YouTube Setup: Voiceover Recording, Editing & Rendering

[ajgamer1]

Hello, I am looking for some advice on the YouTube Setup about the Voiceover recording, editing and rendering.

 

Level: Starter but researched well for the project I want to get into. (Learning too)

 

Requirements: Anything which is required in the setup such as mic (with its accessories), software and any other things.

 

Also, Let me know if anything is required to change on the PC? I have ASUS Hero 7 Motherboard (Don't have any dedicated soundcard, only have onboard Motherboard thing).

 

I have tried recording with a gaming headphone (mic is with it) and it has a hissing sound coming. Also, when I do the microphone boost...it is very poor and loads of distortion and bad quality sound.

 

So if you could recommend me the best setup so that I don't face the issues I am facing with the gaming headphone.

 

Thanks.

 

Tagging some people who might help me as they have before: @19_blackie_73 @Volbet

[vanished]

Yeah a headset mic is not going to be acceptable quality-wise for anything people have to listen to outside of a game for more than a few seconds at a time.  You will need a real mic. The Blue Yeti is a very convenient option, just plug and play, totally self-contained, and decent quality for the price, but if you really want to get serious you'll want to spend at least as much as it on an XLR mic alone, and then more on an interface, so it will add up.  What is your budget?

[KenjiUmino]

31 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

Level: Starter but researched well for the project I want to get into. (Learning too)

 

Requirements: Anything which is required in the setup such as mic (with its accessories), software and any other things.

if you are just starting out then don't throw a ton of money at editing software with pro features you don't even know how to use (yet)

 

freeware like shotcut (video editor) and audacity (audio recording & editing) may be a good way to learn the basics. 

 

Audio equippment:

• for voiceovers, a mic with a usb plug for around 50 bucks is a good start. will sound decent and is the most easy to set up (the snowball mic is pretty popular) 
• depending on what kind of videos you want to do, you may sooner or later wish to invest in a mixing board, usb audio interface (if the mixer does not have one built in), moar microphones & mic stands or a lavalier mic. i recommend a mixer from yamaha or soundcraft and microphones from sennheiser have the best price/performance in my experience

 

Video equippment:

• a camera that can record at 1080p (60fps prefered) and does not grain up the video when lighting is not 100% perfect
• depending (again) on the type of videos you plan to produce this can either be a stationary camera directly connected to the PC (webcam) or something portable. the camera in your phone may work but PLEASE get some kind of handle or even a gymbal for your phone so you can hold it steady because you don't want the video to be all shaky and look like it has been filmed by someone with parkinson's disease

[ajgamer1]

33 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Yeah a headset mic is not going to be acceptable quality-wise for anything people have to listen to outside of a game for more than a few seconds at a time.  You will need a real mic. The Blue Yeti is a very convenient option, just plug and play, totally self-contained, and decent quality for the price, but if you really want to get serious you'll want to spend at least as much as it on an XLR mic alone, and then more on an interface, so it will add up.  What is your budget?

My budget is not good I will be frank since I am a starter. I cannot go for higher priced mics (at-least more than the cost of yeti for sure).

 

What other software and accessories are required?

 

Thanks for the answer

[ajgamer1]

1 minute ago, KenjiUmino said:

if you are just starting out then don't throw a ton of money at editing software with pro features you don't even know how to use (yet)

 

freeware like shotcut (video editor) and audacity (audio recording & editing) may be a good way to learn the basics. 

 

Audio equippment:

• for voiceovers, a mic with a usb plug for around 50 bucks is a good start. will sound decent and is the most easy to set up (the snowball mic is pretty popular) 
• depending on what kind of videos you want to do, you may sooner or later wish to invest in a mixing board, usb audio interface (if the mixer does not have one built in), moar microphones & mic stands or a lavalier mic. i recommend a mixer from yamaha or soundcraft and microphones from sennheiser have the best price/performance in my experience

 

Video equippment:

• a camera that can record at 1080p (60fps prefered) and does not grain up the video when lighting is not 100% perfect
• depending (again) on the type of videos you plan to produce this can either be a stationary camera directly connected to the PC (webcam) or something portable. the camera in your phone may work but PLEASE get some kind of handle or even a gymbal for your phone so you can hold it steady because you don't want the video to be all shaky and look like it has been filmed by someone with parkinson's disease

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I am checking the reviews about Yeti and Snowball. I have watched the videos over both are differences. Hmm.... Yeti had better sounding then snowball.

 

But yeah if Yeti goes above budget, I might settle myself for the snowball.

 

May I know what stand and other accessories I should go with?

