Macross Frontier English Dub

[Hikuro]

Sadly with the Fanart page being kept at 2 page max, my previous Frontier releases were erased.

Anyways, Here's where I'll keep updates for Macross Frontier as an english production. I doubt I'll do full episode dubs, but I will most certaintly do dub scenes!

ALTO AND RANKA FIRST ENCOUNTER

DON'T BE LATE

For now this'll have to tie people over....as I've got several clips on the way, 2 of which are over 6 minutes in length.

I also have an English Version of Don't Be Late sung by my Sheryl VA which should hopefully just knock everyones socks off. She's worked long and hard on producing an accurate "What if it were English?" of the song and she did a very good job.

So until then, this is all ya get

Edited July 2, 2008 by Hikuro

[chillyche]

Sadly with the Fanart page being kept at 2 page max, my previous Frontier releases were erased.

Anyways, Here's where I'll keep updates for Macross Frontier as an english production. I doubt I'll do full episode dubs, but I will most certaintly do dub scenes!

ALTO AND RANKA FIRST ENCOUNTER

For now this'll have to tie people over....as I've got several clips on the way, 2 of which are over 6 minutes in length.

I also have an English Version of Don't Be Late sung by my Sheryl VA which should hopefully just knock everyones socks off. She's worked long and hard on producing an accurate "What if it were English?" of the song and she did a very good job.

So until then, this is all ya get

Oooh, I wanna hear the English Sheryl song.

[Hikuro]

My Sheryl VA says she'll hopefully finish the song today...she was REALLY good on turning in her Misa lines yesterday and is just about up to date. However singing is much more difficult then just doing lines....not too mentio nI need to kick other VA's in the butt....out of the cast only 4 people have done their lines for the big concert scene.

[Dangard Ace]

Fan works shouldn't be at 2 page max. It's sorted by active threads in the last 90 days. Bottom right of your screen.

[Hikuro]

OKAY! Finally got the freakin new clip up!

[Ishimaru]

Very nice dubs, I gotta be honest the Ranka Lee just about nailed it but I was a bit disappointed with Alto's voice over.

But without a doubt its impressive that you guys can get the voices mixed in with the ambiance let alone do it over the japanese dub.

Out of curiosity, have you or anyone in your group received request/job offers to work on official dubs?

Don't want to be mean in getting a disappointing answer but I'd really like to know.

[Dio]

The levels seem a bit out of proportion between the BGM, the voices, and the sound effects. Relative to one another, the voices could stand to turn up a notch, the BGM is fine, but the SFX are way too loud in some instances and it's a bit jarring (example: when the VF-171's fire the missile barrage).

For a fandub, the VA work is excellent, and you can tell everyone performed with enthusiasm, but some of the choices seem off:

Sheryl's speaking voice fits well, but her pitch goes too high during the singing parts, and some of the lyrics seem shoe-horned in (though overall it's a very good adaptation!).

Ranka is as perfect a fit as you could get, but her pacing is slightly off.

Alto's voice seems too low-pitched, and even a bit muffled at times (a problem present throughout the entire clip).

Michel fits well, but also suffers from the muffling issue.

You might play around with your mic (and encourage VA's to do the same) to see what input volumes vs. your speaking volume work best. I've actually found that it can make a huge difference in the quality of the recording.

Another tweak you might make is to tone down the presence of the additive material you're giving the footage. Set a good BGM, add the dialogue, and minimal sound effects work as necessary. One example is Ranka's sprinkler accident - the sound effect (something out of a video game?) when she shakes her hair out is meant to be goofy and cute, but instead jumps out hard at the viewer and makes it seem like an overexagerrated cartoon show. A simple swishing noise would have sufficed - hammering the point home that subtlety should be the name of the game, not dramatization, until something makes a jarring sound effect necessary (the VF-171 missile launch was freaking awesome).

PM me when you need a good Brera, I'll volunteer for that one

[Hikuro]

Thanks, yeah I must of gone back a dozen times on the sfx's and music going "poo....why wont this sound right?!"

I wanted to add something normal for Ranka's hair but try to keep it as close to the original as possible, but it was just too difficult to nail that and be pleased, same thing with her cell phone too. I was tempted on asking a friend to be cute and squishy sounding, but she wasn't around XD.

The VF-171 missile launch...yeah probably one of my favorite moments, it's a frequent missile launch I use in my mecha dubs, you'll tend to hear it often in Macross Zero.

Out of curiosity, have you or anyone in your group received request/job offers to work on official dubs?

MariaVu who plays Ranka was a Voice Actress for Funimation for a few years and has done a number of radio commericals. I use to have a demo reel of some of her stuff, but I don't have it anymore.

And Cristina Vee who plays Lynn Minmay for DYRL has been in a number of voice over productions, she was casted as Aika for AIka R-16, and she has been recently casted as Nanoha Takamachi and Louise de la Valliere.

