Voice Over / Interview editing: How to create end of sentence?

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eusti
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05 Mar 2015

I'm in the middle of editing some longer interviews for various projects I'm working on right now.
I found that using two audio tracks and alternating the placement of certain sections lets me get around some of Reason's limited audio editing limitations...

So far so good.

But since these interviews need to be condensed into much shorter pieces for web usage, I found myself wanting to be able to emphasize full stops when in reality the speaker just continued on and on...

So, what are my options? Transpose the last word / syllable down? (If yes: How much?) Or and stretch it a bit? Any hints?

The audio is good as in there is enough room at the end, but the intonation just goes up, because there is no set script and people are at times not that fully focused or don't speak in perfect sound-bites...

Thanks!

D.

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selig
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05 Mar 2015

eusti wrote:I'm in the middle of editing some longer interviews for various projects I'm working on right now.
I found that using two audio tracks and alternating the placement of certain sections lets me get around some of Reason's limited audio editing limitations...

So far so good.

But since these interviews need to be condensed into much shorter pieces for web usage, I found myself wanting to be able to emphasize full stops when in reality the speaker just continued on and on...

So, what are my options? Transpose the last word / syllable down? (If yes: How much?) Or and stretch it a bit? Any hints?

The audio is good as in there is enough room at the end, but the intonation just goes up, because there is no set script and people are at times not that fully focused or don't speak in perfect sound-bites...

Thanks!

D.
I just had to undo a requested edit because it sounded like it ended mid sentence. Before doing the edit I mentioned it probably would't work for the same reasons you are experiencing, but they had to hear it to know what I was talking about. I never thought about pitching it down at the end - it would need to be a smooth curve to work…

Turns out in my case they didn't like the original accent and are redoing all the audio (and me my edits - paid!), so I don't have to worry about it!

But that's what I'd try (pitching down to create an "end") - don't expect miracles, but sometimes things like this actually do end up sounding natural (or at least natural enough)!
:)
Selig Audio, LLC

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eusti
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05 Mar 2015


Thanks, Giles!

Now I just need to figure out how to use pitch bend on an audio track...
I can create an automation with pitch bend, but it doesn't do anything to the audio...

Will research this more!

D.

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selig
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05 Mar 2015

eusti wrote: Thanks, Giles!

Now I just need to figure out how to use pitch bend on an audio track...
I can create an automation with pitch bend, but it doesn't do anything to the audio...

Will research this more!

D.
I would first try Neptune for this and see if the results sound realistic. I know this trick works on strings to do bends better than bending the sample…
:)
Selig Audio, LLC

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eusti
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05 Mar 2015

eusti wrote: Thanks, Giles!

Now I just need to figure out how to use pitch bend on an audio track...
I can create an automation with pitch bend, but it doesn't do anything to the audio...

Will research this more!

D.
selig wrote:
I would first try Neptune for this and see if the results sound realistic. I know this trick works on strings to do bends better than bending the sample…
:)
Cool. Thanks; will try that now! :)

D.

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eusti
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05 Mar 2015

Mmmh... Will need to get back to that in a while... Cannot tell anymore if it sounds natural or not! :P

D.

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mcatalao
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05 Mar 2015

Mind that each sentence has its singing and each person his cadence. Also affirmations will start on a high pitch and get down to low pitch, whereas questions will start up and get down and up again. Also, careful to not to make the thing too melodic.

In the end the best is to re do i...

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eusti
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05 Mar 2015

mcatalao wrote:Mind that each sentence has its singing and each person his cadence. Also affirmations will start on a high pitch and get down to low pitch, whereas questions will start up and get down and up again. Also, careful to not to make the thing too melodic. In the end the best is to re do i...
Thank you! Any pointers on how far up and down we're talking here? Cents or halftones?

Redoing is not that easy as these are personal interviews... With very open questions... So, the people will never repeat what they said the first time around...

D.

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mcatalao
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06 Mar 2015

The amount depends a lot on the person, and how effusive he/she about the subject...

BTW, i wonder if you really should do this... In interviews and talkshow announcements, tv producers will put music behind and end cut the sentences as they are and where they want, and most probably do fast cuts from a phrase to another, with very short crossfades. And if you have multiple persons, try to go from one interview to another reall fast, ideally with divergent affirmations (this works quite well with politicians :) ).

