Audio commentary in echoey office

[laconic]

Hi everyone,

So, I work at a software company and, occasionally, we do these video demos of our software tools with accompanying audio commentary. After a while, we all noticed that our cheap mikes just wouldn't do, so we agreed to upgrade, i.e. buy a decent one. A couple of weeks and many reviews later, the choice has narrowed down to the Rode Podcaster and Rode NT-USB. Now, we know these two are very different, the first one being dynamic and the latter a condenser mic, which is exactly why we would appreciate some advice from the pros:

• The office we're doomed to record in is somewhat echoey. Is the Podcaster in this case a better option?
• What if we added a reflexion screen, such as >this one<, to the NT-USB?
• Would the reflexion screen still do its job with the Podcaster (since it would be lying almost perpendicularly to the screen and probably sticking out a bit, due to its length)?

Any kind of help would be much appreciated!

 

[Bobbsy]

Reflexion filters (note the spelling) CAN do a good job in echoey rooms but forget the cheap imitations and get the original from sE...and probably not their cheaper version either. Using the original (back when it was new) I recorded an author reading one of her books sitting in her acoustically rubbish kitchen and got away with. Positioning (at least with the sE) is critical so you'd need a mic that fits properly. A podcaster sticking out would spoil the effect.

The other thing I might try though (and showing my TV roots) would be a good lapel mic (Sennheiser MKE2 or Sony ECM77) fastened nice an high on the shirt or tie of the person speaking. Not as good as a treated studio but an awful lot of the TV sound you hear is recorded this way and it works pretty well.

 

[laconic]

Thanks! So, no reflexion screen for the Podcaster. What about the (condenser) NT-USB? This one would definitely fit the screen area, and I really like the sound quality (again, I'm an absolute amateur, so I really appreciate your advice).

 

[Btyre2013]

I would buy an electrovoice re320 over the rode, it's worth listening to some audio clips, it's a stunning mic for the money

 

[laconic]

I would buy an electrovoice re320 over the rode, it's worth listening to some audio clips, it's a stunning mic for the money

It does sound great, but it's a tad more expensive and would require an additional interface (both Rode mikes are USB)...

I think it all boils down to NT-USB + sE filter vs. Podcaster and no screen for our voice-over needs (unless, of course, someone's got a better solution).

 

[Steenamaroo]

Hi,
The microphone that picks up the least background noise or ambience is the one you're closest too.

Yeah, there's polar patterns and what not but, that asides, this ^ is the big thing.
If you can dampen a room with panels or use a reflexion filter that's great, but speaking 1 foot away from a condenser mic is a weaker starting point than speaker 1/2" from the grill of a 58, or something.

Look at it this way. Is the room still echoey if someone speaks quietly right into your ear?

If this is long term and you're super keen then two DIY 8'x4'x4" rock wool panels either side of the speaker facing the mic (like an open book behind you, sort of) will make a massive difference.
I have some pics of my one panel construction in my website below, under galleries.

 

[laconic]

The microphone that picks up the least background noise or ambience is the one you're closest too.

That's a really useful tip (makes sense, too).

I would go with a dynamic mic (PodCaster) as it may not be as susceptible to room noise/echos as a condenser type mic would be.

Even if there's a good reflexion filter behind the condenser mic?

As of this morning I don't have any USB mics, but have one being delivered this afternoon, partly as a convenience when I'm using a laptop and also just to give one a try to see how really bad one can be as everyone states, although they may never have actually used one .

Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Thanks, again, guys! This is all very helpful.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

To elaborate on Steen's post...

Inverse square law. Every time you cut the distance between the mic and source in half you get 6dB of gain but the bleed (background noise) stays the same. A handheld vocal mic is designed to be used at close range, which will help with your problem.

The whole thing about condensers being more susceptible to bleed is a red herring, more about how they're used than how they work.

 

[Btyre2013]

It does sound great, but it's a tad more expensive and would require an additional interface (both Rode mikes are USB)...

I think it all boils down to NT-USB + sE filter vs. Podcaster and no screen for our voice-over needs (unless, of course, someone's got a better solution).

it depends, obviously you are set on the USB mics, so it'd probably be the podcaster with no screen for me.