Playing song back and recording through Room Mic???

A

Arion Xenos

New member
Hey all,

I was just wondering if it would be appropriate to, after tracking everything, play the song mixed (or partially) loud-ish through monitors and record that through a room mic placement. This would be in order to get the sound of the room I wanted.

My main issue is that I'd be recording a full band on as small a budget as I can manage, so inputs will be limited (looking to buy a new interface which would leave me with 8 xlr inputs and 2 1/4" inputs in total) and after micing guitars, bass and drums (going for a 4 mic technique on drums) I might not have space.

I know of the technique where you record a guitar DI then run it through the amp and record it as if tracking through the amp, so I guess this follows the same principle, but with a room mic. It might have been covered before but I'm not sure.

Thanks!
 
It's a technique that has been used before.

It's not done so much these days because it is way easier and more effective to apply a room sound after the event.

What are you recording onto?

There's no harm in trying.
 
I suppose the difference between the historic people who have used the technique successfully is because their rooms sound simply wonderful. My room sounds dead, has the occasional rattle, and I spend so much time keeping it OUT of my recordings!
 
I too try make my room invisible in recordings.

I recall reading somewhere about recording tricks in the pioneering days . . . putting a mike up a corridor to get a particular type of reverb and so on.

I was looking for a link, but couldn't find one readily.
 
I third this? trying to remove the room is why Im slowly turning my closet into one huge vocal booth. It can be used as a padded room and why Ive moved more towards headphone amps and openbacks too.

Micing a room around here would probably just add window air conditioner noise and the neighbors dog barking.
 
I think it is good to have experience with the practice. It might be less frustrating if you try it on doubling guitars, or, something. Maybe you have a killer reverb in the hallway ?
 
A whole lot of home recording takes place in less than ideal spaces, and usually does involve trying to minimize the influence of the room on the recording. I personally just avoided using microphones unless absolutely necessary. With amp sims and drum machines/samples that means pretty much only for vocals.

Some of us, though, are lucky enough to have rooms that sound pretty ok and sometimes even really good. If you happen to be that lucky, then definitely don't be afraid to use it. If everybody's recording in the same space at the same time, you very often end up with enough bleed that it just works, especially if you have that in mind while you're dialing in mic positions.

Sometimes when I do overdubs, I'll set up and record the other mics around the room where they would be if the whole band was set up. That can increase your noise floor, but it's sometimes worth it.

But yes, "reamping" your mix into the room is a well established technique. Studios back in the day had whole rooms ("chambers") designed and set up for exactly this.

Nowadays, though, it might be much better to record your own impulse file and apply that in the DAW. That way you don't have to worry so much about having absolute silence for the whole length of the track and the deconvolve process tends to remove steady noise like mic/preamp hiss, computer fans, A/C units...
 
garww said:
I think it is good to have experience with the practice. It might be less frustrating if you try it on doubling guitars, or, something. Maybe you have a killer reverb in the hallway ?
Click to expand...

yeah that reminds me of the LesPaul home recordings and finding the sounds. ive read before that was a lot of the creativity fun back in the day where now we can just click on a plug. maybe someone even sells Home Plugs like sim hallway, and plug called stairway and a plug called bathroom wet, or bathroom without carpet and ceramice tile plug bathroom shower reverb and a garage plug maybe even a drain plug.
 
There's plenty of free impulses out there. Making your own combines the "creative fun" of setting up mics and actually recording with the convenience of a plugin.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top