Listening Assignment - AKG C414

What do the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and microphones have to do with each other? Both are ninjas in their respective fields and the AKG C414 XLS Large-diaphragm condenser microphone is certainly a jack of all trades.

We will look at this clip and pick out how this microphone works in the context of voice acting. We shall review from a technical perspective and look at techniques used to create the Acapella version of everyone's beloved Turtle theme-song.

Specs:

Polar Patterns? You have the pick of the litter with 9 polar patterns being able to be switched on this mic. Need to pad your mic for character voice overs? Choose from -6, -12 or -18db.

Add in some bells and whistles with three bass-cut filters and a LED that shows when audio is clipping, and this sounds like the microphone of your dreams. (Graves, n.d)

Studios, such as Nickelodeon, use these mics on their voice over work and for good reason.

In the above video, we see the voice actors for Raphael (Omar Miller), Donatello (Josh Brener) and Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) work with the mic in creating an A Capella version of the main theme song for the ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ series, working with the same mic. Watch from 1:52 for the live version of the recording.

Each actor has a distinct vocal profile. Omar’s voice is deeper and provides the bass line of the A Capella. Whereas both Josh and Ben have a higher range, and Josh’s is more towards the high end.

The AKG C414 XLS provides a relatively flat frequency response, with an attenuation of -1dB to the 1300 to 2000Hz range and a slight +1dB boost around the 2500Hz range. It provides several 1dB boosts to the high-end frequencies with an increase of almost 2db past the 10kHz range.

For voice actors, this is quite a flat mic for versatile performances, however be wary of sibilance.

Also noted: the mic used in this performance is set into Cardioid, which is the preferred polar pattern for Voice Actors as it captures directional sound from the actor and rejects sound from behind the mic. In a usual voice over performance, only the voice is needed, so the recording is done in mono.

Audio Analysis

There is a couple of comparison points where the mic used to record the video (unknown what mic is used) is audible and allows the listener to hear the cleaner AKG C414. The camera mic demonstrates when Ben speaks at 1:57, a listener can hear how live the room is. There is a distinct hiss from the general room and audio artefacts which indicates a heater or air con unit in the background. This also occurs at 2:19 where Omar breaks character.

Even with the song mixed for the final video, a listener can hear the comparison between the warmth in the AKG C414 vs the hollow sound of the video mic on the actors' voices.

Proximity Effect

The proximity effect does affect how the AKG C414 picks up the audio. Ben and Josh both back away from the mic and this appears to assist them in reducing their sharp sibilance around the 'T's which the microphone is expected to boost past the 10kHz range. They also back off the mic when they need to perform a shout which is demonstrated by Josh at 2:14. This ensures that the mic can deal with the extra projection and does not peak.

Omar makes use of the proximity effect on the AKG C414. As he provides the bass line of the A Capella, he is more close miked than Ben and Josh. He is right on the pop filter and uses more of the capsule in his projection of Raphael. This ensures that Raph articulates well, but also captures the deeper tones of Omar's voice. The AKG C414 gives Omar a flat frequency response so that his vocals are not coloured by the mic, which allows a recording engineer to play with EQ later if they choose to do so.

Axis

In the video, the AKG C414 is positioned upside down in its cradle. As Bobby Owsinski observed "...the vocalist sings slightly upward into the mic, which forces the airway open and encourages a full-body voice." (Owsinski, 2017).

This also applies to Voice Actors, as they use their whole body to create a character and has the added bonus of removing the microphone from the sight-line of the read.

Ben's mic, as can be seen at 2:05, is tilted down more towards his chest. This ensures that whilst Ben can choose to project directly into the mic, his chest voice is being picked up and avoids a nasal sound like his lyrics at 3:02.

This helps with character work, and to help in avoiding sibilance, but also, avoids plosives being pushed into the diaphragm of the mic. Condenser mics with a cardioid setting are particularly susceptible to plosives. Condensers are more sensitive to the entire frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and a cardioid pattern's highest sensitivity is directly at the front of the capsule. As Towne writes: "Large-diaphragm condenser mics are very sensitive to wind and breath noises, and almost always require some kind of external pop protection." (Towne, 2016).

Ben's angle, coupled with the pop filter, ensures that he is avoiding plosives.

In Conclusion

The AKG C414 is positioned to be a versatile microphone for a voice actor. It provides a relatively flat frequency response, however can trip up a new voice actor if they are not expecting the boost in the top end frequencies.

The multiple choices for polar patterns is not really required for a voice actor, however the options can be beneficial for creative recording or recording with instruments in a room for example.

In particular, these mics are useful for the high pass filter, as voice actors rarely require anything below 80Hz. So if you have a rumble below 80Hz in your booth, the mic can attenuate that sound for you.

And now that you have seen it in action on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, imagine what it can do for your characters!