Ricebug on 11/5/2013 at 12:59

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I was just over on the FM forum, and I see that some folks were bitching about a problem that comes up every now and then, i.e., sound files that are hard to understand. Specifically, conversations, where folks don't have access to professional equipment or voice actors.

I'd like to offer whatever help I can in this area. I have a recording studio in my home. Barring sending you a Rode mic, I can take your file and run it through a hardware- or software-based processor and clean it up. PM me if you're interested. Having been involved in studio recording most of my life, here are couple of tips for those home-grown recordings:


* What sounds good on your system may not necessarily sound good on all systems. Throw it on a CD and play it on your car stereo, a boombox, a neighbor's stereo. This will give you an indicator if there are problems with it--tinny, boomy, nasal, etc.
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* Record the voice so it sounds like it was done in a sound booth--no room artifacts, no reverb, no wife banging pots and pans downstairs. A heavy blanket thrown over the voice actor and microphone can work wonders when you don't have a $20,000 booth.
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* Use effects (reverb, chorusing, etc) like salt on food. A little is good. Don't overdo it. ALWAYS save your original untouched recording as a "dry" file. Keep it in a safe place in case your effects didn't work out so well.
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* Always do your recording "flat." IOW, don't add bass or treble to make it sound good while you're doing the recording.

On the other side of the issue are those players who like to run Thief through equalized and reverbed sound cards "because it sounds cool." Sometimes they have trouble making out those homemade conversations.

Sliptip on 11/5/2013 at 14:05

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Excellent suggestions Ricebug! :thumb:

The only thing I'd add to that list is that I find most voice recordings found in FM's would benefit from some compression! I find it really helps the dialoge sit above all the background sounds. But as Ricebug pointed out, only if your wife isn't banging pots in the background! :)

Child Of Karras on 12/5/2013 at 22:47

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Compression and equalization are the only things that should be done to voice files. Also: compare them to the standard voice files. If they sound like the same engineer has worked on them they will fit well in the mix ingame.

ocn on 13/5/2013 at 06:43

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Sound is so incredibly important for immersion. This is an offer we cannot refuse. Thanks, Ricebug.

EDITED ADDITION: Another tip would perhaps be to try and situate important conversations in areas where voices recorded under different conditions can be made to sound more like they're in the same locale. It always throws me off when they sound too different. Through the use of for example cam vator sequences, the conversation can almost be viewed as a seperate artistic entity where it is more forgiving to suddenly add subtle effects (like reverb if it's in a hall for instance) too make things more coherent.

Yandros on 22/7/2013 at 11:35

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Well, it depends on the schemas I suppose. Theoretically if all the files are included under at least one schema, they will all be played eventually. Although some schemas are oriented around events which don't occur very often, making them much less frequent than, say, your idle comments and mutterings.