This document discusses audio equipment, file formats, and the process of voiceovers and scripted speech in media production. It provides details on commonly used microphones, headphones, mixers, and other audio hardware. It also examines uncompressed file formats like WAV and AIFF, lossless compressed FLAC, and lossy MP3. Finally, it outlines the two main types of voiceovers - synchronous dialogue where the voice narrates simultaneously with action, and asynchronous dialogue typically used in documentaries. Examples given are documentaries, news, radio, theater, and live television shows.

1. Voiceovers and Scripted
Speech

2. Equipment
Microphones -
● Neumann U87 (Pixar)
● AKG C414 B ULS (BBC)
● Electro-Voice RE20 (rooster teeth)
Headphones- Open back and closed back
● Closed- Lower quality, better isolation
○ Sony MDR-7506 is standard
● Open- Higher quality, less isolation
○ Sennheiser HD 650 and Sennheiser HD 800

3. Equipment 2.0
● Mixer
○ Allows a live editor to control various aspects of the sound
○ SSL 4000
● Audio Interface
○ Connects all the other devices
○ Avid HD 16x16
● Shock Mount
○ Prevents the mic from picking up physical vibrations
● Acoustic Foam
○ Soundproofs to prevent sound leaking from other rooms

4. File formats
Quick Notes:
WAV is uncompressed. More data, so more to work with. Bite order for intel.
AIFF is uncompressed too! Different order of bites, same file size and quality as WAV.
FLAC is high definition Mp3. Used to get perfect copies of CDs for half the size as the CD. Sounds
better than Mp3, and costs about the same to buy. Also, lossless. All the data!
Mp3 is compressed. Less file size. Often, the music on your phone will be compressed music. With
lower space and lower bandwidth, mp3 is the format for you.

5. WAV
Professional Standard, as highest quality format
Can contain both compressed and uncompressed audio, but most common is uncompressed
Lossless audio format (as you are not compressing it, nothing is lost)
Optimised for Intel Processors with the bite order. Can be converted to AIFF easily.

6. AIFF
Uncompressed
Much more disk space than MP3, as is also lossless
Same file and quality size as WAV, highest quality and file size.
Optimised for Motorola Processors, with the bite order. That is the only difference between WAV and
AIFF. Can be converted to WAV easily.

7. FLAC
Perfect copies of CD’s for half the file size.
Compressed. Lossless. No data is lost.
Most popular audio format used in general.
Higher quality than MP3. Half file size of WAV files. Not noticeably worse quality, but WAV will have a
higher quality.

8. MP3
Lossy Compression
Least file size, least quality.
Used for phones generally.

9. A Table for file formats
FORMAT COMPRESSED SIZE QUALITY
Lossy Lossless
WAV N/A N/A Biggest Best Quality
AIFF N/A N/A Second biggest Best Quality
FLAC No Yes Half the size as
a CD
Better than mp3
MP3 Yes No Smallest Worst

10. More quality means more file size.
Size
Quality
Wav + AIFF
FLAC
MP3

11. Process
● Voiceover is a technique in which a non-diegetic voice is placed in media such as radio, television production,
filmmaking and theatre - as well as other media productions.
● There are two types of Voiceover -
○ Synchronous Dialogue
○ Asynchronous Dialogue
● Synchronous Dialogue is where the voiceover is happening at the same time as the action and is narrating what’s
happening.
○ It is the most common form of voiceover.
● Asynchronous Dialogue, however, is usually prerecorded and placed over a film or video in cinema.
○ For example, it is used frequently during documentaries or news reports while video footage is playing, so the
viewer has information about the footage is being explained at the same time.

12. Examples
Voice-overs are used everywhere. Here are some examples of where voice-overs are
used in Media :
● Tv Documentaries (to explain information about what the documentary is
about/what’s happening) (Asynchronous)
● The news (reporting on an event while footage of the event is playing)
(Asynchronous)
● Radio shows (Synchronous)
● Theatre (the narrator isn’t always on stage) (Asynchronous or Synchronous)
● Live Tv Shows (eg. Talent or Dancing Shows) Asynchronous)
There are many more examples of Voice-overs as they are found almost everywhere in
Media.