Recommend plugins to build a full workflow chain for solo: (podcast, voiceover, audio for video)

Live Sound & Broadcast
1

Hi,
I am new to this world, so I googled and used ai to know about it and been reading and watching many articles and videos about having a good voice for solo podcast, or solo voiceover, or solo audio on video.
I will be doing everything in my bedroom, and I want to produce a professional audio as possible, if possible.
I’ve made the special place at the corner of my room and added the blankets all over the place, and no echo could be heard now except a few.
I was at the shop to order the microphone, and the guy in the shop (just regular customer I guess and not a staff) started to talk about how expensive hardware could be replaced with software to some extend, and during his conversation he mentioned waves, at first I thought he means waves of the audio in the audacity so I said the name, and he was really kind to clear the differences and explained the waves software it is something you add to the audacity or anything else, and he mentioned many other software that i do not even recognize except audacity and audition.
then he advised me as a new user to do not buy expensive microphone or expensive hardware because the audience who will listen will not distinguished the differences in the beginning and I am not professional yet.
then he advised to buy the audio technical microphone and buy the waves plug in instead of other hardware.
when i went back home and searched and found your website, I found dozens of software that really get me lost and confused.
so now, does what this gentleman said was accurate about using the software?
and if answer is yes, so which software exactly to get.
I did googled this a lot with ai once again but found many saying about the collisions or contradictions or redundancy between software plugins, so I thought to post in the forum as for sure someone faced the same situation and found a good solution.
so from scratch point till I finish, what plugin or set of plugins I need to do solo podcast, or solo voiceover or solo audio on video?
I hope if anyone may make things clear for me like:
For step #1 use plugin titled xyz.
for #2 use xyz.
…etc
Does what I thinking about or imagine is doable or I get the wrong picture completely?

i hope that i posted in the right forum section and sorry if i bothered you with any details but thought to share the full situation to let you see the exact situation.
thanks

2

It’s true you can help out a “bad” microphone with software plugins, though there’s a limit - some microphones are so cheap as to be unrecoverable, while many are good enough to not need much work at all.

If you’re starting with anything less than a Shure SM58 or Sennheiser e825, you’re going to need a lot of plugins, a lot of time, and a decent amount of skill to make it sound good. Occasionally I edit podcasts recorded with less than this (and often in less well prepared rooms than you’ve set up), and I usually end up with Clarity Vx Pro and DeReverb, Vocal Rider, multiple F6 Dynamic EQs, a few compressors, and sometimes some reverb plugins to make it sound natural again. It’s fine, usable, but for the cost of those plugins I could have bought better microphones for most of these people and not needed the software!

If you’re using a half decent mic, then you can probably get by with just Renaissance Channel, which includes the basic gate (for removing background sounds when nobody is speaking), compressor (switch it to RVox mode and it’ll keep your voice level pretty consistent) and EQ (use to adjust the tone - the better the mic, the less you need to adjust this).

For speaking, the SM7B is probably the best mic you’re aiming for. It’s designed specifically for that kind of thing (the “B” is for broadcast, as in sports commentators and similar), and many many people use it directly without any plugins at all. It’s not cheap, but that’s because it’s one of the best.[1]

For getting started, the SM58 or e825[2] are perfectly good, as are the ever growing range of USB microphones around the same price (approx. $100 USD). A professional mic is almost certainly going to need a USB interface to record with, so a mic with integrated USB probably works out cheaper (for the initial purchase - harder to upgrade later). This was one of my favourites, though I’ve been all XLR gear for a decade now. Any of these with Renaissance Channel will serve you pretty well.

  1. For speaking, definitely not for singing. Please don’t use it for singing, and don’t even pretend that it’s good for singing! I can’t even continue a conversation with people who argue that it’s a good singing mic, it’s really not. ↩︎

  2. Also for speaking - singers want the e835. I see people mix them up all the time, particularly the wireless versions, and wonder why their singer sounds so dull. ↩︎

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Just realised you mentioned Audacity, and so should probably mention that Waves plugins don’t work in Audacity (at least last I tried - this kind of situation changes frequently), so you probably at least want to get Reaper (reasonbly priced, fully supported) or Ardour (free, usually works fine, though unsupported) instead of Audacity. Or alternatively, you’ll need to find other plugins that can work in Audacity - they exist, but tend not to be as easy to use or necessarily to sound as good as Waves’s ones.

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Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. :+1:

I will follow your advise, specially that I will have this for a long run, so I consider it as an investment.

I did purchased a Shure sm7b xlr microphone used open box from eBay few minutes ago, just read some recommendation during searching for cheapest prices that used items in a good condition will be a good deal. Actually it seems that the whole world consider this microphone a standard, so I closed my eyes and hit the buy button before I change my mind hehehehe and still telling myself it is a long term investment and for sure these huge amounts of people can not be wrong.

Did not yet get the Reaper yet as my current money will not fit after buying the microphone, but maybe my next check payment will help to buy it, or there are better option would you recommend more s a long term investment.

But which audio interface would you recommend to fit best with SM7B?

