In the journalism world, the idea of tape syncing is common for podcasting and radio broadcasting. In the music world, this technique is also used to produce quality sounding vocal tracks, percussion or any other sounds captured by a microphone. In the video world, this can be used to create professional sounding voiceovers.
Essentially, the techniques for tape syncing described below can be considered as part of the gorilla techniques that bedroom producers and audio professionals forced to work in less-than-ideal circumstances utilize to capture better sounding audio.
The tape syncing technique is used across all kinds of radio programs, from daily news shows like All Things Considered to long form programs like Radiolab or the TED Radio Hour. It’s also used in countless DIY recordings from any number of musical artists across the globe.
In radio, the idea is to trick the listener into thinking two people are in the same room talking to each other, when in reality they are in different locations. In the music world, the trick is to sound like you’re recording music in a fancy studio. From here on out I will approach this technique from the podcast / radio standpoint, because the idea can be easily transferred over to any creative sonic medium.
In a perfect world, when capturing voice of two participants, they would be in two different, fancy, expensive studios, talking to each other either by phone, video chat or similar mode of communication. When in those studios, they’re hearing the other person in their headphones, but talking through a microphone, capturing a “cleaner” recording than a recorded phone call would. When the conversation is over, the two “clean” voice tracks from the microphones are combined in a DAW to recreate the discussion. Boom, radio is made.
If any participant does not have access to a fancy studio with fancy microphones, which is often the case, we go DIY, which tends to sound as good as a fancy studio, and is exactly the same theory. That’s because we manipulate our surroundings to make it sound like we are in that fancy studio and use the same techniques.
During the above video, the following audio files were created as examples. These will help you understand the below conversation, and how these changes effect your vocal captures.
Here’s what you will typically need:
The first thing we do is check the batteries and storage space on our recording device, be it a phone, audio interface, or personal recorder like a Zoom or Tascam. Running out of space or batteries is the last thing you want to have happen in the middle of recording an interview, song, or narration.
We then make sure we have the appropriate parameters on our recording device. Radio standard is 44.1K (sample rate), 16-bit (bit depth), and .wav (file type), which is also CD quality. This varies depending on the type of project you’re working on. ({ NOTE: } Following new standards, you should capture/record audio at 24-bits, then if necessary for the final medium, you can export/bounce to a lower bit-depth, such as 16-bits. For example, I record at 48k (sample rate and 24-bits. When rendering/exprting/bouncing I keep the 24-bits but change 48k sample rate to 44.1k. In theory, and with much debate–recording at a higher sample rate will improve the overall quality of a mix when bouncing down to a lower sample rate. In the end, I feel It is could practice to mix this way.)
Now we check our surroundings. Is there a hum coming from your refrigerator? Is there a heater or air conditioner making unwanted noise? Is there a pet that will make noise unexpectedly? Are all your devices on silent? All windows closed? These sonic factors and more are worth considering when recording yourself, because there’s nothing worse than having an unexpected noise interrupt your perfect take.
Now we think about what we will read our notes or script from, if applicable. I use either a cell phone or laptop, because the screen illuminates whatever you’re reading and it’s portable.
Now we set up our makeshift studio! I will explain my strategy for a static non-interactive recording, but know that this is all open to interpretation and can change due to personal preferences.
Plug your headphones into your recorder of choice, and check those levels. I tend to aim for –6 dB peaks when speaking, because it generally sounds better to raise levels in post rather than lower audio signals that are too loud. Plus –6 dB is usually perfect for narration.
Note: Always wear headphones when recording yourself. Checking levels by sight is a good last resort, but it’s always best to hear what you’re recording in real time to catch any unexpected noises and hear “room tone.” More on room tone later.
Check your mic placement. A good rule of thumb is to hold your mic at a 45 degree angle about a fist’s length away from your mouth. The angle is key because you want to avoid plosives, or “p-pops” when recording your voice (for more on plosives, please read: P-Pops and Other Plosives - Transom). It’s good to check this and anything else before “entering the studio,” because it’s dark and annoying to adjust much when there’s a blanket on top of you.
Sit on the floor with your recorder or phone and device that you’ll read from, and drape a blanket or jacket over your head. Make sure it doesn’t allow for any light or sound to seep through. If light can seep through, sound certainly will too. This creates a makeshift (less extreme) anechoic chamber, or isolation room often found in recording studios.
Place the microphone where appropriate, then hit record!
When recording a script, 99% of the time you will mess up and/or stumble over your words when recording. That’s okay and totally normal. When this happens, just go back to the last pause you took, often the beginning of the sentence you stumbled on, allow for about two seconds of silence, and record it again. This allows for an easy edit in post production.
When the recording is complete, stay where you are and record about thirty seconds worth of silence, referred to as “room tone”. You may or may not use this, but it’s an indispensable tool should you need it.
Room tone is like glue that fills in the cracks of an edited piece of audio.
Let’s say you stumbled over your words while recording your voice like every radio professional does daily. In order to have the most seamless end product, it’s often good to fade this room tone in and out underneath your two takes to make it sound like one take (for more on room tone, please read: How Recording Room Tone Improves Your Field Recordings - Creative Field Recording).
Upload your recording into your DAW of choice and have at it!
When you are interviewing someone or are being interviewed, the techniques and guidelines remain the same, but another element is introduced: interaction. The question then becomes how to capture your voice alone and not the other person talking to you.
The key piece of gear here is headphones. It’s a simple and effective way to make sure you only capture what you want, which in this case is your voice.
Below is what I send to guests who appear on MTPR’s weekly show Parsing the Press, which is recorded via Zoom and involves three participants in three different locations (note the sections in bold, as they pertain to capturing the cleanest recording when interviewing / being interviewed):
Ideally, we are looking for a mono, 16 bit, 44.1K (sample rate) recording of your voice. You can accomplish this through a personal recorder, like a Tascam or Zoom recorder, or through a voice memo on your phone.
One strategy is to call into the Zoom call on one phone, then record yourself on another phone or recorder. Make sure you are not on speakerphone, because we don’t want the phone audio leaking into the clean audio recording. The mono, 16 bit, 44.1K (sample rate) specifications may not be met, but that’s okay, I can convert them in post production.
Another strategy is to sign into the Zoom call via a computer, then record yourself on a phone or personal recorder. Make sure you are wearing headphones or earbuds to listen to the Zoom call, because again, we don’t want the Zoom audio leaking into the clean tape synced audio.
If you’re able to check levels, we are looking for the peaks to be between -6 dB and -3 dB. It’s best to be on the quieter side, because we can always boost the levels in post.
Make sure you’re in a quiet room with little to no chance of disturbance. If that’s not possible, a great alternative is to put a heavy blanket or jacket over your head with the recorder to emulate a recording studio.
The most important thing here is to make sure you have no phone / zoom audio leaking into the microphone you’re recording yourself with. This can be achieved by wearing headphones to listen to the person talking on the other end, or just by holding the phone up to your ear. I prefer the former, because having more free hands is always a plus.
{ Note: } that I did not mention mic placement: This is only because generally the guests on this show are unfamiliar with audio techniques, and it’s best to not overwhelm guests with too many rules when appearing as a guest. Plus, it’s an easier thing to fix in post.
{ TODO: } Please read the following:
Get Good Tape (Sync) - Transom
As a note: Transom is a wonderful resource for radio and sound art.
The following post is a joke, feel free to read nerdy audio jokes at your own risk… https://transom.org/2014/sounds-good-tape-syncs/