noisedude
New member
Yeah in that situation I'd be worrying less about my mics and more about my ears 
R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Must....ship.....Avalon.....to....Ausrock---
All joking aside, when I went to SUNY Binghamton, I got to take a class with Gary Truce, one of the hypnotists to the U.S. Olympic team, and he made a believer out of me. Hypnotism is a lot about vocal tone, so it is helpful to try out mics, if you can, just like singing. Then you get it home, and it sounds different, anyway. The other possibility you should consider- if there are only a certain number of audio programs you need- you could let some pros do it right.
Plan A- go to a real recording studio, where the room and mic are top notch, and so are the engineer(s).
Plan B- Find out what guys on this board live near you. Research what they have posted, to determine who isn't a dickhead. Then ask somebody what they would charge to record some voiceovers for you. I have an entire recording rig in an attache case that would do what you need. If you're ever in the Boston area, I'd do it cheap. Then we put 6 or 8 mics in front of you, and let you dial in your sound. Good professionals are ones that will give you input into the vocal tone, and have very sophisticated equipment for modifying it subtly.
I'm not trying to talk you out of home recording, just pointing out that if all you want is the finished audio project, a commercial studio that is any good will beat the hell out of the rig you are planning. plan B is cheaper, and more fun, because you get to meet somebody with a lot of recording toys, and learn something about it all, which you usually won't at a commercial studio.-Richie
All joking aside, when I went to SUNY Binghamton, I got to take a class with Gary Truce, one of the hypnotists to the U.S. Olympic team, and he made a believer out of me. Hypnotism is a lot about vocal tone, so it is helpful to try out mics, if you can, just like singing. Then you get it home, and it sounds different, anyway. The other possibility you should consider- if there are only a certain number of audio programs you need- you could let some pros do it right.
Plan A- go to a real recording studio, where the room and mic are top notch, and so are the engineer(s).
Plan B- Find out what guys on this board live near you. Research what they have posted, to determine who isn't a dickhead. Then ask somebody what they would charge to record some voiceovers for you. I have an entire recording rig in an attache case that would do what you need. If you're ever in the Boston area, I'd do it cheap. Then we put 6 or 8 mics in front of you, and let you dial in your sound. Good professionals are ones that will give you input into the vocal tone, and have very sophisticated equipment for modifying it subtly.
I'm not trying to talk you out of home recording, just pointing out that if all you want is the finished audio project, a commercial studio that is any good will beat the hell out of the rig you are planning. plan B is cheaper, and more fun, because you get to meet somebody with a lot of recording toys, and learn something about it all, which you usually won't at a commercial studio.-Richie
Y
yoderconsult
New member
Professional help
I agree that the quality and expertise of a Professional sound shop will never been even closely mimicked by a DIYer. In time when I am ready to mass market some trance recordings I will be in looking for that service. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
My main focus now is providing each client with a custom cd burned from the very session that I have tailored to their particular needs. Each client is different so each cd will be different. This is what has caused me to embark on setting up my own "home" system.
Richie, I may get ahold of you if I find myself coming your way and see if we can hook up on getting a recording done. As they say "it is the journey and the not the destination" and it is certainly really about the people that you meet along the way :<)
Ron
I agree that the quality and expertise of a Professional sound shop will never been even closely mimicked by a DIYer. In time when I am ready to mass market some trance recordings I will be in looking for that service. I am located in Portland, Oregon.
My main focus now is providing each client with a custom cd burned from the very session that I have tailored to their particular needs. Each client is different so each cd will be different. This is what has caused me to embark on setting up my own "home" system.
Richie, I may get ahold of you if I find myself coming your way and see if we can hook up on getting a recording done. As they say "it is the journey and the not the destination" and it is certainly really about the people that you meet along the way :<)
Ron
R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
I....Must.....reduce....my.....hourly......rate. Why do I have a funny feeling about this?-Richie
noisedude
New member
LOL!!
