Hey, I normally saw this panel with large diaphragm condenser microphones, so how would I assemble this with my AKG? Is it a significant improvement? I'm using a small room to record my songs. The mic is in the center of the room facing the longer wall, I might rearrange it with pillows and a room divider that have there in order to absorb the sound. Also, what devices should I avoid near the mic in order to reduce interference?
LD-RF1 acoustic panel with AKG-170
- Thread starter rfpd
- Start date
keith.rogers
Well-known member
If this is what you are looking at, the way it is used is to have the front of the mic pointing at your face, and the back of the mic aimed back into the shield/foam. The primary purpose of a shield like this is for vocal use, so some of the fairly directed sound of your voice, i.e., a bit of what goes past the microphone, is absorbed. If that works, then the amount of sound that hits reflective areas behind the shield is reduced, which then reduces whatever bounces back and around, eventually finding its way into the front of the microphone as an echo of your original vocal.
Your microphone is a small condenser, so you'd put it on the stand pointing at the sound source, with the back of the microphone aimed at the shield.
The important thing to understand about any microphone is the pattern (shown in a polar array graph) of sounds it will pick up. Most mics are cardioid, or some variant, and pick up best from sounds coming straight into the front, and then reducing their pickup as the sound source is off axis, and finally picking up very little from the rear. So, you want to reduce reflections that will find their way back to the most sensitive part of the microphone. And, if there are any environmental noises you have to deal with, you can try to make sure the back of the microphone is aimed in that direction, e.g., a computer with a fan, or a window that lets in some outside noises.
Effective treatment of a recording space is fairly dense and covers a lot of surface area. A shield like I think you are looking at is kind of an add-on (IMO) and useful if you have to work in small spaces where any little extra might help. It's not going to reduce a lot of the sound reaching the mic, but (repeating myself) can reduce some sound coming from right in front of it so it doesn't echo as much. It is not effective if your sound source is not very directed and far away from the screen, e.g., an acoustic guitar that's 2 feet away from the mic.
Your microphone is a small condenser, so you'd put it on the stand pointing at the sound source, with the back of the microphone aimed at the shield.
The important thing to understand about any microphone is the pattern (shown in a polar array graph) of sounds it will pick up. Most mics are cardioid, or some variant, and pick up best from sounds coming straight into the front, and then reducing their pickup as the sound source is off axis, and finally picking up very little from the rear. So, you want to reduce reflections that will find their way back to the most sensitive part of the microphone. And, if there are any environmental noises you have to deal with, you can try to make sure the back of the microphone is aimed in that direction, e.g., a computer with a fan, or a window that lets in some outside noises.
Effective treatment of a recording space is fairly dense and covers a lot of surface area. A shield like I think you are looking at is kind of an add-on (IMO) and useful if you have to work in small spaces where any little extra might help. It's not going to reduce a lot of the sound reaching the mic, but (repeating myself) can reduce some sound coming from right in front of it so it doesn't echo as much. It is not effective if your sound source is not very directed and far away from the screen, e.g., an acoustic guitar that's 2 feet away from the mic.