Recording through microphone

L

Lomas

New member
So the "room" i have for a studio is veeeery small. I mean, I have to have the door open to be able to hold the guitar vertical. It's a walk in closet, and I know it's not the best place but it's the only place I've got.
Anyway, to my question.

I record on a laptop. I have a condenser mic and a sm57, and I'd like to use the condenser to record acoustic guitar. And that's where the problem comes in. The laptop is way too loud for this small space to have this close to the microphone.

So I was thinking about solutions. Unfortunately I can't move out of this room for a while.

The only thing I can think of is to buy a portable device and track the acoustc stuff on there, transfer it to the computer and then add other instruments...it does sound like a lot of trouble, and I would need to get a metronome and stuff too.

Any thoughts on this?
 
Best to move the computer outside the room. Why can't you just use a longer mic cable? If you have a laptop in the same room after you hit "record" you can lay a thick towel across the computer. It'll absorb most of the noise. I've done that in a pinch.

Does the closet get a better sound with your guitar than the adjoining room? I'd use the largest room I had available.

Tim
 
Yeah, well I live with my girlfriend and the only room I can have the stuff in is also our shared "office", so it's pretty hard to use it. I did for a while but the sound I got from the guitar was so cold and with bad echo that I moved to this closet thinking maybe I'd get a dry sound at least.

All I'm really looking to do is record my songs in a decent quality, so I'm not trying to make a commercial cd or anything.

It is pretty much hell to sit in that small space though, with the heat and all. But for now I have no choice.

If I move the computer outside of the closet I'll have to move the mixer and the soundcard too, and voila! the hallway of our apartment will be pretty much full :) And doing it every time I have a couple of hours alone in the apartment will take up most of that time.

Thanks though, I might try the towel thing if I can't find another solution.
 
Seems like with some different cabling and creativity you could make that work. Other than physical discomfort (heat, cramped posture) a small space can be helpful if you can make it pretty dead, and a closet with tons of clothes can work for that.

I have problems doing everything myself, so i got a set of wireless keyboard/mouse, and i drag them with me around my space (behind the drum kit in the corner, over by the amps,etc) and turn the monitor (luckily a 19 inch LCD, best $175 I ever spent) to face whereever i am trying to play. Once levels are ok for mics, it is just a matter of hitting the hot keys to record, rewind, and re-record 75 ties on each track until i get a usable take (because i sucK). Anyway, the wireless keyboard has a USB reciever, that could conceivably have the cord slip under a door, and whatever you hook between your mixer etc and your interface might be able to do the same.

I feel your pain though, i bought a house about 1 yr earlier than i could afford so i could play drums and guitars loud without dealing with apartment fallout.
Daav
 
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