She was a special guest i think at Anime Expo this year and was signing autographs...I believe that was her first year of being on the oppisite side of the fan parade.

Also, Lila who played Mao Gnome for the first episode of Macross Zero is a voice actress for Ocean Group and has been heard in Inuyasha and I believe Samurai Champloo.

Course they've recieved their jobs before they even met me. But obviously they do like working with me cause they do other projects with me and keep in touch often.

But yeah, it's alot of fun working with them cause they bring a strong sense of professionalism and ask me alot of questions on their characters so they can portray them better.

I always tell them, don't listen to me to much, listen to what the fans like, cause they're your targets, I'll be happy with what you put out cause you're just that damn good.

And obviously I do get some good feedback from Macross fans like yourselves.

[Hikuro]

So after several months have passed since I did anything Frontier related, I got a bit of a tidbit for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKbpzSl4TZA

I just uploaded this so it may take a few minutes.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Well, well... Hik, you've got me impressed. I really wish you could use samples of actual audio. Some of the sound effects don't work for me, but I guess one must do with what one has.

[Hikuro]

Yeah the stuff I had to use for the EX Gear I wasn't to thrilled with myself, they're the best substitute I got. But I was atleast able to keep SOME of the EX Gear.

[Jasonc]

At least you got something out for now. I like the mix of the new sample. It's really hard to gauge the levels without any voices, but as of now, awesome work.

[SchizophrenicMC]

At least you got something out for now. I like the mix of the new sample. It's really hard to gauge the levels without any voices, but as of now, awesome work.

Jason's right. If you do decide to release a sample with voice, stay away from Alto, Hik.

[Hikuro]

We'll see, no promises. I've got auditions up for Alto but I'm picky on my mains, if I don't find what I'm looking for I do it cause at least I know how to do it. Who knows, maybe I'm a better alto now or not. My Hikaru lines were done so long ago things change

[Hikuro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJcAb-m5BSs

This is the last non-vocal clip I'm gonna show.....just kind of liked how it turned out besides one lil hicup I found.

[SchizophrenicMC]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJcAb-m5BSs

This is the last non-vocal clip I'm gonna show.....just kind of liked how it turned out besides one lil hicup I found.

Not bad. Not enough emphasis on some of the engine sounds, but that'll likely sound better if there's vocals overlaid to drown out the lack.

I'm gonna give that a 7/10, just because it doesn't have vocals

[akt_m]

IMHO, the "listen to my song" wasn't agressive enough.

[SchizophrenicMC]

IMHO, the "listen to my song" wasn't agressive enough.

IMHO, I HATE "Listen to my song!" Can't stand it. We're kinda here to do just that, lady! (Or dude, if Basara's the direct object)

Though, Akt is right. It needs to be more aggressive. And, for that matter, that sounds little like Sheryl. Maybe a bit of tweaking on the VA's part would fix that. I mean, tweaking is 99% of the work, you know? A bit of tweaking's what got John DiMaggio from Bender to Marcus Fenix.

[Hikuro]

Well what would you have her say? To me Listen to My Song, Let's Rock, etc are pretty cliche, overused and lame.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Well what would you have her say? To me Listen to My Song, Let's Rock, etc are pretty cliche, overused and lame.

It's not your fault... It's SK's, or whoever the hell approved that line. Now, we're stuck with it... At least Minmay didn't always scream "LISTEN TO MY SONG!" so redundantly before singing... That's my rant for the day. Stay classy, San Diego!

[Hikuro]

Well maybe I'll tell sheryl to make it with more umfph or use whatever she wants to her choosing.

I redid the EX Gear stuff, it sounds a little more authentic when going into a cockpit formation.

[shiroikaze]

How about "Everyone! Listen to MY SONG!" instead of just "Listen to my song!" it makes it sound more demanding. Also, it doesn't have to be an exact translation as long as it gives you the same emotion and meaning. Don't be afraid to change dialogue to fit the dubbing and colloquialism.

Honestly, Ranka's voice was pretty decent but I feel she needs to be less of a "cute catgirl". Ranka needs to be more of an "ordinary high school girl". Don't have her "imitate" Nakajima. But I have to admit though, her "Nyan Nyan Ni Hao Nyan" was dead on.

Alto sounds cliched--Sorry. It's actually hard for me to describe how Alto sounds but his Japanese VA personified him right there... I consider Alto to be soft, evolving, being limited, angry/frustrated. I guess to me, he sounds a tad kinda sarcastic... You (you're currently his VA right?) gotta make him... less "manly" I suppose. I swear, you sound like a popular VA... I just don't know who...

As for Sheryl, she needs to be more aggressive and deeper. Quite literally sing from her stomach--err--diaphragm I guess. Also, tailor the lyrics too.

