Mic Positioning

D

dna3496

New member
Right now I have my microphone set up so that when I'm recording, I'm facing the corner of the room. I heard that I should be doing the opposite; putting my mic further from the corner and facing the open room. What's the best way to set up my mic for recording vocals?
 
Hi there
Having the 'active' side of a cardioid pattern condender mic facing out into the room can add more of the room's sound to the printed track, as the sound bouncing around the space will eventually enter the mic. (NOTE: dynamic mics don't have as much of a problem as they are not as sensitive)
If you have a less than ideal recording environment (and who hasn't got one of those in their homes?) the room's imprinted sound may not suit the song, or may detract from the quality of the recorded vocals with lots of flutter echo being added.

Treating an area of the room to reduce reflections (doesn't have to be a corner - could be a wall) and facing the active side of the mic towards this 'deadened' area will reduce the effect the rest of the room has on the recording. Isolating the rear and sides of the mic with a reflection filter or something similar will further reduce the chance of any reflections finding their way back into the mic.

Dags
 
Why don't you try both, listen to the results and see what you prefer. You'll also know what you're working with so where a more ambient vocal might work for one song, a totally dry one might work for another etc.
 
Like the above comment, you should listen with your ears not your eyes. If something sounds good to you, and every engineer disagrees, who cares? It's your work and your recording. Becoming a better engineer is all about trial and error.
 
I generally record vocals in the lounge, which is 6m x 7m with a 3.2M ceiling, about one third into the room facing out diagonally into the other corner with a couch upended behind me to (hopefully) control anything coming from behind, which is, of course, where the mic is pointing...

That's the way I get the best result in a basic living space..

Now, if only I could sing well, I'd have no problems at all!
 
PaddyGordon said:
Why don't you try both, listen to the results and see what you prefer. You'll also know what you're working with so where a more ambient vocal might work for one song, a totally dry one might work for another etc.
Click to expand...
^^^^C'est ça^^^^

Magnawolf said:
Like the above comment, you should listen with your ears. If something sounds good to you, and every engineer disagrees, who cares? It's your work and your recording. Becoming a better engineer is all about trial and error.
Click to expand...
^^^^C'est ça aussi^^^^
 
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