several questions..re: Recording Engineer...

P

Phil

New member
I got my mic the other day. I was amazed at how small it is. I guess that's what they say, "it's not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean!" LOL
I've got a couple of questions...
1. I've never had to deal with the different patterns, i.e. omni, hyper, etc. What do I use the different patterns for?
2. Taylor talked about the best placement of the mic for vocals being 8-10 inches away at the height of the bridge of my nose pointing down towards my mouth... do I put the pop filter right in front of the mic or do I extend it out right in front of my mouth?
3. Will I need to ever worry about using the decibal pad in my little home studio?

I have taken heed of many of the topics in here and replaced my hosa cables with Monster cables, the performer series, I couldn't really afford the studio series right now. A forward move or a lateral move in your estimation?

lastly... I was planning on just hanging blankets or foam in my room for a little sound proofing... is there a difference in the foam they sell in the magazines vs. the cheap foam they sell for bed cushions?

Thanks.
Phil
 
1. Here's a response which you may not follow or understand, but do some research on the definitions of the polar patterns and then read my response a few times and really think it over since I'm really not all that great at expressing my knowledge (some from experience):

Most people think of "polar pattern" as a microphone's response in regards to frequency in a 3-D fashion; so do I because it is. However, in a studio (really in any controlable environment), I look at polar pattern more like an EQ rather than the previous. The key is you need to know the frequency of your mics in any postion and/or polar pattern. This can be a huge advantage. Obviously, you can only know and remember so much from looking at the published frequency response but after using your mics over the years, you'll really get to know them.

Believe me, I'm not even close to there myself. But I'll get there one day. Have any of you ever been in a pro studio? I'm talkin' Big Time pro studios. The ones you might catch Quency? Jones in? I haven't! But I'm telling you they can probably get a better sound just through mic selection and placement than any of us can get through all our processing.

2. It's basicly up to you. Some engineers put the pop-filter where the point is that they don't want the singer any closer. Some singers can't stand to have a pop-filter right-up in their face so it's right in front of the mic and the singer moves back a little so it's not right-up in their face.

3. What I did was bought a Radio Shack SPL Meter for $60-70US. It's not that great and it only goes up to 128db. If I have any concern that something's louder than what any of my mics can handle (most all mics can handle at least 115db), I stick the meter where the mic is going to go. If it's louder than what I think the mic can handle, I turn it down if it's electric or back-off the mic if it's acoustic (never needed to though).

Every once in a while, you might just get that perfect sound with the combination of the source and mic position. In these few occasions, I'll use a pad.

Usually for me though. If I can't tolorate it for more than say two minutes, then it's too loud. Except that special occasion.

4. Regarding your new cable purchase, it was probably an upgrade. But for me; at that price, not nearly a large enough upgrade. If you can hear a quality difference, then you have to decided if it was a worth enough upgrade for the cost.

5. Yes, there is a difference between the foams, otherwise, they would not be nearly as big of a business as they are because no one would buy anything from them after people like on this BBS warned people who did not know better. However, it's probably not your best bet money-wise. Check/search and ask around here for what others did and how it turned out; of course, budget is the biggest factor.

Hope at least something of all this made sense or helped at least a little.
 
Those guys covered the mic questions pretty well, so I'll just share what I know about the foam question.
Auralex studiofoam works great. But, it ain't cheap. The 2 inch pyramid or 3 inch wedge styles will give you maximum sound reduction, but, depending on the amount of area you're trying to cover, it could cost you a few hundred bucks.
I know a guy that wanted to try a cheaper method, so I suggested that he buy 4 king-size mattress pads and a roll of double-sided tape. Total cost: $66 (tax included)
He taped each pad to an old, thick comforter (blanket) with the double-sided tape, fastened each to the paneled walls with 3 wood screws across the top, and used the rest of the tape between the comforter and the wall so it would stay snug against it.
Results?
Well, he's totally happy with it, and it really does a decent job at sound reduction.
Is it as good as the "real stuff"?
Hard to say. Probably not, but he was happy with the results. Especially since he figured out that covering the same area with the Auralex Pyramid studiofoam would have cost almost 4 times as much.
The only thing is that he has to live with that ugly green color, but he did'nt care, since the mattress pads were "on sale".
He's has that "whatever works" mentality.

Oh... and to answer your question...
Yes, there is a big difference between the pro-quality foam and a matress pad. The pro-quality stuff is specially designed to reduce sound by it's shape and density. I'm sure someone else could explain it with more detail, but it definitely is much better.

[This message has been edited by Buck62 (edited 02-17-2000).]
 
Thanks guys...

about the polar mic patterns....
Can somebody please refresh my memory:
The inverted heart shape is cardiod correct?
The circle is omni?
and I'm guessing the upside down apple looking shape is hyper cardiod?
Thanks.
Phil
 
Hi Phil, here are my simple answers:

1)patterns: use omni went you want to hear more of the room ambience the person or instrument is in. Note that if other people are also playing in that room at the same time you will hear them more too.
2) use hypercardiod when you want to here as little as possible except what the mike is actually aimed at.
3) use standard cardioid in any other conditions.
4) If your Mike has a figure 8 pattern available, you will probably never use it, and if you really want to know about it, I suggest a seperate post on the subject.

VOCAL placement, move it around til the singer sounds the best. DIfferent singers sound different and work the mike different.

DEcibel Pad - well, you might. If you do, you will probably hear it immediately or the mike will peak out totally without you even giving it any gain at the board. I think you will automatically know when any of this happens - just use your ears.
 
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