Mixing/Mastering
in Batch
Requirements
In order to do batch processing, mixers must have familiarity with Reaper and an advanced audio editor such as iZotope RX.
Mixers will use Reaper scripts, along with their favorite audio editor (like RX), to quickly clean up and master a voice actor's recording. Batch mixers might not hear every voice line on their card, and they will rely more heavily on their plugins (like De-Plosive and Mouth De-Click). 1 hour of recorded dialogue is expected to take a batch mixer approximately 3 hours to finish, for reference.
Providing History and Context
A Sense of Scale
Skywind has 300+ voice actors voicing 3000+ characters. That's a lot of voice. It's relatively easy to find voice actors because lots of people want to be a character in Morrowind.
Reviewing all of those recordings for errors (like mispronunciations or mic bumps) would take a very, very long time. Luckily, it's pretty easy to train people how to check for errors, and so we offer that training to whoever wants to help the project. We call these people "filecutters", and they do several rounds of quality checks (including picking the best takes) before the recordings are sent forward to the mixers.
Then there is us, the mixers. There aren't a lot of us. Not many people know how to clean up dialogue, and it isn't easily trainable. Additionally, not many mixers feel like spending their Friday nights cleaning up generic NPC lines. We are very outnumbered!
What Batch Isn't
Around 2019, Briegh joined Skywind after watching the latest video and noticing that the voice lines were completely unedited and unmastered. He created an in-depth workflow for listening to an actor's recordings and making fixes where needed. Mixers would listen to every line and make spectral repairs, ride the gain, and soften breaths. Mixers typically took two months to finish a single card. With over 400 cards to go, this workflow is too laborious to ever catch up with the voice acting department. We will reserve this "manual" workflow for only the most important characters; approximately the top 10%. All others will receive the batch treatment.
Step 1: Install things
If you're new to Reaper, spend a little time getting comfortable with it. Install ReaPack and any VSTs that you like to use.
Import Ganz's script via ReaPack. To do this, go to Extensions > ReaPack > Import repositories and paste this URL: https://github.com/seanfagan/ReaScripts/raw/master/index.xml
Ganz's script is now imported, but not yet installed. To install, go to Extensions > ReaPack > Browse packages. You will see a giant list of all the scripts/packages available to you. Filter the results by "ganz", and you should see "Import VA for Skywind processing". Right click, Install, and click Apply at the bottom right.
Step 2: Prepare your project
Download your voice actor's audio from their card on ClickUp.
Create a new Reaper project. I recommend that you name your Reaper project similarly to the audio you downloaded. For example, the audio "_MaleAcantrell34Redguard" would have a Reaper project named "skyw_MaleAcantrell34Redguard". If you haven't already, save the project!
Rename the folder containing the va's audio to "importva", and then drag that folder into your Reaper project's media folder. See the diagram below for an example of how Ganz's folders are set up. The location of your media folder will vary based on your computer and settings.
Run the script. Go to Actions > Show action list, filter for "ganz", and double-click to run it. You'll see a prompt asking if you want to perform all three steps. We do, so click OK.
If your folders aren't right, you'll get the error "Could not find folder in path". Ask on the Discord for help. Otherwise, the script should import all of the audio files (one track per recording), organize them by RMS loudness, glue them together, and place labels.
This PC
└── Documents
└── REAPER Media
├── skyw_MaleAcantrell34Redguard
│ ├── media
│ │ └── importva
│ │ ├── Main Submission
│ │ ├── Main Submission Combat
│ │ └── Retakes
│ ├──backups
│ ├──renders
│ └──skyw_MaleAcantrell34Redguard.rpp
├── other_reaper_project1
└── other_reaper_project2
Step 3: Mix
Time to make your offline edits! Right click one of the items, then Open items in editor > Open item copies in 'Izotope RX' (assuming you use RX)*. This will send a copy of the audio to your editor for you to do all of your offline fixes, like de-noise.
Any time you save in RX, the new audio should get sent back to Reaper**.
Time for your other tweaks! In Reaper, add whatever real-time plug-ins you want. I typically handle my dynamics in Reaper.
* How to set an external editor in Reaper (YouTube)
** If your audio isn't being sent back to Reaper when you save in RX, make sure that the Reaper preference for "Set media offline when Reaper is inactive" is checked.
Step 4: Export
Everything sounds good, it's time to render. Go to File > Render....
At the top, the source should be "Master mix" and the bounds should be "All project regions". I recommend you create a directory for the output. The output name should be $region. Set all your other options appropriately (sample rate, bit depth, etc) and click "Render 609 files" (however many lines your card has). The end!
