Halo: Celestia, A Halo Audio Drama (New Role Added!)
ryanahixon for Thomas Darren
Thomas Darren is a young man whom was taken in by a cargo pilot whom runs shipments for anyone who pays. He is in his late teens or so, and has a bit of a guilt factor to his tone of voice. He is currently learning in a sort of internship under Captain Faux on how to be a pilot, and sees him as a sort of father figure. He can be relatively soft spoken to others, unless it is Leonard Copplin, whom he has a sort of sibling tone towards.
"Afternoon sir. Actually, I was thinking I will just obsere some more today, if it's all the same to you....I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. I'm just feeling a bit under the radar today."
(Alright, quick update on this line. I had a question about what this line is supposed to mean, so heres a explanation so it is easier to understand. So, in this scene, the ship is entering the planet's atmosphere. When the clouds dissapear and the crew is looking down to the planet's surface, one of the characters notes, "There she is. Beautiful, ain't she, kid?". To the rest of the crew, they've seen the planet plenty of times, and it's lost the effect on them. But for Thomas, someone who's never traveled around before, let alone to the Outer Colonies, he is awestruck by the beauty of the landscape. Imagine Rey from The Force Awakens when seeing 'so much green'. It's in a simular veign to that scene. Thomas, while being awestruck by the beauty he is seeing on the planet's surface, is slightly shocked that the other character doesn't sound more excited. If you have any questions about this line in particular, please feel free to ask me further.)
"Well, yeah. I've never seen this side of the colonies before."
(shocked)
"...You gave weapons to terrorists?..."
(panicing; Think you just spilled beer on your date during the first date)
"Oh my- I'm so sorry-"
Nice audition. You seemed to hit the tone I was looking for pretty well. The only, and obvious, problem I have with it is that your microphone is a bit statistic-ey with background noise? Do you mind if I ask what microphone your using and or what noise is making the recording that way? Maybe we can try and alleviate it for audition purposes.
I use the Razer Kraken's microphone. To my knowledge, there was no significant or consistent background noise when I recorded, so the static probably came from the microphone or the recording software. I use Bandicam to record my screen and audio and then converted the mp4 to a mp3 via a conversion website. However, the static was present before the file conversion.
Hm. Have you ever tried Audacity by chance? I use Audition myself, so I'm sure I could try and limit or cover it up if needed. But Audacity is a cheap and effective-enough way to not only record but edit your voice. I would give it a shot and see if there is a difference. I also just looked up the microphone set you said you use. I think we can agree why it was doing that. Console headsets are notorious for not being of terrible great quality. I'm not saying you have to go out and buy a Yeti right now, although it is what I personally use and I have no problems with it personally. But, even some cheap condenser mics are under $30, or even the Blue Snowball for $50. That's if you're looking to get into voice acting if you already aren't.
I've managed to use Audacity to remove much of the static (see my Platform Inspector audition). The problem now is that the audio sounds a bit hollow, though that is likely an issue with the microphone.
Hm. I see what you mean. I'm not quite sure how to alleviate that problem.
I've tried the "vocal reduction and isolation" effect was well as "noise reduction" and neither get rid of the static and keep a high audio quality. I'll see about getting a new microphone, though that may be difficult on a high school budget.
I totally know what you mean. I'm going to send you two suggestions. Admittedly, one of them is a bit expensive, but I've used it for years and never had any problems with the mic itself. So don't feel that you NEED one over the other. They're both good quality, but if you're going to continue voice acting through the years, obviously the more expensive one is obviously going to get you more bang for your buck. What I use now (This is the quality you heard in my videos) https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yeti-USB-Microphone-Blackout/dp/B00N1YPXW2/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1485384686&sr=8-11&keywords=microphone&th=1 Now this next one is usually around $50, depending on where you get it. I'm not sure that most Walmarts and Targets would have it, but I'm almost certain most Best Buys do, incase you don't want to use Amazon. And obviously there are other sites too. This doesn't have as good quality as the Yeti, and has less settings for recording, but I had it at one time and it is doable for a low budget for a while. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B006DIA77E/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1485384686&sr=8-13&keywords=microphone Now, I will say this: Either one you chose, you will likely have problems with some noise being picked up because it will be on a stand, and slightly hitting the table it's on will obviously create noise it will easily pick up on. BUT, I just recently got a stand for my Yeti, and even without a pop filter, it works wonders. Again, I'm listing off a lot of stuff right now, but I've also been accumulating this over the course of time and for a hobby, and now so a job. So don't feel that you NEED any of it. You don't. But, if you're going to continue to apply for roles or make videos or whatever it may be that requires you have a good sounding voice, besides your voice itself, these are things that you may look to accumulating over time to 'pimp our setup' in a way. It truly makes a difference. If you have any questions or need help with something regarding this subject, please feel free to let me know, whenever it may be.
I'm considering the Snowball with a pop filter at the moment. This would be my first role in voice acting if I get a part, so I don't think I can quite justify the Yeti. Add in the fact that I'm a high schooler with no job and my options are limited to under $100.
Yeah, no problem. I've been through the same process as you.