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Is a shotgun mic a sound choice for voice over ? If so, what about the Sennheiser MKH 8060 ?


Scape27

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i've used shotguns to record VO for over a decade now. i've been using schoeps 641 and CMIT on hundreds of voice actors in two rooms that have been decently acoustically treated, but not professionally designed rooms by any stretch of the imagination. despite going the supercardioid route i still find the need for room treatment paramount, particularly the ceiling. half my work is VO and the other half is ADR/dubbing. i've never had any bad feedback other than a couple times my recordings sounded 'too good' and didn't match another studio's recordings. one of my main clients use a tlm103 on their end and our recordings match 90% of the time. i find that with any mic, especially shotguns, it's all about the actor knowing how to work the mic, knowing the sweet spot, etc. there's a zillion options out there for VO mics and if you're good enough you can probably make any of them sound good. :)

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Tell you the real story:

 

Much like Vincent says.

 

And I'm talking about location work and not an acoustically treated studio!

 

A short shotgun works perfectly well and yep an 8060 or similar is OK (I use a Sanken CS-1)

Using a basic cardioide even a high quality large capsule close shows up lip slap and other mouth noises

 

Don't listen to people who say never use a shot gun inside!

If you are recording v/o place the mike close to the subject not a meter away.

If recording interior choose a well furnished room not a bathroom or toilet

 

I place my Sanken pointing across their mouth and very close, so no wind pop and they can read the script.

 

The sample I attach was recorded on location in a caravan with the crew wrapping outside.

No eq or noise reduction - nothing

 

mike

Sample vo.mp3

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On 4/10/2019 at 11:07 AM, Jim Feeley said:

Here's an interesting comparison from 2005 of 18 different studio mics. This was made by and for a radio audience, and I see VO people using different mics and wanting different results than radio people (and I don't mean ADR); I've been in plenty of radio studios and VO booths, but my experience is basically anecdotal.

 

One nice thing about this comparison is that the test was conducted by people who know what's what for their world, they talk about the limitations of the test, and they include samples from three different voices, two male and one female. So even though this test was done a while ago, it's still worth a visit IMO. Will at least orient you to some of the options.

 

The Transom Studio Mic Shootout: Blindfold Test

https://transom.org/2005/transom-studio-mic-shootout/

 

MicShootout-Header-800x440.jpg

 

 

But I'd like to hear from our local denizens who have spent a lot of time as VO artists and as engineers who've worked with a wide range of VO voices. I'm thinking of Ty and Jay. Probably others, too.

Hi Jim,   

I just saw this and obviously you put in a lot of work here. I don't have the time to devote to this at the moment.

@Ty Ford and @Jay Rose, any thoughts?

 

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