For the waves software plugins you suggested I’ve googled them all and here are the links to correct me if I confused it with something else:

1. Studio Verse Instruments:
A library of virtual instrument chains – inside your DAW
Free Download

2. Renaissance Channel
Channel strip with dynamics, 4-band EQ and sidechain
Price $34.99

3. Reverb Plugins
I’ve found many ones here, but do not know exactly which one you refer to, so please recommend?

4. Compressors
This one also I was not able to determine an exact one, but found this blog post mentioned several ones, so which one you recommend?

5. F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ
Surgical dynamic equalizer with 6 fully adjustable bands
Price $39.99

6. Vocal Rider
Get consistent vocal levels—automatically and fast
Price $39.99

7. Clarity™ Vx DeReverb
Instant AI room & reverb removal for voice
Price $39.99

8. Clarity™ Vx Pro
Advanced real-time noise reduction for voice, powered by AI
Price $249

So what would be the recommended now, I am having the recommended Shure SM7B, so does the recommended software from Waves still the same recommended or will be changed after getting the SM7B?

Thanks a lot once again.

By the way does Black Friday will offer any more discounts for waves software or not related?

Thanks for your valuable time helping me.
I had to remove links because forum software did not allowed me to add it, sorry!

5

Great, I’m sure you’ll love the SM7B.

If that’s the upper end of your budget, then you’re probably looking at a Focusrite Scarlett interface or equivalent. And until you need any more, I think the Renaissance Channel (or there are a few alternatives - “channel strip” is the term to look for) will cover you. Quite often with an SM7B you don’t need any more than a little EQ - the microphone does a good job on voices.

And bear in mind that you still need a DAW (like Reaper, Logic, Pro Tools, or plenty of others), and every DAW is going to include a basic EQ already, so you don’t really need anything from Waves to get started. Probably the Clarity Vx plugins are the most unique, but recording in a quiet room is still better than having to use them. Vocal Rider is the one that I wish I’d tried sooner, but I love it now. Most of the plugins I mentioned were for dealing with poorly recorded audio, which you won’t have to worry about!

Might be worth waiting to see if anyone else has suggestions. I’m just one guy, and not a pro by any means.

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If I ask, for the microphone you suggested the model or the standard I should go for, so if I want to do the same with the sound interface, what would be the standard I should get, and if I do not have the enough cash money now I will save it to get the right thing, I do not mean get the fancy thing but I mean the right standard that makes the whole processes much easier, so please may I ask for what is the standard sound interface I should get for the same way as the microphone?

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The Focusrite Scarlett is probably the right standard for you. I wouldn’t go any cheaper, but there are other options in the same range from other companies, and some people really prefer Presonus or SSL or Apollo.

Expect to have 2 XLR/combo inputs and either 2 or 4 outputs (not counting headphone outputs) - anything bigger is not going to be that useful for you, but anything smaller doesn’t really save much.

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If I won’t use any extra input or output and will always be solo, what would you advise and recommend me to buy? I do not mean regarding the price but I mean for my use case being solo.
Which one is the best option for the long run.
I can not deny that I do not know which one to set my mind on, and also do not want to just get the focusrite for just being cheap.
I do believe in your vision and will follow your recommendation as I did, so does the focusrite is the best option or there is a better option.
I do not mind to wait one or even few months to get the required budget to afford the best option for my case requirements, but at the same time, if Focusrite is the best option, then I will go for it.
I am really sorry for bothering or pushing you but just you were the only one that did gave simple straight answer for what to do which did helped me.
Thanks for your valuable time helping me.

9

I’d still get a 2/2 (two input, two output) or 2/4, just because you never know when you’ll need a second mic (or a stereo input). The single input ones are best when you’ve already got a lot of other inputs and just need one more for a specific reason, but I think you’ll find yourself limited soon enough.

I’m not really a gear expert, so all I can say is Focusrite was good enough for me for years, and the SSL equivalent is also good enough for me. The only other gear I could recommend is much bigger and you shouldn’t be considering it yet.[1] Chances are you won’t notice any difference in sound no matter what you get, at least until they break down, which does happen from time to time but both companies are pretty good at helping/replacing.

  1. For example, Behringer has far and away the best Windows ASIO drivers of anyone, but then you’re getting at least a 16 input mixer, not a simple USB interface. Similar for the Waves LV1 Classic, which is fantastic (not the ASIO drivers, but the rest of the kit :wink: ), but way too big for what you’re considering. ↩︎

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OK, I will go for the Focusrite 2i2 4th gen.
So now with Shure SM7B and Focusrite 2i2 4th gen, what waves plugins do I need to buy for podcast and voice over?
Thanks

11

Hey @taton,

You can check these next suggestions and just pick the ones you really need to get started.

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@Adi.Waves
Thanks a lot for your valuable time helping me.
I am really not embarrassed to tell that I do not know and this is why I am here to ask.
I am really sorry to bother you all with my requests but it was really a great favor of @steve.dower to tell me what hardware to get which is what I did.
If possible that you or any other members may suggest or tell that would be awesome as I am really do not know.
Thanks and sorry once again.

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