Recording next CD (acoustic guitar/vox, no drums/bass) at home...

[Robertt8]

I think our band is going to try and partially record our next CD ourselves (vocals and acoustic guitars along with random other overdubs).

Our first CD was completely done on our own and then mixed and mastered by a pro. Our 2nd CD was all done in the studio. We spent a lot of time in that studio... I'm not a huge fan of being stuck in a dark, cold recording studio for days on end, so we figured we'd try and mic only the drums and bass in a studio and then mic vocals and acoustic guitars at home.

I guess i need to figure what i need to make this work. We're a band that kind of sounds like a cross between Jack Johnson and G. Love. we have a very straight forward sound and we typically mic the acoustics and vocals straight up with no effects or anything too crazy.

I have a very simple setup. Mac Laptop, Presonus Firebox, Studio Projects C1 & B1.

We did do one short song on our new CD done with this setup. it was acoustic guitars and vocals. it was mixed by the guy that recorded the rest of the album and he thought it was extremely "bright" sounding...way too bright sounding according to him

Is there anything we should do to make things sound better? we have no problem picking up more gear.

Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

 

[lga5824]

Hi Robert - I am a newbie at the home recording thing myself, but have done lots of studio work on the singing side. My main type of music that I do is acoustic/jazzy stuff. Although new to doing the recording stuff myself, I have a similar set up. I'm using a mac, firebox and garageband. I've recorded about 9 songs or so, and have found the easiest ones so far are piano or guitar and vox. My personal opinion is your set up should be fine. I've been on my computer and garageband for like a month straight now just playing around with effects and sounds and although I still need a lot of guidance, it's really pretty easy. It's hard to really screw things up with the technology nowadays.

Anyway, I don't have advice per se, except to just play around with the effects and use your own judgment of where you want the sound to go. Many keep saying to hold off on the effects going in and add those during mixing, because you can't erase any effects you used when you recorded the track.

Good luck!

Jen

 

[RAMI]

How's the room treated? What are the dimensions? Probably the most important factors, yet rarely mentioned.

 

[lga5824]

Hi Rami - how do you have your room treated? Your point is a really good one and I have no treatment on my walls at all. I've recorded in rooms with foam and padding, without them, in a vocal box, all kinds of different scenarios. Although I have of course heard better recordings than others, I'm not sure I ever really heard a difference with the vocal sounds going in in the different scenarios (meaning I think they were all okay - nothing stood out as a no-no in the rooms). I'm curious what your opinion is on that? My room is about 12 x 13.

Thanks!

Jen

 

[DAS19]

Hey Jen,

Vocals usually sound best in a dead room which is mainly the reason for recording vocals in an isolation booth. The foam on the wall absorbs alot of the sounds so you get just whats coming out of the singers mouth and not whats bouncing off the walls. If you are considering treating your room I suggest looking at some of the sets that are available. They sell ones that come with the essentials absorbers, diffusers, bass traps, etc. Each will help your room with unwanted frequencies and phase cancellation. And you said your room was 12 x 13 which means its a square which is not very good for recording. Parallel walls are a no no. You can pick up a book on acoustics which will help you a lot with understanding what makes a good sounding room and a bad sounding room.

I suggest trying to record with a closet full of clothes behind you and then record in the middle of the room. Im sure you will hear the difference in the tonality of the sound even from the small absorption that the clothes provide.

Hope this helps.

 

[RAMI]

12 x 13 which means its a square

LOL!!!

Wow! I guess I have to brush up on my geometry.


And, I don't want to start an argument here. But I'll just say that I disagree with most of what you said. I'll let others give their opinions on it, though.

 

[KineticSound]

LOL. Yeah, 12x13 isn't exactly a square, but it's close enough to cause some acoustic issues nonetheless.

There are folks who get some decent sounds out of completely dead rooms, but it's not the only way to go.

Jen, What do you like/dislike about the room? Are there bad reflections? Are the reflections high/low in pitch? Ambient noise?

Can you make permanent alterations (e.g. baffles or diffusors mounted to the walls), or do you need non-permanent treatments?

In a pinch, there are some decent freestanding solutions available that can reduce room reflections and ambient noise. Personally, I use a gizmo called a "Reflexion Filter" when recording voice. For around $300, it's a cheap and simple treatment. I also have a "Max Wall" from Auralex, which is a portable gobo system that sets up on mic stands. If your room doesn't allow for permanent treatment, you might consider something like these.

 

[lga5824]

Actually, I think the sound is fine for my vocal recordings. I have a good mic and haven't noticed any issues with my room. It's actually why I asked the question to Rami, since he stated it was very important. Was just curious what others thought and how their rooms are treated. I've thought about some wall foam, but not sure I even need to do it with the recording that I do.

