Audible book narration will sound amateurish if plagued with plosives. A plosive is an
explosion of air into the microphone that causes the mic to recoil audibly. Not
a pleasant sound. Plosives form part of the proximity effect; placing the mouth
close to the mic. The voice will sound deeper and richer, but the mic will also
recoil at harsh consonants in speech. How does the audiobook narrator avoid
plosives when recording an audiobook?
What is the Proximity
Effect in Audiobook Recording?
 |
| Pop Filters Help Rid of Plosives |
A
great, intimate sound to the voice will result when speaking into the
microphone from a close proximity – about 6 inches or closer. The tone will be
deeper, warmer and rich, ideal for audiobook narration. However, mouth clicks
and breaths will also be more audible.
Standing
some distance from the mic, say a foot or so or more, will permit a more airy
sound. The room tone will be more apparent, as well as sound reflections from
walls and background noise. The voice will also have less weight, having a more
treble sound. This can be fixed during mastering by adding base (or lower
frequencies) to the voice. However, it is always pays to avoid overmastering
the recording.
Plosives
in Microphone Recording
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| Plosives in Sound Recording Appear as Hooks |
How
to Rid of Plosives in Voice Recording
Plosives
became a real problem for me soon after embarking upon narrating my first book.
I tried using a pop filter, but the plosives persisted. I didn’t want to stand far
from the mic and lose that intimate tone in the voice.
I
found a quick fix during mastering by sloping down the lower frequencies of
equalization from about 200Hz to 20Hz (see image). Highlight the offending hook
in the soundwave then click ‘OK’. However no one wants to repeat this procedure
for every plosive in the recording.
 |
| Plosive Repair by Reduce Low Frequencies in Equalization |
Plosives Problem in Audio Book Narration
You
can also avoid plosives by angling the mouth slightly to one side of the mic so
the explosions of air are not directed at the mic itself. This was OK, as
audiobook narration is saved as mono files, not stereo, so the direction of the
voice will not be detected on the recording.
Voice
Techniques for Voiceover Artists
I
found an angle of approximately 30 to 40 degrees of just a few inches from the
mic maintained that intimate tone but without the plosives. Trial and error
helped give me the right formula.
Plosives
in Sound Recording
Large
diaphragm condenser microphones are very sensitive, picking up every little sound,
whereas the dynamics are more directional, in that they will only pick up local
sounds but not background noise. Some mics are more susceptible to plosives than
others. In such cases, a pop filter will usually cut out plosives. As a harsh blast
of air hits the filter, the air is broken up by the mesh. Some pop filters are double
layered for extra effectiveness.
Professional
Recording of Audiobooks
Plosives
are a nuisance of audiobook narrators. One way to rid of them is to stand a little
away from the mic, but this will result in a loss of fullness to the voice tone.
Another is to use a pop filter, a piece of mesh that is placed between the mic and
mouth. A blast of air is dispersed by the mesh. A third tactic is to speak slightly
obliquely to the mic to divert the air away from the mic itself. Plosives that happen
to blot your recording can be minimized by cutting out the low frequencies in equalization.
Trial and error of the sound equipment will help overcome this problem.
Tips on Audio Book Narration
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