Sibilance issues (hissing) with female player character voices

[Zylinski]

Description:

 

The female player character voices have sibilance issues, meaning that all the S:s are clearly hissing. It is very frustrating and had me chose a voiceless player.

 

Steps to Reproduce the Issue:

- Start a new game.

- During the character creation, go to the voice selection screen.

- Listen to the female voices by repeatedly clicking them to hear different samples. The issue is most audible for the "Female - Feisty" voice. For example the "I've got this." line sounds like this: "I've got thisSSS.". It is also very audible for the Mystic voice.

[sparklecat]

Yup.  I don't know if it's something that can be improved upon, sound people at Obsidian, but it's absolutely horrible with Grieving Mother; as someone with a noise sensitivity problem, hearing her hit those esses at a normal volume for the rest of the voices in game is actually physically painful to me.

[Matt516]

Thisssssss issssss a problem. I don't ussssssse Grieving Mother for precsssssissssssely thisssss reassssson.

 

Seriously, though. There's got to be some post processing you can do to fix this issue. The game is so polished in so many ways, but the female VO work sounds amateurish because of this.

[Matt516]

Bump? Does no one else consider this a serious problem?

[Sensuki]

I also have this issue with most female characters - as if the people doing the audio have lost their high frequency hearing or something. It's the worst on Grieving Mother

[Matt516]

This guy's been working through how to manipulate the dialogue and VO files (with some assistance from Justin Bell, lead audio designer): http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/75747-how-do-i-add-voice-acting-ogg-files-for-kolsc/

 

If there are any audio engineers or hobbyists reading, perhaps someone could take a look at filtering the VO for GM (and maybe a few of the other female voices, like Feisty and Stoic)? This would be a gamechanging mod.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Matt516

[One of Many]

I'm hearing the excessive sibilance, too. If there were some way I could reliably de-ess the audio and batch-schedule the processing (plus format conversions, if any), then I would give it a shot. Otherwise, it's a daunting task with relatively little payoff.

[durbal]

Should be able to limit the frequency range by batch processing the sound files using SoX.

[Gotcha!]

I guess there's at least one benefit of being middle-aged. My ears are not hearing it.

[czinczar]

I just recruited grieving mother and I couldn't stand hearing her voice, I just kept clicking just to make her shut up, and there is no way she is going to be in my team.

[Matt516]

I just recruited grieving mother and I couldn't stand hearing her voice, I just kept clicking just to make her shut up, and there is no way she is going to be in my team.

 

Which sucks, because she seems somewhat interesting. I just can't stand the VO. So much hissing.

[sparklecat]

Yep.  I like her, but having to plug my ears whenever a dialogue box pops up with her face on it is a bit... distracting from what she's saying.

[Justin Bell]

You're right, they are I've always thought that way too. I can see if we can fix this in the next patch.

[Falkon Swiftblade]

i've got a passion for this sort of thing. love audio design and editing, etc. I'm strongly considering moving out to CA to do this sorta stuff or freelance. While your on here Justin, is it possible we could get transcripts of the audio files? I think i found the audio folder, but I wanted to experiment with other voice sets.

[Matt516]

You're right, they are I've always thought that way too. I can see if we can fix this in the next patch.

 

That would be wonderful!

[Matt516]

You're right, they are I've always thought that way too. I can see if we can fix this in the next patch.

 

Any update on this? With the changes to make Ciphers a little less OP, I was hoping to try GM out a bit when the patch hits - but I don't see a sibilance fix mentioned in the 1.05 notes. Is this still happening?

[Hassat Hunter]

I thought this was just specific for her, intended, but starting noticing it later on with other females too (most probably voiced by the same actress).

Would definitely be niced if fixed for all of them, and hear how GM was intended to sound, not slithering...

[GerPronouncedGrr]

I honestly can't hear this. I'm not saying it isn't an issue for some people, but I'm curious to know if it's an actual audio issue, or if the voice actress in question simply has a sibilant 's'. If it's the latter, can it be fixed through post-processing? I'm no audiophile, I'm just asking for personal knowledge.

Edited May 2, 2015 by GerPronouncedGrr

[Matt516]

I honestly can't hear this. I'm not saying it isn't an issue for some people, but I'm curious to know if it's an actual audio issue, or if the voice actress in question simply has a sibilant 's'. If it's the latter, can it be fixed through post-processing? I'm no audiophile, I'm just asking for personal knowledge.

Well whether it's the voice actor's fault or that of the recording equipment, it's still an "audio issue" haha. Either way, the end result (the audio files) has a sibilance problem.

 

Whatever the cause, it *should* be fixable in post. I don't have enough knowledge to say exactly how to do it, but I'm confident enough in my limited knowledge to say that it *can* be done. (anyone whose knowledge exceeds mine, feel free to chime in with agreement or correction)

[Luckmann]

Dammit, people, I had never noticed and now I won't be able to unhear it. This is a curse, I tell you, a curse! A pox on your father's navel and a pox on your houses!

EEeeeeeeeeiiii!

*runs off cliff, ears covered*

Edited May 2, 2015 by Luckmann

[Sabotin]

It might be something subjective, too. My hearing is probably below average, yet those sounds still make me cringe and rush through the dialogue. Using headphones probably isn't helping either, heh.

[Matt516]

Sorry, Luckmann. :/

[Matt516]

Any update on this, Justin? Perhaps for patch 1.06? It's still making talking to GM unbearable - which is a shame because her story is quite interesting and the VO isn't bad. Just... can't listen to that hissing any more. :/