21st August 2012
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#1 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter  | Tips for minimizing sickness in narration/VO?
Hi,
I have, unfortunately, been handed some narration tracks that were recorded with a famous actor who was at various stages of having a head cold (from totally healthy > totally sick > getting better but still nasal & hoarse)
Re-recording, as is typical, is NOT an option for both schedule (delivery & the actor) and budget reasons.
I was hoping someone out there might have some tips they've used to help minimize the problems.
I've been playing with some plugs but haven't settled on anything yet. I have had some luck minimizing the overall sound differences between the sick and the healthy using DSM and then C6 narrowly acting on the more-nasal sounding words/phrases. This has helped with some of the issue but leaves the tracks sounding really thin... and, to add to the misery, this is a fairly sparse piece with not much in the way of music, backgrounds, etc.
any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!
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"You only have a certain amount of headroom with Pro Tools... if you start pushing it a little bit too hard it's starts squawking like a chicken, if you go too low, it starts squawkin', you have to work within a certain realm otherwise you get zapped either way!" - Tad Donley (2006)
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21st August 2012
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#2 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2009 Location: The O.C. |
If at all possible, ask to add music or fx for the distraction factor. After that, some notch filtering of the 'sick' voice - remember the congestion changes the sinus cavity resonance frequencies. I even used a little pitch shifting (up). Try the opposite to the 'well' voice - adding a couple peaks. A sore throat could also be masked with a de-Esser set for a lower frequency to pull some of the rasp out.
Good luck, and stay well yourself.
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21st August 2012
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#3 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter |
Thanks - I'll give the pitchshift and de-esser a try!
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21st August 2012
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#4 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jun 2002 Location: LA, USA  |
Other than some eq, you are Effed.
Why they even proceeded with the session is beyond me.
Instead of waiting for a couple,of days, they now will have crappy tracks for all of eternity.
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21st August 2012
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Finland
Posts: 3,952
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21st August 2012
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#6 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 102
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That sucks. Yeah, as said before. EQ and Try to hide the dialogue behind some sound effects or music so is not that noticeable
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21st August 2012
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Henchman  Other than some eq, you are Effed.
Why they even proceeded with the session is beyond me.
Instead of waiting for a couple,of days, they now will have crappy tracks for all of eternity. | They claim (although I have some reasons not to believe them) that they waited for a week but couldn't wait any further... the project has almost no MX/FX so hiding it won't be an option.
I've set my goal to minimize the differences between the days they recorded him - he get's better each day but never great - then let the absentee producer decide if he's ok with it
Again, I really appreciate the help and suggestions. not having fun  | |
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21st August 2012
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#8 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Finland
Posts: 3,952
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Of cource its how he performs but DSM can dynamically mimic last weeks tonality to today's -to a degree
Matti
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21st August 2012
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#9 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Matti Of cource its how he performs but DSM can dynamically mimic last weeks tonality to today's -to a degree
Matti | Thanks, yeah I've had some luck with DSM on all the tracks with C6 multiband on the worst of tracks pulling down some nasal... the combo works to some degree, it just leaves the audio thin. Maybe I'll try VOG afterwards?
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22nd August 2012
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#10 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Finland
Posts: 3,952
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Oops, didn't notice you did try already , then there are some eq´s that can steal the signature of a voice sampled and use it to the voice in handling fixed, but I feel its about where to sample as with DSM.
I hope there are long pauses between the narration to follow the visuals and hopefully
that helps to a degree -although the unconscious ear hears if something changes when not justfied
Matti
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22nd August 2012
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jun 2002 Location: LA, USA |
Sounds like the old "never time to do it right. Always time to do it over"
Wait till the mix, and they realize there's no magic "head cold unstuff" plugin.
And the possible drop in alts etc, are never gong to work.
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22nd August 2012
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#12 | | Guest |
automated dialog replacement (ADR) by the same voice talent after he's healed?
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22nd August 2012
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Henchman Sounds like the old "never time to do it right. Always time to do it over"
Wait till the mix, and they realize there's no magic "head cold unstuff" plugin.
And the possible drop in alts etc, are never gong to work. |
Yeah, I brought up that point too. As bad as it is already, if they do any pickups there is zero chance they will match and it will draw even more attention to the problems with the originals... maybe I should just leave their drive outside the back door and call them to come pick it up? 
thanks again.
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22nd August 2012
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#14 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2009 Location: The O.C. |
There's always the sound-alike route, through that's desperation time...
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22nd August 2012
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#15 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2007 Location: West Coast
Posts: 1,941
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill@AudioVision There's always the sound-alike route, through that's desperation time... | Ha! Maybe I should re-read it myself then tell them Good News/Bad News... I was able to remove nearly 100% of the sickness from his voice but it no longer sounds anything like him  | |
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22nd August 2012
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#16 | | Gear Head
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 65
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Well, it probably didn't really sound very much like him in the first place, so.... :-/
I'd prolly do some declicking as well to get rid of the b's and d's where there should be m's and n's.... clearing his dose, as it were...
Poor bugger. I hope they paid him well - and you even better! 
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