ADR and Voice Over Recording Studio in Costa Rica
“Here at Green Road Recording Studio we receive a large number of clients who works for companies like Ubisoft, Amazon Studios, Lego, Netflix among other media companies”
ADR
and Voice Over Recording Studio in Costa Rica
A little bit of our journey immersing in the wonderful world of ADR and Voice Over collaboration
Picture from our Chief Engineer Federico Hencker doing an ADR session with actress Fernanda Chaves for an Amazon Studio series
One of the things we enjoy the most besides doing music is to collaborate with voice over talents, actresses and actors, however, when we had the idea of building a professional recording studio in Costa Rica back in 2010, at the beginning, offering services for that selected group of talented human beings wasn't in our plans!
Nowadays, we receive here at Green Road Recording Studio a large number of clients who works for companies like Ubisoft, Amazon Studios, Lego, Netflix among other media companies and we're thrilled to offer them a controlled environment that allows them to maintain the peace of the projects without being interrupted by taking vacations in our beautiful beaches!
So what is ADR and Voice Over?
How do we help our customers to maintain the peace of their projects?
Picture from Irish movie star Stuart Townsend recording ADR for a Hallmark film
ADR
Automatic Dialog Replacement (ADR) specializes in re-recording dialog for film, media, television shows and video games in a controlled and quieter environment. ADR requires a different set up than the one we use for regular recording sessions.
For instance, the microphones. Normally if we are required to record a voice we would choose a large diaphragm microphone like our AKG c12 VR or a low self-noise microphone like our Neumann TLM 103, however, for ADR, the technical requirements are different. ADR requires us to match a field or live environment like the ones you see in the movies, or TV sets. So, we usually use a shotgun microphone like the Sennheiser MKE600 and a lavalier microphone like the Sony ECM-66B, besides that, we sync our Pro Tools session with video and have an external monitor available for the talent so they are able to get into character and repeat some of the lines that the dialogue editor or supervisor felt necessary to be re-recorded.
In order to synchronize video we use an amazing software called VideoSync 5 from a company called Non- Lethal Applications which makes our job a lot easier and more enjoyable. Through Pro Tools MTC (Midi Time Code) we are able to use our transport window and control in real time the escene the actor is watching on their external monitor, also, through our Solid State Logic Matrix console we´re able to patch the session in real time through Source Connect, Zoom or Microsoft teams so the dialogue editor or supervisor is able to hear the session and instruct the talent during the time being.
Voice Over
Unlike ADR, voice over doesn’t require synchronization of video. Voice over is just the voice of an unseen narrator speaking as in a motion picture or television commercial. Technical aspects are much simpler. For Voice Over we usually use a large diaphragm microphone with low self noise like our Neumann TLM 103. Low self noise is important as usually any voice over requires a room with a noise floor under -40dB to -65dB RMS and low self microphones would help to achieve that range. Besides that, when requested we use Source Connect so the production company who hired us is able to receive the recorded audios in real time.
Tips for ADR & Voice Over Sessions
Now that you know a little more about how we set up our sessions for voice over and ADR, we have some tips if you´re looking to book the studio for these services for the very first time!
Picture from Greek actor Michael Antonakos recording ADR for some video games
Once you are ready to book the session with us, make sure to contact us ahead of time so we are able to prepare the session for you. It is important to contact us at least 24 hours in advance of the session. If that´s not possible, we will try to do our best to accommodate you when a last minute booking goes by.
Verify the studio location beforehand. Our studio is located 7 minutes away from the international airport (main Costarican airport) Juan Santa Maria in a beautiful town called San Antonio de Belen in the city of Heredia, really close from San Jose. Sometimes, we receive emails from customers assuming that we are located right in front of the beach in Guanacaste and that's not the case, however if you are spending vacations in any beautiful beach, mountain or volcano far from the studio we can help you to arrange transportation so you can get safely into our studio. Costa Rica is a small country and offers secure internal flights everyday. If you´re located in Guanacaste it would take around 40 minutes to arrive at the international airport in San Jose if you are in a hurry!
We always have goodies at our studio as a courtesy for all our customers, water, premium coffee, tea and some snacks are always available so make sure to grab what you need and make sure to make yourself comfortable.
Thanks for reading our blog and please make sure to follow us through our social media channels!
