Recording voiceover with Rode NTG2

H

hellboy80

Well-known member
I'm recording voiceovers for lowbudget TV program at my flat with Rode NTG2. I know this mic isn't appropriate for recording voiceovers, but thats all I have for now. My flat of course isn't studio, just normal flat :) I have no pop-filter or sound booth.
My question is: How should I use this mic for this situation? I mean: what distance from narrator, what angle, with or without foam windshield on...? What could you recommend me. Thanks for any help.
 
That should be a fine VO mic...one of the most used is the Sennheiser 416!
What are you recording to? Need a bit more info.....
 
Basics (for me):
1. DEAD room. If you don't have one, make one using blankets thrown over a few mic stands.
Remember how you made forts as a kid? Same idea. The deader...the better. You can always add reverb. There's no such thing as a dereverb.
2. Pop screen. Store-bought or pantyhose streached over a needlepoint ring...you need something to save you from plosives.
3. Shotgun - I keep it about 8 inches, straight on (as you get off axis, the tone will change) to 20 degrees off so the bottom of the capsule is at the top of the upper lip.
4. If you have a compressor... 3:1 should do the trick (play with it).

Let her rip... again, this is just my input.
 
...Once it's recorded (depending on the editor you use), there's no end to what you can do to it!
 
hellboy80 said:
What is compressor?
Click to expand...

All natural audio has dynamics or fluctuations in the volume - soft to loud, a whisper to a scream. Dynamics processors (compressors and limiters are the most common) are ways of controlling or leveling the dynamics of audio signals. A limiter puts a "ceiling" on how loud a signal will get; you set a maximum allowable level and any signal that is above that maximum allowable level is automatically reduced. You have put a limit on the top signal level, hence the term "limiter". A compressor does the same thing, while simultaneously raising the level of the quieter signals. You set a minimum allowable signal level and anything below that is automatically raised. Since you have set a minimum and maximum signal level the dynamic range is restricted or compressed, hence the term "compressor".

The biggest danger is over-compression; making the quiet sections so loud that all of the background noise becomes just as loud as the rest of the signal. The suggested three to one (3:1) compression setting is fairly standard, but it applies to well recorded audio. If your audio was poorly recorded compression will reveal all of the flaws.
 
ZazaCast said:
That should be a fine VO mic...one of the most used is the Sennheiser 416!
What are you recording to? Need a bit more info.....
Click to expand...

That's simply not true. Yes the 416 can be used in a pinch, and is used as a hand held sometimes in the field due to it's low handling noise, but it is not one of the most used VO mics. Large diaphragm condensers are the most used VO mics.

If one must use the NTG-2 (which I have as well) for VO:

• Leave the foam on.
• Possibly fashion some ladies stockings into a pop filter.
• Don't record with a reflective wall behind you. Get in the middle of the room (the bigger the room the better with shotgun mics), with a carpet under you, full bookshelf behind you, or a closet full of clothes. Create a dead environment.
• Try getting 8" - 12" away from the mic.
• Test it out and listen back before doing the actual recording.

Cheers
 
Thanks for help.
That audio compression sounds usefull, I'll try it in Vegas. Is there some other trick how to emphasize VO and help it stand out from the background?
 
ZazaCast said:
Basics (for me):
1. DEAD room. If you don't have one, make one using blankets thrown over a few mic stands.
Remember how you made forts as a kid? Same idea. The deader...the better. You can always add reverb. There's no such thing as a dereverb.
2. Pop screen. Store-bought or pantyhose streached over a needlepoint ring...you need something to save you from plosives.
3. Shotgun - I keep it about 8 inches, straight on (as you get off axis, the tone will change) to 20 degrees off so the bottom of the capsule is at the top of the upper lip.
4. If you have a compressor... 3:1 should do the trick (play with it).

Let her rip... again, this is just my input.
Click to expand...


So things like hanging blankets over stands etc and making the room as dead as possible may also be beneficial during interior interview situations...? depending on the location of course. Would it be worth the hassle/effort to make the room as dead as you can for interviews?

p.s i'm no sound guy! haha but tips are handy!
 
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finchy said:
So things like hanging blankets over stands etc and making the room as dead as possible may also be beneficial during interior interview situations...? depending on the location of course. Would it be worth the hassle/effort to make the room as dead as you can for interviews?
Click to expand...


Yes! The more dead the room is, the more you hear the voice only - not the echo off the walls. The echo is what makes audio sound amateur. Remember that bad audio will ruin a video project quicker than bad video. The less reflections you have on the voice - the more intelligible it is.
 
Chadfish said:
That's simply not true. Yes the 416 can be used in a pinch, and is used as a hand held sometimes in the field due to it's low handling noise, but it is not one of the most used VO mics. Large diaphragm condensers are the most used VO mics.
Click to expand...

