How to emulate whispering? at DVinfo.net

Emre Safak · November 21st, 2006, 10:39 PM

Is it possible to take normal speech and make it sound like a whisper?

Nate Weaver · November 21st, 2006, 10:43 PM

I really, really doubt it.

Normal speech and whispering are created in completely different ways in the mouth. One is created by the larynx, and the other is created by airflow in the mouth.

Greg Boston · November 21st, 2006, 11:55 PM

Like Nate says, the two sounds emanate from different sources.

One thought that came to my mind is for you to do your own ADR of the spoken lines in a whisper since individual vocal qualities are much more disquised when whispering.

-gb-

David Scattergood · November 22nd, 2006, 08:15 AM

Whispering is almost noise (white/pink...) - you could play around with the frequenices sometime but I'd doubt it would sound natural.
I haven't as yet had chance to play around with Soundtrack pro, otherwise I'd give this a go.
Speaking softly is almost a combination of the two (mouth and as Nate says Larynx - try it).
What do you need to do it for? You could crossfade normal speech with a whisper (synced with the original vocal)...but that's for a specific effect.

Emre Safak · November 22nd, 2006, 08:24 AM

This is for a film. I recorded the scene in normal speech to clear the noise floor, with the intention of converting it to whispering if needed.

Jon Fairhurst · November 22nd, 2006, 03:02 PM

You might try white noise into a vocoder with the voice track as the control signal. Mix the result with the original. Also, you can EQ the fundamentals out of the original. The findamentals should be in the 300 Hz neighborhood.

Marcus Marchesseault · November 26th, 2006, 05:57 PM

It sounds like you recorded the vocals after the video. If you are doing this in a controlled circumstance, just reduce the room noise as much as possible and put the mic right next to the talent's mouth. Whispering is very loud if it is right in the mic. A pop filter will be necessary. Try putting the mic right next to the mouth, but not directly in the windstream created by speach. You can feel the wind with your hand as you speak. Just put the mic right to the side of that puff of air. Also, try cupping your hands around the mic to keep the whisper in and ambient noise out.

Ty Ford · November 27th, 2006, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emre Safak

Is it possible to take normal speech and make it sound like a whisper?

no.

Ty Ford

Richard Alvarez · November 28th, 2006, 07:25 AM

Ty,

I laughed out loud and snorted my coffee at your post. WHen I opened this thread, my first thought was 'no'.

As most have implied, you can modifiy the already recorded track in a number of ways to make what you have sound 'different', but it won't sound natural. The best suggestion is to loop it with whispering in ADR. But part of the effect is context. Without knowing what the scene suggests, or what the SHOT includes, it may or may not work.

OF course, you could always utilize the Boris FX , or After Effects 'Reshoot' filter... but it's pricey.

Ty Ford · November 28th, 2006, 08:32 AM

Richard,

I try to keep it on the light side. :)
Yes, I agree. The reshoot filter (and I had to stop and clean the coffee off the monitor the first time I saw someone refer to that.)

Regards,

Ty

November 21st, 2006, 10:39 PM	#1
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	How to emulate whispering? Is it possible to take normal speech and make it sound like a whisper?

November 21st, 2006, 10:43 PM	#2
Nate Weaver Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,100	I really, really doubt it. Normal speech and whispering are created in completely different ways in the mouth. One is created by the larynx, and the other is created by airflow in the mouth. __________________ My Work: nateweaver.net

November 22nd, 2006, 03:02 PM	#6
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	You might try white noise into a vocoder with the voice track as the control signal. Mix the result with the original. Also, you can EQ the fundamentals out of the original. The findamentals should be in the 300 Hz neighborhood. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

November 28th, 2006, 08:32 AM	#10
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Richard, I try to keep it on the light side. :) Yes, I agree. The reshoot filter (and I had to stop and clean the coffee off the monitor the first time I saw someone refer to that.) Regards, Ty __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

November 21st, 2006, 11:55 PM	#3
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Like Nate says, the two sounds emanate from different sources. One thought that came to my mind is for you to do your own ADR of the spoken lines in a whisper since individual vocal qualities are much more disquised when whispering. -gb-

November 22nd, 2006, 08:15 AM	#4
David Scattergood Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 755	Whispering is almost noise (white/pink...) - you could play around with the frequenices sometime but I'd doubt it would sound natural. I haven't as yet had chance to play around with Soundtrack pro, otherwise I'd give this a go. Speaking softly is almost a combination of the two (mouth and as Nate says Larynx - try it). What do you need to do it for? You could crossfade normal speech with a whisper (synced with the original vocal)...but that's for a specific effect.

November 22nd, 2006, 08:24 AM	#5
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	This is for a film. I recorded the scene in normal speech to clear the noise floor, with the intention of converting it to whispering if needed.

November 26th, 2006, 05:57 PM	#7
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	It sounds like you recorded the vocals after the video. If you are doing this in a controlled circumstance, just reduce the room noise as much as possible and put the mic right next to the talent's mouth. Whispering is very loud if it is right in the mic. A pop filter will be necessary. Try putting the mic right next to the mouth, but not directly in the windstream created by speach. You can feel the wind with your hand as you speak. Just put the mic right to the side of that puff of air. Also, try cupping your hands around the mic to keep the whisper in and ambient noise out.

November 28th, 2006, 07:25 AM	#9
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Ty, I laughed out loud and snorted my coffee at your post. WHen I opened this thread, my first thought was 'no'. As most have implied, you can modifiy the already recorded track in a number of ways to make what you have sound 'different', but it won't sound natural. The best suggestion is to loop it with whispering in ADR. But part of the effect is context. Without knowing what the scene suggests, or what the SHOT includes, it may or may not work. OF course, you could always utilize the Boris FX , or After Effects 'Reshoot' filter... but it's pricey.