Dry mouth is my bane! For some reason, I find that something a little astringent helps a bit. I usually mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of water and sip from it as I'm reading, but I know a lot of people don't like ACV. Lemon juice might work, too. When I searched online, a lot of people suggested eating an apple before recording. I haven't tried that yet, but it's worth a shot. I also find it helps to keep lip balm nearby, since it cuts back on some of the noises. And yeah, dairy definitely makes things worse. So does caffeine.
I've noticed that volume and mic placement can have some impact on mouth noise. My mic always picks up more of it when I'm speaking quietly. Reading a little louder cut back on some of it. And if the mic isn't positioned directly in front of your mouth, it shouldn't pick up as many sounds. Play around with placing it slightly above or below. See if you can find the sweet spot where it still picks up your voice clearly, but not the mouth sounds.
Lemon stuff doesn't go over so well with me, but I will try that apple tip :) Thanks!
Yeah, I speak much more loudly than I did when i first began podficcing, and that does make the mouth noises less noticeable. And I've got a headset mic, and I've found that if I place it just above my nose and remember to speak up, that's about the right place for it. Maybe I should try moving it up a little more.
Equalization in Audacity can help some to tone down the treble sounds, but as with everything, if you overdo it, it muffles the entire recording. I tend to speak just a tad to the side of the mic, which helps some. And everyone who has one swears on their pop filters, which I think I'll gift myself this holiday.
As for the editing. FWIW, I do it. 10 min or 10 h, I go through and lower every hiss. I know I hear it in other recordings and while it rarely makes me turn it off, it does distract. But I may indeed be a minority here (or most people just record better :)
I use a headset mic, and I position the mic just above the tip of my nose so it doesn't catch so many mouth and breath noises, but so that it does get enough volume on my voice. I wish I could stick a pop filter on it, but alas, no room between it and my face. I got a standing mic from Amazon during the Black Friday sale, but I'm sending that thing back, because it's just terrible.
I'll experiment with equalization :) And knowing that it does distract (I wasn't really sure if it was just me being sensitive to my own voice, or if it was really a thing) I'll pay attention when editing and at least get rid of the bad ones. Thanks!
I may have something weird that could help for 2? I was looking up something re s sounds a while back and came across this post re S whistles at the voice actors' alliance. There are a couple of ideas there: slowing down a little on those S sounds so you can bring your tongue back a bit from your teeth, for one. But I remembered that post because of the odd suggestion of blocking the gap in your teeth with plastic polymer clay. The OP did the latter and found it worked for them; they even posted a before and after sample. A gap wasn't my issue, so I haven't tried it.
When I'm paying close attention, like at the beginning of a recording, I can usually remember to carefully pronounce my S's by pulling my lips a little lower over my teeth. Once I get partway through, though, I'm kind of in the zone and I forget to pay attention. I need to learn to be more mindful. I am still kind of a beginner though, so I hope I can learn to do these things without thinking about them too much.
That's a really interesting idea to stop the gap! It's like, i don't mind having one, I don't feel like it's unattractive or anything, but once I started podficcing, it became a bit of a problem, lol.
Yeah, I think that's what stuck me about the polymer clay idea; if it works it's a constant fix you can forget about, not one that you have to keep in mind while you're juggling everything else. :)
I came here searching for the 's' question myself. Especially when Sam and Castiel are in the story, my esses can get a little wonky, though no gap between teeth. I've got a pop shield, but maybe I need to play with mic positioning a bit more. Thanks for asking, Bas.
I tried the olive oil thing and it did seem to work. It's also really not that yucky. I'd say give it go. You only need a tiny bit, though. No need to gargle : ) x
Haha, well, I'm neither middle aged nor professional so entirely trustworthy : )
I just kept reading that people had been advised to do it but not one person had, so I thought I should at least try. I'm trying to get over my fear of public speaking and figure if I can get past the dry mouth bit, I have a better chance! x
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I've noticed that volume and mic placement can have some impact on mouth noise. My mic always picks up more of it when I'm speaking quietly. Reading a little louder cut back on some of it. And if the mic isn't positioned directly in front of your mouth, it shouldn't pick up as many sounds. Play around with placing it slightly above or below. See if you can find the sweet spot where it still picks up your voice clearly, but not the mouth sounds.
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Yeah, I speak much more loudly than I did when i first began podficcing, and that does make the mouth noises less noticeable. And I've got a headset mic, and I've found that if I place it just above my nose and remember to speak up, that's about the right place for it. Maybe I should try moving it up a little more.
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As for the editing. FWIW, I do it. 10 min or 10 h, I go through and lower every hiss. I know I hear it in other recordings and while it rarely makes me turn it off, it does distract. But I may indeed be a minority here (or most people just record better :)
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I'll experiment with equalization :) And knowing that it does distract (I wasn't really sure if it was just me being sensitive to my own voice, or if it was really a thing) I'll pay attention when editing and at least get rid of the bad ones. Thanks!
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That's a really interesting idea to stop the gap! It's like, i don't mind having one, I don't feel like it's unattractive or anything, but once I started podficcing, it became a bit of a problem, lol.
Thanks!
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I just kept reading that people had been advised to do it but not one person had, so I thought I should at least try. I'm trying to get over my fear of public speaking and figure if I can get past the dry mouth bit, I have a better chance! x
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