The finer points of audio recording, someone please tell me

L

Laydeliel

Liking YTtalk
So I don't really know much about anything. I'm using a blue yeti condenser microphone, and just listening to myself in audacity.

My particular questions are:

1. Why does my voice sound so different when I listen to it?
2. How different is the sound of my voice through a microphone versus the sound of my voice in reality, heard by someone else?
3. What qualities of a voice are lost or enhanced through a microphone like a blue yeti?
4. How do I better capture the sound of my voice as I hear it? Is this even possible?
5. What are the differences between a blue yeti microphone and a more professional microphone in a studio setting, in sound recorded alone?

Thank you for reading and for any answers you can give.
 
Laydeliel said:
So I don't really know much about anything. I'm using a blue yeti condenser microphone, and just listening to myself in audacity.

My particular questions are:

1. Why does my voice sound so different when I listen to it?
2. How different is the sound of my voice through a microphone versus the sound of my voice in reality, heard by someone else?
3. What qualities of a voice are lost or enhanced through a microphone like a blue yeti?
4. How do I better capture the sound of my voice as I hear it? Is this even possible?
5. What are the differences between a blue yeti microphone and a more professional microphone in a studio setting, in sound recorded alone?

Thank you for reading and for any answers you can give.
Click to expand...

depends on mic and your mixing software and mixer settings. Like anything audio when you cheep out it will affect everything what audio software and mic do you use
 
Laydeliel said:
So I don't really know much about anything. I'm using a blue yeti condenser microphone, and just listening to myself in audacity.

My particular questions are:

1. Why does my voice sound so different when I listen to it?
2. How different is the sound of my voice through a microphone versus the sound of my voice in reality, heard by someone else?
3. What qualities of a voice are lost or enhanced through a microphone like a blue yeti?
4. How do I better capture the sound of my voice as I hear it? Is this even possible?
5. What are the differences between a blue yeti microphone and a more professional microphone in a studio setting, in sound recorded alone?

Thank you for reading and for any answers you can give.
Click to expand...
All right lets discuss this in detail
I am starting a conversation with you
Ok?
 
Laydeliel said:
So I don't really know much about anything. I'm using a blue yeti condenser microphone, and just listening to myself in audacity.

My particular questions are:

1. Why does my voice sound so different when I listen to it?
2. How different is the sound of my voice through a microphone versus the sound of my voice in reality, heard by someone else?
3. What qualities of a voice are lost or enhanced through a microphone like a blue yeti?
4. How do I better capture the sound of my voice as I hear it? Is this even possible?
5. What are the differences between a blue yeti microphone and a more professional microphone in a studio setting, in sound recorded alone?

Thank you for reading and for any answers you can give.
Click to expand...

  1. Your voice sounds different because when you speak normally, what you hear primarily is the sound moving thru your jaw (bones, muscle, flesh, etc) which is denser than air. If you took highschool physics, you will know sound moves more quickly through denser objects. faster moving sound = wavelengths are compressed. Compressed wavelengths = change in how you sound. Basically, an audio recording is how you 'truely' sound - wait, don't freak out - you don't sound weird, it is just a disconnect from what you EXPECT and what you HEAR. I will also tell you from personal experience you WILL get used to hearing how you sound, but it is a matter of simply exposing yourself to lots and lots of recordings via editing. For me it took a month or two of doing daily video work before I stopped shuddering every time I heard myself.
  2. I don't think it is possible to measure the difference, perhaps someone really good at editing audio can play with the pitch/volumes and reproduce what you think you sound like.
  3. It won't sound 'normal' if that is your main concern. I honestly doubt many people would notice (well less than 10%).
  4. Nope. Surgically embedding a microphone next to your ear might help. That is gonna cost a bit more than a blue yeti.
  5. Personally I record everything on a $30 gaming headset that I already owned. I'm not sure the differences between getting more expensive stuff, but I would say it is not needed for YouTube work at all.
Cheers!
Flammy[DOUBLEPOST=1366783115,1366783067][/DOUBLEPOST]
Ashish Malpani said:
All right lets discuss this in detail
I am starting a conversation with you
Ok?
Click to expand...
If you know a lot about it, audit my post for accuracy. Sound is not my forte as much as physics :)
 
