let's open a can of worms
- Thread starter bongoboy
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jimmys69
MOODerator
Why would that open a can of worms? That is what we all deal with. The dood never said room treatment was stupid. Even in a well treated room, mic placement and techniques are still necessary. As far as 'Your room will never sound pro', that is bullshit coming from someone who has never spent a few bucks on treatment and/or monitors. Define 'pro'. What the hell does that even mean?
Room treatment is just the most cost effective way to make things better in any recording situation. It can cost less than a good microphone.
Yes, small rooms have more issues than larger ones, but to say that it isn't possible is just silly. Oh yeah, this is just my opinion...
Room treatment is just the most cost effective way to make things better in any recording situation. It can cost less than a good microphone.
Yes, small rooms have more issues than larger ones, but to say that it isn't possible is just silly. Oh yeah, this is just my opinion...
Me, I guess I'd say it reads true, but maybe title it a bit different- Get it (your environment) as good as you can, and do as well as you can and get on with what you have to work with.
I 'worry over acoustics. In the sense that I'm always looking to minimize the down sides (measuring and balancing options, what I can or can't do with what I have), and wishing I had bigger spaces etc, didn't have to put so much of the effort into damage control (that's what it is isn't? "mic close" as a 'solution' for example
I 'worry over acoustics. In the sense that I'm always looking to minimize the down sides (measuring and balancing options, what I can or can't do with what I have), and wishing I had bigger spaces etc, didn't have to put so much of the effort into damage control (that's what it is isn't? "mic close" as a 'solution' for example
Mmm, not sure what that means. But I meant having to be closer' than you'd like to be- that falls under a fairly basic recording option (or limitation.
jimmys69
MOODerator
Close placement of dynamic mics are not just a solution to a room problem, but also just a technique that is used in any room. Treated or not.
jimmys69
MOODerator
What can is opened? By the way, 'room construction' was never mentioned. There is a huge difference between acoustic treatment and isolation. Two completely different topics.
Any room can be acoustically treated to be a more accurate listening environment. It will vary with the size/dimensions/budget as to how well it can perform, but there is nothing that says it is not possible to make pro recordings in a small space.
So, no can was ever opened. I am not sure where you got that feeling.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
+1 ^^^
Mmmmmmm....yes, but up to point, 'cuz you see, the pro rooms DO make a difference IF the room sound is part of the recording. If you close mic and iso-booth the shit out of everything in a home studio, and then do the same in the pro studio....you end up with about the same result....all another things being equal, and that's the other part of it.
All other things are not always equal.
It's not just about having the same DAW/plugs....and then you can match the pro studio 1-for-1 in end=product quality.
There's a lot more to it than a 'puter and some software.
Finally, there's the experience of a pro staff....mmmm...yeah, that can make a big difference.
So it's true that you don't need to build a pro space to get a pro result....but when you consider the other things mentioned that you have to equal or overcome, then it's not quite that easy to get pro results at home....but yes, we can all agree that....it's possible.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Actually I tend to agree with a lot of what the guy said. The typical domestic room is never going to sound "good" like a pro recording studio--ceilings too low and parallel with the floor, parallel walls, etc. etc. Unless you're very lucky, I tend to think that most home recordists are better off using screens and such to go for a dead acoustic rather than trying to make a 12 x 14 bedroom sound like Abbey Road.
But...and it's a big but...most of us use the same space for mixing as recording. This adds a whole new dynamic and a whole new reason for acoustic treatment. For mixing, your goal isn't to have the room sound "good"; it's to have it not affect the sound you're hearing and cause you to add too much or too little bass...or whatever. For the place where you mix, some treatment--carefully placed bass traps, acoustic panels, etc. etc. can make a big difference and, built yourself, are a cheap way to improve things.
Beyond that, all the discussion about mic placement and technique is right on the money. That can make a big difference in a room with dodgy acoustics. Frankly, I rarely if ever bother to make the room tone a feature of recordings--unless it's a great space it rarely helps. Instead I use a mix of different (and moveable) screens behind and/or beside the people I'm recording to keep thing dead then add fake ambience later. Some of these screens are the PVC pipe frames I've mentioned many times elsewhere--but my real "find" is a three-fold Balinese scroll work wooden screen. This, with a movers blanket behind it, is a life saver.
Heck, for spoken word I even use a Reflexion filter!
But...and it's a big but...most of us use the same space for mixing as recording. This adds a whole new dynamic and a whole new reason for acoustic treatment. For mixing, your goal isn't to have the room sound "good"; it's to have it not affect the sound you're hearing and cause you to add too much or too little bass...or whatever. For the place where you mix, some treatment--carefully placed bass traps, acoustic panels, etc. etc. can make a big difference and, built yourself, are a cheap way to improve things.
Beyond that, all the discussion about mic placement and technique is right on the money. That can make a big difference in a room with dodgy acoustics. Frankly, I rarely if ever bother to make the room tone a feature of recordings--unless it's a great space it rarely helps. Instead I use a mix of different (and moveable) screens behind and/or beside the people I'm recording to keep thing dead then add fake ambience later. Some of these screens are the PVC pipe frames I've mentioned many times elsewhere--but my real "find" is a three-fold Balinese scroll work wooden screen. This, with a movers blanket behind it, is a life saver.
Heck, for spoken word I even use a Reflexion filter!
