Just got AT4040, but sounds worse than MXL 1006..

qb2k5

qb2k5

New member
B4 i proceed my record chain:

(new)At4040 or MXL1006> (new)Monstercable XLRM Balanced>(new) DMP3> balanced TRS cable > (new) Delta44> monitor Koss UR30 (crappy) and waiting for DW to deliever my Wharfe 8.2a's.


Ive been recording for years. Never had the echo problem.


Ok i noticed that the AT4040 is alot more brighter in the mid and highs and tons more sensitive... I just had the mic for 2 days. Unlike the MXL 1006, the AT4040 records all the acoustics of my room. I can hear all the echos in my tracking..

Yeah I know I need to treat my room, but I dont think my momz gonna let me mess up her walls. :(

Is there a cheap way to kill these damn annoying echos? Like should I carpet my whole tile floor? I have no closet. All i have is a big open room and also no corners for a booth. Should I turn the preamp down?

Please help, i just spent $300 for this mic. :(
 
damn you spent 300 bucks on a mic?!
I buy the RCA cheapos and redo the circuits but thats me ;-)
Anyways, just turn down the gain, thats all, the gain was probably set for the 1006. If its too bright EQ. What I like to do is acutally staple some blankets around the room, and put some cloth type materials in the corners.
I really think it is the gain tho, do you have the pad on or no?
 
Romxero said:
damn you spent 300 bucks on a mic?!
I buy the RCA cheapos and redo the circuits but thats me ;-)
Anyways, just turn down the gain, thats all, the gain was probably set for the 1006. If its too bright EQ. What I like to do is acutally staple some blankets around the room, and put some cloth type materials in the corners.
I really think it is the gain tho, do you have the pad on or no?
Click to expand...


i'm not sure if i can agree with anything said in this post. the gain on a dmp3 isn't going to bring out more of the room.. thats a characteristic of the mic.
 
Agreed, the gain won't have any effect on your sound, appart from lowering the volume (which you'll have to turn up later anyway).

Not to bitch, but it probably wasn't too good an idea to that mic if it's really not the bottleneck in your system. On the up side, there are mics that will reduce the off-axis response, so that you'll get more voice and less reverb. Most notably large diaphram dynamic mics are good for this, like the Shure SM7 or the Electro Voice RE20. If you can return the 4040 then do that, and save up for an SM7 or RE20.
 
Gain matters. Higher gain means backing off the mic, means higher ratio of reflected vs direct sound hitting the mic. Yes, the mic's characteristics are the main culprit, but gain plays a role too, as does the preamp's characteristics.
Qb - These kind of reflections are easy to knock down without attaching acoustic foam to the walls. Yes, rugs or carpet on the floor will help, as will wall tapestries, coat racks, book cases full of books (makes a good difuser), and all sorts of other stuff. Try this, cut some pairs of 2x2s to a length that allows them to wedge between floor and ceiling. Tape something soft over the ends to prevent marring. Get some old blankets from a thrift store and staple them to the 2x2s, and prop them up over the most reflective wall areas when you record. Then you can roll them up and store in the garage or wherever. They'll be cheap and easy to make, easy to store, quick to setup, and should help a lot.
 
Heres a glimpse of my room and daw studio.

roomsample2ae.jpg


roomtreatment2wh.jpg


This is my parents house. So I need to keep the foam or blankets as least tacky as possible.

Few questions:

1. Whats the cheapest foam/blanket that would look the nicest and take care of the annoying echoing record in my vocal tracks?

2. What type of carpet. Cheapest, and nicest. Would that cheap carpet at home depot do the job?

3. How high should the foam/ blankets be from the roof?
 
So noone can help me?

I realize the sound Im trying to get is being hendered from my DMP3 and room acoustics.
 
No Right Angles!!!

Looking at your layout, your room has alot of right angles. Some items in your room could be used to your advantage. For example, move the bed to the corner and put the two night tables together. If the night tables have doors that swing open, then open them a little while recording to diflect the waves at an agle to any right angle surface. Use the closet doors the same way. Create surfaces that are not parallel. Get curtains that are as thick as you can get. Drape blankets over the dresser and it may act as a bass trap. The last treatment would be the bare walls. You could tack packing blankets in the middle of each wall, but a bulliten board might do the trick as well if you angle them up a slight amount at the ceiling or down at the floor.

Remember, sometimes you just want to divert waves as opposed to absorbing them. When sound is absorbed, it gets coverted to heat. That will make your room warm up, which is good in winter. Deflecting waves can not only cut the echo, but sometimes makes echos that are more pleasing to the sound. Eliminate the boi-oi-oi-oing...
 
