How to make a good audio watermark/bootleg

[TheDubEngine]

I want to create a watermark/bootleg (around 5 seconds long) for the start of a promo mix and to be used half way just before a certain drop, just wondering the easiest way about creating one and any tips on it actually sound professional not tacky.

I want it to say my production name (distorted) with some crowd noise, bass, sound effect etc around it.

For example Skream and Benga have their little bootleg thing at the start on their BBC radio 1 mix and most podcasts have one, like GetDarkers; 'you are listening to the GetDarker Podcast'.

Any help appreciated
Thanks

[Attila]

Use a microphone? Or if you don't have the gear I guess you could use one of those voice generator things.

[TheDubEngine]

I gathered I will use a mic for that part lol, Im looking more for techniques for and on which program in making a complete one.

[Warwolt]

I don't get it, if you're a producer shouldn't you be able to make a nifty little watermark pretty easily?

[JBE]

A producer should be able to knock one up fairly easily with even the most basic of knowledge. But for what benga and skream and even the getdarker podcast it's really just a phrase they recorded with a mic. I wouldn't put any other sounds in it. Just have it duck the music a bit when it plays. I wouldn't want the watermark to take anything away from the actual music that you are about to play. That's just me though.

Basically for what you want you're going to probably approach it like you're creating part of a song. It's just going to be like a 4 bar piece. You'll need to just work on it until it sounds how you want it to. What you're wanting is definitely going to take a bit more work than just a simple voice recording.

[TheDubEngine]

fuck me thank god people like JBE still use this forum thanks mate!... as for warwolt the fucking nob end, their are too many twats like you ruining this site, if you cant give a constructive answer, fuck off and dont say anything, you mug.

[Electric_Head]

TheDubEngine - that's not necessary.
He made a valid point.
Adding a vocal clip and having the tune duck slightly is not rocket science.

I agree he could have helped you with a bit of know-how but that doesn't mean you have to rip him another hole ffs.

[Warwolt]

The trick I think is simply to take a recording, or use something like microsoft sam (which I've heard Benga use in a promo for Diary of an afro warrior) and simply add some kind of flavour to it if you want to, maybe add one of those little jamaican snare-rolls (bra-bam-bam-bam you're listening to my mix-ix-ix-x-x-x!). Just something really really simple and subtle, like adding a resonator or a flanger (probably not a flanger though, heh).

Do you have a mic to record stuff in? As long as you can hear what you're saying with it it should be fine really, like recording it with your cellhpone, should give some character to it.

Also dito on the ducking. Either sidechain or just automate volume inside your DAW when the watermark comes in.

[JBE]

Sorry, I guess I could have explained that a bit. I just figured the term "ducking" was a fairly common term. The problem is that I only use FL and the process isn't the same for all DAWs. It would help to know what programs you're already using.

[hutyluty]

as for warwolt the fucking nob end, their are too many twats like you ruining this site, if you cant give a constructive answer, fuck off and dont say anything, you mug.

lol, tbh we need more people like you on the forum

[baseband]

I am a bit ashamed to say that the only time I use watermarks in a promo mix is to cover up little mistakes. I try not to do it too much, but in my RBMA mix I used the following voiceover twice
Soundcloud

I recorded straight off my mixer into adobe audition (single stereo channel). I don't have a vocal mic to record with, so I used my field recorder. I copied the file from the field recorder to my hard drive, and then did the effects direct through Audition. I pitched it down about 4 semitones I think, maybe more (without locking the time, so it would be longer). Then I normalized it and put it through slight EQ, slight distortion, and quite heavy compression (I don't know why I compressed so hard, in hindsight). Next I added ~5 seconds of silence on the end, and applied an echo effect where the highs would come off in the feedback. Finally, drenched it in reverb (too much, in hindsight). In Audition, you can do a "mix-paste", where you can mix one audio file directly into another and apply a fade-in/out to the pasted audio. Also, you set the levels of the mix by trial and error (original 40%, pasted 60% is about where I think I put it).

This whole process could be easily done in a multitrack setting, but I just did it as a quick&dirty bandaid for my (ocassionally) shitty mixing skills.

[didi]

I am a bit ashamed to say that the only time I use watermarks in a promo mix is to cover up little mistakes. I try not to do it too much, but in my RBMA mix I used the following voiceover twice
Soundcloud

I recorded straight off my mixer into adobe audition (single stereo channel). I don't have a vocal mic to record with, so I used my field recorder. I copied the file from the field recorder to my hard drive, and then did the effects direct through Audition. I pitched it down about 4 semitones I think, maybe more (without locking the time, so it would be longer). Then I normalized it and put it through slight EQ, slight distortion, and quite heavy compression (I don't know why I compressed so hard, in hindsight). Next I added ~5 seconds of silence on the end, and applied an echo effect where the highs would come off in the feedback. Finally, drenched it in reverb (too much, in hindsight). In Audition, you can do a "mix-paste", where you can mix one audio file directly into another and apply a fade-in/out to the pasted audio. Also, you set the levels of the mix by trial and error (original 40%, pasted 60% is about where I think I put it).

This whole process could be easily done in a multitrack setting, but I just did it as a quick&dirty bandaid for my (ocassionally) shitty mixing skills.

Comping