Introduction
Hello mga KapitVAHay, ako si Luis Cruz at isa ako sa mga Com Leads ng Voice Actors at Home PH, or VAHP for short.
At nandito ulit ako para sagutin ang ilang mga tanong ninyo tungkol sa voice acting dito sa Pilipinas.
Bakit Namin Ginawa to?
Bakit ko ba ginagawa ‘to?
Dahil ang isa sa mga goals natin sa VAHP ay tulungan ang one thousand Filipinos na kumita ng full-time voice acting incomes by 2025.
At isa sa mga ginagawa namin para maabot ang goal na ‘yon ay yung mga Q and A na ‘to, tulad nito.
Kaya kung may mga tanong kayo na gusto niyong sagutin ko, ng ibang mga Com Leads or ng iba pang ng mga coaches dito sa VAHP, mag-comment kayo, mag-email, at mag-message.
Basta i-contact niyo kami.
At kung gusto niyo naman makita yung mga ibang tanong na sinagot na namin, check niyo lang yung mga iba’t ibang videos dito sa Voice Actors at Home PH YouTube channel.
Tanong: Gaano Kalakas Ba Dapat Ang Gain O Volume Kapag Nagre-record Ako Ng Voice Over?
Okay, punta naman tayo sa tanong natin today.
Gaano kalakas ba dapat ang gain o volume kapag nagre-record ako ng voice over?
Okay, ah, walang simpleng sagot dyan, pero tuturuan ko kayong hanapin ang tamang gain level.
At yung short version n’yan, hinahabol natin yung pinakamalakas na audio na hindi siya nababasag.
Kung gusto n’yo ng medyo technical na sagot, hinahanap natin, ang habol natin, yung mga pinakamalakas na parts ng audio natin, yung mga peaks, ay somewhere between negative twelve (-12) and negative six (-6) dB.
Paano ‘to ginagawa?
Well, pag-uusapan ko ngayon, pag-usapan natin ngayon yung proseso ko.
Mga Pre-Req o Kailangan Munang Malaman
Pero bago natin pag-usapan ‘yan, baka may mga iba pa kayong tanong na kailangan muna nating sagutin.
O kailangan malaman n’yo muna yung mga sagot.
Una, alam mo na ba kung ano ang DAW o Digital Audio Work Station?
Kung hindi pa, may video tayo tungkol diyan, i-li-link ko dito [2:07].
At alam niyo na ba kung saan magandang ilagay ang mic habang nagre-record ka?
O ano ba ang magandang mic placement? Kung hindi, may video rin tayo tungkol dyan.
Step 1: Pagbabasa ng Script at Paghahanda
Okay, balik na tayo ulit sa process.
Yung unang ginagawa ko, syempre, bago pa sa lahat ng technical stuff, binabasa ko yung buong script ko.
At kung may directions, gaya ng calm, energetic, conversational, authoritative, o kung ano pa, hinahanap ko yun para malaman ko, or para masagot yung mga tanong na, gaano kaya kalakas yung delivery ko?
Lalapit ba ako sa mic o lalayo? At sisigaw kaya ako?
Kailangan natin malaman kung gaano kalakas yung delivery natin.
Ang Goal: Wag Mag-Clip
Bakit ‘to mahalaga?
Kasi kailangan siguraduhing hindi tayo magki-clip.
Clip? Clip.
Ano yung clip? Anong ibig sabihin non?
Ang clipping kasi, nangyayari kapag lumagpas ka sa maximum output ng interface o ng mic mo, kung naka-USB mic ka.
Kapag umabot ka dito, puputulin lang o iki-clip ng interface o mic mo yung sobra.
At paminsan, may distortion pa sa tunog.
Yung distortion kasi, parang nababasag yung audio mo.
Anong Tunog ng Clipping?
So, anong tunog nito? Anong… Teka lang, palitan ko lang yung video ko para mas madaling mag-explain. Okay?
Okay. Kita na dito. [3:41]
Yan yung DAW ko.
Kita niyo yung audio, kita na yun na may meter.
Tapos dito sa baba naman, interface ko, yan.
Kita niyo yung gain ng interface ko, tapos may ilaw na either green, yellow, or mamaya, red, para nagsasabi kung ano yung level ng audio mo at that time.
So, susubukan kong gumawa ng example ng clipping.
Babala
Kaya suggestion ko, kung naka-headphones kayo, tanggalin n’yo muna, or ilayo n’yo muna sa tenga n’yo.
Or ibaba n’yo yung volume ng speakers niyo.
Kasi baka medyo masakit sa tenga.
So [ang] gagawin ko, magbabasa ako ng isang line, na paulit-ulit lang pero nagpapalitan ko ‘yung gain levels ko.
Level 1
So ngayon, nasa bandang mga… bandang seven o’clock ‘yung gain level ko. [4:38]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy but not quite shouting. But it’s definitely louder.”
O-kay, walang clipping ‘yung audio, lahat malinaw.
Level 2
Okay, this is nine, this is eight… okay, eight o’clock tayo.[5:01]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy, not shouting, but it’s definitely louder.”
So ito, based on the audio, mukhang hindi pa naman nagki-clip.
