Recording in the desert

  • Thread starter Thread starter semidiablan
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semidiablan

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Do you think that if I tried recording vocals in the desert they would come out flat? I've thought about it for a long time, but I'm confident I'd be able to get a good enough sound to where I could add artificial reverb once back home. Just wondering what other peoples' thoughts were on this...

One day I'd like to record in natural areas...caves, etc...get true sounds and use no effects. I think that would be insane.
 
I think the real problem with recording in such locations, aside from powering your gear, is isolating from the wind.

I've often wanted to move my monitors outside to mix, as you would get no room reflections.
 
Your probably not the only person to think of it, I know I want to be the first person to record a full track or album outer space as I figure there's no noise, but then again, I'm probably wrong. I also definitely want to record on a super sonic jet so I can be recording a track in 5 different time zones, or 20 different countries all during tracking.
 
Out in the texas hill country, there are some still days, and among the junipers and prickly pears, it can get pretty quiet and dead sounding. I've been thinking about recording there for a couple of months now.

But first, I need a good laptop. I'm thinking about trying to get a new macbook or macbook pro (does anyone have an opinion as to whether the pro is required, where recording is the only concern?), and maybe a motu traveler. Then I could record acoustic instruments and vox. And cows.
 
Mindset said:
Your probably not the only person to think of it, I know I want to be the first person to record a full track or album outer space as I figure there's no noise...
Click to expand...

Well, there's two places you could consider "in space". One is in a space ship of some sort, where you'll find a hell of a lot of noise due to life support systems and such.

The other would be in space itself, which is dead quiet because there's nothing there to carry the sound waves. Which, by the way, would also make it impossible to record sound for obvious reasons :)
 
there's actually been quite a few folks that have recorded in places with natural reverbration.
One of my favs is Paul Horn in the great pyramid. He went into various rooms in the great pyramid of Cheops and found that they would resonate in certain freqs and he would play a flute in keys that excited those resonances.
It was very cool and trippy.
 
Mindset said:
Your probably not the only person to think of it, I know I want to be the first person to record a full track or album outer space as I figure there's no noise, but then again, I'm probably wrong.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but there isn't really any sound either. Unless you want to record in the air of a space station or something, but then you are back to having walls again. And you would probably have to turn off all your support systems if you don't want to have any noise; and you would get very cold and breathless after a while. So my recommendation: do your recordings on Earth. :)

Edit: looks like someone jumped on it right before I posted. Oops...
 
semidiablan said:
Do you think that if I tried recording vocals in the desert they would come out flat? I've thought about it for a long time, but I'm confident I'd be able to get a good enough sound to where I could add artificial reverb once back home. Just wondering what other peoples' thoughts were on this...

One day I'd like to record in natural areas...caves, etc...get true sounds and use no effects. I think that would be insane.
Click to expand...

The performance would be awesome, Think about that AC/DC type of scream when a rattlesnake bites your balls.
 
It would be somewhat like a live recording of an outdoor concert, of which there are plenty.

You can get a really open sound tracking outdoors. It's just a lot different than what you're probably used to. It can certainly yield superior results to tracking in a small, enclosed square room with nasty reflections.

.
 
Form experience, I would suggest always using foam hats for the mics. ;)
Watch out for hungry Camels also, they will eat ANYTHING! including your artists if your not carefull

Eck
 
Ever wonder why quality studios are designed to tame and control reverb and echo but are purposely not designed to be truely anechoic? A completly dead room can sound just as bad as one that's too live. The wide open outdoors with no reflective surfaces is nature's version of an anechoic chamber, a.k.a. a completly dead room.

Recording outdoors can reallly suck the bass out of sound too. Without adjusting for it, it's completly possible that you'll find much of you sound to be on the "thin" side. While bad bass modes in a bad room are bad, no modes whatsoever does not necessarily sound that good.

Also, a more practical consideration if you're talking about extremely arid conditions like a stereotypical desert is the effect the dryness it could have on your throat and the timbre of your voice itself.

All this is not to say it can't be done with good or interesting results. Just a caution that it sounds like a better and simpler idea on paper than it can be in reality.

G.
 
I wonder if they ever thought of recording Jim Morisson from the Doors back in the day when he was out in the desert trippin on Peyote and such, musing out some lyrics.
 
i haven't noticed anyone else mention the toll that outside recording may take on one's gear...wind, dirt, dust, heat, etc. can be a real bitch
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
The wide open outdoors with no reflective surfaces is nature's version of an anechoic chamber, a.k.a. a completly dead room.
G.
Click to expand...
I dont beleive that would be true in the desert. There would be echos and reverberations from the ground. Plus the wind would definetly not make a desert recording sound like an anechoic chamber recording.

Eck
 
ecktronic said:
I dont beleive that would be true in the desert. There would be echos and reverberations from the ground.
Click to expand...

And from the cactuses, tumble weed and empty tequila bottles.

.
 
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