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While this resulting frequency response may look very ragged, in actuality our hearing systems tend to average out and largely gloss over these subtle, myriad cancellations and reinforcements, and instead may perceive this as a not unpleasant coloration of the sound in a casual listening environment.

However, a recording studio is not a casual listening environment. For example, we depend on what we hear in the control room to make important decisions about the way the sounds in a recording blend and balance. We need to hear exactly what’s in the recording, not a “pleasantly colored” reproduction. Consequently, we need to exert some degree of control over any such effects that impact the neutrality of the monitoring environment.

With all this knowledge under our hats, it is time to look at another fundamental (excuse the pun) aspect of acoustics: how we hear. Next time: a crash course in how our ears and brains interpret sound. See you then!

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

By Dan Friedman

Why am I writing this blog post? Because I want to remind you to take the time to stop and consciously ask yourself, “why?”.  “Why?” is a question that we often forget to ask ourselves as we go about our day or do our jobs. Typically, we either know the answer (or think we do) based on past experience or we simply do what we always do out of habit. We also have a tendency to do things because someone told us to, but without asking ourselves why doing what they said is the right thing to do. Taking the time to ask and answer this simple question can be very enlightening. It can also help you make better decisions about gear, deliveries, production and maybe even your life… but today, we’ll just focus on your career.

If your shopping for new gear ask yourself:

Why do I need new gear?
Why am I considering this microphone?
Why do I like this mic preamp?

If your in the booth reading a script ask yourself:

Why am I using this emphasis or these inflections?
Why is this the direction that has been given?
Why is this the right delivery?

If you are doing editing and production ask yourself:

Why am I using several compressors, 2 EQs and a limiter on this channel?
Why does this take sound better than that other one?
Why will this music bed work better than another one?

If you are directing, writing or preparing for a voiceover session ask yourself:

Why is this the right voice for my production?
Why don’t I try reading this out loud and use a stopwatch to see if it fits in time?
Why is this talent taking 42 takes to read my :05 tag?

Sometimes the answer is obvious and you can answer the question of “why?” easily. Sometimes it leads to more questions. Either way, taking the time to consciously ask often produces more definitive answers and ultimately greater awareness. While we rarely stop and take the time to ask ourselves this most basic question, doing so can often change the way we look at what we do and how we do it. It keeps us thinking, growing and improving. Why would anyone question that?

Recording Magazine sends out a newsletter to its subscribers every few weeks. The newsletter is (coincidentally) titled “Sound Advice” and this month it features the first in a series about room acoustics. As you will read, room acoustics is one of the biggest concerns for Recording Magazine readers. I know that this is also a big issue for those of you in the voiceover world. So, I asked permission to reprint this newsletter (and will ask to reprint the others in the series as well) so that those of you with home studios can also benefit from the information. I want to personally thank Brent Heintz, VP/Associate Publisher for granting permission, allowing me to share this great information with you.

Please visit Recording Magazine‘s website:

http://www.recordingmag.com

and their Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RecordingMag/174861759224348

Here is the newsletter:

Welcome to Sound Advice on Acoustics! In a recent survey of our readership, the number one answer to the question, “What do you feel most limits the quality of your home recordings?” was “Room acoustics.” There’s a lot to learn about the subject of acoustics, and the more you know, the more tricks you can master to get your room sounding its best.

New York-based producer/engineer Joe Albano brings us the first installment of a multipart primer on acoustics to get this newsletter started, and over the coming months we’ll bring you all kinds of useful information on acoustics! Here we go…

***

We’ll start our look at acoustics by briefly reviewing the basics of how sound works.

Sound is created by vibrating objects like guitar strings, drum heads, vocal cords, or loudspeakers; it travels through the air in waves. The waves are alternating areas of higher and lower air pressure; everything we do to control the sound of a room boils down to managing what happens to those waves as they move around the room.

When we talk about a sound wave or audio signal, it has some properties that we’ll need to understand.

1. There’s its amplitude (what we perceive as “loudness”). This is measured indecibels or dB. The decibel is a relative measure of loudness, and needs a reference point to have an absolute value (we talk about 0 dB Full Scale in digital audio all the time, for example). In acoustics, we’re usually talking about dB SPL or Sound Pressure Level, from the threshold of human hearing at 0 dB SPL all the way up to very loud sounds above 100 dB SPL.

2. There’s its frequency, or how many times per second the wave compresses air; it’s measured in wave cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). We say that the A above middle C has a frequency of 440 Hz.

3. There’s its waveshape. All sound waves are made up of a combination of basic simple waves called sine waves. There’s the lowest frequency wave, thefundamental, and then a mix of higher-frequency information blended into it calledovertones. Every sound has a different blend of overtones over time; that’s what makes a flute playing a C sound different than a horn or guitar playing the same note.

Some overtones are multiples of the fundamental—if the fundamental is at 55 Hz, there may be overtones at 110, 220, 440, etc.. These overtones are called harmonics. Other overtones are inharmonic, without this clear relationship to the fundamental. We hear them as clangorous or noisy, like the attack of a ringing bell or the chiff of breath on a flute.

