Greetings. I do voice-overs in my timelines and the "S" sound is very harsh. I have not been successful in audio editing this sound out. So, one solution is to get a better Mic. The mic has a stero micro plug in. Any suggestions?  I don't mind spending a little money, but don't want to have to re-morgage the house!  Thanks for any recommendations.  Nabby

Are you sure the mic is to blame?

I don't know who is to blame...me or the mic!  When I use an external lanyard mic on my camera, the sound file sounds fine.  The computer plug-in mic was inexpensive (either Best Buy or Circuit City). When doing voice-overs, I try to position the mic such that it doesn't pick-up my breathing , etc.  Any hints!  Nabby 

Consider this.

As always, Thanks for the reference, Lew.  I'll go shopping at B & H tomorrow.  Nabby

Lew,

This is great news.  I had read somewhere or had viewed some Liquid training material at some point that stated the VO Recording function in Liquid did not support USB Mics.  As a result I purchased an inexpensive Lav mic at Radio Shack that plugs into the Mic input of my soundcard.  It works and the sound quality is OK but it sure would be nice to have the full, open sound of a higher quality mic.  Is there any trick to using a USB Mic in Liquid for the VO Recording function?

Thanks!

I use the CO1U for voice-over work.  The sound quality is excellent.  And of course one of its best features is that it avoids all the analog stuff in or out of the computer.  The mic converts the sound into digital in the mic itself, no hum, no hiss, no preamps, etc.

However, this is not a mic that you hold.  It is intended to mount on something.  And so, at least buy a simple desk mic stand (or something else) to go with it.

Liquid works well with it.  You simply tell the Sounds/Audio to select the CO1U as the microphone.  Easy as that.

EvanF

 

Hi

I have the Roede Podcaster USB mic and like it. It has build in output as well for headphones. As soon as you plug it in, it chanhes input and output of the PC sound to the Roede. The only drawback is that there is no on/off switch, so you need to unplug the cable when you don't use it.

/Ulf

Here is an excellent quality USB mic, the Blue Snowball. It is better than the others mentioned for about the same price: It doesn't suffer from the driver situation of the Samson. Also, the Samson is not as full sounding as this mic.

Blue Snowball USB 

In addition to the user reviews at the link above, here are a couple more reviews:

The Mac Observer 

Ten Reviews at the bottom of this page on the Blue website. 

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions and tips.  I'll check each one out, before I purchase a mic.  Nice to know that Liq. will work well with a USB mic. Nabby

  We are using the Samson C01U at work as a voiceover mike, as the guru LewS recommends, and are pretty well satisfied with it; we put it on an OC White broadcast mount, in the Samson shockmount, and with a pop screen.  Works great in (forgive me) Final Cut Pro.  I have the C03U personally, it has rolloff, db pad and multiple patterns, very nice mike and I have used it with Liquid with no problem.

 While you're looking, don't overlook the MXL series 900 USB mikes, of which there are several.  MXL makes nice stuff for a good price. I have a couple of their studio mikes but have not personally used the USB versions -- except the MXL USB adapter mentioned below.

The output from all the USB mikes I've seen is a little lower than from a good phantom powered condenser mike; we run the input level in the mac audio setup at full throttle and occasionally have to normalize the tracks up to -6 for someone with a soft voice. 

 Another option is an XLR to USB adapter that MXL makes, which lets you use any XLR mike, dynamic or condenser, (phantom power is provided) and convert it to USB.  Output is disappointingly low even at its most sensitive setting, at about -24dB, unless I'm doing something wrong, however.  BTW, most of these USB mikes are studio-type mikes that need a mount of some kind.  Samson does make a nice handheld dynamic mike, which I carry in my laptop kit for emergencies, called the Q1U; comes with a collapsable desk stand and cable included for a ridiculous low street price of something like $60, a bargain in my estimation....very clean, nice sound, still with the lower USB output but easily normalized.

not sure what your price range is but I cannot say enough good things about they way our RE20 sounds time after time check it out here;
www.electrovoice.com/products/91.html

we run it through this preamp first...nice;
www.avalondesign.com/vt737sp.html

 

 

I gotta give you a shout-out too Lew, as I was thinking about asking this same question. Just never got around to it. Will be purchasing one tomorrow!

Please note that changing the mic may not solve the problem with the silibance (the 'ess' sound at the end of some words). If you've having a problem with too much silibance, it's probably you and not the mic. There are mic techniques you can use to minimize this (proper distance from the mic is a good place to start), but you may need to use a de-esser (and yes, that's what the filter is called) if all else fails.

just as long as you don't use the "B-esser"  

I use a Rode NT1-A which is actually a better instrument mic IMHO.  I have a windscreen and pop filter for it and use the lo-frequency roll off.

Bad part is, even in the cardioid pattern, it would pick up a fly buzzing in the next room.

I agree with Brad, the RE-20 is the mack daddy, and just as soon as I can afford, I will have one.

It picks up great, dynamics are great, and if you position it just right, ZERO popping or sibilance.

It is truly the broadcasters mic.

Nabby:

Greetings. I do voice-overs in my timelines and the "S" sound is very harsh. I have not been successful in audio editing this sound out. So, one solution is to get a better Mic. The mic has a stero micro plug in. Any suggestions?  I don't mind spending a little money, but don't want to have to re-morgage the house!  Thanks for any recommendations.  Nabby

Try this, if you haven't already.

Say you are sitting at 6:00, place the mic at 10 or 2.  Speak through the imaginary line, and not directly into it.  This will allow you to position yourself closer to the mic and get all of your sound into it, with less of the pops and sibilance.

For many years I have found the ol'standard Shure SM-58 hard to beat as an all-around microphone on the lower end of the price scale.

But, have to say I do appreciate the "smooth/round" sound of the RE-20 we've used in the VO booth for the past decade or so!

Both mics offer good built-in pop/wind/breath filters.

Not running anything near the high-end preamp mentioned earlier . . . Just through a mid-range audio board then out the audio mains to the Pro Bob RCA inputs.

"Good Sound Is A Good Thing!"

Thanks for everyone suggestions and advice. I will consider and try them all. Nabby

 

EvanF,

Thanks for the great info!  I am getting ready to purchase one of these USB Mics but I still don't see what or where in Liquid I would select to use the USB Mic for the Voice Over Recording function.

Thanks.