Recording outside vs recording in a bad room?

[Nola]

I have the option to do either next week, and I'm wondering if setting up outside on the deck might be a better option because i wouldn't have to deal with room reflections. So if I setup outside and close mic everything, is there any problem with that?

Would it be better than a bad room?

 

[Greg_L]

I've always wanted to record out in a wide open field with no reflections at all. But then there's wind and birds and coyotes and shit.

 

[Nola]

I've always wanted to record out in a wide open field with no reflections at all. But then there's wind and birds and coyotes and shit.

Oh yeah, true. I forgot about wind and birds.
Maybe they'd sound better than phasing and comb filtering though? lol

Or maybe on a day with no wind, and then scare the birds away with the noise.

 

[Deadendkid]

Outside...Deadcat with tight pattern cardiod...inside bad room...tight pattern cardiod is you best option...

 

[Farview]

Outside won't give you comb filtering, but it will be really dead sounding... once you've dealt with the the birds and wind and people driving by.

 

[Nola]

Outside won't give you comb filtering, but it will be really dead sounding... once you've dealt with the the birds and wind and people driving by.

well it's a remote cabin in the woods, so there wouldn't be people. but maybe birds, but if i close mic on an amp at 10 would birds really matter?
maybe i'll try it out. i'm just wondering aloud really

why would it sound dead if you close mic it?

 

[Greg_L]

Close mic an amp on 10 and a bad room doesn't matter either.

 

[Nola]

Close mic an amp on 10 and a bad room doesn't matter either.

That's pretty much true except with the combo amp I've noticed some reflections no matter where I put it in a room. At least outside the back of the speaker would go straight out into air. I think? Maybe I'm wrong there.
But I agree 99% and the other 1% probably doesn't matter.

I get your point in the other thread. Just go record and do whatever. I agree, tbh. I'm just freaking out b/c I rarely get a chance to be loud and finally do.

 

[RFR]

I wish I had a copy of it but I don't.

A freind of mine recorded a full drum kit at night in the parking lot of a church.

Full mic setup including overheads. It sounded fucking awesome. It wasn't dry at all. Just the reverberation of the drums off of the church building was unlike I've heard.
Pretty cool.


Oh, I should add this;
It was winter and snowing.
By the time the cops showed up, all the mics were taken down, and he just told them it was for a school photo project. He was just taking pictures, and the drummer was playing a bit to get a good picture feel.

 

[Greg_L]

That's pretty much true except with the combo amp I've noticed some reflections no matter where I put it in a room.

That's probably true if it's an open back cab. But you're not recording loud right now, right? An open back cab loud enough to create some weird reflections, but still quiet enough that you have to turn the mic pre up, I can see some reflections getting in there maybe. If you could get things louder, you turn the mic pre down and maybe negate the reflections.

I use closed cabs, but they're deadly loud. I record crazy loud all of the time. I don't seem to have reflection problems with cardioid close miking. My poor mics get pummeled to death with massive volume. Aint nothing else getting in there.

 

[Nola]

That's probably true if it's an open back cab. But you're not recording loud right now, right? An open back cab loud enough to create some weird reflections, but still quiet enough that you have to turn the mic pre up, I can see some reflections getting in there maybe. If you could get things louder, you turn the mic pre down and maybe negate the reflections.

I use closed cabs, but they're deadly loud. I record crazy loud all of the time. I don't seem to have reflection problems with cardioid close miking. My poor mics get pummeled to death with massive volume. Aint nothing else getting in there.

I record on 3 or 4 now which is where it started to sound good, but it was too loud for my apartment, so I just stopped recording. I noticed reflections no matter where I put it in the room.
But honestly I don't know what this amp can do yet since I haven't been able to turn it up. Thanks for the feedback. Really looking forward to these next few weeks.

 

[Farview]

The birds shouldn't really be a problem with loud amps and drums. The wind buffeting the mics will be the biggest hassle.

 

[witzendoz]

One of favourite outside recordings, and it was not mimed, or if they were then they are even better than the playing on the clip.

Alan.

 

[ecc83]

If you have an open backed combo try the mic inside it, 10mm from the cone!

Cost you nothing but time.

Dave.