4. There’s its wavelength… how long a distance you can measure between the start of one wave and the start of the next. This is a really important property, because how a sound wave “fits” into a room has a direct bearing on how loud or controllable it is!

We can calculate the wavelength of any wave if we know its frequency and its speed; this applies to light waves, sound waves, any kind of wave. The formula is simple:

Speed = Frequency times Wavelength, so Wavelength is Speed divided by Frequency.

Now, we know the speed of sound in air at sea level; it’s 1130 feet per second (fps). So a sound wave’s wavelength in feet equals 1130 fps divided by the frequency in Hz.

Here’s a couple of examples: A low E on a guitar has a fundamental frequency of 82 Hz; its wavelength is 1130 / 82 = 13.8 feet. That’s a pretty long wave. Compare that with the highest C on a piano. Its fundamental frequency is 4000 Hz, so its wavelength is 1130 / 4000 = 0.28 feet, or a bit over 3 inches: a much shorter wave.

So, as you can imagine, when we play back music on loudspeakers or have a set of instruments playing in a room, there are all kinds of waves bouncing around at all kinds of wavelengths. When two of them happen to line up so that a high pressure area of one is at the same place as another high pressure area, the overall pressure will be still higher, i.e., the wave will be louder. And when two of them line up so that a high pressure area of one is at the same place as a low pressure area of another, they’ll partly cancel out and the wave will be softer.

In other words: in any given room where there’s sound, certain frequencies will be louder than you think they’d normally be, and certain frequencies will be softer. The room won’t be accurate in representing the actual sound being played, and if you track and mix in such a room then play your music back elsewhere, it won’t sound the way you think it should. Presto: you now know why acoustics and sound control in rooms is so important!

Next time, we’ll start to look at how these properties of sound combine to create real-world acoustic problems. See you then!

Since returning from Italy a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been dealing with a trademark issue regarding the name of my website. While I won’t express my thoughts about the need for this change or even get into the specifics, I will say that it is great to know that my book SOUND ADVICE – Voiceover From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective, my blog and my presence in the VO world are getting noticed. I greatly appreciate the kind and supportive messages I’ve received in response to the book and also my blog articles, both on my site and on the ProComm Voices website.

I want to take this opportunity to thank attorney and voice actor Rob Sciglimpaglia for his  help with the trademark issue. A couple of days before I left town, Rob “friended” me on Facebook. I didn’t know Rob, but I knew of him. I had read some of his postings on various voiceover related forums and websites. As fate will have it… Rob’s timing could not have been better. When I returned from my trip, waiting for me, was a letter informing me of the trademark issue. I immediately contacted Rob. He was very helpful, friendly and responsive throughout the whole process. It is nice to know that there is an attorney who not only understands the legal issues related to our business, but also actively participates in it as a voice talent.

Change is a certainty in life. Although we don’t always get to choose when a change happens or becomes necessary, it still often leads to bigger and better things. With this in mind, I’m announcing that SoundAdviceVO.com is changing its name to Sound4VO.com and my facebook page, SoundAdvice – Voiceover, will also change to Sound4VO. Please make a note of these changes.

My mission (which remains the same) is to help voice talent everywhere sound their best and to effectively communicate the messages of my clients for whom I provide my voice. I look forward to helping voice actors with their equipment, studios, demos, and deliveries and also to sharing the knowledge I’ve gained from years of experience on both sides of the microphone with our industry. I love my job!

Gilbert Gottfried has tweeted himself out of a VO gig. Tasteless comments he posted on Twitter about the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan led Aflac to fire him as the voice of the Aflac Duck.

Once again this proves that in our brave new world of social networking, you must carefully consider everything you say and/or post. An online presence is essential for all businesses and that presence must be perceived as positive in order to succeed. There is no doubt that contemplating everything you say or write can be exhausting, but failing to do so can be disastrous. Also it is not just what you say, but when you say it. It is a universal truth that, in comedy, timing is everything. Clearly Gottfried’s statements were tasteless, but their timing even more so.

Gottfried is (arguably) a comedian. Comedians are expected to push the boundaries and we would probably not find many of them funny if they didn’t. However, he is also a celebrity voice talent who is closely associated with the Aflac brand. Anyone in a position such as this should feel some sense of responsibility and concern for their client. They should take into consideration how their client may be perceived when expressing a thought, opinion, or even making a “joke.”

“When it comes to social media, praise publicly… insult privately.” This is a phrase I was recently introduced to by my good friend Mercedes Rose. However, didn’t our Mom’s also say it best when they told us, “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say anything at all”?

ALSO Posted on The PROCOMM VOICES Blog

For a long time, I’d say the last couple of years at least, it seemed that the vast majority of scripts I was recording, mixing, or voicing were simple voice and music spots. Lately though, I’ve noticed more dialogs as well as scripts with interesting scenarios and an abundance of clever lines. To all of the writers and ad agencies out there who are responsible for this… let me express my gratitude. What a welcome change!

