Mic for vocals AND acoustic guitar in a noisy bedroom environment

  • Thread starter Thread starter owly jr
  • Start date Start date
owly jr

owly jr

New member
I've trawled this forum for ages but still not clear on something.

I'm recording vocals and classical / acoustic guitar in a small untreated room and my pc fan makes a fair amount of noise!!

I realise these aren't exactly ideal conditions. I read on a thread somewhere in here that, in these conditions, it's best to use a dynamic mic like an SM57 rather than a condenser because the condenser is too sensitive. Will an SM57 suffice for vocals AND guitar or is there a better choice? I can only buy one mic

Also, saw a Sennheiser E835 advertised locally for an excellent price, but is this mic strictly for vocals or can I get a half decent sound using it to mic an acoustic / classical guitar?:eek:
 
If you are that strapped for cash grab a 57 and learn to use it, it can do anything, but not superbly. I have heard acoustic and vox on a 57 that sounded just fine. Not fine enough so I sold my locker but certainly not offensive (no really)
 
The e835 will have a little better high frequency response than the 57. The 57 is a little more upper-midrange intensive. Either one will work. I happen to prefer the 57 for most things, but that's just me.
 
57 might be your best bet as others have said. i prefer the audix i-5 personally-- at least for vocals. if you're recording the guitars and vocals separately, a mic with a tighter pickup pattern might help too.
can you put the pc in a closet or are your cables long enough to stretch into another room? can you make a little barrier of blankets and similar materials between the computer and where you're playing and singing while recording (not so much that the computer's ability to vent heat will be compromised). these things can help-- not as much as treatment and sound proofing of course.
 
deal with the room or the process of recording will be painful and you will quit and hate it. You can buy auralex and make bass traps and stuff cheap these days, jsut watch craiglist and ebay and stuff. Your room and recordings will benefit and you will feel like a genius and you won't have to worry about trying to record a crappy track of acoustic with a 57 because your room sounds so bad.

That said, get a pair of MSH-01s. Or drop some dime on an RE20 (or RE27) for a great multi-use dynamic.

Daav
 
quick tip: if you're in a noisy room, get a cardioid mic and point it away from the noise source when tracking. steer clear of omnis/figure 8's.
 
Thanks for all the extremely useful info and advice gents!

kojdogg said:
can you put the pc in a closet or are your cables long enough to stretch into another room? can you make a little barrier of blankets and similar materials between the computer and where you're playing and singing while recording (not so much that the computer's ability to vent heat will be compromised).
Click to expand...

I'll try to make a plan! Should at least be able to stick the pc in a cupboard. This may be a stupid question but, apart from getting a new power supply with a quieter fan, is there anything I can do to make the pc quieter?

daav said:
deal with the room or the process of recording will be painful and you will quit and hate it. You can buy auralex and make bass traps and stuff cheap these days, jsut watch craiglist and ebay and stuff.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I live in South Africa and there isn't a hell of a lot of cheap sound proofing material etc floating around here - apart from blankets that is! :)

Ironklad Audio said:
quick tip: if you're in a noisy room, get a cardioid mic and point it away from the noise source when tracking. steer clear of omnis/figure 8's.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that Ironklad. So is it still necessary to buy a dynamic mic, or could I potentially use a cardioid condenser like the SP B1, which I've had my eye on for a while? ;)

OJ
 
Any condenser will pick up room noise more than any dynamic. An SM7 does a good job on acoustic in a mix.
 
voiceovers

anyone have an idea what might be causing an electronic "hum"? I have a LexiconPro Alpha audio interface/preamp connected to a Mac using Adobe Soundbooth and a SM58 mic...
 
aliasroks said:
anyone have an idea what might be causing an electronic "hum"? I have a LexiconPro Alpha audio interface/preamp connected to a Mac using Adobe Soundbooth and a SM58 mic...
Click to expand...

is it a macbook or macbook pro? and if so, are you running on battery?
 
Dudes .....dudes this thread is three + years old. I don't think any of them but Big Kenny post here any more, the rest are dead. :eek:
Tragic gardening accident.





:cool:
 
aw man,,,how embarrassing.

i always said it wouldn't happen to me :( sniff
 
lmao..it happens!

just make out like you meant it and you'll be fine.

unless you're at a funeral....hence the phrase :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top