[ This article was first published in the August, 2008, issue of
Larry’s Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe. ]
Ben Balser sent in his thoughts on my recent article on the voice-over tool:
I’d like to add to the Voice Over discussion. The single best investment you can make to achieve great VO quality recordings is a “real” studio quality microphone.
I encounter so many videographers who use “OK” mics, get “OK” quality, and think it’s “great” quality, which it isn’t. Most video editors are just that, “video” editors, not sound engineers. A really good quality mic will make a world of difference. I personally use the Sennheiser e865 for studio use, and the e835 for hand held field use. Any mic of this quality will give you so much more for your sound dollar.
The other two pieces of hardware I really love, which give me much better VO work is a pop filter (comes on a flexible goose neck mount), and the sE Electronics Reflexion Filter. The Reflexion is pricey, and pretty high tech for sound work, but it gives me drastically improved sound both in the studio and in the field. Many recording studios and famous musicians use this, even inside the sound controlled recording studio. If you have the bucks, the Reflexion is very worth the money for “serious” voice recording.
But the mic and pop filter are the two best investments, beside education. I hear so many voice recordings by videographers that are too bass heavy, too thing, just plain off, when a tiny bit of sound education would make drastic improvements. Learn sound from sound engineers, learn video from video engineers, that’s my firm belief. But then, I was working in audio recording studios as a semi-pro composer for many years before I ever got into video work.
Larry replies: Thanks, Ben, for the feedback.
