Ethan Winer....Sir

[tjohnston]

How improtant are bass traps in the tracking room? I notice that Ethan didnt have any in his tracking room. I think I may be having a problem in this area. I just cannot, for the life of me, get rid of the thumping boom. Whenever I play low E, F, F#, G G# A on my acoustic guitar its too loud and boomy. I have been working with mic placement for weeks and I have gone nowhere. It is very frustrating. Help is always appreciated.

Thanks

 

[frederic]

How improtant are bass traps in the tracking room?

Depends on the room. Most need them, but not all.

I notice that Ethan didnt have any in his tracking room. I think I may be having a problem in this area. I just cannot, for the life of me, get rid of the thumping boom. Whenever I play low E, F, F#, G G# A on my acoustic guitar its too loud and boomy. I have been working with mic placement for weeks and I have gone nowhere. It is very frustrating. Help is always appreciated.

This room sounds like a good candidate for bass traps, and or possibly pass traps on poles to move around, if you're getting standing waves on multiple notes that are near each other.

 

[Ethan Winer]

TJ,

> I notice that Ethan didnt have any in his tracking room. <

Not so! I use one large room for recording and mixing, and that room has 17 wood panel bass traps and 11 fiberglass absorbers. I plan to add four to six MiniTraps soon, at which point I will consider the room finished and properly treated.

> I just cannot, for the life of me, get rid of the thumping boom. <

It may be your guitar. What happens when you sit outside and play the same notes? If they boom there too, it's the guitar. If it sounds fine outside, it's your room.

--Ethan

 

[tjohnston]

Thanks for your reply. The guitar sounds wonderfull outside in the open. Must be the room.

 

[Chrisjob]

I have the same problem with recording acoustic guitar...

I placed a makeshift trap (made with my sole piece of 703) on a chair next to me, and it helps a bit with low resonance


By the way, Ethan- congratulations on the home recording magazine exposure!

 

[frederic]

Thanks for your reply. The guitar sounds wonderfull outside in the open. Must be the room.

Assuming you don't live in an urban environment, thats an excellent place to record an acoustic guitar - outside, at night, far away from humans.

No reflections

 

[mixmkr]

Assuming you don't live in an urban environment, thats an excellent place to record an acoustic guitar - outside, at night, far away from humans.

No reflections

or daytime..... aaaahhh.... country living's the life for me.....

 

[tjohnston]

perhaps but perhaps not. I previously recorded my acoustic in a dead room. The results were enought for me to want to give up. When I switched to a large room with a wood floor I was shocked by the difference. Seriously! Even though I am having some problems the live room sounds brilliant. I think its more of an improvement than ANY mic or preamp could make.

 

[frederic]

perhaps but perhaps not. I previously recorded my acoustic in a dead room. The results were enought for me to want to give up. When I switched to a large room with a wood floor I was shocked by the difference. Seriously! Even though I am having some problems the live room sounds brilliant. I think its more of an improvement than ANY mic or preamp could make. [/B]

I record mostly electronic instruments, so "out" goes to "in" and thats that.

that said, I always try to record vocals as dead as possible, so I can EQ tweak it a bit without modifying the "room sound" and natural reverberations too much.

Horns, woodwinds etc, I record in rooms that have a little feel to it - makes them sound fuller.

Also, different materials reflect differently. Tossing a 1/8" steel sheet on the floor and having a trumpet player stand 4' away from it with his/her horn hitting the sheet adds to the brightness. Put a mic very close to the horn as you normally would, and one on the other side of the steel sheet, same distance from the sheet as the horn player. Same height as the horn bell. Roll-off all the lows on the "special" mike and be careful with the volume. Very careful. But it does add brightness.

Smooth fiberglass would probably work also - the goal is a reflection. Often one has to nudge the track back slightly so it doesn't lag behind the original horn material.

Easy to get into phasing trouble.