I wonder if Ed is around, he works quite a lot for TV, so he might have something to say about this...

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C//AZM
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06 Mar 2015

My2cents;

When I say these two phrases out loud;
This sentence sounds good.
This sentence sounds good with vocal pitch change.
The "good" in the second sentence is shorter when I say these two phrases.
Try lengthening the last word just a bit.

The pitch probably depends on the speaker's cadence. Listen to how she/he naturally ends sentences and see if there's a pitch reference or a couple of them- because chances are there's more than one "type" of ending depending on the finality of the phrase. (sort of like in classical music with the differing "perfect cadences") Also it will probably be the last few words dropping succesively downward.

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eusti
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06 Mar 2015

Thank you both for your input! I'm still struggling a bit with that word as it's the last word in the piece...
Neptune made it too grainy in my opinion... So I decided to do without... Might try Melodyne on it...
Will play with stretching it a bit... I think I tried, but wasn't convinced... Will see how I feel about it today! :P

D.

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C//AZM
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06 Mar 2015

Good luck!

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eusti
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06 Mar 2015

Right now it seems the original intonation and length seem to be best. Will revisit this tomorrow...

Here's another related question:
The interview took quite a while to do, so we took a break before we moved to the second part...
I used a lav mic that I had to re-apply, but somehow I got a very different sound for the second part...
Not sure if it has to do with placement or maybe a mood change that might have taken place...
In this case I think it's not ideal, but I can live with the difference... But what to do if that is unacceptable?
How to avoid it? (Do not disconnect the mic, I guess... But do I really want my cables dragging into the bathroom?)
How to fix it?

Thanks again for all your tips!

D.

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Concep
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06 Mar 2015

Polar would sound better than Neptune

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selig
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06 Mar 2015

Concep wrote:Polar would sound better than Neptune
Maybe - you can't say until you try, though you would loose the ability to use the formant control of Neptune, which sometimes helps keep things from sounding to processed. :)
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C//AZM
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06 Mar 2015

Not sure if it has to do with placement or maybe a mood change that might have taken place...
In this case I think it's not ideal, but I can live with the difference... But what to do if that is unacceptable?
How to avoid it? (Do not disconnect the mic, I guess... But do I really want my cables dragging into the bathroom?)
How to fix it?

Thanks again for all your tips!
Here's something i do but it only works with mics on a stand. Make the talent stick their hand sideways between the mic and their face as a measurement that they will always know themselves how close to be from the mic. Do you have to use a lav? I guess don't unclip the mic but unplug it and make them put the end of the cord in their pocket but keep the mic clipped to them. LOL at least this ensures the same placement....maybe.

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eusti
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06 Mar 2015

Not sure if it has to do with placement or maybe a mood change that might have taken place...
In this case I think it's not ideal, but I can live with the difference... But what to do if that is unacceptable?
How to avoid it? (Do not disconnect the mic, I guess... But do I really want my cables dragging into the bathroom?)
How to fix it?

Thanks again for all your tips!
C//AZM wrote: Here's something i do but it only works with mics on a stand. Make the talent stick their hand sideways between the mic and their face as a measurement that they will always know themselves how close to be from the mic. Do you have to use a lav? I guess don't unclip the mic but unplug it and make them put the end of the cord in their pocket but keep the mic clipped to them. LOL at least this ensures the same placement....maybe.
Thank you for entertaining my questions! The pieces I do are with regular people on location... In the interviews I try to capture their stories and emotions... I use a lav to get a good signal / noise ration, be unobtrusive and let them forget that this is actually an interview and not just them telling me their story...

Unplugging from my recorder instead of unclipping the lav from the person might be a good pointer though!

D.

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mcatalao
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07 Mar 2015

I can only think of 2 ideas...
Use cloth characteristic as markers (a button, a lapel...).
Use a sowing pin as marker when the person leaves the set or recording space.

You Do not want your lavs to go down the drain...

Btw, just to vent a little....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OTFCctdiS04

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eusti
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07 Mar 2015

mcatalao wrote:I can only think of 2 ideas... Use cloth characteristic as markers (a button, a lapel...). Use a sowing pin as marker when the person leaves the set or recording space. You Do not want your lavs to go down the drain... Btw, just to vent a little.... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OTFCctdiS04
Thank you, mcatalao!

D.

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