Problem recording voice narration

[David Evans]

Hi,

I'm recording a voice narrator which should sound very omnipresent, so the sound of the voice must very full. I'm trying to record this directly to my computer, using a Scarlett 2i2 soundboard and an Audix SCX1 hyper. This mic is amazing and I love its tone, but to get the fullness I want, it's my understanding that the narrator must be close to the mic to get the gain down and avoid getting "room sound". But everytime I try to record this way, I get distortion on the "p" sounds. I already bought a Pop filter but it doesn't fix the situation. Shouldn't I be recording so close to the narrator? Should I be using a different mic, maybe a dynamic like the SM58?

Thanks for any help

 

[Alex H.]

Hi, David!

When you say "pop filter", what do you mean? Just the foam cover, or a gooseneck-mounted screen disc? The foam isn't going to do much. The real pop filter (like THIS) is effective, but if that's what you're using you may have it too close to the mic.

What you're experiencing are plosives. They tend to overmodulate on "p", "b", and "t" sounds. Try speaking in front of, and just to the side of, the mic, to send the plosives away from the mic capsule instead of right into it.

The hypercardioid wouldn't be my first choice of mic, but if you are working with the only option you have, it isn't impossible to do. Yes, being closer to the mic can help in lowering the input gain to minimize how much background sound is recorded. This isn't completely solved by proximity, though, especially if the room is very reflective.

If it's a very bright room and you have no way to treat it, I'd suggest a dynamic mic over a condenser if you have one. The SM58 is okay, but is not my favorite. Of course, mics and human voices require a bit of trial and error. One voice may sound terrible on an SM58, but great on an ElectroVoice n/d767a. Another voice may sound golden on the 58. There's no magic formula to tell you which mic will work with which voice.

I'd also suggest treating the room no matter what, as this can be done fairly inexpensively. Grab a couple of furniture pads (aka sound blankets), available next to the dolly carts at Lowe's. Hanging those in your room can help immensley. Three of them hung in a triangular formation can make a pretty decent "booth" for recording; not perfect, but passable. Or, hang them on the walls.

The more sensitive your mic, the more you need your room treated if you want to record clean VO. The hyper may be great for on-cam dialog in the sme room, but VO needs to be recorded as dry as possible.

 

[IronFilm]

Yup, check you've got an actual pop filter being used and not just a foam softie over the mic.

Second of all, you don't need to put the mic right down his throat, so while closer is better.... too close isn't ideal either, give a foot or so of space isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[David Evans]

This is the one I'm using:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/368356-REG/sE_Electronics_POP_SHIELD_Metal_Pop_Filter.html

Yesterday I tried with the pop filter attached to the tripod and in front of the mic. Narrator was about 4inches from the pop filter. He's supposed to have some loud narration and his voice has some deep and bassy tone. The Audix does an amazing job and I love how it captures all that detail in his voice, but I don't know if the mic is too sensible because everytime there's a 'P', it just bursts...

So, what if I try to get the Audix at an angle? As if I were booming a dialogue. Or is the dynamic really the best mic to use in a situation like this? I'm going to have a new session tomorrow and I worry how to do this properly

Thanks!

 

[Noiz2]

Take a nylon stocking and put the screen inside, clean it up a bit so it doesn't look too wonky. At that point you should have nylon, metal, nylon. That should help a lot. The second thing would be to have your mic at about a 45 degree angle to the speaker so he is talking past the end and not right into it.

Some other mics are less plosive sensitive but the above should work.

 

[Richard Crowley]

IMHO, a large-mesh screen like that cannot honestly be called a "pop filter". You can prove it quite trivially. Hold you hand 6 inches from your mouth and say the word "papa". You can feed the plosive on your skin. Now put that large-mesh gadget between your mouth an your hand. Note that there is little difference. The plosive passes through the mesh almost as if it weren't there. Bah, humbug, I say.

What about the WS81C foam gag that came with the microphone? Now that is more like a proper wind-screen or pop-filter. At least for close vocal work. It wouldn't hold up to outdoor use in the wind, that requires a different solution (typically a "blimp" windshield and a "furry" cover).

And you certainly do NOT need to have the microphone directly ON-AXIS with the mouth. A 45 or up to even 90 degree position will have almost no affect on the sound of the voice, while dramatically reducing or eliminating the plosive impingement on the microphone.

 

[Rick R]

As Alex stated, nylon stocking material over your existing metal screen would be your best ( + economic) bet. Any plosives that get though, would probably not be clipped likely and could be removed surgically with audio editing software. I also concur with trying a 58, with the mic within the mic one inch from the talents lips.

 

[Bruce Watson]

...the narrator must be close to the mic to get the gain down and avoid getting "room sound". But every time I try to record this way, I get distortion on the "p" sounds. I already bought a Pop filter but it doesn't fix the situation.

Mic is out of position. Pull the mic off to the side, close to 90 degrees from center even. Point the mic at the mouth from this side position. Now the plosives will not be directed at the diaphragm, and you won't get the plosive pops.

Yep, this will feel unnatural to you at first. Everybody seems to think you have to talk directly to the mic. But you don't.

Ever wonder why you see sportscasters on TV wearing headsets, and the mic is off to one side? That's not just to show you their expensively whitened teeth -- that's to avoid this very same pop problem. Emulate that with your Audix, see what you get then.

That said, getting in really close with a hyper is probably not enough to eliminate "small room sound" because that's coming from the mic hearing rapid reflections from the nearby walls. You're going to need to treat the room to alter these reflections, either by absorbing them, or reflecting them away from the mic so it takes another wall bounce (more time, lower level) to get there. The longer the time between the direct sound and the first reflection, the bigger the room sounds in general.

 

[Alex H.]

As Alex stated, nylon stocking material over your existing metal screen would be your best ( + economic) bet.

That was Scott, actually.

If you want to invest in a better-made pop filter, I would highly recommend that you get a dual-level nylon mesh filter, like THIS. Scott's DIY version is an excellent modification for what you have.

The benefit of the filters like the one I linked is that they have a bit of a dead space between mesh layers. That dead space helps quite a bit to disperse the air blasts.

And just to reiterate:

Try speaking in front of, and just to the side of, the mic, to send the plosives away from the mic capsule instead of right into it.

The second thing would be to have your mic at about a 45 degree angle to the speaker so he is talking past the end and not right into it.

And you certainly do NOT need to have the microphone directly ON-AXIS with the mouth. A 45 or up to even 90 degree position will have almost no affect on the sound of the voice, while dramatically reducing or eliminating the plosive impingement on the microphone.

Pull the mic off to the side, close to 90 degrees from center even. Point the mic at the mouth from this side position. Now the plosives will not be directed at the diaphragm, and you won't get the plosive pops.

 

[Noiz2]

Now That is "party unity" ;~)

 

[David Evans]

Thank you all for some amazing tips. So, I will do this on our next session: stick a nylon stocking on the pop filter, place the audix inside its foam and get the mic at an angle of 90º of the talent's mouth. This should get rid of all the plosives. Thank you!