[DMFA Radio] - Radio Series Project - RoDP work-in-progress Jun 2013

[Tezkat]

I want to complete 'Return of Dark Pegasus', so that is the priority right now.
AFAIK Jyrras features in 951-957 and 994-998.  I have a feeling you did the 951 set before, but I'd have to check.  It might have been Jay instead (he voiced both for one of his Abel recordings I think).

Yeah, I posted both of those a while ago.

Aside from that, if you get bored I need someone to rerecord the Demon's voice part from my song "...And Daryil Answered"

I don't know about "bored", but I could probably work that in somewhere... The Demon is the "And so another incubus..." lines?

[Tapewolf]

I don't know about "bored", but I could probably work that in somewhere... The Demon is the "And so another incubus..." lines?

Yes.

Specifically:
"And so, another incubus comes in search of the book of the Fallen Star. Surely you did not think you were the first! The book makes such tempting bait... it is almost too easy. I shall crush your body, torment your soul and take your head-wings as a trophy!"

[Tapewolf]

Still waiting for James to come out of hibernation or whatever it is that squirrels and Canadians do.

EDIT:

Apparently he was cold-ridden most of the time and was therefore unable to record.  However, he's hoping to be able to fix that soon.

[Boygenius32]

This is cool. I'll have to listen when it comes out.

[Shachza]

In all my years of lurking I've never been to this thread.  This has to be one of the silliest things I've ever heard!  I love it.   

[Boygenius32]

Radio projects are cool, if they are executed well.

[Tapewolf]

Radio projects are cool, if they are executed well.

A lot depends on the voice talent.  Getting female voices at all is a serious problem - getting ones that are actually well recorded is even worse.  There are so many bits of it where I've felt like crying because the audio quality is shot to hell but it's that or nothing.

[Boygenius32]

very true. Do you know if the project is going to work out?

[Tapewolf]

very true. Do you know if the project is going to work out?

Do you want to be more specific?  Are you thinking of the fact that Dan is AWOL so part 2 can't proceed, or the video production for part 1 is stalled because I'm hoping to get some higher-quality art from Amber and that's still up in the air?

[Boygenius32]

just in general. I'll help if you want me to.

[Tapewolf]

just in general. I'll help if you want me to.

You're getting me actively thinking about it again which is a help.  While I don't want to see this die I am going through a bit of a rough patch at work right now and with various other projects on my plate this one has been further towards the back than it perhaps deserves to be.

What I need to do at the moment are:
* Bug James about the Dan voicing yet again
* Load up the demos of the next part, find out what's missing apart from Dan.  I can probably do this at the weekend, comic notwithstanding.
* I've been meaning to re-mix the ending credits and hopefully do a better transfer now I have a noise gate.
* Gently and patiently bug Amber about the relevant backdrops

Things which I could do but you might be help with are:
* Finding a soundalike for James, at least until he's less busy
* Cleaning up the stereo master.  A proper mastering job would be best but I can't budget for that, and Anthrocon and the album.  If you can do that sort of thing I can send you a full-quality version in FLAC format etc
* Removing the dialogue from the comic.  Strips 811, 726 and 858-907 all need to be blown up to double-size, denoised, have their speech bubbles removed and their backgrounds redrawn/filled in as appropriate.  This is a time-consuming job, but necessary for the video.

...and probably a couple of other jobs I'll remember later

[Boygenius32]

I'm not that experienced with audio editing but I use audacity, and I have a logitech mic. I am experienced with Photoshop, but I don't have it, and I can use GIMP for most touching up if you want me to.

[Tapewolf]

I'm not that experienced with audio editing but I use audacity, and I have a logitech mic. I am experienced with Photoshop, but I don't have it, and I can use GIMP for most touching up if you want me to.

I usually use the GreyCStoration plugin to remove JPEG noise from the picture, and then try to even out the colours with a simple script.  Simple wall backgrounds can be fixed by redrawing the diagonal line and using a gaussian blur to smooth it out.


As for James, his throat is still bad, hence the delay.

[Boygenius32]

If I have time, I could play around with the comics. I don't know if I will, though, my new term starts wednesday.

