VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[JBarrett]

Following Frank's kind suggestions in the original thread, I'm posting an updated recording made on my new setup. The gear is as follows:

AKG Perception 400 condenser
PreSonus Inspire GT preamp/interface
Stedman ProScreen XL pop screen

And here are the clips....

Original
- standing about 5 to 6 inches from the mic, talking a little below normal volume, with the gain floored

Update
- gain reduced; talking about 4 inches from the mic at a more normal volume. I also left some "dead space" at the end of this version so you can hear the ambient sound of my "booth" (our walk-in closet).

The signal chain is simple: AKG to Inspire, and Inspire to MacBook via firewire. Used the Inspire onscreen interface to set gain, and recorded in Audacity. In both cases, I'm talking straight into the mic through the pop filter, and there is no post-processing.

I would love to hear thoughts on the overall sound quality. What is needed to take this sound to an appropriate quality level for professional work? Do I need to play with EQ? Compression? Is there too much sibilance? Do I need to pad the closet more? What can I do to improve my mic technique to kill the remaining pops? Anything at all that comes to mind, throw it at me. Thanks!
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[Frank F]

Much nicer sound.

One question, how are you using the mic? Head on (directly in front of you at mouth level)? Is it placed at a side angle more toward the nose, or what?

Also do you really need the screen? If you place the mic where it points at an angle toward your nose (off axis) you probably will not need a pop filter. Unless, of course you are a spitter, where you need one to keep you mic dry... LOL.

The noise floor is very good, the pumping (for the most part) has disappeared. This is a much cleaner, more solid, and fuller sound for your voice.

Good luck,

Toodles

Frank F
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[JBarrett]

Thanks again for the listen, Frank. I'm especially grateful considering the early hours of your posts in both cases. Much appreciated!

As indicated in my message, I was talking head-on to the mic. In one of many tests I ran last night while trying new options, I did try talking at about a 30- to 45-degree angle across the front of the mic with no pop screen, still with the mic at mouth level. However, it lost too much of the high end IMO, so I went back to the straight-on approach.

As for the pop screen, I'm no spitter. Just need it to manage the airflow from those pesky plosives. I'll run some more tests at different angles without the screen and see what comes from that.

You said that the pumping was mostly gone. What is it in the recording that indicates pumping? I need to train my ears as well as my mouth, but I'm not sure what to listen for.

It just occurred to me that my orientation in my closet-booth might impact the sound as well, so here's a little more info about the space. It's a 5x6 closet, with fairly solid walls of clothes on the shorter sides, and a few things on the one longer side that doesn't have the door. There are shelves above the clothes racks, and they're pretty full of irregularly-shaped things that would keep the sound from hitting the bare walls. The ceiling and door are bare. When I'm recording, I'm facing away from the door, talking kinda toward the back-left corner. Would it help to adjust my orientation in this space, perhaps to talk more directly toward one of the clothing-walls?
_________________
Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/