Sitting a voiceover with music

[EssentialParadox]

Despite me knowing quite a bit about music engineering, it's quite embarrassing that I don't know how to get a voiceover to sit nicely over background music.

I've tried several times to do my best over the years, but it always ends up a juggle between the volume of the voice over and the music, and it never sounds like a television or TV ad voiceover. The music is either always too loud and drowns out the voiceover, or it's far too quiet compared to the voiceover.

What is the magic ingredient that I am missing?

 

[ceejay7777]

One way is to use eq as well as level adjustment. A notch at speech frequencies or a low-pass roll-off works wonders.

 

[EssentialParadox]

One way is to use eq as well as level adjustment. A notch at speech frequencies or a low-pass roll-off works wonders.

Thanks for the reply ceejay. Would you apply this only for the parts of the music with voiceover, or apply it throughout the length of the music?

 

[DadinWestchester]

How much do you compress the voice over the music bed? Do you recompress the whole thing? You have to experiment for the best effect. It's been a while, but 3:1 sounds familiar.

 

[ceejay7777]

Thanks for the reply ceejay. Would you apply this only for the parts of the music with voiceover, or apply it throughout the length of the music?

Depends on 1) how much of the total has the v/o and 2) the music itself.

1) I've found when doing 30sec retail commercials, there is virtually no time when the music is by itself as there are so many words to fit in - so I leave the eq in place throughout. On a more leisurely piece, I tend to use automation and only apply the eq when ducking the music for voice.

2) Some music - particularly synth pads - works just as well with the eq in place throughout, particularly if there is a nat sound or FX track carrying the audio between v/os.