[Mystiqe]

Greetings all~ How goes recording and other such wonderful things?

I've decided to pop by for a change XD;

[Tapewolf]

Greetings all~ How goes recording and other such wonderful things?
I've decided to pop by for a change XD;

We're a little stuck until James is able to speak properly again 

[Mystiqe]

That pesky James!

[Baal Hadad]

I don't know what James has wrong with his throat, but I'm just glad it isn't me you're waiting on, because I've had a tonsillectomy and so haven't been able to use my voice yet either.

[Tezkat]

Must be something going around... I've managed to come down with another can't-talk-without-coughing bug as well. I don't think I have any outstanding lines for this project, though. At least not for the current arcs. Feel free to add stuff to my queue for when I get better though.

Anyways... best wishes for speedy recoveries all around!

[James StarRunner]

I'm away from house right now. I'm in between a couple of grueling classes (9 hours of school, oh joy!) and an empty stomach, waiting to get home for a couple of much needed days off and a meal. Wife's attitude and feelings pending, I may be able to record something as soon as tonight after I get some food in me and before 'apartment quiet time'.

But for now... *passes out on the floor*

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

But for now... *passes out on the floor*

Am I the only one tempted to poke him with a stick?   


Anywho, I'm lookign forward to when this comes out. Also, I know I've been told before by several friends that I should consider voice acting because of the different range of voices I can do; so if you ever need a spare female voice actor I might be able to lend assist, if I have the time that is. Feel free to always ask!   

[Tapewolf]

Anywho, I'm lookign forward to when this comes out. Also, I know I've been told before by several friends that I should consider voice acting because of the different range of voices I can do; so if you ever need a spare female voice actor I might be able to lend assist, if I have the time that is. Feel free to always ask!   

We are kind of short of someone who could play Fa'Lina, actually.  I'm not certain that will be necessary for this arc, but I've always wanted to finish the SAIA arc.

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

We are kind of short of someone who could play Fa'Lina, actually.  I'm not certain that will be necessary for this arc, but I've always wanted to finish the SAIA arc.

I can give it a shot. My questions, however, are as follows:

I know I need a mike (used to have one until my sister broke it  ) What would the best kind? Also, any particular software that goes with it?
What lines would you like me to test?
Is there any particular tone you'd like her to have? Or can I do several samples and play with it?
Does file type matter? And where do I send it when done?

I should definitely have the time to record on the weekends, since I recently lost a job (still have my other one) and hopefully school work won't be that demanding. It's still early to tell. My Japanese class would be the only one that would cause any type of delays, since it's effort/time consuming. But I'm definitely be interested in trying out!  Fa'Lina is one of my favorite characters, other than Abel, Dan, Jyrras and Professor Ink (even though he's minor).

The SAIA arc has always been one of my favorites!  Heehee! Be neat to see it done finally and if I can help in that, then it's a bonus!

[Tezkat]

I can give it a shot. My questions, however, are as follows:

I know I need a mike (used to have one until my sister broke it  ) What would the best kind?

Depends on your budget.

At the low end, I usually recommend Logitech's USB desktop microphone. It's relatively inexpensive (US $30) and has decent sound quality.

The next step up are the entry-level condenser microphones. You can buy an MXL-990 for $50 in some places, which is a lot of value. There are  a few others in that range, or perhaps slightly more expensive. The difference between the cheap condensers and a $2000 German studio mic is not that large (worth it for professional audio applications, sure, but not for amateur VA projects). If you go that route, you'll need an XLR cable and a pre-amp with phantom power, which will add an extra $40 or so to the price. Some of the low-end condensers come in USB-powered versions which don't need a pre-amp (but adds about the same amount to the price). You'll probably need a mic stand as well, but those are pretty cheap. So... total price either way is in the $100 and up range.


What you do not want is any kind of headset microphone. The sound quality will be too low for our purposes, and you'll almost certainly have problems with breath noises ruining takes.

Also, any particular software that goes with it?

Most of us use Audacity. It's quite powerful, and it's free.

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

I can give it a shot. My questions, however, are as follows:

I know I need a mike (used to have one until my sister broke it  ) What would the best kind?

