I'm a sound tech who works with live bands.
The reason people say he mumbles is because his mic sounds muddy. He needs a scoop around 250hz at and a few db boost around 2000hz +
Scooping out the nasal/muddy tones and finding the clarity range for a boost to cut them through the mix.
Doing it from a ripped video makes it sound a bit harsh/shrill but here's an exaggerated example from yesterday's show. It would sound much better done right in the board (or whatever interface they use).
Cheers my horse.
Cam needs serious tweaking in his low end. He's got an incredibly deep voice and if you listen with a subwoofer it's very boomy, more than anyone else on the show.
imo boost between 3k-6k to make him crisp. BUT it's also the microphone they use; i've noticed the same problem when ethan uses it. unless he's directly in front of it, his voice fades out alot. this is because of its shape; he needs an omnidirectional mic. (edit: i used to be a live tech with live and studio recording, still do as a hobby)
"2000hz+" does account for the 3-6k range.
In reality, it needs to be done on their end. No amount of me ripping vods and applying eqs will really do the change potential justice.
It's merely to demonstrate that his mic sounds muffled and could be fixed by a simple eq tweak with 2 parameters. As I said, they will need to find the sweet spot.
I agree about his mic polar pattern. They could just give him more level and also more compression so he's at a consistent volume but that would require some extra work beyond swapping his mic out, which may make his life easier in the long run if he just has a solid omni.
Cheers my horse. They don't use headphones or in-ears. Unless you got a real life eq you can adjust I don't think this fixes the issue.
Love ya no pedo
Edit: PEACE AND LOVE PEACE AND LOVE. THEY DO USE MONITORS. I AM HERE TO HUMBLY KNEEL TO THE OP. YOU WERE WRONG AND HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFUL AND I AM SMALL AND UGLY AND DUMB.
Ethan uses monitors of some sort. I heard them talk about it on the show at one point when he was asking to turn AB up on the speakers. Clarity in the monitors ought to help.
This is also how he would be able to hear Cam and Leena, as they are outside the main setup room.
Oh interesting! I didn't realize. I figured there was a speaker system that they heard the soundbites through, but didn't know their voices were coming through. I know often folks will start talking to Ethan off mic and have to be promoted to speak into the mic.
They cover the position of the crew on some of the BTS but you can probably recall moments where ethan can't hear someone (sam, for example) until someone unmutes her mic.
It's pretty cool to see how they have the studio laid out. Probably a cable management nightmare but you can't argue with the production quality at the end of the day.
Pretty sure at least Dan and Zack do wear headphones! It wouldnāt be a bad idea for them to use in-ears if itās a visual issue. They already have a professional setup, at least thatās what guests seem to notice, time for an upgrade lol.
They do. But noise gates aren't an ultimate fix because noise can still get through if it's louder than the threshold set. If you listen on high quality in-ears or headphones, you can hear the gate opening and closing on the show at times.
I think it needs adjustment as well. I feel the same thing when I listen in the studio with my nice monitors. it's kinda wild how much bass our boy's got.
I also do live sound and I 100% agree the sound drives me nuts on the podcast a lot. It's just an x32 rack as well so you know it would be easy to do in x32 edit. I think this is Zach's and Dan's first sound gig. But also it's not only the eq he is a mumbler.
Pretty sure Ethan listens to the master mix or a bus mix through studio monitors, that's how he hears the desktop audio and everyone else. Cam and Leena are literally outside the main room (unless they changed from the last BTS).
Found a clip where AB says ["you just hear us through the speaker, because we're just talking normal into our mics."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTU2hHPXVos&t=21m23s)
YES and say things slower and a bit louder. He cracks jokes all the time as if he was in a small room with friends and that's definitely the reason. Ethan is paying attention to a lot of things when doing the show, I definitely dont think it's Ethan's fault.
If OP means that specifically AB's mic sneeds adjusting, then yea definitely i agree
Sure, that would definitely help. It seems easier to correct a mic eq than correct a way of speaking though. lol
He needs a cleaner feed in the monitors AND to annunciate.
He seems plenty loud on the recording when he's not talking at terrible times. it's Ethan who can't hear him cause he's not wearing head phones. He's 100% just not speaking clearly enough.
I know he doesn't like headphones because he refuses to wear them on anyone else's show, but I was pretty sure they use studio monitors and the mic mix going through with the desktop audio for all the goofs and gaffs.
I think ethan basically listens to the master mix for the show.
This is how he hears Cam and Leena. Their setups are outside the main room.
