My setup and overcoming obstacles for quality recording

theResidentPsychopath

theResidentPsychopath

I've Got It
Hey everyone,

When I first started, I struggled mainly with my commentary audio setup. I was doing Mass Effect Andromeda when it first came out and got around 13 vids done. The quality was crap however.

A year later, I am back at it and serious this time (not doing as much with real estate). I got my blue yeti still, but am working with Voicemeeter Banana (Voicemeeter the original was crap). The first Voicemeeter gave me some bass, but it also put in an unnecessary hush sound before and after my voice, Banana took care of that with the correct settings so that fade was no longer there.

I record through the Elgato HD software, slice it up, move it around if needed, and then save to separate audio/video files. I import into AVS Video Editor, which I got the whole suite of programs for $60 on sale, and put my intro in front with a transition. I can put the gain in there for volume because I keep the gain down on the Yeti. I don't want to capture traffic going by.

So far, this is the best setup I've got and am no longer embarrassed by my recordings. I hope it helps the newbies. I am sure more experienced pros have better advice.
 
I dont use any of that software (I do my voiceovers in Final Cut) but I also have a Blue Yeti and I second your tip on turning down the gain on the mic.. I turn mine down almost all the way, like to #1 or 0.5, then increase it in final cut.. it really helps get rid of traffic noise, like you said but also room echo, the dog scratching his butt, and the neighbor’s kids screaming..
 
Dog scratching his butt must be rough. I live next to a busy road - crossroads actually. I had to move my setup into my bedroom to get further from the noise, but it hardly picks up anything with the gain down to about nothing.
 
I also drape a heavy hand-towel over the mic, so that only the front of the mic is showing.. this also cuts down on a lot of echo and ambient ‘air noise’ .
 
I mainly dub my stuff using my Zoom-h1 mercifully; as I dont use live synch video in my videos I can dub all my episodes in my Car (Fun fact: cars are a great place to record your audio because they're soundproofed for the road...effectively your driving around in a recording booth as long as your somewhere quite) failing that if I've ever been in a pinch and just need to chuck an update out quick I also have a Focusrite condenser mic and amp setup on my desktop which I record directly into Soundtrack pro/Audacity :) Metering the sound can be a bit of a pain but I always try to aim just under 12ldb because I can always bring it up but bringing down a peaking audio tracks an absolute nightmare :)
 
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