Every single aspect of this great business gets even better when creativity is injected into the process. Recording sessions are more fun as talent get to interact and react in response to one another or their lines. Mixing is more fun with greater opportunities for sound design. Most importantly, the spots are more interesting and attention-getting when on the airwaves. Naturally, the concept must be well executed, but that is for another article. I don’t think I’m out of line by suggesting that nearly everyone prefers to listen to a compelling or clever story rather than be told what to do, or worse, shouted at (just ask my kids).

During the last several weeks I mixed a spot for a bank that placed a character in a silo to demonstrate that people can truly do their banking from anywhere. I voiced a spot that included clever and relatable lines in response to a kid who couldn’t stop asking, “why?” I’ve worked on a hospital spot where a husband took the lead in helping his wife prepare for surgery. These are just a few examples out of many. While I haven’t done any scientific studies (although there probably are some), I’m convinced that people are more likely to turn up or tune in to a commercial if it offers more than just price points and deals. The VW commercial that premiered during this year’s Super Bowl is a perfect example. It is cute, it is compelling and it tells a story (okay, so it does not include voice over… nothing is perfect).

Today’s technology makes sound design easier and faster than ever. Therefore, creativity doesn’t have to cost a lot more. As a VO engineer and producer I love creating a scene with sound. As a voice over talent, I love to communicate the unspoken messages of a script just as much as the spoken ones. I don’t know of any producers or voice talent who would not prefer to fully utilize the skills they’ve developed in their craft. My guess is that, if you are a writer, being creative and clever to effectively communicate a message is equally rewarding. So, to those writers out there who are bringing creativity back… thank you! I encourage you to keep it up and I look forward to helping you and your clients sound great.

Today my 8yr old son had a VO gig. He’s been doing this since he was 5. In those early days, before he could read, I would sit in the booth with him, read the line and he would “parrot” the lines back to me the way I read them. These days… he’s almost entirely on his own.

Today was harder than most, probably because I was still involved. I think he tends to overdo it a little when I’m around. I sat behind the scenes on another session he did a couple of weeks ago, with another engineer, and he was nearly flawless. His interpretation was spot on from the very first take. I guess we really know how good are kids are, or maybe how good we’re doing as parents, by how they behave when they think we’re not looking.

Today’s job was a full 30 second spot where he had to say things like “free frozen” and “fifteenth”. He also had to say “particularly”. These words are a mouthful for some adult voiceover talent and especially for his (still) chubby cheeks. After only a few takes he began saying everything so well that the client and I decided to use some earlier takes simply because the stumbles were cuter.

What is probably most exciting though is hearing the progress he’s made over one year. He worked on this campaign last year as well. Today we updated one of the three spots he did last year (all full 30 second spots with him carrying the entire spot). Two of the three are being used again. After warming up a little, his interpretations came together quickly. He didn’t need nearly as many takes as last year and the editing took no more than a few minutes. He did a great job and the spot came out very nicely. Needless to say, I’m proud.

Although both of my son’s have been doing VO work, I’m pretty sure they won’t pursue it as a career and I’m not sure I would want them to. But I do want both of my sons to do what their daddy does… so I tell them, “do what you love and figure out a way to make a living at it.”

Speaking of my other son, my 6 year old wanted to know why he didn’t have a VO job today. He clearly understands this business pretty well already… don’t you think?

Dan

As I opened my Facebook page today I saw some great comments from a few of my new Faffcon friends.

Randye Kaye – “Dan Friedman your whole blog rocks! great advice for Vo directors, talents and engineers as well. will share the link.”

Mercedes Rose – “Immediately came home and adjusted all the settings in my studio. I sound even more brilliant. Didn’t even know that was possible. Thanks to you, ya golden nugget you.”

Loren Kling – “Dan, nice meeting you and great book so far. Was reading it on the plane and may have scored a future VO opportunity.”

THIS IS AMAZING STUFF! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I’ve got to be honest… I don’t normally hear these things. As voiceoverists, audio engineers and studio people in general we are all very isolated at times. We live in bubbles (that are kept cold, dark and are filled with pretty lights and fun knobs and faders to play with). Sure we sometimes get praised for the work that we do, usually when we are doing it… and that is great, but rarely does it continue beyond that moment.

I’ve been at ProComm Voices for nearly 10 years. Doing a great job is what is expected of me and what I expect from myself as well as my co-workers. Because we all routinely deliver on this promise, we rarely take the time to praise one another… it would almost seem silly to do so.

Praise sure does feel good though. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the things I had to say at Faffcon, or that my book, would be so graciously accepted. Subsequently, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would feel so good hearing what great results people are having because of something I said or wrote. Thank you so much for the positive feedback and please… do not hesitate to also let me know if you disagree with something or would like more information or clarification on anything in the book. I want to continue to provide the best and most useful information I can for our VO community.

Thanks again to everyone who I spoke to at Faffcon… but especially to my friends and co-workers at ProComm Voices. You all do a great job!

-Dan