READING & WRITING
Sonicbids Blog: 7 Secrets of Getting Pro-Sounding Vocals on Home Recordings
In this blog, Filippo Gaetani, discusses how to get professional, studio-quality sound for your vocals, even if you’re recording in your bedroom or garage. It’s like a guide to making your voice sound cleaner and clearer with just a few smart techniques—no need to spend a ton on fancy equipment. The blog goes into things like choosing the right spot in your room, setting up the microphone properly, and making sure background noise isn’t sneaking into your recording.
One tip is to put up a blanket or even pillows around your mic setup to absorb sound reflections. This prevents your voice from bouncing around the room and sounding echoey, which can make a recording sound less polished.
Another tip is to do several takes. This approach allows your vocals to warm up and also ensures you’re more comfortable delivering the content, whether it be narration or a song.
Yet another tip is to also be careful when editing your vocal track(s). Overediting can lead to unnatural sounding vocals and even weirder pitch issues which remove the “personality” of the content.
Videomaker Blog: Sound Advice: Editing Audio for Video
This blog discusses blending audio and video so they match up nicely—because even the best visuals can feel amateurish if the sound is off. They begin by discussing A- and B-roll similar to video. In this instance, A-roll is the narration or dialogue of your scene and B-roll is the supporting sounds like a stream trickling, or the song of the humming bird or buzzing bees, maybe its even traffic. Either way, just as you would in video, record a lot of B-roll audio. The article further breaks down the basics of syncing audio to video, getting rid of background noise, and balancing music with dialogue so nothing feels jarring or out of place. Essentially, they’re giving tips for editing sound so it enhances the visuals instead of distracting from them.
One helpful suggestion is using ducking, where background music volume is automatically lowered when someone is speaking or a sound effect (Sfx) is used. This way, the dialogue or Sfx isn’t drowned out by the music, which is especially useful if you’re editing an interview, dialogue scene or have an Sfx that enhances that moment of the story.
Another tip is to overlap the end of one track and the beginning of the next with subtle fade outs and fade ins. This will allow the track to transition smoothly and avoid jarring audio from one track to the next.
Another really important tip is once you think your done editing. Okay, you’ve completed your audio edits, now move onto the video edits, right? Wrong. Instead, take the time to close your eyes and listen through the entire video (end-to-end). This affords you the opportunity to listen for glitches, odd transitions, volume inconsistencies, etc.
The final tip mentioned is something used in Hollywood a lot. That is to export your entire audio file, apply some light compression and limit the equalization. According to the article, this will flatten the audio and add a professional sheen. Once that’s done, import the single audio file back into the video editor just below the original (editable) audio, mute the original, and BAM!, you have professional level audio.
Both blogs are packed with easy-to-follow advice, that will help even the most novice film and audio person!
RESEARCH TO INFORM
Sounds in Gaming
When I think of audio being used to elevate a story or move the imagery forward, I can only think of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo series. Each volume in the series is more intense, more real, and quite frankly draws you in. For instance, this latest installment in the series is Diablo IV Vessel of Hatred. As you can see in the opening clip, we hear the water before we even see the person in the vessel, then we here the sound of flies and eerie sound of the jungle environment. Then at about 10 seconds in, we hear a single voice singing a familiar song Behind Blue Eyes from the Who. Anyway, as the trailer continues, the singer is accompanied by music, sound effects from evil are heard and seen as it begins to take hold on the neighboring lands as the vessel passes. Throughout the trailer, we hear and see various sound effects but all the music and sound effects don’t distract but add to the imagery of the trailer.
Sounds in Movies – Guardians of the Galaxy
Known for its lively soundtrack, this film uses dynamic ducking to balance music with dialogue seamlessly. In scenes where characters interact amid blaring ‘70s and ‘80s hits, the music is subtly pulled back to let conversations shine. For action-packed sequences, vocal clarity is maintained even as explosions and sound effects fill the scene, making it a prime example of smart audio layering.
Sound in Movies – Skyfall
In this Bond film, audio techniques are masterfully used to build suspense and showcase intense action. Scenes like the shootout in the Scottish Highlands use ducking to highlight dialogue and gunfire without either overpowering the other. EQ and noise control add a layer of crispness that ensures every sound is intentional and immersive.
CREATE
If you’ve been following along, last week I mentioned about producing a podcast on special effects (Sfx) masks. Below is the finished debut episode of the Forge & Foundry Chronicles: Episode 1 – Unmasking Specials Effects Creations. Go ahead, give a listen. This production used many tools and resources like Envato Elements for background music and Sfx, Audition for editing and producing, and a Rode Wireless Pro Lavalier mic for recording. My original Rode NT USB+ while it worked was located in a basement with mixed space (cinder block and plaster walls, concrete floor, and an open space).
Citations
Gaetani, F. (n.d.). 7 secrets for getting pro-sounding vocals on Home Recordings. Sonicbids Blog – Music Career Advice and Gigs. http://blog.sonicbids.com/7-secrets-of-getting-pro-sounding-vocals-on-home-recordings
Videomaker. (2018, April 20). Sound advice: Editing audio for video. https://www.videomaker.com/article/c4/8862-sound-advice-editing-audio-for-video/