinated with your mouse. Great look. Thx for this awesome info. I'll buy the course
Bo
Hi Bo, I use Ecamm to capture. However, that's not where the zoom is coming from. There are some screen capture apps that do the Zoom thing (like Screenflow from Telestream.net), but I'm using a plugin effect called mKBHD ( www.motionvfx.com/store,mkbhd-fcp,p3756.html ) to Zoom into something on the screen. I edit in Final Cut Pro. Thanks for grabbing the course!
@HeyLennyB sorry buddy, I'm getting a 404 bad link from your MKbhb link
@BoReynolds, give it a try now. And thanks for the heads-up!
Thanks Lenny! Quick question - why use normalisation rather than Audition's Speech Volume Leveler?
Good question! You can do that. However, just understand that (if I understand Audition's Speech Volume Leveler) you are adjusting the "Ouptut Gain," not modifying the gain of the audio file.
Hi Lenny! are you still taking submissions for custom audio. I clicked on the link in your notes and it's not working.
Hello @SuzieBeeAuthorNarrator, yes absolutely accepting submissions. Thanks for the catch. The link was mistyped in the description of this video. It's now fixed! Thanks!
Is it mastering or adding a compressor...?
Processing might be next. This course will give you all of the order for everything. www.lennyb.com/beginning-voice-over-production-workflow