Wala akong nakikita, pero halatang mas malakas.
So, mukhang pwede pa nating lakasan pa.
Level 3
Okay, nine o’clock. [5:29]
[WARNING: LOUD]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy, but not quite shouting, but it’s definitely louder.”
Okay. [5:50]
Kita natin dito, wait, sa kita niyo ‘yung red na box na ‘to, meaning nag-clip na tayo.
So malamang, ‘yung normal voice ko, okay pa siya at nine o’clock.
Pero ‘yung energetic read, hindi na pwede.
Nagki-clip na siya.
So meaning, sumobra na at nine o’clock, sumobra na tayo dun sa ideal gain level.
So pwede ninyong subukan, after this, baba kayo ng eight thirty. Or okay na ‘yung eight o’clock.
Pero like I said, depende ‘yan sa delivery mo.
So gagawa tayo ng isa pang example, tanggalin ko muna ‘yung sign ng clipping.
Level 4 (Lahat na Nagki-Clip)
[WARNING: EVEN LOUDER]
Okay. ‘Yung huling example natin, gagawin kong ten o’clock. [6:35]
So feeling ko (teka lang, baba ko muna to).
So feeling ko, at ten o’clock, kahit ‘yung normal speak… (okay.)
Halos ‘yun nga. Feeling ko, at ten o’clock, halos bumubulong na lang ako pero nagki-clip na nga.
So ‘yung normal speak, – okay, wag na. Hindi na ako mag-te-test ng ten o’clock kasi kita ko na, kahit na ‘yung medyo mahina ako ng boses, nagki-clip na.
Back To Normal Volume
So okay, i-bababa ko na to, normal ang aking volume.
Okay, yes.
‘Yung volume ko pala, baka yung sa iba inyo, nagtataka, bakit napakababa ng gain ko?
Kasi may pre-amp ako, na bago pa umabot sa interface ko, nabu-boost na ‘yung audio ko.
So ‘yun lang.
Okay, so guys, pwede na ng suotin ulit mga headphones niyo. Pwede ng, pwede nang ibalik sa normal yung volume.
Recap
Okay, so kung babalikan natin yung playback ng video, nakikita niyo na dito, [7:36] makikita na may red na box dito kapag nagki-clip.
So yung, pag nakita na ‘yon, ibig sabihin, sobrang taas na ng gain niyo para sa delivery na ginagawa niyo.
Tapos dito naman sa interface, nakikita niyo may green light. [7:51]
Ibig sabihin, pag may green light, normal audio siya.
Tapos paminsan, pag medyo mas malakas, may umaabot siya ng yellow.
So, yellow meaning medyo malapit na siya mag-clip, pero okay pa siya, swak pa rin sya.
Pero… Sa. Okay, so guys, hinaan n’yo ulit…
Kapag linakasan mo ng todo yung boses mo at gawin… Ah, ayaw pa rin ah.
Clap na lang hah. Clap to make it turn red. [8:15]
Taasan ko lang ulit para makita niyo sandali. Kapag naging red ang audio mo, ang ilaw sa interface mo, nagki-clip ka na nun. Okay.
Yan ang proseso ko para hanapin ang tamang gain level.
Final Answer
Hanapin n’yo lang lagi yung pinakamalakas na kaya na hindi nagki-clip or hindi nababasag yung audio.
Tapos yung ginagamit mo, pwedeng yung ilaw mo sa interface at pwedeng yung meter mo sa DAW.
Contact at Social Media
Ayan. So sana, nasagot ko ang tanong ninyo.
At kung may iba pa kayong mga tanong, mag-message, mag-comment, at mag… basta i-contact na lang kami.
And of course, please like and subscribe, Voice Actors at Home PH YouTube Channel.
Tsaka meron din kaming Facebook page, Facebook group, at meron kaming website.
Ah, i-she-share ko yung links dito. [9:10]
Ah, yun lang po. Ah, bye.
Introduction
Hello KapitVAHays! I’m Luis Cruz and I’m one of the Com Leads of Voice Actors at Home PH, or VAHP for short.
And I’m here again to answer some of your questions about voice acting here in the Philippines.
Why Are We Doing This?
Why am I doing this?
Because one of our goals at VAHP is to help one thousand Filipinos earn full-time voice acting incomes by 2025.
And one of the things we do to reach that goal is Q and A’s, like this one.
So if you have questions that you want me, other Com Leads, or other coaches here at VAHP to answer, comment, email, and message…
Just contact us.
And if you want to see the other questions we’ve already answered, just check the various videos here on the Voice Actors at Home PH YouTube channel.
Question: How Loud Should the Gain or Volume Be When I’m Recording a Voice Over?
Okay, let’s move to our question today.
How loud should the gain or volume be when I’m recording a voice over?
Okay, there’s no simple answer to that, but I’ll teach you how to find the right gain level.
And the short version of that is, we’re aiming for the loudest audio that doesn’t break.
If you want a slightly technical answer, we’re looking for, we’re aiming for, the loudest parts of our audio, the peaks, to be somewhere between negative twelve (-12) and negative six (-6) dB.
How is this done?
