gain S/N ratio

[djclueveli]

i don't have a good vocal booth to record so i just record in the closet. i heard that if you don't want the room to effect the vocals that much than you should turn the gain down real low. i turned down the gain pretty low but now my vocs are low and when i raise the output level it's just more noise now. But turnin the gain up will make the vocals sound kinda boxy because of the room i'm recording in. anybody have any solution to help me solve this problem?

[fweyd]

reverb ?

Waves' TruVerb works wonders

[MikeA]

Don't take the coats out before you get in the closet. It'll be a liitle tight but 5 or 6 heavy coats should absorb a lot of the boxiness.

[Farview]

Originally Posted by djclueveli

i heard that if you don't want the room to effect the vocals that much than you should turn the gain down real low.

You got bad advise. The only way to keep the room out of your vocal is to sing louder and closer to the mic.

Even though a vocal booth seems like a closet, a well designed booth has a ton of acoustic treatment designed to not sound boxy. In your situation, you would be better off in the biggest room you have. Set up right in the middle of it. It is the reflections off the walls that are coloring your sound, in a closet, you have placed the walls even closer to your mic.

[djclueveli]

thanks for the advice you guys.

[djclueveli]

if i have to go closer to the mic, do i have to reduce the gain and output level so the mic won't clip and sound harsh on certain words?

[Farview]

you turn down the preamp. You would be hard pressed to clip the mic, the preamp is what clips.

[djclueveli]

thanks alot!

[Robert D]

But be aware of proximity effect, and how it changes the tone of the mic.

[Farview]

You might need to get a pop screen. You will also have to roll off the low end to get it to sound like it did.

[djclueveli]

yea i have a pop filter. do u mean roll off low end on the mic while recording or when mixing?

[Farview]

It doesn't matter when you roll it off. You don't have to, if you don't want to. The closer you get to the mic, the more low end you will have. If it's too much, roll it off.

[djclueveli]

ok i see now. thanks