 

[NYMorningstar]

Actually, I think the sound is fine for my vocal recordings. I have a good mic and haven't noticed any issues with my room. It's actually why I asked the question to Rami, since he stated it was very important. Was just curious what others thought and how their rooms are treated. I've thought about some wall foam, but not sure I even need to do it with the recording that I do.

It's like anything else, if you want more of the room in the sound have the singer stand back away from the mic and it will pick up more of the room. If the room sucks then close mic the mouth and you'll get less of the room.

If you want to know more about treating your room for sound check out one of our own here, Ethan Winer. He'll set you straight.

http://www.ethanwiner.com/music.html

 

[KineticSound]

Actually, I think the sound is fine for my vocal recordings. I have a good mic and haven't noticed any issues with my room. It's actually why I asked the question to Rami, since he stated it was very important. Was just curious what others thought and how their rooms are treated. I've thought about some wall foam, but not sure I even need to do it with the recording that I do.

Then in your case I would do nothing. If you like the sound of the room, and it translates into good sounding recordings, then (IMHO) you're set.

The illustrations used in my OP were necessary for me becuase the untreated sound of my recording room was atrocious (my studio is in a converted factory-loft with 18-foot concrete ceilings and needed a LOT of help!). If your space has naturally good sound, then I wouldn't go tinkering with it.

 

[RAMI]

If your space has naturally good sound, then I wouldn't go tinkering with it.

I agree with this.

The problem is that one never knows how good or bad the sound of their room is until it improves and they can make a comparison with old and new recordings of themselves. It all depends what one's standards are. And standards change when we hear how much better something CAN sound.

Also, for many people, recording their voice into an SM57 while accompanying themselves on a keyboard which is plugged direct might sound fine in almost any room, one reason might be because they hve a great voice that transcends any audible flaws in the acoustics of their room. But I'm convinced that once someone like that hears how much better their recordings sound in a good room, they won't want to go back to the way it was.

I used to record in a big basement with carpeted floors and no bass traps, and I thought my recordings were fine, or at least good enough. After moving into a room with hardwood floors, learning about sound treatment, putting in bass traps, etc....I can't believe how bad the old recordings sound to me. Of course, my case is different than the person with the MIDI keyboard since I record drums (probably the hardest instrument to record properly), bass, guitar, vocals, etc...

 

[gecko zzed]

Actually, I think the sound is fine for my vocal recordings. I have a good mic and haven't noticed any issues with my room.

I agree. I've heard your stuff and I think you are getting a great sound for your vocals.

It is possible that your room could be improved, but with your close-miking technique, any flaws it has are not readily apparent. (Nevertheless, close-miking brings its own attendant problems.)

So I don't think that treating your room is a high priority at this stage.

 

[snellular5]

Now to get back on track
A bit of eq'in the harsh highs outta your recorded tracks might help that top brightness a bit. Also it could be your mic and pres but experiment with eq and see if you can get those unwanted frequencies outta there.

 

[RAMI]

Now to get back on track

I don't think discussing the room is off-track. It has as much to do with EQ issues as turning knobs does, if not more. But I digress...not really.

 

[XLR]

IME with acoustic guitar the room sound is critical. Many mic's, mic positions, pre's, etc, can work well but none of it will matter as much in the end-result recorded sonic quality as the sound of the room.

 

[snellular5]

I don't think discussing the room is off-track. It has as much to do with EQ issues as turning knobs does, if not more. But I digress...not really.

Totally agreed I only said that cause we were all discussing someone elses room but anyways dont mind moi

 

[gecko zzed]

Totally agreed I only said that cause we were all discussing someone elses room but anyways dont mind moi

You were quite right . . . we drifted off the original thread, and I participated in that drift.

 

[MessianicDreams]

I would strongly recommend renting some nice, fairly high end microphones & preamps. Sure you can use your Firebox and Studio Projects, but you've got to put things in to perspective - you'll find it much easier to get the sound you're after with better gear.

I struggled for years with "project" gear, trying all sorts of things to get the sound I was after. And when I started working in a commercial studio, all of a sudden it was so much easier to get the right sound. I suppost it all comes down to what outcome you want from the recordings - do you want a commercial release sounding record? Very few people have the knowledge and skills to create what I would deem "great" sounding recordings in a home recording environment (I use the term "great" instead of "commercial" or "pro" because some of the crap that's being released these days doesn't bare comparing to).

As mentioned, the acoustic environment is going to be critical to how the recording comes out. You might want to look at finding a place that sounds great - I did a string quartet just before Christmas, and paid relatively little to rent a church for a day. Immediately, my life was made about 1000% easier as the source material was great sounding. For this I also rented some great gear - Millenia pres, some vintage Neumann mics, etc. which all made things so much easier come the mix stage.

I'm not saying forget trying to do it with your own gear, I'm simply saying - be aware of the limitations of recording with budget gear in a home environment.