Sunday, December 30, 2007

OK...Let's Test the VO Mic Box.

Someone wisely asked, "how about letting us hear a test of the Portable VO Mic Box you built." Good idea.

When I use the the box, I will most likely use the Sennheiser MKH 416 because of its narrow focus on the sound. That may not be a fair test of the box to use it. So for this test, I grabbed a larger diaphram condenser that's more sensitive to ambient sounds.
We added compression to the test because compression usually enhances any room noice. So you will hear both takes--without and with compression.

VO Mic Box Test and scroll to the bottom.

If you didn't see how we made the simple Portable VO Mic Box, it's two blog post back.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Even the Really Good can grow and Discover New Opportunities

You may have noticed a very unusual mic comparison on the VO Mic Test Page (it's near the bottom of the page). Rarely do we get to share in a compadre's revelation or discovery because sometimes we may not want the "whole" story to get out. It's that trade secrets thing.
But listen to this. One of the most unselfish people I know is Bob Souer. He regularly shares VO knowledge with anyone that ask, and he has a lot of knowledge to share. Is he talented? Well, my wife gave out DVDs for Christmas to relatives that featured Bob on narration. Wait a minute, I produced an entire series for her with me doing the narration....and she didn't give any of those out!
Back to that test. I told Bob I thought he would make any mic sound good, but I thought he would really go off the scale with a few particular models if he had the chance to try them.
Well, he tried some. And he purchased that Sennheiser MKH416 P48 from John Weeks.
Here's the telling of the tale. He recorded voice audio with both his old AT 4033 and his new MKH416 by splitting the channels so he could test both mics with one read. It's a true comparison.
Most all of us that know Bob know that he has done remarkable work with the AT 4033, but watch out now.

There are some exciting things coming in the Voiceover and Broadcast worlds concerning new microphones. That's all I am allowed to say right now. But keep watching the trades and web for announcements at the upcoming NAMM convention in a couple of weeks. I would like to get Bob Souer up to our test studio to let his fabulous tones give some of the new product a workout.
Stay tuned.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

It's in the BAG.

While we are waiting for our next mic test, let me update you on a voiceover project from a while ago. I think it was Harlan Hogan that suggested and demonstrated how using a collaspable storage box/bag stuffed with acoustic foam can be an excellent portable vocal booth when traveling.
I purchased the "Whitmor Collapsible Cubes" for $9.99 for a Two-Pack. They are available at Target…or on-line here.

You know what? It really sounds good. Here's a pic:

Friday, December 21, 2007

What!!! USB Mics May Become the Standard!!

When we posted the test of the Blue Snowball USB mic from Steve Anthony, a lot of you called or emailed wanting more information on other USB mic possibilities. I was surprised. Maybe I should have realized that lots of you are looking for a portable solution to hook-up to your laptop on the road. But what about quality?
My buddy, Jim Krusula of CBS News does his reports on the road and I check with him regularly to see what advances the big networks come up with to solve remote recording.
But the newest revelation did not come from Jim—it came from Roy Harper of Marshall Electronics—you know—MXL Microphones.
In a press release from this past November:


NBC 5 / TELEMUNDO CHICAGO’S NEWS EDITING OPERATIONS STREAMLINED WITH MXL USB MICROPHONES
Plug and Play connectivity makes re-recording of voice tracks easy

Chicago, IL… For any broadcast news operation, nothing is of greater importance than delivering the news accurately and in timely fashion. For the photographers and reporters of Chicago’s WMAQ-TV NBC 5 and WSNS Telemundo—owned and operated by NBC Universal—re-recording the voice tracks to accompany video shot in the field was a cumbersome procedure that was inhibiting the entire news gathering/editing process. For Edward S. Mann, Manager, Technical Operations, News for the veritable Chicago stations, there had to be a better way. There was, and he found the solution with MXL’s USB.006 USB/Cardioid Condenser Microphone, of which he ultimately purchased 39 units.

