Producing imaging with highlighted voiceover

There are a few ways I highlight voiceover. We have discussed using FX to highlight what is being said, and another way is to drop the bed out completely with an impact fx and just have dry Voiceover. This will catch the listeners attention as it’s just voice nothing that may become noise in the listeners ear. Another way would be to keep the fx and bed and perform a 4 or 500 HZ high pass in Goldwave on a selection or part of the Voiceover. I use them both just switching out for whatever sounds best on what I’m producing.

As you are working with the Voiceover on your main Voiceover track, split the item at the point you want this to take place, and play through the script. Until the end of the passage. Split the item again so you have an Item that you will perform the high pass on. You may press control+shift+g to glue this item. What this will do is create a new file with the selected item Launch this in Goldwave with control+shift+o. Go to edit, filter, lo-high pass and type in 500. Make sure the high pass radio button is selected and press ok. Goldwave will work it’s magic, and then you may hit F4 to listen back to this passage it will sound thin, almost like it’s in a box or you have your hands cupped over your mouth. You may go to the effects menu and then to the volume sub menu and maximize the volume on this selection to the full preset. Then save the file. It will repopulate in Reaper. When you play back the track now you should hear the change. Take care to listen for any major volume changes and adjust the hi-passed items volume accordingly.

Another way to highlight your message would be to delay the vocal with the delayed copy 4 or 500 HZ high passed. In this instance you will do as explained above splitting the item to have only the script you want. Copy the item. And paste it so as it’s a delay after the first copy already split. Glue this item as well.

So if the script was

“

You could win $500

just by playing today.

“

You will split and have only,

You could win $500

On an item. This will be what’s copied and you will paste it at the start of

just by playing today

You won’t be able to understand as the two are on top of each other. But find the second instance of,

You could win $500

And open it in Goldwave with control+shift+o. Perform your high pass as explained above and in this case don’t maximize the volume as it’s not necessary. Save with control+s and move back to Reaper. Play the project, and turn down the hi-passed item, You could win $500, By -15 DB. Now as you listen back is that wordage kind of in your sub conscience? You think you heard it but your not sure but it’s what you remember.

You can also use these same concepts but include a very fast stereo delay on the item in Goldwave to make the image wide.

Yu will open the item in Goldwave, and it will already be high passed as you have done this above. Keep in mind, if the item is stereo? We will find this out in a moment. Go to Effects menu, delay. Make sure the stereo checkbox is checked. Delays set as 2, set the delay timing as 0.0666, and play it back with f4 from the delay dialogue box as preview, is it in the center of your headphones, mono? Or all around you? Stereo? If it’s big and wide you are good, if it’s in the center, press escape, this will not apply the delay changes. Copy with control+c and press control+n make sure stereo radio button is checked and look at the time you only need like 1 second as we are going to mix this audio in. Press enter and a new sound window should pop up. Press control+m to invoke the mix dialogue press enter to mix at full volume. Now go back in the delay dialogue again and set the above settings. Now as you play back it should be big and wide. Press enter to apply the changes. Now we want to save this file as. As you press control+s the save as dialogue will pop up. Make sure you know where it’s going, files of type, wave is fine. Now move back to reaper and import the new item. The difference here is that you are not copying and pasting the item and then high passing it, you are importing the item that is finalized but still using the same techniques explained above as far as script example and audio placement.

Below are examples of High passed Voiceover, along with High passed and delayed Voiceover.

Condenser Microphone, Voiceover High Pass 400 HZ.

Condenser Microphone, Voiceover 500 HZ High Pass.

Condenser Microphone, 400 HZ High pass, and Quick loud stereo delay.