This is why I don't like answering question here sometimes. Chadfish, you're wrong, plain & simple. The 416 is used all the time for VO's. Maybe this will shed some light: http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_recording_voiceover/

I've been an audio engineer for over 28 years. Owned, built and operated 3 different recording facilities and recorded/edited more VO's than I care to remember. Yes, I have a 1960 U47 long body that is just beautiful...and have used it for VO's....when James Earl Jones came in for his session, he brought his own CAD E100... but I & many, many others have used the 416 forever. A good friend of mine and professional VO artist ONLY used a 416. Perhaps you've heard his voice on the countless Publisher's Clearing House spots or on NOVA for the last 9 years? (http://www.voice-overs.net/flash_index.htm)

Either way, you need to do a little more reseach before shoot someone down.
The Sennheiser 416 IS a standard VO mic used by many to this day. Is it the correct mic for EVERY voice out there? ...no. Is it only used 'in a pinch'? ...also no. You always need to choose wisely and let your ears be the judge.

Go forward Hellboy and use your shotgun... all will be fine!:happy:
 
Just wanted to note that a cheap pop screen is $20-$30 (with a handy gooseneck arm) and a lot less trouble than DIY panty hose or whatever.
 
ZazaCast said:
This is why I don't like answering question here sometimes. Chadfish, you're wrong, plain & simple. The 416 is used all the time for VO's. Maybe this will shed some light: http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_recording_voiceover/

I've been an audio engineer for over 28 years. Owned, built and operated 3 different recording facilities and recorded/edited more VO's than I care to remember. Yes, I have a 1960 U47 long body that is just beautiful...and have used it for VO's....when James Earl Jones came in for his session, he brought his own CAD E100... but I & many, many others have used the 416 forever. A good friend of mine and professional VO artist ONLY used a 416. Perhaps you've heard his voice on the countless Publisher's Clearing House spots or on NOVA for the last 9 years? (http://www.voice-overs.net/flash_index.htm)

Either way, you need to do a little more reseach before shoot someone down.
The Sennheiser 416 IS a standard VO mic used by many to this day. Is it the correct mic for EVERY voice out there? ...no. Is it only used 'in a pinch'? ...also no. You always need to choose wisely and let your ears be the judge.

Go forward Hellboy and use your shotgun... all will be fine!:happy:
Click to expand...

Sorry to upset you ZaZa. I'm pretty sure large diaphragm condensers are the "most used" VO mics still. I didn't say the 416 wasn't used. It is used a lot. I know it's used a lot in LA by certain guys for certain voice types but not "all the time". I'm just saying there are possibly better choices like a U87 or TLM 103 maybe. The 103 is even cheaper than the 416. My taste doesn't draw me to the 416, so I don't consider it for VO, but more for it's usual purpose on a boom pole. I am impressed that you recorded James Earl Jones. Did you do the location audio and/or mixing on "An Enchanting Twist of Peccadilloes"?
 
hellboy80 said:
I'm recording voiceovers for lowbudget TV program at my flat with Rode NTG2.
Click to expand...

He's using a Rode NTG2...wasn't asking what mic he should use.

Chadfish said:
Sorry to upset you ZaZa. I'm pretty sure large diaphragm condensers are the "most used" VO mics still. I didn't say the 416 wasn't used. It is used a lot. I know it's used a lot in LA by certain guys for certain voice types but not "all the time".
Click to expand...

....don't be ridiculous...you know what I meant. (and they are used a lot, like you said :smile:)

I'm just saying there are possibly better choices like a U87 or TLM 103 maybe. The 103 is even cheaper than the 416. My taste doesn't draw me to the 416, so I don't consider it for VO, but more for it's usual purpose on a boom pole. I am impressed that you recorded James Earl Jones. Did you do the location audio and/or mixing on "An Enchanting Twist of Peccadilloes"?
Click to expand...

Again the OP said he's using the NTG2... just wanted to know how to get the best VO he could.

Enchanting Twist... no I was running the camera, Tim was booming (see credits).
 
And what about recording level on my camera? The instruction manual says: "adjust the audio recording level so that the audio level meter will go to the right of the -12 dB mark only occasionally". Is this ok?
 
Ideally would go through a mixer like a JuicedLink, set to "mic" level, which is how the HV20 is. But even without you should start by following the instructions you sited. Listen for hiss. If you turn a camera's recording level up too much you start to introduce noise. Try setting it at 50% and get that audio into your computer and turn it up. Keep your monitors up so you can hear every nuance. I have an HV20 and an NTG-2, though I only record audio using a mixer. Without one you kinda just get what you get.

On my PMW-EX1 I have a "trim" control that adjusts the mic level before it hits the preamps, giving me much more control over noise levels. If you don't have it - don't worry about it.
 
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