mic power & foam questions...

[whitebread]

ok so condensor mics need a power source, is this power source supplied by the pre-amp or does the mic come with like an adaptor that you plug in a wall or something???

and....

whats the difference(if any) between isolation and making a room soundproof when using foam such as the Auralex stuff? i will soon be constructing a vocal booth and need some help as to how to properly treat it...

 

[scrubs]

ok so condensor mics need a power source, is this power source supplied by the pre-amp or does the mic come with like an adaptor that you plug in a wall or something???

and....

whats the difference(if any) between isolation and making a room soundproof when using foam such as the Auralex stuff? i will soon be constructing a vocal booth and need some help as to how to properly treat it...

The vast majority of preamps will provide phantom power for condenser microphones. DJ mixers and some stand-alone recording units (4-tracks, digital 8-tracks) may not provide phantom power, so check before you buy. There are also some condenser mics that run on batteries or can be powered by your USB port, though I would generally avoid those.

There is a big difference between acoustically treating a room and making it soundproof. Although some foam products are labeled as "soundproofing foam," they are only for acoustical treatment (absorbing some of the sound waves reflecting off of the walls). Foam is o.k. for mid and high frequency absorption, but you will need something more substantial for bass absorption (Rigid fiberglass insulation is commonly used).

Soundproofing/isolation is not something you can accomplish with auralex, or any other product. It generally requires the building of a sealed room inside of another room (very expensive).

 

[Farview]

The preamp will provide phantom power.

Auralex foam is acoustic treatment, not soundproofing. Sound isolation is achieved by constructing walls that don't transmit sound. Auralex keeps sound from reflecting off of a surface.

 

[whitebread]

Soundproofing/isolation is not something you can accomplish with auralex, or any other product. It generally requires the building of a sealed room inside of another room (very expensive).

hmm ok thanks.....if the foam wont soundproof a room completely will it atleast reduce some of the sound?
i will be recording in my basement and i want to construct some sort of room so that when im recording the people upstairs wont hear me...what would be the best way to do this?

 

[scrubs]

If you're just doing vocals (as you stated in your first post), sound transmission may not be a huge issue. However, bass frequencies pass through walls/ceilings/floors very easily and there is no inexpensive or easy way to stop them. Foam won't help. Sorry. If you covered every square inch of your room with 4" thick Owens Corning 703 rigid fiberglass or Rockwool, you'd reduce the sound getting out some, but the vibrations would still pass through the frame of the house.

 

[Farview]

Who the fuck gave me bad rep for my post in this thread? Show yourself, Pussy!

 

[jkokura]

ok so condensor mics need a power source, is this power source supplied by the pre-amp or does the mic come with like an adaptor that you plug in a wall or something???

and....

whats the difference(if any) between isolation and making a room soundproof when using foam such as the Auralex stuff? i will soon be constructing a vocal booth and need some help as to how to properly treat it...

Check out John Sayer's site...TONNES of info on acoustics, building ideas, and room treatment. http://www.johnlsayers.com/

Jacob