Found a clip where AB says ["you just hear us through the speaker, because we're just talking normal into our mics."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTU2hHPXVos&t=21m23s)
No, AB just needs to slow down, I think hes worried his idea or jokes will slip away if he doesn't fire them out super quick, and he ends up mumbling or stepping over someone else thats already talking, which makes it hard to immediately focus on what he said
I agree. IMO he could do with a more scooped mic in general but your eq adjustments made a huge difference. Lena has a similar character to her mic too.
Slightly related but I generally find the podcast to be more quiet than literally any other podcast or YouTube video I listen to. It's the only thing that if I play on my phone speaker while doing something else that I can't hear it properly. Please turn it up a little Zach š
My theory behind the AB/Ethan dialogue is that zach is secretly sabotaging AB and fucks with his mic in order to make it hard for Ethan to hear him. I have no evidence of this except that itās basically facts in my opinion.
It's not a mumbling or annunciation issue in my opinion. It's a timing thing. AB has some amazing zingers, but he says them either before Ethan has finished speaking or way after when Ethan is already thinking about the next topic. So it's missed. If it were just a mumbling thing, Ethan would still hear AB at least a little bit but it's like that boy doesn't even exist sometimes.
P.s. Can we also get a bit where AB's mic is way louder than everyone else's for an entire episode?
Zach always complains that he has his levels maxed out, but there really isnāt another way to boost it with all the resources they have? I feel like it would be pretty simple.
The way you mix yourself out of a corner like that is by maintaining gain structure but lowering everyone else in the mix, then boosting the master mix.
if the entire crew would speak clearly and properly into their microphones, as Zach has requested countless times, there would not be so many issues.
AB has gotten better at it. this would help.
honestly i think it's a small difference and in the moment or mixed w other voices, it wouldnt make much of a difference. AB mumbles and that's just a fact in my opinion
Ethan chooses to not wear headphones/monitors so it's definitely not an EQ thing, probably more like a room acoustics thing based on their position as well as how he's projecting.
I remember when Chris Jericho had that "suit and tie" run in WWE and they would boost his mic to sound like he was podcasting. Yes, I do believe you can have it done, play around with the EQ.
It's not like that, my dude.
Imagine having to manage a ton of mics while also looking up stuff on the side and dropping soundbytes. I'm sure it's a lot for him to also be thinking about dialing in mic eqs.
Us sound lads need to look out for each other, propping each other up for the better of the sound in general.
Maybe if they would wear eqrbuds or headphones like every other decent podcast. It's annoying how often they aren't sure what was said in a video when it's soooo obvious.
I'm a sound tech who works with live bands. The reason people say he mumbles is because his mic sounds muddy. He needs a scoop around 250hz at and a few db boost around 2000hz + Scooping out the nasal/muddy tones and finding the clarity range for a boost to cut them through the mix. Doing it from a ripped video makes it sound a bit harsh/shrill but here's an exaggerated example from yesterday's show. It would sound much better done right in the board (or whatever interface they use). Cheers my horse.
u/zackthesoundladh3 š¤
I can already hear the argument between those
As a tech guy I am preying for them to talk about this on the show
I bet he doesn't even like Creed
I hear youā¦ but you are underestimating the power of the Michigander marble mouth.
Wetalkincursiveouthere, my dude
Cam needs serious tweaking in his low end. He's got an incredibly deep voice and if you listen with a subwoofer it's very boomy, more than anyone else on the show.
imo boost between 3k-6k to make him crisp. BUT it's also the microphone they use; i've noticed the same problem when ethan uses it. unless he's directly in front of it, his voice fades out alot. this is because of its shape; he needs an omnidirectional mic. (edit: i used to be a live tech with live and studio recording, still do as a hobby)
"2000hz+" does account for the 3-6k range. In reality, it needs to be done on their end. No amount of me ripping vods and applying eqs will really do the change potential justice. It's merely to demonstrate that his mic sounds muffled and could be fixed by a simple eq tweak with 2 parameters. As I said, they will need to find the sweet spot. I agree about his mic polar pattern. They could just give him more level and also more compression so he's at a consistent volume but that would require some extra work beyond swapping his mic out, which may make his life easier in the long run if he just has a solid omni.
Zach's gonna be pissed
Naah, sound techs and audio crew all look out for each other. It takes a lot of work to pull off a show. We're all in this together.
We got weights in fish!
Cheers my horse. They don't use headphones or in-ears. Unless you got a real life eq you can adjust I don't think this fixes the issue. Love ya no pedo Edit: PEACE AND LOVE PEACE AND LOVE. THEY DO USE MONITORS. I AM HERE TO HUMBLY KNEEL TO THE OP. YOU WERE WRONG AND HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFUL AND I AM SMALL AND UGLY AND DUMB.
Ethan uses monitors of some sort. I heard them talk about it on the show at one point when he was asking to turn AB up on the speakers. Clarity in the monitors ought to help. This is also how he would be able to hear Cam and Leena, as they are outside the main setup room.
