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LOW-BUDGET PROMPT RECORDING FOR IVR SYSTEMSIt is possible to create acceptable-quality prompts for over-the-phone speech recognition and IVR systems without hiring a professonal recording studio, especially for a quick demo or rough draft. I have used conference rooms and my living room, and recommended to one client that he use his car. I would only recommend this if you are not paying market rates for your voice talent, since ambient and transient noise will force you to do more re-takes than you would if the environment were completely controlled, and it will end up costing more money in the long run. You will have to pay attention to sounds you are used to filtering out if you choose a location you are familiar with, and that distracts you from the task at hand. You will also discover sounds on the recordings that you didn't notice at the time, resulting in a make-up session. Bear in mind that the primary benefit of a professional studio is the recording engineer, not the equipment. Another pair of trained ears helps you spot problems when there is still time to fix them. They can make it easy to make a series of sessions conducted over several years all match. Be sure to take advantage of their help. With all this in mind, how can you make the best of a low-budget recording session? 1. Check for background noiseYou are probably used to the noise of refigerators, computer fans, lighting systems, water fountains, neighborhood children, and may not even notice the level of ambient noise in a familiar place until you make some recordings and hear what's going on the background. In fact, it's a good idea to record nothing and see what it sounds like. The only solution for this kind of noise is to choose another location, like driving your car to a deserted parking lot. Some locations are also subject to transient noises, like trucks driving by, nearby doors opening and closing, or HVAC systems kicking in. You will have to learn to pay attention to these while recording. 2. Check for electrical noiseLong microphone cables can pick up lots of electrical noise, and most soundcards have unbalanced inputs, making the problem worse. Fluorescent lights and computer equipment are the worst. You might want to make your recordings on a MiniDisc, away from the computers, and digitize them as a separate step. If the only noise is 60 Hz interference, you might be tempted to think that you can just filter it out later with a spiffy digital notch filter. Unfortunately, this will not work as well as you'd like. 3. Be careful with the post-processingTo generalize, don't plan on needing lots of post-processing. It is easier and faster to get it right the first time. If you need the voice talent to speak up, or to use a higher pitch, or to move closer to the microphone, get it right on the original recording. I usually only need to adjust overall volume and to deal with sample rate conversion. Very rarely, I go back and edit out clicks or change volume contours. 4. Use a halfway decent microphoneThe microphones that come with soundcards, or the headphone/microphone combinations are not acceptable. Sony makes a microphone for around $40 that works well. The ones used in recording studios cost hundreds of dollars. 5. Clean the connectorsAlcohol and a Q-tip will make sure that you are making a clean connection. Gold connectors don't tarnish. 6. Don't be too fussyWhen you're listening to the recordings with headphones, you will hear every flaw. It might sound fine with speakers. By the time you convert the recordings to the sampling rate and bit depth you need for the telephone network, many details—noise included—will be lost. Finally, not all prompts are equally important. The welcome prompt that everybody hears every time they call must be the best you can achieve. But an error message that is only going to be played once a year is only worth so much bother, especially if you are looking for a low-budget solution. |
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