That Fine Balance Between A Dead Room And Natural Reverberation

Mike Freze

New member
I have a small basement room that is carpeted, one window, all walls and ceiling with sheet rock, no blankets or buffers, etc. When I play my guitar or bass amp in that room, it sounds "in-between": not dead but not bouncy, either. Is that the ideal way to record vocals and instruments at home? Or is it best to go extreme one way or the other: totally dead (add effects later), or a lot of natural reverb (better probably for vocals, not too sure about miking guitar or bass amps).

I know you can always direct record with guitar or bass, but I hate that sound! I'm not afraid to add whatever effects/EQ from my amps I want while recording even if it means I can't remove them later like with direct recording or MIDI. At least I hear exactly what sounds good to me right at the moment of recording. It's kind of like live performing: you get the sound right then and there. Am I out of touch?

Mike Freze
 
Honestly, unless you have a world class room, you should probably treat it. Thing is, when stacking those tracks with all that room 'verb, it'll probably get chaotic and not sound very good. At least if you treat it and deaden it, you'll be able to add it back later via an effect. If you record as is, you're kind of stuck with it if you don't like it.
 
Room Size / RT-60 and other myths

Mike,

Your room is too small to produce reverberation. Rooms smaller than 10 thousand cubic feet are not usually qualified by RT-60 or reverb. The term 'decay' is used instead. RT-60 does not apply.

With added diffusion in your room, you could obtain the nicely spaced diffuse reflections that can impart 'character' in a tracking room. You should treat your room.

I recommend never let untreated surfaces face each other. Treatment does not automatically mean absorption panels. Treatment can consist of absorption, diffusion, angled plywood panels, polys, geometric shapes, irregular brick walls... All these things can assist sound reflections in the directions that you desire.

Remember also that gypsum board partitions absorb/pass LF, depending upon their mass.

Cheers,
John
 
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