Flammy said:
  1. Your voice sounds different because when you speak normally, what you hear primarily is the sound moving thru your jaw (bones, mussel, flesh, etc) which is denser than air. If you took highschool physics, you will know sound moves more quickly through denser objects. faster moving sound = wavelengths are compressed. Compressed wavelengths = change in how you sound. Basically, an audio recording is how you 'truely' sound - wait, don't freak out - you don't sound weird, it is just a disconnect from what you EXPECT and what you HEAR. I will also tell you from personal experience you WILL get used to hearing how you sound, but it is a matter of simply exposing yourself to lots and lots of recordings via editing. For me it took a month or two of doing daily video work before I stopped shuddering every time I heard myself.
  2. I don't think it is possible to measure the difference, perhaps someone really good at editing audio can play with the pitch/volumes and reproduce what you think you sound like.
  3. It won't sound 'normal' if that is your main concern. I honestly doubt many people would notice (well less than 10%).
  4. Nope. Surgically embedding a microphone next to your ear might help. That is gonna cost a bit more than a blue yeti.
  5. Personally I record everything on a $30 gaming headset that I already owned. I'm not sure the differences between getting more expensive stuff, but I would say it is not needed for YouTube work at all.
Cheers!
Flammy[DOUBLEPOST=1366783115,1366783067][/DOUBLEPOST]
If you know a lot about it, audit my post for accuracy. Sound is not my forte as much as physics :)
Click to expand...
You are GOD![DOUBLEPOST=1366784019][/DOUBLEPOST]
Flammy said:
  1. Your voice sounds different because when you speak normally, what you hear primarily is the sound moving thru your jaw (bones, mussel, flesh, etc) which is denser than air. If you took highschool physics, you will know sound moves more quickly through denser objects. faster moving sound = wavelengths are compressed. Compressed wavelengths = change in how you sound. Basically, an audio recording is how you 'truely' sound - wait, don't freak out - you don't sound weird, it is just a disconnect from what you EXPECT and what you HEAR. I will also tell you from personal experience you WILL get used to hearing how you sound, but it is a matter of simply exposing yourself to lots and lots of recordings via editing. For me it took a month or two of doing daily video work before I stopped shuddering every time I heard myself.
  2. I don't think it is possible to measure the difference, perhaps someone really good at editing audio can play with the pitch/volumes and reproduce what you think you sound like.
  3. It won't sound 'normal' if that is your main concern. I honestly doubt many people would notice (well less than 10%).
  4. Nope. Surgically embedding a microphone next to your ear might help. That is gonna cost a bit more than a blue yeti.
  5. Personally I record everything on a $30 gaming headset that I already owned. I'm not sure the differences between getting more expensive stuff, but I would say it is not needed for YouTube work at all.
Cheers!
Flammy[DOUBLEPOST=1366783115,1366783067][/DOUBLEPOST]
If you know a lot about it, audit my post for accuracy. Sound is not my forte as much as physics :)
Click to expand...
Your first point is completely correct
Now the second..yes you can
There are a lot of analytical sound vst's(Virtual Studio Technology) available which can use with any DAW(Digital Audio Workstations)
They can tell you the difference between the frequencies, pitch and quality and overall harmony of your voice.

Third: I don't know specifically for your mic but if you are using a condenser mic not much information of your voice is going to get lost because its the best available and is the most accurate when compared to dynamic mics and ribbon mics and specially headsets(A BIG DIFFERENCE).

Fourth: Its possible but it is all too complicated and you cannot do this for all of your recordings since it takes too much of time
Process involves correcting pitch by pitch with tools like NewTone etc. With that you can actually see something like this untitled.JPG

Now you just have to keep editing and mixing with other vocals and the outcome will be perfectly smooth crisp crystal clear and harmonic voice:)

FIFTH:Now when condenser mics are compared there are a lot of differences
They all have different builds and different Impedance and a lot other differences
Sensitivity is the major difference and that drastically changes quality
THE one used in studios are basically too costly and I recommend you to just keep using your mic
Just use some DAW to mix it properly with other sounds so its in level

any other questions?[DOUBLEPOST=1366784540][/DOUBLEPOST]Flammy how good you are in physics?
 
Thank you very much, you two for the in depth answers.

Ashish, the blue yeti is a fairly cheap large diaphragm condenser mic, somewhere around a hundred to a few hundred dollars. Is the difference between what is heard by someone else in the same room and what the microphone picks up purely a matter of levels of information and detail? Are there greater losses on certain qualities of the voice than others?
 
Flammy said:
  1. Your voice sounds different because when you speak normally, what you hear primarily is the sound moving thru your jaw (bones, muscle, flesh, etc) which is denser than air. If you took highschool physics, you will know sound moves more quickly through denser objects. faster moving sound = wavelengths are compressed. Compressed wavelengths = change in how you sound. Basically, an audio recording is how you 'truely' sound - wait, don't freak out - you don't sound weird, it is just a disconnect from what you EXPECT and what you HEAR. I will also tell you from personal experience you WILL get used to hearing how you sound, but it is a matter of simply exposing yourself to lots and lots of recordings via editing. For me it took a month or two of doing daily video work before I stopped shuddering every time I heard myself.
  2. I don't think it is possible to measure the difference, perhaps someone really good at editing audio can play with the pitch/volumes and reproduce what you think you sound like.
  3. It won't sound 'normal' if that is your main concern. I honestly doubt many people would notice (well less than 10%).
  4. Nope. Surgically embedding a microphone next to your ear might help. That is gonna cost a bit more than a blue yeti.
  5. Personally I record everything on a $30 gaming headset that I already owned. I'm not sure the differences between getting more expensive stuff, but I would say it is not needed for YouTube work at all.
Cheers!

Flammy[DOUBLEPOST=1366783115,1366783067][/DOUBLEPOST]
If you know a lot about it, audit my post for accuracy. Sound is not my forte as much as physics :)
Click to expand...

I always thought embedding a microphone inside my ear would be really cool. And then you'd put a speaker on your lip and cameras on your eyebrows or something, it'd all link up to a smart phone in your pocket, too. So great.

What about things like speaking loudly and in higher pitches? The problems I see aren't just that my voice is different, but that it seems to move upwards in pitch and lose depth. Do you find that even after getting used to the sound of your voice played back that you prefer your voice played back or how you hear it when you speak?
 
Laydeliel said:
What about things like speaking loudly and in higher pitches? The problems I see aren't just that my voice is different, but that it seems to move upwards in pitch and lose depth. Do you find that even after getting used to the sound of your voice played back that you prefer your voice played back or how you hear it when you speak?
Click to expand...

Not sure in terms of volume / pitches. I find what effects the quality of my commentary most is how enthusiastic I try to sound. Considering I think my recording sounds weird as hell... and yet none of my 30k subs or millions of views has commented on how my voice sounds weird... I guess I'll have to trust them.

When I get used to it, it is merely just doesn't sound weird in my ears. I still think that it is off if I listen to it these days. My
normal voice though is just the same as always. I hear myself in real life much more often than via editing.
 
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