VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[philsvoice]

I have a Shure SM27 mic. THere is a switch that allows for a low frequency cutoff (18 dB per octave at 80 Hz) to eliminate low frequency noise from HVAC systems. Are there any disadvantages in using this? Would it make the processing and engineering of the audio files more difficult somehow?

[Mike Sommer]

It's just a bass roll-off. There is nothing usable down in those frequencies for VO. If I'm compressing I use a 75Hz hipass filter anyway.

So the answer is - No.
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Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Jacob Ekstroem]

What Mike said. Most VO producers have the lowcut circuit permanently on, it's common practice.
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Jacob - Danish Voice Overs (try it... it sounds really funny, too!)

[Bill Campbell]

Many male VOs have a lot of content below 80 hz. You wouldn't want to remove the 50-80 hz part of James Earl Jones or Jeff Bridges for example.

I like to roll off beginning at 50 hz.

It would be safe to run the 80 HPF on all females, except maybe Bea Arthur (RIP).
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[Rob Ellis]

At any rate, a sweeping filter on a preamp IMO is better than most roll-offs on the mic.

I have yet to encounter a bass roll-off on a mic that didn't create an overly tinny and thin sound.

Possible exception, the RE-20.

[Mike Sommer]

[Bill Campbell]

"I have yet to encounter a bass roll-off on a mic that didn't create an overly tinny and thin sound."

I agree with Rob. Use your ears, not wikipedia.
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[Mike Sommer]

That's why I don't use the mics bass roll off.
Particularly with dynamic mics (if you look at the mic charts) like a Sure SM7B, you'll note the roll off begins at around or about 300Hz., wich will suck the low end timbre out of any voice. Bea Arthur included.
http://www.coutant.org/sm7b/index.html


So let's clarify. A mics roll-off switch is intended for when the mic is being used in adverse conditions; outdoors on a windy day, low end rumble, and the like.
It is not intended for "normal" studio conditions, or for the purpose of of preventing a compressor from "Pumping", as would be the intended purpose of engaging a hipass filter or a mixing board roll-off switch.

Oh, the Wiki chart post was for mere convenience of illustration of where the human voice fits on the frequency scale. Ted Cassidy would be on the low end of that scale.
_________________
The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[Lance Blair]

I'm a 50-60Hz roll off kind of guy. If you roll off at 80Hz and then the studio rolls off your file at 80Hz again, you're going to lose a little bit in that 60-80Hz area that I personally like...even if it is just the room resonating. In the real world, the voices we hear are resonating their environments.

Usually what I do for my corporate clients though is HPF at 80 or even 100Hz (perhaps even 150Hz if it's for low-res)...and then with graphic EQ in AA3 aboslutely annihilate everything under 60Hz.

I greatly prefer the HPF on my preamps to my mic HPF, but the one on my Studio Projects SP5 is effective and doesn't make the sound thin (also, it has 50, 75, 150, and 300 Hz settings).
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[philsvoice]

THanks for your input everyone. So looks like using the bass rolloff on the mic may not be the best idea. However, I have an M-AUdio Firewire interface rather than a pre-amp with a filter. In that case, can I simply use the high pass filter in my recording software? ARe there any disadvantages to doing this?

Phil

[Mike Sommer]

[philsvoice]

THanks you Mike, I appreciate all your input!