D
DJL
Self Banned
Richard, you may be right... however, yoderconsult said...Richard Monroe said:
and both the RE20 and SM-7 are top notch voice-over mics and that is why I suggested them... and if he's a doctor he can afford a good mic. Peace.
N
noiseportrait
New member
>>The M-AUDIO FIREWIRE 410 Audio Interface that I have
>>purchased does have a builtin "dual mic/instruments preamps
>>w/ gain control (66dB available gain) and phantom power ".
>>Should I add another preamp ahead of this one?
M-Audio makes halfway decent preamps. If your firewire 410 already has a preamp in it, then you should be fine just using that.
>>purchased does have a builtin "dual mic/instruments preamps
>>w/ gain control (66dB available gain) and phantom power ".
>>Should I add another preamp ahead of this one?
M-Audio makes halfway decent preamps. If your firewire 410 already has a preamp in it, then you should be fine just using that.
R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
I would use the preamps you have first, and if you are satisfied with the results, don't mess with it
In this instance, DJL is right, of course. I did suggest a more conservative approach than was requested by the original poster. He has also made it clear that the intended product is customized, so it makes sense to do it at home. I also agree that SM-7B {the original SM-7( SM7A) is discontinued}, and Electrovoice RE20 are both top of the line dynamics. I think the SM-7 (either version) would be an excellent choice.
Remember DJL, that this poster's needs are specialized. In an ideal world, binaural recording would be good, and a well controlled ambient environment would be good for this application. Personally, I would use a Shure SM-82, a lovely discontinued condenser broadcast mic I was lucky to pick up at a flea market.
I think for hypnosis, a flat response is desireable. We don't want to make him sound good, we want to make him sound the way he sounds. Hell, a pair of Behringer ECM8000's might work very well. For the benefit of the original poster, these are dirt cheap ($36 apiece) measurement microphones. A little noisy, they are quite accurate. Next, the whole deal is mono or stereo, 2 tracks at most, unless music is planned also. He doesn't need to cut through a dense mix, or deal with 36+ tracks of stuff. What he asked was to make really good recordings, and for what is needed, professional grade recordings can be made relatively inexpensively. Look ma, no compression, no reverb/delay, no EQ.
I believe he should look into building a vocal booth, one that cuts out most of the outside world, but still has enough reflective surfaces to sound like a real room, so he doesn't have to add electronic ambience. What he needs is the real deal here, not an electronic facsimile of it. The use of a good vocal booth would allow him to use more sensitive, and hopefully more detailed, condenser mics without a lot of ambient noise to deal with. I think AKG C414TLII would rock for hypnosis. He definitely doesn't want vintage tube sound. A Brauner Valvet would kick ass. Once you build a little vocal booth, you can use any mic you want, from those Behringers, right up to $5,000+ mics. There are many, many possible choices. I like the SM7B as a great place to start. If you don't like it, I bet someone on this board will buy it at a reasonable percentage of the original market price. An SM-7 will always be a good mic value. If I wanted it for a kick mic also, I'd buy the RE20, but for the stated purpose, it's hard to beat an SM-7.-Richie
In this instance, DJL is right, of course. I did suggest a more conservative approach than was requested by the original poster. He has also made it clear that the intended product is customized, so it makes sense to do it at home. I also agree that SM-7B {the original SM-7( SM7A) is discontinued}, and Electrovoice RE20 are both top of the line dynamics. I think the SM-7 (either version) would be an excellent choice.
Remember DJL, that this poster's needs are specialized. In an ideal world, binaural recording would be good, and a well controlled ambient environment would be good for this application. Personally, I would use a Shure SM-82, a lovely discontinued condenser broadcast mic I was lucky to pick up at a flea market.
