Close micing cabinet?

ecktronic

ecktronic

Mixing and Mastering.
I am recording in a largish untreated room around 20x30 feet. I am close micing my guitar and bass amps.
Does anyone know if there should be a difference in the quality of recording if I used a sound proofed room?
(I am angling the cab to avoid standing waves)

I am asking this becuase I have recorded in a treated room with angled walls and I have not heard a difference in the quality of recording compared to my untreated room when close micing cabs.

I can understand when using far mics that an untreated room would give different quality of recording to a treated room.

Has anyonw had any experiences with what I am talking about?

Cheers.
Eck
 
ecktronic said:
I am recording in a largish untreated room around 20x30 feet. I am close micing my guitar and bass amps.
Does anyone know if there should be a difference in the quality of recording if I used a sound proofed room?
(I am angling the cab to avoid standing waves)

I am asking this becuase I have recorded in a treated room with angled walls and I have not heard a difference in the quality of recording compared to my untreated room when close micing cabs.

I can understand when using far mics that an untreated room would give different quality of recording to a treated room.

Has anyonw had any experiences with what I am talking about?

Cheers.
Eck
Click to expand...
it depends on the mic's you're using but if you are using say an SM57 and close miking a guitar cab, in my experience, the room sounds doesn't factor in.

but the easiest way to tell is to do tests and hear for yourself.
 
just from reading, it seems about everything has been done on great recordings. getting the sound you want is the challenge.
some mentioned outside, some down a hallway, some in a closet, isolation boxes, large live rooms....

I always thought with the mic up close, it wouldn't pick up too much room noise?
but i suppose the sound is everywhere, so your also picking up reflections possibly.

A test may be to turn up another souce and see if it bleeds into your guitar track. That should answer if your room is actually effecting the guitar mic/track that much. This might help you minimize your room effect by finding a good volume to where the second sound source subsides sonically.
just 2 cents..
 
ecktronic said:
I am recording in a largish untreated room around 20x30 feet. I am close micing my guitar and bass amps.
Does anyone know if there should be a difference in the quality of recording if I used a sound proofed room?
(I am angling the cab to avoid standing waves)

I am asking this becuase I have recorded in a treated room with angled walls and I have not heard a difference in the quality of recording compared to my untreated room when close micing cabs.

I can understand when using far mics that an untreated room would give different quality of recording to a treated room.

Has anyonw had any experiences with what I am talking about?

Cheers.
Eck
Click to expand...


then again, whats so bad about bleed. In my recordings i've experienced that it bleed tends to bring a track together and make it sound musical, and not sterile and "perfect"
 
You are getting the sound almost directly off the speaker cone. The air pushed by the soundwaves isn't travelling very far.
I've recorded in my bedroom for months, only close micing. You won't get any of the room as long as you monitor the volume levels of your amp (obviously, you are going to want to crank it a bit).
 
angeling the amp will not eliminate standing waves.
take both close and far, keep your options open.
 
giraffe said:
angeling the amp will not eliminate standing waves.
take both close and far, keep your options open.
Click to expand...
I was almost certain that the waves had to be bouncing back and forth hitting 2 parallel surfaces at 90 degrees.

Cheers all for your comments.
Eck
 
I've found that the larger the room, the less you will get back in terms of room coloration, when close-micing an amp. I've now recorded my acoustic/electric group live in two different places, one in a large chapel, and the other in a rectangular firehall. Both time, I was using a Sennheiser e609 right against the grill, and a small diaphragm condenser angled downward at one of the speakers of my 4x10 Fender amp, and both times there was hardly any room bleed, even with other players and amps and such. However, if you would like to isolate your amp a bit, might I suggest felt carpet padding... I built an iso booth in my bedroom closet, and ran some beams above my head, put up four or five layers of that stuff, and it is completely silent in there. I have also built amp iso-barriers that used, per wall, a layer of plywood, with two or three layers of tht felt carpet padding, and then cloth covering to keep it on. Knocks out all room coloration simply by standing one of those boards up in front of the amp. The stuff is cheap, too - home depot will sell you 20 feet by 7 feet for 50 bucks... probably not the only or best way to isolate an amp, but in a space that big, you won't need much.
 
Cheers for that.
I was looking to biuld a make shift vocal booth also, so I think ill go with the felt carpet stuff.
Thanks.

Eck
 
ecktronic said:
I was almost certain that the waves had to be bouncing back and forth hitting 2 parallel surfaces at 90 degrees.

Cheers all for your comments.
Eck
Click to expand...

even with the amp angled there still will be standing waves.
sound eminates from the speaker (dependant on freq obviously, but as a pratical matter) from all directions.
when standing at the back or sides of a cab do you still hear it? yes.

i see the logic in your statement, and while it may (not sure) work to some extent, probably not too much.
 
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