VO Weekly Workflow: Loopback in Action (Part 3)

After going a bit deeply under the hood last week to consider the routing of Inputs and Outputs in a few specific recording environments, it might be helpful to take a step back and ask “when the heck am I ever going to need to do this?”

Fair question. Depending upon your focus in voiceover and the types of recording that it demands, it could be that you never need to record someone who has connected to you remotely. If every booked gig involves Source-Connect sessions for example, you may not need to worry about capturing those distant audio sources. During that type of project, the client on the “far end” of the line is actually recording your performance. There’s little that we need to do other than be brilliant behind the mic.

The need for additional recording options can occur when we are in charge of the actual recording. In most home voiceover studio setups, the focus is on capturing high quality sound from your microphone. Understanding how to get the sound from your booth microphone into your recording software remains the first step in VO home studio setup. Needing to record someone else who is not even in the same space is an added layer of complexity once you’ve solved that.

Admittedly, this is a fairly niche task. When might it be desirable to be able to capture that “other” voice in a recording session?

How Loopback can be helpful in the home VO studio

Here are three situations where that might be helpful:

• During a group Zoom workshop or class in which you want to capture both your performance and the feedback from the instructor. In many cases, group classes are not recorded and it can be difficult to retain the instructional feedback and direction while also concentrating on your performance and the script.
• When taking part in a one-to-one class with a less technically proficient instructor. Some coaches or instructors do not wish to establish a studio set up that facilitates easy recording. Or the coaching session may take place over a connection method that does not easily support recording.
• Running a directed session in which you are responsible for recording. Capturing the other side of the conversation can remind you of requests made during the heat of the moment that could be lost. For example, the client may comment that they loved the opening of take 7 and the middle of take 3, as well as the ending of take 14. Editing that together for them would be a bonus, or possibly your responsibility. Having a record of both sides of the conversation can be beneficial during the editing phase.

Having a recording of both sides of the session can be quite helpful. Most voice actors I work with are surprised when they hit record on their software, but it only records their voice. Unless you have some way of routing that remote voice into your recording, it won’t happen. You cannot simply leave speakers open when recording. At best you have to spend time editing out the director’s comments. Often you pick up extraneous sounds, feedback, or interference in the recording, making them of inferior quality.

Loopback In Action

This is where the Loopback function in an audio interface comes into play. As I mentioned in part 1, this type of Loopback is found in the Scarlett 2i2 Gen4 and SSL2 interfaces (among others) and creates an “input” that can be recorded into a discrete track. Remember, each different audio app can be set to receive inputs from any available source using the concepts of “I/O” routing discussed last week.

With a Loopback signal and proper I/O routing, we should be able to set up one track that records the booth microphone, while the Loopback signal can be recorded in another track. Your recording software will determine exactly how that takes place. In ProTools, Studio One, Adobe Audition, or Reaper multitrack DAW’s, you can specify particular inputs to each track. In Twisted Wave, you can change the order of the inputs so that the Loopback shows up in one channel of a stereo track. With the relatively inflexible I/O in Audacity, it’s necessary to enable all the inputs and have enough tracks to capture the Loopback signal where it appears.

You can test this by using the sound from online video through your web browser, or engage another voice actor to connect with you over a conferencing or recording tool. Depending upon the computer type and operating system, you may need to specify I/O at the system level as well as in the application. I’m always happy to help you work through this type of setup.

As with any more complex recording procedure – take clear notes. Specify all I/O routing in any of the applications that are used. This is helpful as a checklist before a session, but also in returning your recording setup to the original baseline settings for everything else you do in the booth.

Have you tested your studio’s audio quality to make sure it meets professional standards? For a free review of your vocal recordings, please use the upload tool on my Audio Review page.

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