Audio Editing
Audio editing is fun, here at Nostairway we love the possibilities of audio in our video production projects. We use Logic Pro for our audio most of the time because we love its interface and the advanced options it offers.
So, I thought I would write an article on altering voices in post-production. This could be a fun exploration for your next creative video production. There are plenty of tools we employ in post-production to make sure our audio is top quality but here are some ideas for altering human voices – it could be to make them sound like a robot, or an alien, but have fun and play about.
Here are our top tools for altering human voices in audio editing
1. Phaser
Playing about with the Phaser effect is an easy way to make a human voice sound alien. It can be used from subtle to extreme voice altering, the same as many of these tools.
In short, the Phaser effect combines the original signal with a copy that is slightly out of phase with the original. This means that the amplitudes of the two signals reach their highest and lowest points at slightly different times. It is used in audio editing to create whooshing and sweeping sounds and is commonly used to effect guitar but can also be used to create other-worldly effects on the human voice!
2. Pitch Shifter
You can pitch shift up or down in post production. You can even have actors speak in a higher or lower tone during production and then use the Pitch Shifter to change the pitch of the voices up or down to create an even more effected sound.
3. Vocal Transformer
Vocal Transformer can be used to transpose the pitch in audio editing, to augment or diminish the range of the melody, or even to reduce it to a single note that mirrors the pitches of a melody. You can shift the formants independently, which means that you can turn a vocal track into a Mickey Mouse voice, while maintaining the original pitch.
Vocal Transformer is well suited to extreme vocal effects. The best results are achieved with monophonic signals, including monophonic instrument tracks. It is not designed for polyphonic voices—such as a choir on a single track—or other chordal tracks.
4. Flanger
The Flanger effect works similarly to the chorus effect, which delays the original signal – creating a richer sound and adding movement to low sounds. The Flanger has a significantly shorter delay time than the chorus effect but is a great tool to play around with to alter voices in audio editing.
5. Ring Modulator
Use a ring modulator to sound like the Daleks! The ring modulator is used to create inharmonic, metallic, bell-like sounds. This tool actually dates back a fair while, hence why is can be used to make a voice sound like Dalek’s from Doctor Who.
6. Reverse
A simple but effective way to alter the sound of dialogue is to individually reverse the words in the dialogue. By cutting up dialogue and reversing it you can effectively warp the sound with minimal effort! If time is precious then this is a great technique.
7. Combine all of these effects!
You could combine a number of these effects or all of them! There is often an element of trial and error when trying to achieve your vision for your sound. Use a combination of effects to achieve your goal.
So, there are some fun ideas for your audio editing on your next project. If you need help with your next creative project then get in contact with us HERE, we would love to hear from you.
Nostairway is a video production company in London specialising in audio editing as well as recording. Contact us today for a chat about how we can assist you in your video production and audio editing.
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