 

Thanks again

 

 

[KenjiUmino]

1 minute ago, MrFriendism said:

May I know what stand and other accessories I should go with?

depends on what you need - what type of videos are you planning to do?

[ajgamer1]

8 minutes ago, KenjiUmino said:

depends on what you need - what type of videos are you planning to do?

Facts and Knowledge. (Not singing or cover videos).

 

I live in India so there can be audio disturbances or other interferences if you think they make some problem.

 

Secondly, can you clear me one doubt what devices make audio interference or audio distortion? (like TV, Microwave, WiFi devices, Fridge, monitors, External multimedia speakers etc etc). Please let me know

[vanished]

33 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

My budget is not good I will be frank since I am a starter. I cannot go for higher priced mics (at-least more than the cost of yeti for sure).

 

What other software and accessories are required?

 

Thanks for the answer

For software, Audacity (free and runs on everything) will handle the audio just fine.  For video, I'm not particularly familiar with the free packages out there but for the love of god don't use something that adds a watermark, weird filters, has super cheesy windows movie maker-style transitions/title slides, or has a trial that expires (if you have to move to a different package eventually anyway, just start with that one).

 

As for accessories, you may or may not want a boom arm to hold the mic where you want it.  This will give you greater freedom for positioning and will let you avoid picking up rumble from the desk.  Arms can be had rather cheaply (like $15 - $20) but the Yeti is rather heavy and may need a more robust one, something to keep in mind.  The best you can get is probably the Rode PSA-1.  I know it's out of budget but just for your knowledge.

 

You may also want a pop filter to help control plosives (the pop/boom sound you get saying "P" into the mic).

 

Finally, you may want to acoustically treat the space as best you can.  This can be anything and everything from putting up foam to just hanging some blankets, depending on your space, budget, etc.  If you get a lot of echo in your recordings, or if they just sound distant or amateur, that could help a lot.

 

As for video "accessories", we haven't even talked the basic gear yet so idk about that

[KenjiUmino]

23 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

Facts and Knowledge.

so it's you against a background talking to your viewers. that should not be too hard to do and not require fancy equipment.

 

some lights and a good webcam (or a phone on a desk stand if the phones camera is good enough)

[ajgamer1]

9 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

For software, Audacity (free and runs on everything) will handle the audio just fine.  For video, I'm not particularly familiar with the free packages out there but for the love of god don't use something that adds a watermark, weird filters, has super cheesy windows movie maker-style transitions/title slides, or has a trial that expires (if you have to move to a different package eventually anyway, just start with that one).

 

As for accessories, you may or may not want a boom arm to hold the mic where you want it.  This will give you greater freedom for positioning and will let you avoid picking up rumble from the desk.  Arms can be had rather cheaply (like $15 - $20) but the Yeti is rather heavy and may need a more robust one, something to keep in mind.  The best you can get is probably the Rode PSA-1.  I know it's out of budget but just for your knowledge.

 

You may also want a pop filter to help control plosives (the pop/boom sound you get saying "P" into the mic).

 

Finally, you may want to acoustically treat the space as best you can.  This can be anything and everything from putting up foam to just hanging some blankets, depending on your space, budget, etc.  If you get a lot of echo in your recordings, or if they just sound distant or amateur, that could help a lot.

 

As for video "accessories", we haven't even talked the basic gear yet so idk about that

2

Thanks for the answer.

 

1. I am not going to shoot myself so with the video. Skip the vide since my work is of Adobe AE and Premier Pro.

 

2. Yeah arm is out of my budget you are right. Is there any arm you could recommend? (And do you prefer floor stand or desk)?

 

3. Which pop filter is good (foam or the filter)?

 

4. I didn't understand this part:
 

"   Finally, you may want to acoustically treat the space as best you can.  This can be anything and everything from putting up foam to just hanging some blankets, depending on your space, budget, etc.  If you get a lot of echo in your recordings, or if they just sound distant or amateur, that could help a lot.   "

 

5. can you clear me one doubt what devices make audio interference or audio distortion? (like TV, Microwave, WiFi devices, Fridge, monitors, External multimedia speakers etc etc). Please let me know 

[ajgamer1]

6 minutes ago, KenjiUmino said:

so it's you against a background talking to your viewers. that should not be too hard to do and not require fancy equipment.

 

some lights and a good webcam (or a phone on a desk stand if the phones camera is good enough)

So your choice is Blue Yeti or Snowball?

 

And do you recommend any accessories with it?

 

Are you yourself doing some YouTube stuff?

