by Steve Cunningham
This weekend I am attending the October 2012 edition of the Faffcon Unconference for voice actors, and thought it might be interesting to profile a couple of products I’m actually using here. Among other goodies, I’m using a Fostex AR4i interface to record some presentations on my iPhone, and am processing some of the captured tracks using iZotope’s new Ozone 5 mastering plug to give them a little more oomph and crispness. This is eval under fire, so let’s take a look.
FOSTEX AR4i iPHONE INTERFACE
The Fostex product is one I mentioned in a NAMM wrap-up in February, along with a promise to get hold of one and give it a full workout (which is exactly what’s happening!). Essentially, the Fostex AR4i wraps a handle, an analog interface and a couple of microphones around an iPhone 4, a 4s, and (soon) an iPhone 5. It works up to and including iOS 6, although the latter requires a software update which should be available as you read this. It turns your iPhone into a good-sounding portable recorder that is easy to handle using the knurled metal grip included in the box, and comes with two detachable microphones for a bit of versatility.
Once the phone is slipped into the AR4i’s cradle, the male iOS connector mates with the receiving connector on the bottom of the phone. Power for the box is provided by two triple-A batteries, which makes it relatively simple to buy and carry extra batteries for the box and its preamps. The AR4i takes no power from the phone itself, although a mini-USB input is provided if your AAA batteries go down, and it will also charge the phone (albeit slowly). You’ll get about eight hours of recording out of the AAA batteries, though higher levels of gain will reduce that somewhat.
The right side of the AR4i is home to two balanced 3.5mm inputs for connecting the two included cardioid condenser mics in either a coincident stereo pair, or by pointing them in opposite directions, a dual mono configuration that works well for interviews. There’s a third balanced 3.5mm analog input jack on the left side, which allows the mics to be separate yet both aimed at a single sound source. In addition, any of the three balanced analog inputs will accept third party mics so long as they are either battery powered condensers or high-output dynamics; note that only two mic inputs can be used at one time. Given the right adapters and a strong output, one could connect almost any XLR microphone into the analog inputs, although the preamps’ gain is somewhat limited (from -12dB to just shy of -60dB) and will get noisy if pushed too hard.
Also on the right side of the AR4i, you’ll find four LEDs for input level monitoring -- three green and one red. These are easy to see in the dark, although with only four LEDs you’ll need to mind the input signal levels a bit more closely so as not to light the red LED. In the same position on the left-hand side you will find the level control for the headphones, plus both 3.5mm and 1/4” jacks for the headphone outputs.
The AR4i comes complete with the aforementioned handle, but it can also be used hands-free, since there are two tripod threads in the AR4i chassis that allow you to hold the device in either horizontal or vertical position. There’s also a hot-shoe mount on the top of the device for use when shooting video, where you can mount a light or other accessory.
The handle is cool, but the tripod mount is a real lifesaver. It reduces both handling noise when recording, and the possibility of dropping the whole business or accidentally knocking it off a table. I also found that, using the AR4i in landscape orientation, the bulge of the battery cover allows you to hold the iPhone in a similar manner to a compact camera. A soft carry case is also included, which has a separate side compartment for the included knurled handle so it won’t scratch up the other goods.
The case of the AR4i combines a metal inner chassis with a plastic outer shell. The small headphone and input level thumbwheels are a little fiddly, given the compact size of the product. Fortunately it is easy enough to avoid hitting them by accident once you’ve got the entire rig set up properly.
You will have to remove the phone from any protective case using the AR4i, but a screen protector should be okay (I don’t use one anyway). The fit is snug, and though there’s no audible click when the phone mates with the box, there’s no question that a connection has been made. The unit is designed so that the iPhone camera lens clears the top of the AR4i, allowing a video shoot with improved stability even if you’re not using a tripod. As for recording audio, the only noise comes from the preamps if they’re cranked to a high level.
Despite a 20 Hz - 20 kHz spec, the mics themselves are bright with little in the bass region, which one would expect from very small directional electrets. They each wear a little foam wind sock, which prevents light to moderate wind noise from being a problem; just don’t expect to hang them out the window of a moving car and not hear wind gusts.
The headphone amp can be somewhat noisy, and should be used only to confirm for real time monitoring and making sure that the signal path is functioning (that noise did not appear in my recordings). And while I usually look at the on-screen meters to check the input levels, it’s also nice to have the LEDs to do a bit of gain staging and avoid overs during recording.
When combined with Audiofile Engineering’s FiRE Studio or with the iOS version of Twisted Wave, I am liking the portability and control that I’m getting with the Fostex AR4i. The entire package is small and light, and very easy to use. So far the results have been more than acceptable, and I’m looking forward to trying some other mics with it once I return home. The Fostex AR4i carries a suggested retail price of $199 USD but can be had online for about half that. For more information visit www.fostexinternational.com.
