How To Make Your Voice-Overs Louder With Mastering

[@HeyLennyB]

See my new Mastering training course here - www.lennyb.com/mastering-for-voice-recordings

[@josefdicken5360]

Lenny! You are a gift to the voice over artists of the world. Thank you for all you do. I encourage any vo artist to seek out Lenny's services. You will not regret it!

[@ProVoiceBH]

OMG! Finally a PRO talks about mastering in VO context! Thanks so much for such great video, appreciated :)

[@robert_starling]

The custom preset Lenny made for me is amazing! I've said it before and I'll say it again; once you hear Lenny's custom preset on your voice, you'll never be able to "unhear it".

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Robert! I appreciate your kindness! The processing can only be as good as the raw recording. You have a lot to do with the sound too!

[@jonathanthomasstratman]

I continue to appreciate your thoroughness, pacing, and your logical explanation. Significant teaching skills. Thank you.

[@HeyLennyB]

Jonathan, thanks for your kind words and I appreciate you being a preset client club!!!

[@Brettspielblog]

Great Video sir!! I hope I am able to get the quiet recordings of my PodMic USB on a reasonable level after his.

[@wework2413]

I am very happy to see you posting again! Your posts are very informative and intuitive and I was worried you had stopped producing these.

[@HeyLennyB]

Thanks, I really appreciate those words. I've been so busy with custom processing presets that I simply haven't had time to make videos. There are more KZbin videos, more training courses, and more free training in the works. :)

[@LCTRgames]

Excellent tutorial on using limiters for vo, exactly what I wanted

[@Ridgeback_Productions]

How is it possible to learn something new every time I watch this video? It shocks me! Wait a minute, are you adding new stuff before I watch the video every time? Lol thanks Lenny you’re a professor in the art.

[@Urdobly123]

Thanks, Lenny, excellent video and explanation! Special thanks for telling us to not freak out at the moment that I was freaking out

[@HeyLennyB]

Ah haha, I can understand it can seem overwhelming. Thanks for watching.

[@bryangorevoiceover]

Hey Lenny, I love your custom preset! I have to tell you - this video is the secret sauce!!! My submissions were severely lacking this element. I am very grateful for your content.

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Bryan. Hearing this makes me happy!!!! Thanks for taking the time to write.

[@RoySFord]

Wow! Great to have a great educator like you Lenny! Thanks!

[@meeesh7507]

The L2 has CHANGED EVERYTHING for me!!! Thank you so much for informing me about this amazing plug in. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@HeyLennyB]

That's awesome to hear. When your audio is louder, you usually win.

[@bozarctic]

straight forward, clear, concise, informative, great video!!!

[@HeyLennyB]

Thanks @bozarctic! I dig your covers 👍. You've got a voice!

[@bozarctic]

@@HeyLennyB Thank you so much! I appreciate that!!

[@clemkadiddlehopper7705]

I always like the raw sounds of people. Kind of makes learning mastering extremely difficult.

[@cyberdefenseddi]

Good to see ya back Lenny 😎

[@choosejuliesvoice]

EXCELLENT information, as always! Thank you!

[@aaronmcsmearfarts9657]

Lenny’s Back!!!

[@dannysalinaslocutor7317]

Thank you very much Lenny B, i like your videos because i learn and use your advice, thanks again.

[@pierredebraux7741]

Thanks Lenny!! Excellent video as usual!!

[@MomentumCanada365]

Thank you Lenny for making this video!

[@InfraredVisuals]

As always, thanks Lenny B.

[@philipplomboy]

Notarubicon sent me. Happy new subscriber!

[@HeyLennyB]

Thanks for the sub!

[@johndavenport7073]

Super. Very useful.

[@michaell.445]

I've noticed that more often than not; that auditions and demos of artists end up sounding considerably better than the finished product of A LOT of different voiceovers. It's like they just book for a superior audition only to make the end product sound the same regardless.

[@Tewahedo]

Thank you Lenny!

[@jimdohner]

Great video!

[@Themorningskoop]

Great video. Love what you do!

[@SpaceKidandLuna]

This is great. So I've been producing ACX audiobooks. They make their requirements in RMS, so how would I do this for them? They require an -18 dbs to -25 dbs RMS. Would that be the same in LUFS?

[@HeyLennyB]

That is a great question. I have an entire course about mastering coming out soon, where I discuss these specifics for ACX and other platforms. But yes, LUFS and RMS are very similar. I suggest looking at the "Momentary LUFS" reading as a closer correlation to an RMS reading. The Youlean meter (which is free) has this. I hope this helps you. Thanks for watching.

[@SpaceKidandLuna]

@@HeyLennyB Thanks. I'll try that. So, I'm wondering on average what would the preset cost for a beginning voice over artist?

[@HeyLennyB]

I'm happy to send you the price, but I need a little information from you first. Once I have some information about your gear and the sound of your current audio, I can give you an idea of the price and plugin details. It's absolutely free to submit your audio, and there's no obligation to buy. Please follow the three steps on this page: www.lennyb.com/get-your-voice-processed-submission-form

[@TravisSickle]

Can I do this as a filter in OBS for recording to get the -14 LUFS for KZbin so I don’t have to do any post processing? I only do talking head style videos with the same setup in the same room.