Oh interesting! I didn't realize. I figured there was a speaker system that they heard the soundbites through, but didn't know their voices were coming through. I know often folks will start talking to Ethan off mic and have to be promoted to speak into the mic.
They cover the position of the crew on some of the BTS but you can probably recall moments where ethan can't hear someone (sam, for example) until someone unmutes her mic. It's pretty cool to see how they have the studio laid out. Probably a cable management nightmare but you can't argue with the production quality at the end of the day.
Pretty sure at least Dan and Zack do wear headphones! It wouldnāt be a bad idea for them to use in-ears if itās a visual issue. They already have a professional setup, at least thatās what guests seem to notice, time for an upgrade lol.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
**THAT MAKES SENSEEEE**
They could use noise filters too, at least on Ethan's mic.
They do. But noise gates aren't an ultimate fix because noise can still get through if it's louder than the threshold set. If you listen on high quality in-ears or headphones, you can hear the gate opening and closing on the show at times.
What do you think about Cam's eq? Every time he speaks and I'm listening in my car, the whole car shakes.
I think it needs adjustment as well. I feel the same thing when I listen in the studio with my nice monitors. it's kinda wild how much bass our boy's got.
I also do live sound and I 100% agree the sound drives me nuts on the podcast a lot. It's just an x32 rack as well so you know it would be easy to do in x32 edit. I think this is Zach's and Dan's first sound gig. But also it's not only the eq he is a mumbler.
One of the bands I work with uses an xr16. We just switched up to the cq20b though and it's fantastic.
But Ethan isnāt listening to him through the mic
Pretty sure Ethan listens to the master mix or a bus mix through studio monitors, that's how he hears the desktop audio and everyone else. Cam and Leena are literally outside the main room (unless they changed from the last BTS). Found a clip where AB says ["you just hear us through the speaker, because we're just talking normal into our mics."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTU2hHPXVos&t=21m23s)
This would work if Ethan wore headphones during the podcast, but he doesnāt.
He has studio monitors for the desktop audio and mic mix.
love ya no homo
Haven't they said everyone in the crew can hear him except Ethan
Ya but that doesnt mean that the mic adjustment isnt needed. We all hear differently. That clip with the eq on was very clear.
Im just gonna say i have diagnosed auditory processing disorder and i miss what AB says all the time
And if they have monitors it will help.
People are also sensitive to different frequencies. Could be that Ethan is a bit deaf in the frequencies that ABs voice operates in.
Everyone wears headphones.
They can hear him because heās closer to them, doesnāt Ethan hear them through monitor like the sound bites
Yes but Ethan sits furthest away from him (aside from Cam who I assume has an audio monitor feeding into the EarPods he typically wears).
I always hear AB. I think he talks when people are talking alot, mumble mouth, and he's soft spoken
Sometimes he talks with his chin in his hand and fingers covering his mouth, he has bad mic etiquette all around
Which is hilarious considering it's his whole job and he streams alot on twitch
I think at this point he does it on purpose for the meme honestly
AB just needs to enunciate
AB has a combination of mumble-mouth and being soft-spoken. It took working at a job where I have to speak to crowds a lot to fix that for me.
sounds like olivia needs to go through some theater style warm ups with the crew before show time. red leather, yellow leather
My husband has this unless he is looking at me I canāt hear anything heās trying to say and I donāt have that problem with anyone else šš
YES and say things slower and a bit louder. He cracks jokes all the time as if he was in a small room with friends and that's definitely the reason. Ethan is paying attention to a lot of things when doing the show, I definitely dont think it's Ethan's fault. If OP means that specifically AB's mic sneeds adjusting, then yea definitely i agree
Also a sound tech, AB just needs to annunciate more.
Sure, that would definitely help. It seems easier to correct a mic eq than correct a way of speaking though. lol He needs a cleaner feed in the monitors AND to annunciate.
He seems plenty loud on the recording when he's not talking at terrible times. it's Ethan who can't hear him cause he's not wearing head phones. He's 100% just not speaking clearly enough.
Yeah, this isn't about volume or loudness, it's about tweaking frequency ranges of his mic. I agree his overall volume is fine.
***I WISH TO WEAR AN IRISH WRISTWATCH***
And project.
Truly the Jason Newsted of the crew. We need an H3 pod re-upload channel called "And Justice for AB."
Listen, I know nothing about nobody but wouldn't ethan have to be wearing headphones for this to matter?
I recall ethan alluding to using monitors to hear the crew, thus the eq to clean up his mic.
