The Room You Record In?

[kokycoal]

I was just wondering where some of you guys record at. Do you have an actual studio or a bedroom studio or whatever. My reasoning behind this question is that I read that when recording you need sound proof rooms foam on the walls, ect. 99.9% of what I record involves acoustic instruments and vocals. I have a small building that I suppose you could call a studio, foam and all that. However I do some mobile recording (based on what is convenient to the artist being recorded. Some of the best results that I have ever gotten was done in a metal garage with concrete floors. No soundproofing or anything. Have any of you guys had similar experiences? Something that goes totally against what the experts recommend and end up with excellent results.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

I personally like recording in live rooms. Mixing is a bad idea in a live room, I avoid it.

 

[RAMI]

I read that when recording you need sound proof rooms foam on the walls, ect.

I don't know where you supposedly read that, but it's 100% false.

There's almost no such thing as a "sound-proof room". And, even if there was, sound-proofing has nothing to do with making a room sound good. Sound "Treatment" is what makes a room ideal for recording, and that's a much more complicated subject than throwing foam up everywhere. Foam is useless.

You should spend some time in the Studio Building forum.

 

[Jeff_D]

...I read that when recording you need sound proof rooms foam on the walls, ect.

Stop reading where ever you read that. Go to the studio building forum here and start reading. Learn the difference between "soundproofing" and "acoustic treatment". Familiarize yourself with rigid fiberglass, and remove foam from your vocabulary.

 

[Jeff_D]

I don't know where you supposedly read that, but it's 100% false.

There's almost no such thing as a "sound-proof room". And, even if there was, sound-proofing has nothing to do with making a room sound good. Sound "Treatment" is what makes a room ideal for recording, and that's a much more complicated subject than throwing foam up everywhere. Foam is useless.

You should spend some time in the Studio Building forum.

doh, beat me to it...

 

[quickmill]

Most of us treat our rooms for mixing much more than for tracking. And most of us use broadband absorption instead of foam. Most of us are also in small rooms that don't sound good and the room usually sounds as better after treating. If I had my druthers I'd track in a much larger, livelier room. I too have tracked in smaller spaces that sounded good. Some rooms work better than others. What is undeniable to my ears though is the difference in mixing in a properly treated room. No matter where you track, you can only hear your results as accurately as the room allows you to.
Track wherever you want. Treat for mixing.

 

[Jeff_D]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to RAMI again.

----------

 

[RAMI]

----------

Looks like I beat you to that, too.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

Second That Hands Down.

 

[kokycoal]

I don't know where you supposedly read that, but it's 100% false.

There's almost no such thing as a "sound-proof room". And, even if there was, sound-proofing has nothing to do with making a room sound good. Sound "Treatment" is what makes a room ideal for recording, and that's a much more complicated subject than throwing foam up everywhere. Foam is useless.

You should spend some time in the Studio Building forum.

Thanks for the advice. Now I have a new question. What is a bass trap? What is it's function?

 

[Jeff_D]

here's a place to start...
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

 

[Chili]

My studio occupies half of the third car garage exension and it forms nearly a perfect cube (I call it Studio Cubito - lame, I know). Because it is a cube, lots of treatment, OC703 or equivalent. I mic vocals and acoustic then everything else is DI or in the box. A larger room doesn't require as much (or any??) treatment for tracking, but you still need a proper sounding room for mixing. Because a lot of home recording types have only one room to do everything, it's got to be treated for a flat response for mixing.

So, if you can track in a large room and use a separate acoustically-flat room for mixing, you're good to go. I've been toying with the idea of moving the wife's car out of the garage and setting up mics there. Big wide open room with lots of junk along the walls, concrete floor, fairly quiet outside....

 

[Massive Master]

Thanks for the advice. Now I have a new question. What is a bass trap? What is it's function?

Its name is its description.

Sort of like HD's "Road King."