Well, I’ll talk about it now. Let’s discuss my process.
Pre-Reqs or What You Need to Know First
But before we discuss that, there may be other questions that we need to answer first.
Or you need to know the answers first.
First, do you already know what a DAW or Digital Audio Work Station is?
If not, we have a video about that, I’ll link it here [2:07].
And do you already know where to position the mic while you’re recording?
Or what good mic placement is? If not, we also have a video about that.
Step 1: Script Reading and Preparation
Okay, let’s go back to the process.
The first thing I do, of course, before all the technical stuff, is read my entire script.
And if there are directions, like “calm”,” energetic”, “conversational”, “authoritative”, or whatever else, I look for that to answer questions like, how loud will my delivery be?
Will I get close to the mic or move away? And will I shout?
We need to know how loud our delivery will be.
The Goal: Don’t Clip
Why is this important?
Because we need to make sure we don’t clip.
Clip? Clip.
What is “clip”? What does that mean?
Clipping happens when you exceed the maximum output of your interface or your mic if you’re using a USB mic.
When you get here, the excess will just be cut or clipped by the interface or mic.
And sometimes, there’s even distortion in the sound.
The distortion is like your audio is breaking.
What Does Clipping Sound Like?
So, what does this sound like? Well… Wait a minute, let me just change my video so it’s easier to explain. Okay?
Okay. You can see here. [3:41]
This is my DAW.
You can see the audio, you can see that there’s a meter.
And then down here, my interface, there.
You can see the gain of my interface, and there are lights that are either green, yellow, or later, red, which tell you what level your audio is at that time.
So, I’ll try to give some examples of clipping.
Warning
So my suggestion, if you’re wearing headphones, remove them first, or move them away from your ears.
Or lower the volume of your speakers.
Because it might be a little painful to the ears.
So what I’ll do, I’ll read a single line, repeating it with changes in my gain levels.
Level 1
So now, my gain level is around… around seven o’clock. [4:38]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy but not quite shouting. But it’s definitely louder.”
Okay, there’s no clipping in the audio, everything is clear.
Level 2
Okay, this is nine, this is eight… okay, let’s go with eight o’clock.[5:01]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy, not shouting, but it’s definitely louder.”
So this, based on the audio, it doesn’t seem to be clipping yet.
I don’t see any [clipping], but it’s noticeably louder.
So, it seems like we can still make it louder.
Level 3
Okay, nine o’clock. [5:29]
[WARNING: LOUD]
“Okay, this is an example of my normal speaking voice. Not too loud but not too soft either. And this one is something with a little more energy, but not quite shouting, but it’s definitely louder.”
Okay. [5:50]
We can see here… wait… you can see this red box here, meaning we’re already clipping.
So likely, my normal voice is still okay at nine o’clock.
But the energetic read is not acceptable.
It’s already clipping.
That means we’ve exceeded the ideal gain level at nine o’clock.
So you can try, after this, to go down to eight thirty. Or eight o’clock is okay.
But like I said, it depends on your delivery.
So we’ll make another example, let me remove the clipping sign first.
Level 4 (All Clipping)
[WARNING: EVEN LOUDER]
Okay. For our last example, I’ll set it to ten o’clock. [6:35]
So I think (wait a minute, let me lower this).
So I think, at ten o’clock, even my normal speak… (okay.)
Almost. I think, at ten o’clock, I’m almost whispering but it’s already clipping.
So the normal speak, – okay, forget it. I won’t test ten o’clock because I can see that even when my voice is somewhat soft, it’s already clipping.
Back To Normal Volume
So okay, I’ll lower it now, my volume is normal.
Okay, yes.
My volume, for those of you wondering, why is my gain so low?
Because I have a pre-amp. And so before it even reaches my interface, my audio is already boosted.
So that’s it.
Okay, so guys, you can put your headphones back on now. You can, you can return the volume to normal.
Recap
Okay, so if we look back at the playback of the video, you can see here, [7:36] you can see that there’s a red box here when it clips.
So, when you see that, it means, your gain is too high for the delivery you’re doing.
And then here on the interface, you can see there’s a green light. [7:51]
Meaning, when there’s a green light, it’s normal audio.
Then sometimes, when it’s a bit louder, it reaches yellow.
So, yellow means it’s almost clipping, but it’s still okay, it’s still in the right range.
But… Okay, so guys, lower it again…
When you raise your voice to the maximum and make… Ah, it still doesn’t want to.
Just clap. Clap to make it turn red. [8:15]
Let me raise it again for a moment so you can see. When your audio becomes red, the light on your interface, that’s when you’re clipping. Okay.
That’s my process for finding the right gain level.
Final Answer
Always look for the loudest you can get without clipping or without distorting the audio.
And what you’re using, it can be the light on your interface and it can be the meter on your DAW.
Contact and Social Media
There. So hopefully, I’ve answered your question.
And if you have other questions, you can message, comment, and… just contact us.
And of course, please like and subscribe to the Voice Actors at Home PH YouTube Channel.
And we also have a Facebook page, Facebook group, and we have a website.
Ah, I’ll share the links here. [9:10]
Ah, that’s it. Ah, bye.