PhilGood said:
Remember, sometimes you just want to divert waves as opposed to absorbing them. When sound is absorbed, it gets coverted to heat. That will make your room warm up, which is good in winter. Deflecting waves can not only cut the echo, but sometimes makes echos that are more pleasing to the sound. Eliminate the boi-oi-oi-oing...
Click to expand...

The biggest source of slapping in this room is going to be between the parallel floor and ceiling, both of which are hard. Unless the ceiling is quite a bit over 8 feet (or isn't parallel to the floor), you probably don't want a tile floor in a room used for recording.

To help with that, you might try a couple of medium to large, tightly knit (not plush) throw rugs. Dampen the worst of the reflections somewhat, but don't completely suck the life out of the room. Experiment with placement and quantity until you get something you like.

Also, experiment with where the mic and you are within the room. I totally agree with the suggestion that you duck the gain and use closer mic placement to compensate, but also make sure you are singing or playing out into the room down the longest axis to maximize the amount of direct sound relative to reflected sound and maximize the time delay of those reflections.
 
Try making portable baffles. You will need to treat the area around your monitors to help you mix, but that's a whole other *Google* altogether.

I bought a 3-section, hinged bamboo privacy wall...like a 5' high portable changing room type deal and just draped wool blankets over each wall. When I record vocals or guitar, I move it right behind the mic stand.

Don't worry, it's not rocket science. Any carpet/blanket (mostly blanket under your mic stand to reduce reflections from the floor while recording. Unless you're doing acoustic guitar, then you actually may benefit from some wood on the floor - even a small board.) will improve your situation until you research more, if you need to research more.
 
Thanks guys for all da help..

Im just gonna carpet topside of my room near the closets and get some acoustic foam for all four walls, door and open closet.

I also decided to return my DMP3 for somthing else.

Any suggestions?

My budget is like $300 or less.
 
The DMP3's not bad at all. Especially for acoustic guitar. Besides maybe a Rane, you won't find a better unit in your price range....doubtful.

Next step up is a Groove Tubes Brick or FMR RNP.
 
Mountainmirrors said:
The DMP3's not bad at all. Especially for acoustic guitar. Besides maybe a Rane, you won't find a better unit in your price range....doubtful.

Next step up is a Groove Tubes Brick or FMR RNP.
Click to expand...

I only record my rap vocals with it. It doesnt sound as clean and clear as I like.

What about this preamp Behringer T1953 Tube Ultragain Processor or the VTB1?
 
qb2k5 said:
Thanks guys for all da help..

Im just gonna carpet topside of my room near the closets and get some acoustic foam for all four walls, door and open closet.

I also decided to return my DMP3 for somthing else.

Any suggestions?

My budget is like $300 or less.
Click to expand...

Yeah,

The DMP3.

You'll be hard pressed to find anything better in that price range.

In other words, you're barking up the wrong tree if you think the DMP3 was your problem to the echos. You have acoustic issues my man.
 
qb2k5 said:
I only record my rap vocals with it. It doesnt sound as clean and clear as I like.

What about this preamp Behringer T1953 Tube Ultragain Processor or the VTB1?
Click to expand...

Clean is what the DMP3 is all about man....

Behringer?!?! HAHAHA
 
treymonfauntre said:
i'm not sure if i can agree with anything said in this post. the gain on a dmp3 isn't going to bring out more of the room.. thats a characteristic of the mic.
Click to expand...


Yes, he's right, it is more possibly the fact that the 4040 is translating more of what's really going on, which is what you want.
 
For some reason the DMP3 makes my voice sound bassy after recording a vocal track. I turned on the low cut filter on both the mic and DMP3 and it doesnt solve the problem... I have to go to the eq in N-track and turn the bass eq down a few notches.

for an example of my music. Listen to this track I recorded two days ago:




This is with my 3 day old AT4040 and DMP3.
 
and...the DMP3 is great, and you won't get any cleaner sound out of that price range. It sounds like you have good equipment, you should have no problem getting a "clean" sound, look at your techniques.
 
I think the vocals sound great in what I just listened to, if you think you need less bass, back away from the mic. I know that sounds too simple to be any good, but if you step too close, (within 6 inches) you'll have proximity effect. If you back up it'll take care of that bass and help the vox sit down. That's my two cents, I'll shut up now and let someone else tell you better advice.
 
guitarfreak12 said:
I think the vocals sound great in what I just listened to, if you think you need less bass, back away from the mic. I know that sounds too simple to be any good, but if you step too close, (within 6 inches) you'll have proximity effect. If you back up it'll take care of that bass and help the vox sit down. That's my two cents, I'll shut up now and let someone else tell you better advice.
Click to expand...


thanks for the advice... I might keep the DMP3 and just use the extra cash and start putting foam and carpet in my room. Probelm right now is if I step away from the mic I get that horrible echoing effect.

thanks
 
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