Audio Interfaces for Voiceover – Can Distortion Sound Good?
Just what happens when we use it?
Every voiceover studio must have an Audio Interface. It handles the vital step of transferring performances from the microphone into the computer. While the mic is the primary filter between your voice and the recording software, everything travels through the audio interface.
However, I often downplay that piece of equipment when describing the basics of home voiceover studios. While the Audio Interface is an integral part of the audio signal path, it does not tend to have a significant impact on overall sound quality in VO recordings. That’s because even the “entry level” interfaces do a pretty phenomenal job of handling the basics of amplifying the microphone input and then digitizing that signal into our computers.
When it comes to recording equipment, we live in a time of riches. Even more so with Audio Interfaces.
When Is “Distortion” a Good Thing?
As I covered last week, most of the Audio Interfaces recommended for VO studios have a “neutral” sound. The signal coming out of the interface remains very, very similar to the signal which came into the interface. It will be louder – thanks to the preamp circuit – but it shouldn’t sound different. That means there’s no “coloration” of the sound.
Any coloration of the incoming audio is actually distortion of that signal. Which on the face of it is a bad thing, right? We want to avoid distorting our audio signal, don’t we? That’s why we record conservatively, practice mindful mic placement and position, correct?
Yes. Yes. And yes. Those things are true.
For VO, we certainly don’t want significant general distortion on our voice recordings – clarity and accuracy is the point. Yet “controlled” distortion might add some sonically pleasing aspects to our sound – adding overtones or “harmonics” to the original signal which compliment it.
That’s where “boutique” preamps come in. By judiciously adding coloration or tonal changes by boosting certain specific harmonics in the original signal, those preamps add extra tonality which our ears find pleasing.
Using a Specialty Preamp for VO
This “secret sauce” is why some voice actors choose to invest in a separate preamp – they are using the combination of their microphone AND that preamp to create their core tone. When you get to that point, of course, you need to (a) know what you are doing, and (b) have clients who want that specific tone from you.
Which brings us back to the basics – most of what we deliver to our voiceover clients are neutral, clean, vocal recordings. We need to be able to do that consistently.
As with many things, there’s a balance to maintain. The more tonal coloration we add to our recordings, the more “produced” our audio may sound. That may not be appropriate for certain types of projects, or the client may want to shape that tonality on their end. Many actors’ voices tend toward an “announcery” quality to begin with, and adding additional character from a preamp often increases that. How many audition opportunities ask us to “not sound like a voice actor”? All of those considerations factor in to what we add to our core tone.
Adding “Character” to the Input Signal
Some distortion can be a good thing – and a few of the Audio Interface manufacturers understand that. Focusrite, through the “Air” circuit on their Scarlett series; Solid State Logic, with the “4K” button on their SSL 2 and SSL 2 Plus models; and Universal Audio, using a “Vintage” option on their Volt series, all provide a simple button to add some of that coloration to the signal.
What’s nice about these particular interface models is that the sonic options have been set up by folks who know what they are doing. They are designed to be a more subtle enhancement of the signal. Since they are activated by buttons, they are also either “ON” or “OFF” – which makes it impossible to set something wrong. When working with a client you can offer a sample with and without that option and let them decide which they want to receive from you.
Remember – You can’t Unbake the Cake!
When using any inbound processing like those coloration circuits, the original signal into your computer is being directly modified. With some interfaces we’ll discuss next week, you may be able to still record a raw, unprocessed signal. But, the simpler interfaces don’t let you do that. In that case, any processing you add on the way in will become part of the recording and cannot be removed. You can always add processing in software.
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