IZOTOPE OZONE 5
While it may seem a bit unusual to process what are essentially live voiceover tracks with a multiband mastering plug-in, in reality it does make a certain amount of sense. This is especially the case since the mastering plug in question is iZotope’s Ozone 5, the latest incarnation of one the music biz’s best-loved processors. Ozone consists of the functions one expects to see in mastering: four band dynamics (compressor, gate, limiting, and expansion), two four-band paragraphic equalizers, and a Maximizer (which is really just a limiter on steroids), plus a reverb, harmonic exciter, stereo imaging controller, plus dither, all in one plug-in which combines access, routing and control for all the individual processing sections. Since what I am using in this instance is primarily the dynamics and EQ, we’ll focus on these.
However, we should take first things first. Ozone 5 runs on Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, Windows x64, Vista, and Win 7. On the Mac it runs on OS X 10.5.8 or later, and on Intel-based Macs only. It is available in all the popular plug-in formats: Pro Tools 7.4+ (both RTAS and AudioSuite), VST and VST 3, MAS, Audio Unit, and DirectX are all supported. The list of compatible editors is long, and it likely runs on yours just fine. Keep in mind that this is a healthy processor, and depending on how you set it up it may put a strain on older systems. Still, it’s worth the cost in CPU cycles.
Offering a four-band approach to processing, Dynamics consists of analog models offering compression, limiting, gating and expansion. Compression can be hard or soft, and there’s an Automatic Gain Compensation system that makes it easier to evaluate the effects of compression without being misled by level differences. The metering includes histogram options as well as a Gain Reduction Trace meter, both of which give you a comprehensive look at what the Dynamics are doing over time.
Each of the four bands has its own set of controls, which can be viewed at the same time if you select the global view. Selecting the Band view and then using the four band buttons greatly simplifies the display and is easier to work with as a result. Gain and Mix settings may be switched to global or per-band mode, and there’s also a wet/dry mix control for setting up parallel compression. A Linked Bands mode allows changes to be made across all bands by adjusting the settings of one band. The metering also includes a Dynamic Curve view showing both the input and output signals on two axes. This is very clean compression, with little or no “character”, and you can apply significant amounts of compression before the processing becomes audible. Operation is as straightforward as it is for any multi-band processor, whereby one has to keep in mind that the processing is being done per band; one can always set the processing to be the same for all four bands, but where’s the fun in that? Being a multi-band compressor, it is also useful for problem-solving such as reducing the level of popping or sibilance on individual tracks.
The EQ module is equally as comprehensive. It will model both analog filters and linear-phase filters, with the flexibility to combine both types. Version 5 includes various filter shapes when in analog mode, which did not previously exist. These include flat (Butterworth), low- and high-pass, low- and high-pass “brick wall”, and vintage shelving filters, the latter being models of old and highly-prized Pultec EQs. Taken together there are eight filter bands that can be set to bell, high-pass, low-pass, or high or low shelf, along with a spectrum analyzer available to view the stereo signal in L/R or M/S modes.
In addition to its manual EQ facilities, Izotope’s EQ Match mode is also included, so that one audio signal can be equalized to match the spectrum of another (using up to 8,000 linear-phase filters for those of you keeping score at home). You can also use the analog-modeled filters in match mode, which I prefer for this task. The procedure is to capture a couple of audio snapshots from your source and reference audio files, then you click radio buttons to show which should be made to match which. Press the Match button and a matching curve is overlaid on the EQ display alongside the snapshot spectrum, but this display may be disabled to conserve CPU resources. The Matching EQ works alongside the conventional EQ so it is still possible to apply conventional EQ to the matched sound, and as with most match EQ plug-ins, you can adjust the degree of matching and apply smoothing to the matching curve. While it sounds terminally tweaky, Match is ideal for using voice tracks recorded at different times, or even on different microphones, sound more like they came from the same session, a situation which occurs far too often today.
Given the complexity of this plug, it’s a good thing that it comes with some 250 presets which cover its uses, soup to nuts. The documentation is equally comprehensive, and is available both as a PDF and also as an eBook.
Is Ozone 5 overkill for simple voiceover tracking and processing? Perhaps, but it contains best-of-breed examples of the processors we use most often, along with other useful tools like the Reverb (which is more than serviceable) and the Maximizer (which is far preferable to normalization in my opinion). Most importantly it is flexible beyond belief, and is working for me quite nicely on this particular weekend.
iZotope’s Ozone 5 carries a suggested list price of $249 USD, and is available online for something less than $200. A fully functional demo is available at www.izotope.com, and Steve sez check it out.
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