Stuck with crappy acustics...is this better then nothing??

  • Thread starter Thread starter ncmail
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ncmail

ncmail

The Banana Man
I have seen a few places selling plexiglass shields/reflectors that are advertized for recording drums is less then satisfing acustic enviroments. Has anyone used them at all or have any opinions on them?

My "studio" is in the a sectioned off portion in the basement of a single wide trailer...so I really dont have much to work with. I was thinking of picking up or making one of these shield and then treating the wall behind the set with studio foam and bass traps in the corners.

Do you guys think this will be better then what I am doing right now?
 
You might get some isolation from that but from my experience with them they are used more on stage work to cut down mostly the cymbal work (and of course the drums) to keep the stage volume low.
At least that is the reason given me when acts bring them to shows that I'm mixing.







:cool:
 
moresound said:
You might get some isolation from that but from my experience with them they are used more on stage work to cut down mostly the cymbal work (and of course the drums) to keep the stage volume low.
At least that is the reason given me when acts bring them to shows that I'm mixing.







:cool:
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Oh ok, do you think I would have any improvement in recording with one being a block basement is clearly not the best accustic enviroment?
 
ncmail said:
Oh ok, do you think I would have any improvement in recording with one being a block basement is clearly not the best accustic enviroment?
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No. Why would you want the recording space to be even smaller and more reflective?
 
Those things are terrible. They are very reflective and that makes it hard on the drummers ears and the mics. You will be better off without them.

Hanging packing blankets from the ceiling around the kit would work better.
 
Ok, I guess the more I think of it the worse the idea seems....Im just getting a really "boxy" feel to my drum tracks right now...its not super bad in the mix but listing to it singled out its not very pleasing to my ears..
 
ncmail said:
Ok, I guess the more I think of it the worse the idea seems....Im just getting a really "boxy" feel to my drum tracks right now...its not super bad in the mix but listing to it singled out its not very pleasing to my ears..
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It might sound boxy because you're recording in a box. Not much you can do about that besides treat the area you're working in. More reflection isn't the answer. Go for diffusion and absorption. Put some furniture in there. Bookcases and couches can help, and give you a place to sit. :D

Besides, don't worry too much about how they sound solo'd, unless you have this huge passage of just drums in the song. Drums change once you pile instruments on top of them. Sure, always go for the best pure sound you can, but know that things change. A kick or snare that sounds awesome when the drums are solo'd can turn fluffy and stupid once you pile bass and guitars on top and around them.
 
Another question to throw at you Greg, for a crappy acoustic enviroment close miking seems to be the way to go right? Well, I have SM57s on each tom and snare and a Beta 52 on my kick, but what about cymbals? In the last few times we set up to record demo songs to hand out at shows I was putting an SM57 on my hi-hats and one on the ride and the rest of the cymbals just kinda fell in to place volume wise. Is this an ok way to go about it? What are some other options that would possible warrent better results?
 
ncmail said:
Another question to throw at you Greg, for a crappy acoustic enviroment close miking seems to be the way to go right? Well, I have SM57s on each tom and snare and a Beta 52 on my kick, but what about cymbals? In the last few times we set up to record demo songs to hand out at shows I was putting an SM57 on my hi-hats and one on the ride and the rest of the cymbals just kinda fell in to place volume wise. Is this an ok way to go about it? What are some other options that would possible warrent better results?
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Use overheads, or an overhead mic. There's a multitude of stereo overhead configurations. Look up stereo miking on the google. It's gonna take some trial and error though, and however you position the overhead mics, keep them the same distance from the snare. Keeping them low and close to the kit might be the best way to go considering your room is so screwy. But yeah, an overhead, or overheads, will pick up all of the cymbals and give the kit a more natural sound.
 
Alright, sounds like thats the plan then. Condensors are what I need, correct? And any reccomendations on "affordable" overheads. I dont have a big budget but I can stretch a little bit if need be.
 
ncmail said:
Alright, sounds like thats the plan then. Condensors are what I need, correct? And any reccomendations on "affordable" overheads. I dont have a big budget but I can stretch a little bit if need be.
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Condensers are usually preferred. Just make sure you use a cardoid type. You don't want to pick up a bunch of reflections. I don't have any recommendations. Peruse Musicians Friend or AMS or something to get ideas in your price range.
 
I use a matched pair of NT1a's great for the Glyn's technique, IMO, and great for miking other acoustic instruments. I tried mxl 603's, SDC, and hated them.....went with the LDC and was instantly much happier with all my results!

.02
 
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