Looking for the sweet spot in a room

wallystripes

wallystripes

New member
Im really a begginer at this. Today I was experimenting close miking a guitar cab with a condenser mic and I wasnt very pleased with the results. The mic was picking room sound (which I like, I hate dead sounding recordeings) but it was really aweful. The recording lacked deffinition and the room sound sounded too muddy.

So I guess either my room sounds really bad or I hav to place the amp somewhere else in the room to get better results. The problem is I dont know how to llok for that sweet spot in my room where the amp sounds the best. I know you cant tell me a formula or something, but would you give me any tip on how to look for the best sounding position?

Well I dont even know how a good sounding room sounds (I just know mine doesnt)

Thanks and sorry for the annoying question
 
Have someone play the guitar through your amp while you move it (and your ears!) around. You probably need some good room treatment and what you hear in the recording are standing waves, phase issues and other interference that can effect the tone at different frequencies.
 
what specifically sounds awful that you need to fix?
Do you like how it sounds when you play it from where you are standing?

A few things to think about
Speakers in room corners especially if the speaker cabinet is open backed can cause a lot of bass/mud problems
* can you move out of a corner if that's a problem or even cover the open back if that is the case
Speakers on the floor can transfer a lot of vibration which can emphasize bass and even cause vibration in the mic stand/mic
* can you get the speaker cab onto a stand or otherwise isolate from the floor to minimize transfer of vibrations
Things don't sound the same up close as they do from further away
* do you listen to your speaker with your ear an inch or two away or do you listen to the amp from further away in the room. If you like how the amp/speaker sounds from 6 feet away, mic it there and maybe throw a dynamic like and SM57 right up on the speaker to blend in to add some additional detail
* get someone to help you move the mic around while you play and listen in headphones until what you hear in the headphones is what you like
* try the speaker in a few places around your room, trying moving further away from the amp and closer to it as you play to see what effect this has on what you hear and give you some ideas as to what speaker and room mic placement might catch the ambient sound you want
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your advices!

So when I move the amp around the room, what should I look for? I know what's "best" to my ears wont be the "best" to your ears, but any advices on the kind of sounds or positions I should avoid? I havent developed a great hearing ability for this kind of things.

Also, In case I find that the sound of my room simply sucks, how should I treat it? I mean, whats the next step? What kind of treatment and in what position will solve a specific problem
 
wallystripes said:
Im really a begginer at this. Today I was experimenting close miking a guitar cab with a condenser mic and I wasnt very pleased with the results. The mic was picking room sound (which I like, I hate dead sounding recordeings) but it was really aweful. The recording lacked deffinition and the room sound sounded too muddy.

So I guess either my room sounds really bad or I hav to place the amp somewhere else in the room to get better results. The problem is I dont know how to llok for that sweet spot in my room where the amp sounds the best. I know you cant tell me a formula or something, but would you give me any tip on how to look for the best sounding position?

Well I dont even know how a good sounding room sounds (I just know mine doesnt)

Thanks and sorry for the annoying question
Click to expand...

Where in the room were you?

Rooms have standing waves that can give nasty honks if you are in one of the nasty nodes.

The places to avoid are room centre lines (the very centre of the room is the worst point), also avoid being close to a wall or corner (you get increased bass close to a wall and it gets worse in a corner).

The best place to be is about one third along a room diagonal as this avoids all centre lines and is away from the corners and the centre of the room.


Also remember that you also get large changes in sound depending on microphone position - eg: centre of the loudspeaker , edge of the loudspeaker, etc., so you need to experiment to find the best position for you.
 
John Willett said:
The places to avoid are room centre lines (the very centre of the room is the worst point), also avoid being close to a wall or corner (you get increased bass close to a wall and it gets worse in a corner).

The best place to be is about one third along a room diagonal as this avoids all centre lines and is away from the corners and the centre of the room.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks a lot for that tip! That was kind of the answer I was looking for.

Ill deffinitely try that.

As I asked before, what if my room ends up being a crap no matter the position? What treatment would you suggest

Thanks to everyone
 
Have you got your amp on a crate or anything? If you haven't, getting it up off the floor can make a difference. If it's a 4x12 or something then don't worry!
 
Well my amp is a Fender Blues Junior and last time I recorded I placed it on top of my guitar case so it didnt produce so much bass.

Today Ill give it a try and post the results here. Thanks a lot your help!
 
Hey wally, why don't you google it yourself instead of just asking everyone to give you the answer? Why does everyone have to bend to your whims? Broaden your horizons. Stop living in your bubble. :laughings:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top