Depends on your budget.

At the low end, I usually recommend Logitech's USB desktop microphone. It's relatively inexpensive (US $30) and has decent sound quality.

The next step up are the entry-level condenser microphones. You can buy an MXL-990 for $50 in some places, which is a lot of value. There are  a few others in that range, or perhaps slightly more expensive. The difference between the cheap condensers and a $2000 German studio mic is not that large (worth it for professional audio applications, sure, but not for amateur VA projects). If you go that route, you'll need an XLR cable and a pre-amp with phantom power, which will add an extra $40 or so to the price. Some of the low-end condensers come in USB-powered versions which don't need a pre-amp (but adds about the same amount to the price). You'll probably need a mic stand as well, but those are pretty cheap. So... total price either way is in the $100 and up range.


What you do not want is any kind of headset microphone. The sound quality will be too low for our purposes, and you'll almost certainly have problems with breath noises ruining takes.

Also, any particular software that goes with it?

Most of us use Audacity. It's quite powerful, and it's free.

Wow! Thanks for the info!  And lucky for me my school refund money will be paying for this, since it might come in handy later for some of my future classes!  Still I will definitely want to stay towards the low end, so the Logitech's probably the best route for me. All this info has been very helpful.

[James StarRunner]

Am I the only one tempted to poke him with a stick?   

Probably not. I can think of handful of people I know of and there's likely a mob or two I don't. And stupid quiet hour... Have to stop recording for the night. Wish we didn't have these apartment rules and that we had our own place.

...Or a sound proof room. That would be cool.

[Tezkat]

Your apartment rules prevent you from... talking?

[James StarRunner]

It seems most of my lines are yelling. >.>

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

Am I the only one tempted to poke him with a stick?   

Probably not. I can think of handful of people I know of and there's likely a mob or two I don't.

A mob of people with pointy sticks........... .........now that's a scary thought *shudders*

It seems most of my lines are yelling. >.>

I can relate the with apartment issues myself  we really need better sound proof walls............seriously..........*shudders* ew.....
However, most of the people where I live are sound sleepers or are "out on the town" at night during the weekends, so it's better for me for my sake. During the day, little kiddies or televisions are way too loud. 

[Tapewolf]

It seems most of my lines are yelling. >.>

Yeah, it's a very action-oriented arc.  I would rather like at some point if you could revisit the SAIA arc since most of those lines were recorded in 2005 and probably somewhat embarrassing for you by now    That arc - as I remember it - has rather less yelling, so if you're in a position where you really want to do some VA work but on quieter lines, that would still be very useful.

Also - outside of the Radio Project - I could really do with someone to record the demon's lines in one of my songs...

As for the apartment thing, my sympathies.  I actually recorded my first album in one, though I was on the bottom floor, which helped.  I did have to wait until the people upstairs weren't around before recording any vocals, though, as they made a lot of noise.

I know I need a mike (used to have one until my sister broke it  ) What would the best kind? Also, any particular software that goes with it?

I think Tezkat has covered most of that.  Remember with Audacity that you need to EXPORT the file as WAV - sending me the .aup file it saves to by default will not work.

What lines would you like me to test?

Strips 424-426 if you could.  You might want to start with just 424.

Is there any particular tone you'd like her to have? Or can I do several samples and play with it?
Does file type matter? And where do I send it when done?

This was done about 4.5 years ago and listening to it now makes me cringe.  However:
http://dmfa.it-he.org/dmfa/dmfa_424e.wav.mp3

As for tone, Fa'Lina is something like 9200 years old so she needs to sound somewhat mature.  I would be interested in hearing it done with your regular voice rather than something which has been particularly put on, though.

For file formats I can handle most of them, but in order of preference:
.FLAC
.WAV (preferably in a .zip file)
.ogg
.mp3
.wma

Ideally it should be 22KHz or 44KHz at 16 bits.  We don't really need a stereo recording.

For making them available, some people stick them on rapidshare or something and post a link here.
If that's not possible, probably best to email it to me and send a PM so I remember to check my email

Hope that helps, and feel free to ask if you need something explained further.