Where to record in the bedroom

tomowen10

New member
Hi,

I'm having trouble to decide where to record my vocals.

I have roughly 30+ 30mm acoustic panels and same bass traps:

Should i set up a small kind of vocal booth in the corner of the room, or spread the panels out around the room (which is pretty big) and then record vocals in the centre?

Any advice?
 
How big is the room?

I don't believe in small, dead vocal booths...unless you're doing voiceovers/narration.
I always prefer singing into a more open, treated space.
 
Thanks for the replies.

So the bedroom is currently empty, except from a desk with my speakers etc and a carpet.

The room is fairly big, If i were to guess size Id say 3m x 6m. There's also a window in the centre facing out onto the road, as i am in a flat.

Ive seen people use corners for vocal booths and then either singing out towards the room with a reflection filter, or into the corner where the acoustic treatment is.

Just wanted to know is this better than spreading acoustic treatment out around the room and then recording vocals from the centre? As i still feel i might get a lot of reflection and echo..

Thanks again in advance :)
 
You'll minimize noise by using both the mic's pattern, sensitivity and acoustic treatment.

So, probably face the window if that's a more constant source of noise. I'd put blocking drapes over it, but unless you can really close it up, or it's facing a quiet, interior courtyard, perhaps, that's where a lot of noise is coming from. If you've got computer equipment that's also a noise generator, put it under the window, is also an idea.

Then, plan to work close to the mic, and, yes, a reflection filter is not a waste, but keep in mind that most of the sound entering the mic is coming from your mouth, and then whatever is also coming from behind you. So, treat that wall behind you, and if you're lucky, that will be along the long dimension of the wall, so reflections from behind you will be diminished by distance.

I would treat the parallel walls, i.e., those where you'll be singing perpindicular to, to reduce standing waves setting up in the area where the mic is stationed.

And treat the corners well with bass traps because that's where lower frequencies can build up. Even though you're doing vocals, there will be noise and some content in those frequencies you don't want setting up house while you're recording.

Once you've got your initial spot and treatment in place, do some tests and experiment moving the mic around. You might need to treat overhead or move your position as you test.
 
Thanks for the reply, thats helped a lot!
I will follow your advice and hopefully it will provide me with some good, dead sound.
Cheers!
 
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