 

What stuff do you think I should have to have the least distortions or disturbances

"   can you clear me one doubt what devices make audio interference or audio distortion? (like TV, Microwave, WiFi devices, Fridge, monitors, External multimedia speakers etc etc). Please let me know      "

[KenjiUmino]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

For software, Audacity (free and runs on everything) will handle the audio just fine.  For video, I'm not particularly familiar with the free packages out there but for the love of god don't use something that adds a watermark, weird filters, has super cheesy windows movie maker-style transitions/title slides, or has a trial that expires (if you have to move to a different package eventually anyway, just start with that one).

yeah ... most "free" video editor software is trash - and very limited in terms of output formats.

 

that's why i like shotcut so much. it's kind of the audacity of video editors.

 

it has a timeline that can overlay multiple audio and video streams (for picture-in-picture and adding BGM) and comes with all the essential effects like fade, crop/resize, brightnes, contrast and color adjust, subtitles, audio volume adjust, color key and whatnot

 

it can export to almost any resolution and framerate you possibly want and a ton of codecs and containers (from youtube compatible mp4 to ProRes and lossless codecs for further editing) 

 

and like audacity it runs on at least the three mayor desktop OSes

[vanished]

3 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

Thanks for the answer.

 

1. I am not going to shoot myself so with the video. Skip the vide since my work is of Adobe AE and Premier Pro.

 

2. Yeah arm is out of my budget you are right. Is there any arm you could recommend? (And do you prefer floor stand or desk)?

I have not tried any myself but just look for an affordable on on amazon with good reviews that says it can take the weight you need it to

I just have a mic on my desk, and I think clamping an arm on to that would make more sense.  Trying to get a separate floor stand is probably excessive

3 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

3. Which pop filter is good (foam or the filter)?

The foam ones that go right on the mic tend to very subtly muffle it, so personally I would go for a normal screen style filter.  I've heard good things about the rode one but I don't really know the details of a wide variety so can't really make a recommendation there.

3 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

4. I didn't understand this part:
 

"   Finally, you may want to acoustically treat the space as best you can.  This can be anything and everything from putting up foam to just hanging some blankets, depending on your space, budget, etc.  If you get a lot of echo in your recordings, or if they just sound distant or amateur, that could help a lot.   "

foam on the walls like this

 

 

This shows just how huge of a difference it will make, and how to do it

 

One thing I would not bother with is the foam hemi-spheres or semi-cylinders you see, like this:

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

 

5. can you clear me one doubt what devices make audio interference or audio distortion? (like TV, Microwave, WiFi devices, Fridge, monitors, External multimedia speakers etc etc). Please let me know 

There would be two kinds of interference I can think of.  Electrical and acoustic.

 

Acoustic would just be where the mic picks up the noise of equipment in the background (a TV show playing, a microwave running, etc.).  It should be easy enough to avoid this through a combination of turning these things off and isolating your recording space.

 

Electrical would be direct interference, either through magnetic/electrical fields, or through causing ripple in the power, etc.

I would expect a microwave to cause this but you shouldn't really have issues with anything else, at least not any noticeable ones at the level you're gonna be working at.

[KenjiUmino]

5 minutes ago, MrFriendism said:

Are you yourself doing some YouTube stuff?

 

yes, i have a "gaming" channel where i primarily upload recorded twitch sessions and another channel for random tech stuff. unboxing, reviews, benchmarks (of ridiculously underpowered hardware most of the time) 

[ajgamer1]

4 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I have not tried any myself but just look for an affordable on on amazon with good reviews that says it can take the weight you need it to

I just have a mic on my desk, and I think clamping an arm on to that would make more sense.  Trying to get a separate floor stand is probably excessive

The foam ones that go right on the mic tend to very subtly muffle it, so personally I would go for a normal screen style filter.  I've heard good things about the rode one but I don't really know the details of a wide variety so can't really make a recommendation there.

foam on the walls like this

 

 

This shows just how huge of a difference it will make, and how to do it

 

One thing I would not bother with is the foam hemi-spheres or semi-cylinders you see, like this:

 

 

 

There would be two kinds of interference I can think of.  Electrical and acoustic.

 

Acoustic would just be where the mic picks up the noise of equipment in the background (a TV show playing, a microwave running, etc.).  It should be easy enough to avoid this through a combination of turning these things off and isolating your recording space.

 

Electrical would be direct interference, either through magnetic/electrical fields, or through causing ripple in the power, etc.

I would expect a microwave to cause this but you shouldn't really have issues with anything else, at least not any noticeable ones at the level you're gonna be working at.

We don't use microwaves anymore (doctor's advice against the use of it).

 

If I have External Speaker running (idle, what I mean is that it's power on but there is no activity on-going on it......) is not a problem?