The NBC and Telemundo stations are switching to digital news acquisition in the field. While the stations still have tape-based cameras, they are now also recording onto digital storage devices, which then connect to laptop editors that facilitate non-linear editing in the field. To expedite the transfer of content, the laptops are equipped with air cards that enable the crew to wirelessly send the video back to the station.

According to Mann, who manages the stations’ technical aspects of gathering and editing news material for daily programs and is also in charge of equipment procurement, “An ongoing challenge was the process our crews would use when re-recording voice tracks on location. They would have to stop editing on the laptop and re-connect a camera to the computer so they could record the voice track on tape, which would then be fed back into the computer. Having to constantly disconnect the editing equipment in order to re-connect the cameras just to capture the voice tracks was not only time consuming, it was causing failures in the editing process. After contending with this situation for entirely too long, we decided to try some USB microphones.”

With the MXL USB.006 USB/Cardioid Condenser Microphone, connecting to a laptop computer is an effortless task. Rather than having to interface the microphone via an XLR connector and a separate microphone preamplifier—as is the case with conventional cardioid condenser microphones—the USB.006 makes its connection via a standard USB plug, without requiring any special drivers.

“With our MXL mics,” said Mann, “we now connect directly to the laptop computers and record straight onto the timeline of our non-linear editing software. It’s just amazing how well these mics are working in the field. The process of re-tracking the voice had been a failure point in the news editing process for quite some time due to the constant disconnecting and re-connecting of the camera. With these USB microphones, it’s a night and day difference that makes the entire process smoother—enabling our reporters to do better work faster. Our new microphones enable us to streamline the news edits from the field and get the information back to the station and on the air.”

In addition to improving the efficiency of the news division’s workflow, Mann is equally enthusiastic about the sound quality of the MXL microphones and believes they offer a viable, cost-effective solution for this type of broadcast application. “During our evaluation,” Mann said, “we tested three USB microphones side-by-side and the MXL USB.006 was significantly better than the others. The audio quality is very good—comparable to what we achieve in the studio. We’re very happy with our purchase and I’ve conveyed my enthusiasm to other stations in the group.”

About the MXL USB.006 USB/Cardioid Condenser Microphone
Featuring a 20 Hz-20 kHz frequency response, the MXL.006 microphone incorporates a gold diaphragm, pressure-gradient condenser capsule, and a 3-position, switchable attenuation pad with settings for Hi (0 dB), Medium (-5 dB), and Lo (-10 dB), making it easy to configure the microphone to virtually any sound source. The microphone’s digital section features a 16-bit Delta Sigma A/D converter with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. Protecting the instrument’s capsule is a heavy-duty wire mesh grill. Located behind the grill is an LED that informs the user the microphone is active and correctly oriented.

About MXLAs the professional audio division of Marshall Electronics, MXL is a leading manufacturer of professional audio products for the music recording, broadcast, post production, and live sound markets. Additional information on the USB.006 USB/Cardioid Condenser Microphone and all MXL microphones can be found at
www.mxlmics.com.

OK….sounds good, but—how good is the MXL USB’s on Voiceovers? We plan on finding out soon. We plan on testing the bigger MXL USB 008 very soon. This model is getting rants and raves from folks I know and respect.

Also coming…..How about a Neumann TLM103 killer…at a third of the price. Stay tuned. VoMicTests Page

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Wrapped Up in Cables.

Posted on the VO-BB site:
I am always thankful for good service and advice. I needed new mic cables. Redco was highly recommended so I sent them a note:


Quote from me to Redco:
"I need two balanced mic lines. One for my home VO studio from phantom pre-amp to my large condenser mic or my Sennheiser 416. 20ft. I would like higher quality if it makes a difference. XLR-F/M. The other line I need is for on-location TV shoots. 25ft, XLR F/M. Hand-held dynamic to camera, or Sennheiser 416 (phantom powered) to camera...often on boom pole. I would like this line to be easy to handle and durable."