I think for hypnosis, a flat response is desireable. We don't want to make him sound good, we want to make him sound the way he sounds. Hell, a pair of Behringer ECM8000's might work very well. For the benefit of the original poster, these are dirt cheap ($36 apiece) measurement microphones. A little noisy, they are quite accurate. Next, the whole deal is mono or stereo, 2 tracks at most, unless music is planned also. He doesn't need to cut through a dense mix, or deal with 36+ tracks of stuff. What he asked was to make really good recordings, and for what is needed, professional grade recordings can be made relatively inexpensively. Look ma, no compression, no reverb/delay, no EQ.
I believe he should look into building a vocal booth, one that cuts out most of the outside world, but still has enough reflective surfaces to sound like a real room, so he doesn't have to add electronic ambience. What he needs is the real deal here, not an electronic facsimile of it. The use of a good vocal booth would allow him to use more sensitive, and hopefully more detailed, condenser mics without a lot of ambient noise to deal with. I think AKG C414TLII would rock for hypnosis. He definitely doesn't want vintage tube sound. A Brauner Valvet would kick ass. Once you build a little vocal booth, you can use any mic you want, from those Behringers, right up to $5,000+ mics. There are many, many possible choices. I like the SM7B as a great place to start. If you don't like it, I bet someone on this board will buy it at a reasonable percentage of the original market price. An SM-7 will always be a good mic value. If I wanted it for a kick mic also, I'd buy the RE20, but for the stated purpose, it's hard to beat an SM-7.-Richie
D
DJL
Self Banned
Richard.... great post as always, and I'll second the vocal booth.
SHEPPARDB.
Well-known member
Re: Great Info!!
the small differences between these mics.
I think it is important that you ask yourself how you feel aboutyoderconsult said:
the small differences between these mics.
D
DJL
Self Banned
Re: Re: Great Info!!
And remember that it's the big and small differences added together that make "top quality recordings".
And remember that it's the big and small differences added together that make "top quality recordings".
Y
yoderconsult
New member
Sound proofing
Capturing my actual voice with it's pauses, deeper breath's etc is exactly what I am after. I will be recording a second track "on top of" a prerecorded music track.
I had not even considered the acoustical qualities of the hypnosis session office. And I can see that there would be interplay between the type of microphone used and the effects of the recording room environment.
I will look into the best way to acoustically soften my session room. I use a 30 x 17 office space that in one corner has the client's reclining chair with my chair adjacent to it facing it. In the opposite side of the office is a couch and chair and there is also a desk and chair in the office space. I can try softening a wall at a time and see how well it adjusts the recordings. (Possibly add a accoustical room divider, like in a corporate office cubicle, but more accoustically correct)
I am now searching hard for a SM-7 and if I can find a good deal on a RE20 I may pick it up first and give it a try. Although if I catch a AKG C414TLII for sale at a "ridiculously" low price than I might buy it. ( I am assuming that the C414B-ULS and the vintage C414 are not the same as the TLII?)
Thank you
Ron
Capturing my actual voice with it's pauses, deeper breath's etc is exactly what I am after. I will be recording a second track "on top of" a prerecorded music track.
I had not even considered the acoustical qualities of the hypnosis session office. And I can see that there would be interplay between the type of microphone used and the effects of the recording room environment.
I will look into the best way to acoustically soften my session room. I use a 30 x 17 office space that in one corner has the client's reclining chair with my chair adjacent to it facing it. In the opposite side of the office is a couch and chair and there is also a desk and chair in the office space. I can try softening a wall at a time and see how well it adjusts the recordings. (Possibly add a accoustical room divider, like in a corporate office cubicle, but more accoustically correct)
I am now searching hard for a SM-7 and if I can find a good deal on a RE20 I may pick it up first and give it a try. Although if I catch a AKG C414TLII for sale at a "ridiculously" low price than I might buy it. ( I am assuming that the C414B-ULS and the vintage C414 are not the same as the TLII?)
Thank you
Ron
D
DJL
Self Banned
Keep your eye on ebay for a good used Shure SM-7 in mint condition. 
