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This is the main page of the Beyond Skyrim Arcane University Voice Acting tutorials. | This is the main page of the Beyond Skyrim Arcane University Voice Acting tutorials. | ||
== Expectation == | == Expectation == | ||
− | A Voice Actor will lend their voice and acting to characters of the game world, making them immersive, believable, and unique. | + | A Voice Actor will lend their voice and acting to characters of the game world, making them immersive, believable, and unique. |
− | They must be able to provide clear, high quality audio files with minimal to no room echoes and a noise floor of preferably no higher than - | + | They must be able to provide clear, high quality audio files with minimal to no room echoes and a noise floor of preferably no higher than -60db. |
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== A personal introduction by a teacher == | == A personal introduction by a teacher == | ||
=== Introduction === | === Introduction === | ||
− | Voice acting is one of the most applied-for yet underestimated aspects of being in a mod. This page will endeavor to explain why and give you some clues on what it takes to become a voice actor for Beyond Skyrim. <br> | + | Voice acting is one of the most applied-for yet underestimated aspects of being in a mod. This page will endeavor to explain why and give you some clues on what it takes to become a voice actor for Beyond Skyrim. Voice acting is acting. There's no getting around that. If you come from a background of drama or reenactment, that's fantastic. Another excellent source of experience is role playing games. Like Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder/World of Darkness. These and many other things will help you get into the hang of putting yourself into a character's shoes. <br> |
+ | Whether you have such experience or not, read on! | ||
− | + | === What You're Getting Into === | |
− | + | The misunderstanding about voice acting is that people think they will be just doing some impersonations on their cell phones or with a gaming headset mic. That won't cut it, though. In order to get the level of quality we are looking for, audio quality must meet or go beyond the level found in Skyrim. This means that there will be not only a personal investment of time and effort, but also the investment for: <br> A decent microphone setup (set aside about $300-500 for something good, the sky's the limit if you wanna go above and beyond) <br> Avoustic treatment (to make the room sound less like a bedroom and more like a studio) <br> And a digital audio workstation or DAW (the program you use for recording and manipulating the files). | |
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=== Signals! === | === Signals! === | ||
''"Okay! I got a Blue Yeti and"''- <br> | ''"Okay! I got a Blue Yeti and"''- <br> | ||
− | No no no... I hope you don't. The Blue Yeti is no longer a viable or affordable option for budget recording. There are several options out there by lesser known companies that sound better and cost less | + | No no no... I hope you don't. The Blue Yeti is no longer a viable or affordable option for budget recording. There are several options out there by lesser known companies that sound better and cost less |
<br>USB mics, by a wide margin, sound like USB mics. They are marketed towards you exactly but have several technical and audible shortcomings that don't hold up to the levels we aspire to portray in Beyond Skyrim. To go into more technical detail on why USB mics should be avoided… They are designed to exist within an affordable price point around what the average streaming or hobbyist consumer can afford, and as a result, the components are as cheaply sourced and manufactured as possible. This means that the design is also the simplest design possible to get the job done, and it doesn't take into account the digital artifacts created by an amplification system and analog-digital converter (ADC) sitting so close to the small electret condenser diaphragm(s). All of this must also be powered by only +5vDC from the USB hub. Now, in order to get more juice to power a more complex and transparent converter, as well as to power the amplification circuitry in the mic, you need a good quality transformer to ramp that power up. But the designers eventually run out of the room. And we get the Blue Yeti.. and the Snowball… and so many other USB mics. <br> | <br>USB mics, by a wide margin, sound like USB mics. They are marketed towards you exactly but have several technical and audible shortcomings that don't hold up to the levels we aspire to portray in Beyond Skyrim. To go into more technical detail on why USB mics should be avoided… They are designed to exist within an affordable price point around what the average streaming or hobbyist consumer can afford, and as a result, the components are as cheaply sourced and manufactured as possible. This means that the design is also the simplest design possible to get the job done, and it doesn't take into account the digital artifacts created by an amplification system and analog-digital converter (ADC) sitting so close to the small electret condenser diaphragm(s). All of this must also be powered by only +5vDC from the USB hub. Now, in order to get more juice to power a more complex and transparent converter, as well as to power the amplification circuitry in the mic, you need a good quality transformer to ramp that power up. But the designers eventually run out of the room. And we get the Blue Yeti.. and the Snowball… and so many other USB mics. <br> | ||
And that's just scratching the surface! But you don't need to rent expensive studio time by the hour for this either. I just recommend a decent, low noise XLR microphone and a decent, low noise audio interface. Now as mentioned, you could spend anywhere from $300-500 on this kind of setup and be set for life. It's more than a Yeti but worth it. | And that's just scratching the surface! But you don't need to rent expensive studio time by the hour for this either. I just recommend a decent, low noise XLR microphone and a decent, low noise audio interface. Now as mentioned, you could spend anywhere from $300-500 on this kind of setup and be set for life. It's more than a Yeti but worth it. | ||
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== Tool-specific Guidelines and Links == | == Tool-specific Guidelines and Links == | ||
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[[Category:Arcane University]] | [[Category:Arcane University]] | ||
[[Category:CK Audio]] | [[Category:CK Audio]] | ||
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