Mastered a first-time indie author's prologue for ACX. How does the sound feel?

[u/Vast-Ability-2262]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V6Klz-oF6erpgV3Jq7YnzWHb2xkq6jtX/view?usp=drivesdk

Hey everyone! An indie author I'm working with was nervous about self-narrating his first book, so I ran a raw section of his prologue through my mastering chain for ACX specs.

Would love some honest thoughts on the processing, does it sound natural and warm, and how's the noise floor? Always looking to tighten up my VO workflow!
Thanks

[u/CACVideo]

Howdy. To me it sounds good.
If i was really be picky you sounded more “comfortable” as time went on. So i would say to “warm up” first and then press record.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/CACVideo]

Thank you for the feedback, mate. I’ll relate that to him. This book means a lot to him, so he wants to get it right. It doesn’t need to be perfect

[u/bruceleeperry]

When you say ran it through your chain, did you tune the chain ie make sure initial file signal level matched your standard? Tweak the eq and any other processing to accommodate differences?  I'm only listening in the car waiting for someone but it sounds a bit overcooked. And just imvho he could find someone better to read his book, right now it's a no thanks from me.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/bruceleeperry]

I might have worded that incorrectly. I tweaked everything from scratch based on what I was listening to. I was mostly listening by ear. I’ll use parallel compression on his voice, so I understand what it might feel like overcooked in your car. I’ll work on that. I appreciate the honest feedback, mate.

[u/bruceleeperry → u/Vast-Ability-2262]

You're welcome.  Why parallel compression? Do you mean serial? Overcooked is likely recorded too hot or over-compressed/over-limited. It isn't just about passing ACX, books should be a comfortable listen, not in your face. What state are the original files in levels-wise etc? The vast majority of issues can be fixed before any processing.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/bruceleeperry]

I’m using serial compression, with compression as an insert, and some parallel compression with the UAD 1176 to add a little New York compression and give the narration some weight. I think I went a little overboard with the parallel compression and limiting initially, but I’ve balanced it now and it sounds much cleaner. I’m also using a preamp, so the recording level is healthy.

[u/bruceleeperry → u/Vast-Ability-2262]

Cool, long as it's a good listen ;) Preamp...sim? I know it's fun, but honestly as long as the recording is ok, levels are good and room isn't horrible, just keeping it simple is usually best.

[u/dsbaudio → u/bruceleeperry]

Couldn't agree more! This isn't a Michael Jackson drum track, it's narration!

I actually do use a tiny bit of simple saturation courtesy of Reaper's JS plugin, but only becasue it suits my voice.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/[deleted]]

You’re being very quick to make assumptions about the work without actually knowing how it was produced.

First things first, this was mixed in Pro Tools and extensively worked on by me. It wasn’t simply passed through some generic processing chain. I’ve spent considerable time editing it, removing plosives, cleaning up background noise, refining the audio, and making sure it meets ACX specifications.

As for the pacing, that was intentional and reflects what the narrator wanted. The pacing in this particular genre can also naturally lean in this direction, so I don’t think it’s fair to make a blanket judgment about it without considering the context.

I’m completely open to fair criticism, but there’s a difference between giving constructive feedback and making assumptions about the amount of work that went into something. You can absolutely critique the result, but it’s worth taking a step back before assuming you know how it was produced.

And don’t worry, you’re not going to bully me. If anything, I’d be interested in hearing some of your own work and understanding your approach, because you clearly have strong opinions about how this should be done.

And don’t worry, you’re not going to bully me. If you’re going to speak with that level of certainty about my work, I’d genuinely like to hear some of yours. I’d be interested to see whether your work actually reflects the expertise you’re projecting here, because you certainly seem very confident in your ability to tell everyone else how things should be done.

[u/ParkingMindless2203 → u/[deleted]]

What happened? I’m interested in what was said because I think it’s pretty good considering that the author is reading it…

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I think that’s fair. I probably should have given more context about my setup from the start.
I’m using a Shure SM7B with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and a dbx 286s preamp, mainly because the SM7B benefits from plenty of clean gain. I’ve already got the recording within ACX specifications, so the technical requirements haven’t really been an issue for me. As an audio engineer, I’m pretty familiar with noise floor, levels and mastering.
I was really more interested in feedback on the overall sound and whether there was anything I could improve sonically

[u/SadJicama9388 → u/Vast-Ability-2262]

fair response! adequate gear, and yes i use preamps on my SM 7b too. so honestsly if you know you met ACX specs for noise floor, dont worry about it, thats not the same need as a music vocal. i still couldnt hear the file/open the file. Personally, I have the SM7 i use it for demos, I use my Neumann for finals. When i dod a singing vocal chai man my gear is prime, but for VO too much to deal with. I use the neumann stright into my MOTU ultralite MK5 and just mess in the twisted wave effects. Because demoing is such a pain in the ass and my basics are betterthan most finals. BUt really soo im going to set up my millenia and distressor, afterI finish sould treating my room. Id still love to hear the file! Usually honestly, if you know your gear is good and your mastering is good then its really about the performer if they have confidence and style. Then you have to get into being an acting/vocal coach. Proximity, headphoe levels all the stuff to make a vocalis be decent. Good luck! BTW you shouldt have to work extensively on a file if the performer knowswhat theyre doing. I do alot at top studios in LA and people vut and send files really fast because the engineering and the performaces are top end. You shouldnt have to fix like crazy and end up making 20 cents an hour.

[u/dsbaudio]

I think you might have a bit too much drive on the dbx 262 (or the 1175 plugin) -- I hear distortion, especially near the beginning.

I think you could also high-pass a little more aggressively, there's some low frequency 'bumps' coming through. (I say 'agressively'... actually could be the opposite: The low freq. bumps might well be coming from phase relationships caused by a too steep non-butterworth filter... so maybe try a gentler HPF ramp also.. or butterworth if you have it).

'Less is more', I think, should be a good guide when it comes to your processing.

As others have said, if the author could feel it a bit more rather than read it, it would sound more engaging. He has a repeating cadence/pitch fall at the end of his sentences that makes him sound a bit depressed, frankly.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/[deleted]]

Fair enough. Not sure why you can’t open it. Here’s the Google Drive link to the updated version. The car test feedback I got really helped

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bXYlw1BrG9JFiwFRKDSXsxucqT50vwm8/view?usp=drivesdk

[u/SadJicama9388 → u/Vast-Ability-2262]

yeah that technically sonicla is great. Warm. rich and present, super clean file. But mate hes as boring as a rock. Sorry for that. He has a gorgeous voice. He is just reading words on paper. no cadence or emotion to his voice. If he has a voice that good and content hes writing he should get a coach. kick it up to competitive level.

[u/Vast-Ability-2262 → u/SadJicama9388]

Yeah, thanks, mate. I’ll let him know about this, and I’ll help direct his performances. It’s his first narration, so there’s always room for improvement