R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yoder, the C414TLII is a C414 that is tuned for use as a vocal mic, a vintage C414 would most likely be a C414EB. An old EB in good condition would be great. Softening your room would be good for live sessions, and for that, go to work on the studio building and display forum. John Sayer is a bona fide expert, and in between confusing you with technobabble, he'll tell you lots of useful stuff. A vocal booth is another animal, sort of an overgrown, well insulated phone booth. It's almost impossible to soundproof (a not very precise or accurate term) a room, but a very limited space can work. Often you can start with a good closet. The difference is that many times, it is useful in a music production studio to use a room with almost no reflections, a "dead" room or anechoid (no echo)chamber. Then the sound of the desired room (ambience) is added electronically. Your office is a "live" room, which sounds more real, but in your case, is surrounded by real world noise, instead of the heavily insulated walls of a recording studio. The alternative is to take a smaller space and surround that with heavy insulation and instead of a dead room, make it one that is just, as you say, "soft". A little reflection is what makes a room sound like a room. For hypnosis, you want the real sound of a room, not an electronic model of one.
That's why I suggested you hook up with somebody with some gear, a well prepared acoustic space, a bunch of mics, and some experience. This would give you an opportunoity to try out a bunch of mics, and hear the difference that the room makes. Experience with hypnosis would be very helpful. Would you want a recording engineer for a CD that had no real experience with music? I think conditioning your live room for sessions is a no-brainer. Hypnosis is largely about sound. There's a reason why they build churches, recording studios, radio control rooms, and vocal booths with attention to acoustic detail. Acoustically treating a room for hypnosis is obvious. For recording, if you can't isolate your whole office, or your whole house, isolate one good sized closet. That's all you need. You don't have to fit Earth, Wind, and Fire in there.-Richie
That's why I suggested you hook up with somebody with some gear, a well prepared acoustic space, a bunch of mics, and some experience. This would give you an opportunoity to try out a bunch of mics, and hear the difference that the room makes. Experience with hypnosis would be very helpful. Would you want a recording engineer for a CD that had no real experience with music? I think conditioning your live room for sessions is a no-brainer. Hypnosis is largely about sound. There's a reason why they build churches, recording studios, radio control rooms, and vocal booths with attention to acoustic detail. Acoustically treating a room for hypnosis is obvious. For recording, if you can't isolate your whole office, or your whole house, isolate one good sized closet. That's all you need. You don't have to fit Earth, Wind, and Fire in there.-Richie
Y
yoderconsult
New member
Just acquired a Shure SM-7 :<)
Just purchased the "perfect" mic for my setup. I really appreciate all of the guidance that you great folks have so generously provided. I will begin setting up the equipment next week.
By the way anyone familiar with constructing a binaural mic setup? Does the "head" have to purchased preset up with mics or is it easy to put one of these together? Any suggestions on mic pairs if this can be "home" constructed? This is something that I would definitely put in a soundproof "closet" .
Thanks
Ron
Just purchased the "perfect" mic for my setup. I really appreciate all of the guidance that you great folks have so generously provided. I will begin setting up the equipment next week.
By the way anyone familiar with constructing a binaural mic setup? Does the "head" have to purchased preset up with mics or is it easy to put one of these together? Any suggestions on mic pairs if this can be "home" constructed? This is something that I would definitely put in a soundproof "closet" .
Thanks
Ron
D
DJL
Self Banned
Re: Just acquired a Shure SM-7 :<)
What mic did you end up getting?yoderconsult said:
ausrock
Well-known member
FFS DJ, read the heading on yoder's last post
D
DJL
Self Banned
Oops. That's a good mic... I wish I would have thought of that... lol. Anyway, your welcome yoderconsult. And I'm sure ausrock will be more than happy to take over from here and help you now.
D
DJL
Self Banned
Do a search for "binaural" on this bbs, because I think it was kind of covered here a while back... and to make a long story short... IMO, no, it's not easy to make them so they are worth a crap IMO... making the head and ear and etc is the hard part... plus the ear has natural compresson and etc, etc.yoderconsult said:
