Voice Work, NON-pro 'talent', female..EQ question

[manthe]

I have begun recording on a CD that is being put together by local teachers. It is a CD for children. It will be mostly reading stories, vocal instruction of 'fun' activities and a few children's songs. The songs are for later.

Right now I've begun tracking the 'voice work' for the stories and activities. This is not professional VO talent. That is not what they want at all. I experimented with several setups WRT mics and preamps. It came down to a choice between the EV RE20 with either my Symetrix 528-E or my LA-610. Ultimately, the LA-610 won out for its intimacy and the low EQ shelf sounded a lot better on the female's voice, and the opto compressor in limiter mode sounded EXCELLENT with just a *touch* of compression.

I tried very hard to get it 'perfect' on the way in. I got very, very close, but there is still just a little-bit of 'mid-range boxiness' going on. It is subtle, but I hear it...and it is enough to annoy me.

It sounds like I need to scoop it just a little bit, but I really don't want to put anything on that will effect the awesome intimacy and 'warmth' i already have. The LA-610 does not have a mid-band on the EQ...that would be perfect, of course.

I do not have a lot of experience with VO stuff. What do you VO people use for EQing (subtly) voice work? I am looking for a wide range of ideas. I have a bunch of software stuff (all UAD-1 EQs, SSL Duende, PSP VW, Sonitus EQ, etc), I also have a few outboards (several channel strips plus VP Maxi-Qs and a Peavey Q431, 31-band).

I may be getting a lot more of this type of stuff, so a good VO EQ might be worth the investment (if I don't already own it!). I have not had a chance to play with the ones I have yet. I was thinking that the 31-band graphic might be a good option.

Any tips?

Thanks!

[cubivore]

as far as eq, i normally leave that for post. if you can monitor things going in, then strive for the best sound at that stage. if you're getting boxiness when you go to mix it could be the actor was totally off-mic or it's the room subtleties you couldn't hear during tracking. the latter is usually my problem and have found that (for me) narrowly notching around 250Hz and 500Hz takes out all the mud and boxiness. for most people you can still add some 1-2K and maybe some 7-8k if you like. for this sort of stuff, going with plugins is usually the most efficient way since you don't have to make the talent sit there while you're trying to get the right 'sound'. as you do more VO stuff you'll eventually know what you can and can't fix later.

my process is usually compress on the way ITB. then eq, de-ess, compress, and compress some more. render. YMMV

[manthe]

Thanks a lot! This helps! I think you are definitely on to something
re: room subtleties. We had to do several takes to get the performer to:

A - stop putting her head down when reading the script

B - stop fidgeting (swiping hands on pants, flicking fingernails, etc...all noisy and bleeding through!)

I did not hear the boxiness while tracking. Fortunately, during rehearsal takes, I found a sweet spot at 7k and bumped it a few DB. That really brought out the definition of the words and added a really nice crispness.

I'll try your suggestion...notching 250 and 500. At this point, it seems like plug-ins will do the trick. Though, the 31-band graphic outboard might do well...I just fear what a round trip through DA/AD (and the character of the given line drivers) might do to the otherwise great tone.

Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by cubivore

as far as eq, i normally leave that for post. if you can monitor things going in, then strive for the best sound at that stage. if you're getting boxiness when you go to mix it could be the actor was totally off-mic or it's the room subtleties you couldn't hear during tracking. the latter is usually my problem and have found that (for me) narrowly notching around 250Hz and 500Hz takes out all the mud and boxiness. for most people you can still add some 1-2K and maybe some 7-8k if you like. for this sort of stuff, going with plugins is usually the most efficient way since you don't have to make the talent sit there while you're trying to get the right 'sound'. as you do more VO stuff you'll eventually know what you can and can't fix later.

my process is usually compress on the way ITB. then eq, de-ess, compress, and compress some more. render. YMMV