Quote from Redco to me:
"For the mic lines I would recommend the Gotham Audio GAC-3, very good high quality cable. I would recommend our TGS-QD Quad mic cable for the boom pole cable. It is flexible, but has a durable jacket and sleeving. Thanks, Chris Stubbs Redco Audio P800-572-7280
chris@redco.com"

I would have never believed that mic line could make such a difference. It is an obvious difference. My old line was the regular grade we all used for years. I understand that Gotham used to be the house brand for Neumann and it's great. The TGS-QD is Redco's house brand and it is made from Canarae wire. The TGS is fantastic for the use I am putting it through. My videographer noticed an improvement the moment we used it. I guess my appreciative rant is more about improving sound quality with the right cable as much as the excellent service from Chris and Redco.


Willie,

I was cruising the VO-BB site and hit your comment on cables. I'm so with you on how critical cables are in the chain. I've done comparisons and they can make a world of difference, especially if you're going from ultra-cheap to quality Mogami or Canare. I started building my own a few years back. I'm a pretty regular Redco customer. The cable that seems to be the most cost effective for me is the Canare Quad Mic Cable (plus it comes in several colors). Neutrik connectors are pretty much standard fair through the studio.

I've heard the Blue cables are excellent along with Mogami.

When folks start thinking about putting the big bucks into a mic or mic pre, they'd be well advised to invest in quality cables, too.

Would a cable shootout border on (or cross over to) anal-retentive?

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks Steve.

Yes, judging the difference good cables make must be very subjective because so many "experts" will argue the point. Like you, I just know what sounds better to me. I would love for someone with the right test gear to do a comparison of any measurable differences between professional cables. I am sure there would be a noticeable difference between low-end and higher quality. I appreciate when companies like Redco tell you when the minute differences in various cable construction will make a difference for your particular needs.
Maybe someone can figure out a way to do that cable shoot-out. VoMicTest

Friday, December 14, 2007

Will it Play on the Radio?

Willie,
Do you think the Upgraded SP-1 would work for On-air Radio?

Eric,
Thanks for your note. Funny you should mention the SP-1 for On-air Radio use. I was just talking to one of my partners about that very subject. There is no doubt that the quality would be fantastic. Plus, the full frequency response could easily be equalized to match the station's particular processing standards. It would be really outstanding in the production room. Most stations like to match the sound of each "room" (control, production, news, etc..) to be pretty similar and the SP-1 would be great for that.

My reservations against using the SP-1 for broadcast is the same for most condenser mics.
1. They need phantom power. (not really an issue)
2. The inherent fragility of the SP-1 in a broadcast invironment. (My experience with the SP-1 finds it a good build made of aluminum, but I sure wouldn't want it banged around or dropped. In a controlled environment, they should be fine.)

However, You can get eight SP-1s (or two of the Upgraded versions) for the same price of your basic Electrovoice RE-20 or Shure SM7b. If one breaks (notice I did not say die, because Jim Williams assured us the new electronics should last 30 years in ours) You just pull out another. (and repremand whoever broke the first one.) We might try one in a broadcast studio in the next couple of weeks to give it a trial by fire. I'll let you know.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

"It'll be a Blue Snowball in Hell....

...before I use a USB mic for voiceover." Wait a minute. Not so fast. Steve Anthony thought we would get a kick out of hearing the Blue Microphones' Snowball. He uses it mostly for Skype calls, but you know what, Steve makes it sound pretty good. Of course, Steve sounds great in his "narration" voice and can make anything sound great.
We get a lot of comments about using USB mics and how easy they could make the voiceover process, especially on the road. I'm not sure we have heard one with the quality or versatility we ultimately need. But they are getting close.
What do you think? What is your experience? How come MXL has so many USB choices?
Stay tuned.
Vo Mic Tests