Invest in awesome mic or better sound treatment?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mellotron
  • Start date Start date
M

mellotron

New member
Invest in better sound treatment?

I plan on recording in my 13.5' x 12; x 8' bedroom.

I'm debating whether to get a Rode NT1-A and get some Auralex pads for the corners of my room, or just get one AT4047 and no Auralex pads. My main concern is that I don't like having to buy things knowing that I might upgrade, in the near or distant future. I know I'll need the Auralex pads either way. Or I could save money by just draped blankets on everything.

Either way I'm really trying to get the best stuff within my budget, so I don't feel like upgrading two months after I get it.
 
Last edited:
mellotron said:
I plan on recording in my 13.5' x 12; x 8' bedroom.

I'm debating whether to get a Rode NT1-A and get some Auralex pads for the corners of my room, or just get one AT4047 and no Auralex pads. My main concern is that I don't like having to buy things knowing that I might upgrade, in the near or distant future. I know I'll need the Auralex pads either way. Or I could save money by just draped blankets on everything.

Either way I'm really trying to get the best stuff within my budget, so I don't feel like upgrading two months after I get it.
Click to expand...

Go to good will and get thick heavy comforters & sleeping bags. Cover most of your room (best to space them out from the wall a few inches at least)
And buy the better Mic.
I think you're better off treating the whole room (or most of it) with cheap stuff than just a corner or two with foam. That way you get your nice mic.


F.S.
 
Get the mic. You will be able to treat the room L8Tr.

You can also use "cost effective" ways to treat the room.

So...... get the mic, first. ;)
 
Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I read somewhere that a studio really starts and builds piece by piece, not all at once. I think I'm trying to do/get everything at once, and I don't really have a reason to be rushed at all. I'm going to focus on the basics first and focus on room acoustics later, since that seems to require a lot of understanding of how acoustics work. I don't even have the engineering knowledge right now to make the most out of any equipment I do get, so I think I see clearly that I shouldn't go crazy spending money.
 
Room treatment is really important. In a good sounding room, it doesn't take a very good mic to get good results from my experience.

With that said, it'd suck to have a bunch of foam/fiberglass on the walls and nothing to record in there. :confused:

So I'd get the really nice mic first, then treat your room after that.
 
Well if you're happy for your current recordings to sound awesomely crappy then go with the mic.

I think acoustic environment is pretty much the most important thing after quality of source. You could use a Neumann U47 through a Neve 1081 and it won't make a crappy sounding room sound any better.

Get the sources sounding good first (which includes the environment they're recorded in), then worry about fancy gear.

Get yourself to the studio building forum.
 
a better mic will pick up MORE of how bad the room sounds than a crap mic will :rolleyes:
 
danny.guitar said:
With that said, it'd suck to have a bunch of foam/fiberglass on the walls and nothing to record in there. :confused:
Click to expand...

however, if you go insane(you're a musician, so it's bound to happen) you'll already have a readymade asylum.
 
LemonTree said:
a better mic will pick up MORE of how bad the room sounds than a crap mic will :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I see that said a lot and I don't think that it's always the case. Not all "good" mics are considered so because they're "accurate". One of those behringer measurement mics or even a cheap chinese SDC will probably give a more accurate representation of a room than many expensive tube and ribon mics. Not to mention good dynamics which will pick up less of the room than any condensor, good or bad.

But no mic will make a shit sounding room sound not shit, that's for sure.
 
Kevin Deschwazi said:
I see that said a lot and I don't think that it's always the case. Not all "good" mics are considered so because they're "accurate". One of those behringer measurement mics or even a cheap chinese SDC will probably give a more accurate representation of a room than many expensive tube and ribon mics. Not to mention good dynamics which will pick up less of the room than any condensor, good or bad.

But no mic will make a shit sounding room sound not shit, that's for sure.
Click to expand...

I agree on the last statement totaly. :)

I was reffering to the two mic's he mentioned in my statement. Not a tube or ribbon or a good dynamic..... :D
 
Room treatment is important (I wish I had learned how important a long time ago) but get the mic first. Use it on a few test recordings and you will quickly discover what and how much room treatment you really need. All mics do not respond the same so the extent of treatment needed can vary quite a bit. Room treatment is subject to change as your needs change, but a really good mic will be with you for a long time.
 
Yeah, I might just use my closet for now, use carpet on the ceiling. I don't have the resources to build my own studio or anything like that.

I'm often conflicted about whether I should buy entry level equipment or just buy something expensive so I don't have to spend money upgrading, even though I don't even have the skills yet to get the best out of high-cost mics.

Do you think that limiting yourself monetarily actually forces you to improve your resourcefulness and recording intuition, moreso than, say, having a Neumann U87, but having no idea about mic placement and the complexity of acoustical treatment? I think there's too much focus on "best," when best often doesn't come from how much you spend, but how much you know and are willing to learn.
 
Here's the treatment in my room...

Link

I spent less than $150 on the treament, a box of Owens-Corning 703 and a bunch of $1/yd fabric from Wal-Mart. I can record my daughter singing with a SP C1 and her friend the guitar player with a pair of small MSH-1 omnis. It came out very well. You can't do that in an untreated room, even with the best of mics.

Carpet is not treatment. It only works on very high frequencies as an absorber. If you peruse pics of the best studios you'll see hard floors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top