 

Thanks for the answer and foam thing. I think my room doesn't have echo.. But what would be the way to test if I have echo? (Any way I could record the voice and judge if there is echo)?

 

I generally don't feel echo myself but if there is something which could detect it better?

[ajgamer1]

4 minutes ago, KenjiUmino said:

 

yes, i have a "gaming" channel where i primarily upload recorded twitch sessions and another channel for random tech stuff. unboxing, reviews, benchmarks (of ridiculously underpowered hardware most of the time) 

Could you please message me the link to the channel?

 

Also, What device/equipment do you use?

[vanished]

1 minute ago, MrFriendism said:

We don't use microwaves anymore (doctor's advice against the use of it).

Hm, ok

1 minute ago, MrFriendism said:

If I have External Speaker running (idle, what I mean is that it's power on but there is no activity on-going on it......) is not a problem?

Well if it's making sound that would be bad but if it's just sitting there silently I can't imagine that causing any interference with the mic.

1 minute ago, MrFriendism said:

Thanks for the answer and foam thing. I think my room doesn't have echo.. But what would be the way to test if I have echo? (Any way I could record the voice and judge if there is echo)?

 

I generally don't feel echo myself but if there is something which could detect it better?

Some people (myself included quite often) don't really notice it until you compare to a recording that doesn't have it, then you realize just how bad it was Pretty much any room will cause it if you're speaking at normal volumes into a sensitive mic like the Yeti.  Best way to test that I can think of off hand would be to make a loud, sudden noise like a clap, etc, and then look at the sound wave you've captured and see how long it takes to decay or if there are any bumps/spikes after the initial one.

[ajgamer1]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Hm, ok

Well if it's making sound that would be bad but if it's just sitting there silently I can't imagine that causing any interference with the mic.

Some people (myself included quite often) don't really notice it until you compare to a recording that doesn't have it, then you realize just how bad it was Pretty much any room will cause it if you're speaking at normal volumes into a sensitive mic like the Yeti.  Best way to test that I can think of off hand would be to make a loud, sudden noise like a clap, etc, and then look at the sound wave you've captured and see how long it takes to decay or if there are any bumps/spikes after the initial one.

That's a good test to do man, I will def. to it.

 

Okay. So your thought is Yeti above Snowball for my setup right?
 

Which mic do you use yourself? with it's accessories?

 

Do you run any kind of youtube or something? I really like to appreciate the work of others in the same/similar field

 

Mind sharing the link?

 

Also, Do you recommend any YouTube channel for the tutorials on post-processing the audio?

 

[vanished]

Just now, MrFriendism said:

That's a good test to do man, I will def. to it.

 

Okay. So your thought is Yeti above Snowball for my setup right?

The Yeti sounds better imo and has more settings, but it is larger, heavier and more expensive.  You will have to make that choice

Just now, MrFriendism said:

Which mic do you use yourself? with it's accessories?

I have the Yeti just on my desk

Just now, MrFriendism said:

Do you run any kind of youtube or something? I really like to appreciate the work of others in the same/similar field

Nope, I don't do that myself

Just now, MrFriendism said:

Also, Do you recommend any YouTube channel for the tutorials on post-processing the audio?

Hm, that's an interesting one... I don't have any in mind, but the thing about that is the better your setup is, the less processing you have to do.  With a good mic, you don't need to set a noise gate or run noise removal, and EQ should be subtle if anything.  Beyond that I cna't imagine you'd need to do much of anything.

[ajgamer1]

Okay. I really want to thank both of you @Ryan_Vickers @KenjiUmino for helping me out and sharing your thoughts. I have noted the points and will do further research.

 

I might wait for the @19_blackie_73 and @Volbet to mention their inputs. Both of them were helpful too in similar niches (Category of hardware).

 

Linus Forum is really awesome and helps always.

 

 

[KenjiUmino]

1 minute ago, MrFriendism said:

Could you please message me the link to the channel?

 

Also, What device/equipment do you use?

here's a link to the Tech Channel

 

and the first video i ever put on there is a review of my sony HDR-AS50 camera. it's an action cam, so not ideal for what i do (because of the wide angle fisheye lens) but it was on sale when i bought it and that made it the most affordable camera with the features i wanted.

 

it does 1080p @ up to 60fps and can do like double that framerate at 720p (if i ever want to do some slo-mo shots)

it has stereo microphones built in. not exactly audiophile quality and they sure can't handle "rock band" level loudness but i don't care.

all i wanted was stereo sound that isn't terrible - i am not really a fan of doing scripted voiceover stuff in my videos. tried it and it didn't feel right. 

 

however, if i would want to do a voiceover, i have a SC400 condenser microphone on my desk connected to a mic preamp. 

this also is what i use to record my voice when i stream games on twitch. 

 

this summer i picked up a lamp on a flea market for 5 bucks and put some really bright LED bulbs in there. i use that to add a little more light to my room when i record stuff

[19_blackie_73]

SOoooo after much reading my take on the topic
 sth like the snowball or yeti is the most cost efficient option, just a simple USB mic to start. This saves you the cost for anything else than the mic.
Editing software: for audio Audacity is probably my bet, if you really need sth else go ahead but first hit the limit with audacity (and it can do much); for video I'm pretty happy with DaVinci Resolve right now, many options, versatile, and quite fast in rendering, at least much faster than sth like magix or Cyberlink in my testing.

 

You can't do much against electical interferences, but normally it should be fine. Never had issues even with speakers near my mic, only thing that bites itself is handy/smartphone on a speaker
and for acoustic treatment of the room, I wouldn't worry too much at a start, if you have constant problems with to much reverb/room on your recording or it sounds like a church, put a thick blanket on the wall or sth like that or you can do things with foam, but that's more advanced and costs quite a bit if done right.
 

[ajgamer1]

4 minutes ago, 19_blackie_73 said:

SOoooo after much reading my take on the topic
 sth like the snowball or yeti is the most cost efficient option, just a simple USB mic to start. This saves you the cost for anything else than the mic.
Editing software: for audio Audacity is probably my bet, if you really need sth else go ahead but first hit the limit with audacity (and it can do much); for video I'm pretty happy with DaVinci Resolve right now, many options, versatile, and quite fast in rendering, at least much faster than sth like magix or Cyberlink in my testing.

 

You can't do much against electical interferences, but normally it should be fine. Never had issues even with speakers near my mic, only thing that bites itself is handy/smartphone on a speaker
and for acoustic treatment of the room, I wouldn't worry too much at a start, if you have constant problems with to much reverb/room on your recording or it sounds like a church, put a thick blanket on the wall or sth like that or you can do things with foam, but that's more advanced and costs quite a bit if done right.
 

Thanks for the advice man. I have one doubt which I want to research about is the stand/arm/shock mount.

 

I am not getting much of the advices on that.

 

Help me for both Yeti and Snowball. Whichever suits me and my budget, I will go through.

 

You can use amazon.in for helping me (Since Amazon.com doesn't deliver in my country).

[Volbet]

If all you're going to do is simple voice over stuff, then I would second both @Ryan_Vickers and @KenjiUmino.

 

The Blue Yeti or Snowball are just fine for amateur voice overs. They're easy to use and sound just fine.

Personally, I would recommend just going with the Snowball. While the Yeti does offer better sound quality, I don't really think the upgrade is worth the premium.

 

If you want to step up the audio game just a little bit, then getting something like the Sennheiser E835 and a cheap-ish audio mixer will offer up better sound quality.

Thing is, you will need a mic arm for the Sennheiser mic.

 

For recording audio, then Audacity is also my recommendation. It's free and pretty powerful.

Although, it can be a bit counter intuitive to use. 

If you want to upgrade to a paid solution, then my recommendation is Reaper. 

 

For video I, personally, use Adobe Premiere, but for a free program I can actually recommend the video editor in Blender.

But look up some tutorials on how to use it, since it's a bitch to set up. 

[ajgamer1]

11 minutes ago, Volbet said:

If all you're going to do is simple voice over stuff, then I would second both @Ryan_Vickers and @KenjiUmino.

 

The Blue Yeti or Snowball are just fine for amateur voice overs. They're easy to use and sound just fine.

Personally, I would recommend just going with the Snowball. While the Yeti does offer better sound quality, I don't really think the upgrade is worth the premium.

 

If you want to step up the audio game just a little bit, then getting something like the Sennheiser E835 and a cheap-ish audio mixer will offer up better sound quality.

Thing is, you will need a mic arm for the Sennheiser mic.

 

For recording audio, then Audacity is also my recommendation. It's free and pretty powerful.

Although, it can be a bit counter intuitive to use. 

If you want to upgrade to a paid solution, then my recommendation is Reaper. 

 

For video I, personally, use Adobe Premiere, but for a free program I can actually recommend the video editor in Blender.

But look up some tutorials on how to use it, since it's a bitch to set up. 

Thanks for the inputs man. Do you recommed any kind of accessories like arm, stand, filter and shock mode for the yeti or snowball? 

I saw some video in the comparison of Yeti and Snowball. Snowball has the lower sound right and doesn't have dedicated Gain control?

 

What do you use for yourself?