Michel was decent, but I feel he needs work... and the voice during the VF-171 launch was great.

When I listen to voices from anime, drama, etc, I want the voice actors to invoke whatever emotion they want me to feel.

But yeah, It's only my opinion that's all... Just trying to help. If you think I was offensive, sorry. You are right, Macross Frontier is difficult to dub since everyone is so unique...

Edited January 26, 2009 by shiroikaze

[Hikuro]

No offense at all, I appreciate the advise I'll change that.

Alto sounds cliched--Sorry. It's actually hard for me to describe how Alto sounds but his Japanese VA personified him right there... I consider Alto to be soft, evolving, being limited, angry/frustrated. I guess to me, he sounds a tad kinda sarcastic... You (you're currently his VA right?) gotta make him... less "manly" I suppose. I swear, you sound like a popular VA... I just don't know who...

Right now, no I'm not his VA anymore. I'm in the works on finding a suitable replacement as I'm trying to step out of the lime light and stick to just producing. That's why I finish my mixes so damn fast...cause I'm busting butt on that rather than doing everything.

Honestly, Ranka's voice was pretty decent but I feel she n

needs to be less of a "cute catgirl". Ranka needs to be more of an "ordinary high school girl". Don't have her "imitate" Nakajima. But I have to admit though, her "Nyan Nyan Ni Hao Nyan" was dead on.

Although I love maria for doing Ranka, Cristina really wants to try it out and I think she might have the sterner stuff to pull it off as Maria is doing real life things while also trying to work on Aries for Macross Zero.

As for Sheryl, she needs to be more aggressive and deeper. Quite literally sing from her stomach--err--diaphragm I guess. Also, tailor the lyrics too.

I'll let her know about that. She wont be performing in the actual production this time around as I don't have a instrumental of What About My Star? so it's all strickly japanese.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Hik, if you nail casting Alto's VA, you will have my unending respect...

[Hikuro]

Hik, if you nail casting Alto's VA, you will have my unending respect...

I thought you already sold your soul to me on DYRL cause I got rid of the ear bleeding helmet sound?

[David Hingtgen]

I'm of course wondering what Grace will sound like.

[SchizophrenicMC]

I thought you already sold your soul to me on DYRL cause I got rid of the ear bleeding helmet sound?

Nope. However, I did like you more.

[Hikuro]

I'm of course wondering what Grace will sound like. smile.gif

Mmmm, it's hard to really say what she'll sound like. I've got someone I use to work with when I was first going into the VAing gig, just barely starting out with her. She auditioned and she was the ONLY ONE who auditioned for grace back in I think october when I was going to do episode 25.

She's not bad, the only issue I'd have to say is hallow mic syndrome. But she really wants to play the role because of the future prospect of Grace being just totally manipulative and evil.

Speaking of voices though, if anyone wants to help in some way for it please lemme know. I'm honestly not getting a lot for voice over auditions which is a shame. I've got some prospects that sound nice, but I don't know if these are concrete enough for me to stand by yet. There's less than a week left before I make some kind of a decision and right now if I went with the ones I got, it wont even be close to a completed cast list.

[chillyche]

Mmmm, it's hard to really say what she'll sound like. I've got someone I use to work with when I was first going into the VAing gig, just barely starting out with her. She auditioned and she was the ONLY ONE who auditioned for grace back in I think october when I was going to do episode 25.

She's not bad, the only issue I'd have to say is hallow mic syndrome. But she really wants to play the role because of the future prospect of Grace being just totally manipulative and evil.

Speaking of voices though, if anyone wants to help in some way for it please lemme know. I'm honestly not getting a lot for voice over auditions which is a shame. I've got some prospects that sound nice, but I don't know if these are concrete enough for me to stand by yet. There's less than a week left before I make some kind of a decision and right now if I went with the ones I got, it wont even be close to a completed cast list.

I'm always down to do extras if you need a voice here or there.

[SchizophrenicMC]

I'm always down to do extras if you need a voice here or there.

Same here. If I can get my hands on an XBL mic, we can even have the helmet sound prerecorded!

"Captain, I got an enemy on my ta-"

[Jasonc]

Hikuro, my audition stuff got delayed today due to having to take the car in to get fixed. I'll have my auditions to you tomorrow. I'll try out for Alto, Michel.

[Time Lord]

Auditions sent for all the male roles, and not a british accent in sight!

Edited January 27, 2009 by Time Lord

[Skullsixx]

I'd be happy to volunteer for anything too. I just don't have any serious recording devices/software

[jwinges]

if you can get a better VA for alto you should send an episode to kwaramori or bandai. This is better than most of the stuff coming out of ADV or geneon or funamation. The problem is that bandai usually does a pretty good job on the gundam stuff.

[Jasonc]

Auditions sent for Michel and Alto. Thanks for the heads up.