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Travis, you should be able to do it in OBS. I'm not sure if the latest version of OBS has a limiter. I know only certain (3rd party) plugins will work in OBS. However, the concept should be the same. Add a limiter and then a loudness meter. Use the limiter to reach your loudness goal. Use the meter to be sure you're on track. I hope that helps you. Thanks for watching!

[@rautshsale1948]

sadly i have one more question 😭 when applying a limiter to the already processed audio, i understand to adjust the threshold/gain until i hit the target lufs value (-19 in my case), but when i hit the correct lufs level, the true peak never passes -6db. am i doing something wrong? or does this not matter, as long as the TP levels are still below -1, even if -6?

[@FenderLewis]

Great video Lenny! Question: what if you added music and sound effects under that voice over - would you still aim for that -14 lufs as a whole with everything together?

[@HeyLennyB]

That's a great question. The answer is yes! The mastering limiter goes on all of the audio material before reaching your LUFS level. I have a video that talks about how to get the best sound when adding music to voice-over. You may find it helpful. It's part of the free course that's on my website. It's called the Masking Technique and it's the free lesson you receive on the third day of the course. www.lennyb.com/3eq-techniques-training-video-opt-in-page

[@Jacosr1]

Hi. You've mentioned LUFS standards for six platforms (Netflix - EBU). Are there standards for Audiobook, Commercials, Corporate Narration, etc.? If so, would you list them all, please? Thanks.

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi @Jasosr1, here's a list that may help you youlean.co/loudness-standards-full-comparison-table/

[@Jacosr1]

@@HeyLennyB ... Thank you, sir.

[@MarcoCalia]

Ciao Lenny, Marco dall''Italia ti seguo moltissimo e ringrazio per quello che offri , su KZbin il VoiceOver è molto scarso, VORREI chiederti cosa ne pensi del Plugin Gratuito della WAVES Lil Tube l'hai provato? grazie un abbraccio

[@HeyLennyB]

Ciao Marco, ho provato Lil Tube e The Magma BB Tubes. Credo che annunci un bel suono saturo e una fascia alta croccante su una voce. Suggerirei che migliore è la tua registrazione originale, migliore sarà il suono. Uno spazio di registrazione ben curato è così importante.

[@MarcoCalia]

@@HeyLennyB grazie 🙏

[@rautshsale1948]

highly appreciate this video! one thing i did hope you would address are non symmetrical waveforms. i was never fully able to understand what causes this. i get that it has to do with phase and i get that it also has to do with the human voice itself (horns, etc. also when recorded are usually not symetrical). unfortunately i always understood that if waveforms are not symmetrical, one is missing out on one or a few db of loudness in the mastering stage, as the limiter would have more to work with, with a symmetrical waveform. i never understood this, and how to solve this. did you mention this in one of your videos? can you point me in the right direction?

[@HeyLennyB]

It's a great question. I believe it's rarely a problem with voice over recordings. However, it does happen. This article might help: www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-why-do-waveforms-sometimes-look-lop-sided

[@rautshsale1948]

@@HeyLennyB thank you

[@brettcollin3693]

Would you apply these settings after or before normalizing?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Brett, I believe this replaces the need to use normalization. It may work for some, but I don't ever use normalization. Thanks for watching!

[@me7320]

🥰Olá, Áudio N⁰ 2 Língua Em Português 🇧🇷Brasil Aqui👍

[@macjeffff]

I’m doing my mastering on the stereo out channel, after having individually processed the two podcast voice tracks. Is this wrong?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Jeff, that's a great question. You can absolutely do your mastering on a stereo bus or master mix channel. The reason why I don't suggest doing it is for the following reasons. It's because there is HUGE temptation to modify the single-track processing WHILE you're adjusting or working on your mastering. When that happens you could get in a downward spiral and lose track of "sound reality." I like to lock down my processing. Then do the mastering in a separate project. I hope this helps! Thanks for reaching out!!!

[@macjeffff]

@@HeyLennyB Thanks, that makes sense.

[@macjeffff]

@@HeyLennyB Thanks, Lenny. That makes a lot of sense.

[@rickygeeish]

This may be a dumb question... How is this limiter different than adding compression?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hey Ricky, Not a dumb question! A limiter is a compressor at a higher ratio. Meaning, the amount of attenuation is greater over the set threshold. A compressor with a ratio set at 2:1 means that every signal that goes into the compressor at 2 db over the set threshold, comes out of the compressor at 1db. A compressor with a ratio set at 4:1 means that each signal that goes into the compressor at 4 db over the threshold, comes out of the compressor at 1db. Limiting happens when the compressor is set to about 20:1 or higher. The result is a very aggressive reduction for any audio that goes over the set threshold. There is what's called a "brick wall" limiter that has a ratio of Infinity:1. That's where nothing goes over the threshold setting. It's all about how aggressively your are reducing the highest peaks of an audio signal to decrease the dynamic range. Hope this helps!

[@rickygeeish]

@@HeyLennyB Ok that helps a lot actually! I'm not crazy thinking they're similar then. Thank you!

[@AhmedAlKhater]

How to process audio for Instagram?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Maskman. I believe KZbin and Instagram have the same requirements.

[@Tentenboxing]

Sir pls teach in bandlab

[@HeyLennyB]

Hey Tenten Boxing PH. Send me your audio and I'll use band lab to process it. Submit your audio here: bit.ly/Submit-Your-Voice