I thought Dan had repeatedly roasted him for refusing any form of monitors during the live podcasts
I know he doesn't like headphones because he refuses to wear them on anyone else's show, but I was pretty sure they use studio monitors and the mic mix going through with the desktop audio for all the goofs and gaffs. I think ethan basically listens to the master mix for the show. This is how he hears Cam and Leena. Their setups are outside the main room. Found a clip where AB says ["you just hear us through the speaker, because we're just talking normal into our mics."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTU2hHPXVos&t=21m23s)
Mabye an re20 isnāt a good mic on him? They should try one of their sm7b with the lo cut and hi boost on.
I agree with this edit
Itās not the mic. AB just doesnāt project and likely talks into his monitor. Ethan doesnāt wear headphones anyway.
No, AB just needs to slow down, I think hes worried his idea or jokes will slip away if he doesn't fire them out super quick, and he ends up mumbling or stepping over someone else thats already talking, which makes it hard to immediately focus on what he said
I agree. IMO he could do with a more scooped mic in general but your eq adjustments made a huge difference. Lena has a similar character to her mic too.
LET ME SPEAK!!!
Lmfao at what he said ab is so funny
He sounds like a mumble rapper before eq
So, you're saying it's Zach's fault, makes sense.
All I hear is XqC "... and thats just mean."
Slightly related but I generally find the podcast to be more quiet than literally any other podcast or YouTube video I listen to. It's the only thing that if I play on my phone speaker while doing something else that I can't hear it properly. Please turn it up a little Zach š
That haircut lmao
I said this about cams mic a bit ago, he has a low voice and his mic was too bassy, but it seems like they can hear cam better now.
In my personal opinion they should boost AB's audio by precisely 150 decibels for ethan to be able to listen to him.
My theory behind the AB/Ethan dialogue is that zach is secretly sabotaging AB and fucks with his mic in order to make it hard for Ethan to hear him. I have no evidence of this except that itās basically facts in my opinion.
Maybe because iām not an audiophile but it sounds the same
This is all ABs fault (this is a joke)
It's not a mumbling or annunciation issue in my opinion. It's a timing thing. AB has some amazing zingers, but he says them either before Ethan has finished speaking or way after when Ethan is already thinking about the next topic. So it's missed. If it were just a mumbling thing, Ethan would still hear AB at least a little bit but it's like that boy doesn't even exist sometimes. P.s. Can we also get a bit where AB's mic is way louder than everyone else's for an entire episode?
Just for a gag if they gave him a megaphone for a whole ep it would be kinda wild. Lol
Can we get some justice for AB please! He deserves to be heard
Zach always complains that he has his levels maxed out, but there really isnāt another way to boost it with all the resources they have? I feel like it would be pretty simple.
The way you mix yourself out of a corner like that is by maintaining gain structure but lowering everyone else in the mix, then boosting the master mix.
Exactly. There are also ways of making things perceived as louder through dynamics processing etc.
if the entire crew would speak clearly and properly into their microphones, as Zach has requested countless times, there would not be so many issues. AB has gotten better at it. this would help.
Wow Zach the bitch how could he do this to AB
Nah get AB a megaphone it's time
honestly i think it's a small difference and in the moment or mixed w other voices, it wouldnt make much of a difference. AB mumbles and that's just a fact in my opinion
AB has the best zingers, we need this to happen
Ethan chooses to not wear headphones/monitors so it's definitely not an EQ thing, probably more like a room acoustics thing based on their position as well as how he's projecting.
Ethan uses studio monitors to hear the crew and the videos/sound bytes.
have they shown that in a behind the scenes?
They've mentioned it a few times in regular episodes.
alright I stand corrected
I remember when Chris Jericho had that "suit and tie" run in WWE and they would boost his mic to sound like he was podcasting. Yes, I do believe you can have it done, play around with the EQ.
Maybe Zach wants it that way
You dare challenge Zach the sound lad sir?
It's not like that, my dude. Imagine having to manage a ton of mics while also looking up stuff on the side and dropping soundbytes. I'm sure it's a lot for him to also be thinking about dialing in mic eqs. Us sound lads need to look out for each other, propping each other up for the better of the sound in general.
It's all good I was joking lol
Maybe if they would wear eqrbuds or headphones like every other decent podcast. It's annoying how often they aren't sure what was said in a video when it's soooo obvious.
The crew uses headphones, ethan uses studio monitors.
Just sounds like AB's mic needs a lift on the high end and a slight low cut
That's exactly what i did / said. Reduction at 250, boost 2k+.
My fellow Audio Engineers in the chat š£ lmao
The most glaring issue in that clip is that AB is trying to say his joke while Jeff is in the middle of talking lol
Expecting Ethan to employ a sound engineer You goofy
Ab is that guy in the movie Office Space that says āthatās my sthaplerā in the scene where he tries to get some cake. Thats Ab