If it's for podcasts and videos, I think you'll be fine with what's in Sonar. I don't know which EQ's come with Sonar LE (I know it doesn't have the ProChannel) but whatever you have, it's probably a good idea to start with a high pass filter set at around 80-100Hz or so in order to take out any rumbling or unneeded low frequencies.
The sound you get is going to be influenced a lot by the acoustics of your room. If your space doesn't have acoustic treatment then you may find that certain frequencies resonate in the room to give an unpleasant sound. Fortunately, you can notch these frequencies out with EQ. While this wouldn't be an ideal situation if you were recording professional music, for podcasts and videos it should be fine.
Here's how to do it - start at the low end of the frequency spectrum. Enable a band on your EQ (bell curve) and set the Q as high as it will go. (you'll probably have to read up on basic EQ controls to understand this). Now increase the gain as high as it will go on this band. Very slowly, sweep the band from left to right until you hear an unpleasant frequency jump out at you. It's usually pretty obvious. When you find one, do your best to position the band at the exact point at which the unpleasant frequency is loudest. When you're satisfied you've found the right spot, decrease the gain into the negative by at least 8-12dB, again with the Q set high (so you're notching out that frequency and no others.
Now that you have your first unpleasant frequency notched out, repeat the process with another band, continuing up the frequency spectrum. In the low end, you'll find that there are one or two "boomy" frequencies that are unpleasant. As you get higher, you may find other frequencies that stand out as "honky" or "shrill." The number of frequencies that you feel you have to notch out will be related to the acoustics of the room you're in (and the quality of the mic). You may run out of bands on your EQ as you do this - doesn't matter, simply insert another instance of the EQ.
Once you've dealt with problem frequencies you can then think about a couple of gentle EQ boosts to bring out the clarity and presence of your voice. Depending on how many frequencies you notched out, you may have to insert another instance of the EQ (although hopefully not!). When making boosts, use a gentler Q setting. This will give you a shallower "hump" than the steep curves you used for the notches. Smaller Q settings sound more natural when boosting. Try small boosts of about 2-3dB. If you feel your voice needs more body, try boosting around 120Hz or so. For more presence, try around 4-5kHz (note - kHz as opposed to Hz!). To boost clarity try the 3kHz range. Of course everyone's voice is different so EQ values vary.
You may also think about some gentle compression on your voice to even out the dynamics (the difference between loud and quiet sounds). For this you will have to read up on how to use a compressor - I'm sure if you tell us which compressors you have with Sonar LE, someone will chime in with some appropriate settings for spoken voice.
Lastly you might make use of a "de-esser" which is basically a specialist compressor for reducing the sibilance of "ess" type sounds. These can pop out in a recording and sound unpleasant. Sonar LE might have one of these as well - you'll find tutorials online how to use one.
post edited by sharke - 2015/11/10 20:13:38