recording vox

[Outta Phase]

Hi everyone, I have been reading alot about folks useing blankets, etc to deaden a room for recording vox. Does anybody record their vox in a bright room. I recorded the vox for my demo in an empty room with hardwood floors, tons of natural reverb. In fact I didn't use any 'effects' on the vox, just a touch of eq. (a touch of chorus for a section, and some cleverly placed overdubs for a natural chorus effect) I think they sounded very good. (mp3.com/oozenoz if you would like to here) I tend to use the room acoustic when recording rather than post effects. It feels 'live' as opposed to polished, moving mics around a room to find the perfect reverb, is much more fun than tweaking knobs imo
What are some of your thoughts on this?

Jeff

 

[toadies]

i recorded in the bathroom before with a marshall v93 infront of vocals and a 57 hanging above.

After reading for awhile, it seemed as if it was frowned upon. But after recording in closet or in a room, that was the best by far kick ass place i ever recorded vocals. I guess depends on singer.

 

[littledog]

Jeff,

Your way has long been the preferred way - recording music in a space that sounds good.

The only reason you hear so much around here about "dead" rooms is because a lot of folks aren't lucky enough to have a nice sounding room like yours.

 

[cavedog101]

I like the live room flavor....unless you're doing voice-overs which is more of a 'I'm right inside yer head sound'. Here in the sticks, we hang the vocal mic in front of the glass slider goin out to the patio, uncover the fired tile floor in front of it and put up two tall goboes in an out-of-square angular array behind the vocalist....the mic is usually 3-4' off the glass....the singer then belts out their pablum at the glass door...not only does it reflect nice tight patterns but they get a beautiful view of nature at its finest...this seems to help the 'vibe'..(can you use the word -vibe if you live out in the country?)

 

[Outta Phase]

never considered it being lucky to have this good sounding room, its just the extra bedroom in my house. when I first moved in and didn't have too much stuff. I had no I dea what to do with that room. Then one day I was playing my guitar and kinda meandering around the house. When I stepped inside that room the guitar just 'came alive' Eversince that day, I made a vow not to put anything in that room and leave it for recording. (ok, I put the treadmill in there, but that doesn't get much use anyway

Cavedog, there is a window in this room that look out to my garden, and in the spring early summer, that place has a great vibe, actually guessit does in the winter now that I look at it

The best recordings that I have done were always loaded with vibe. (for me that takes candles and incense, but a lava lamp or blacklight never hurt either.) nothing beats looking out the window at nature to get the vibe.

Jeff

 

[strmkr]

My folks sold the farm here in Oklahoma and moved to south Misississippi last year,where Dad grew up. I finally got to visit them in January of this year and check out the house they bought down there. Man,the living room in this thing is really knocked out!
It has a huge stone fireplace that takes up most of one wall and the rest of the walls are done up in cedar as is the high vaulted ceiling with big beams,and a stone tile floor. Dad came back from the store and caught me walking around the room clapping,snapping and whistling,listening to the resonance and thought I had completely lost my mind. It took a little while to explain it,but he finally understood. I am going back down in June for a family reunion and am definitely taking some kind of a porta-rig so I can record something in there. I doubt if the designer of the house realized what he was doing acoustically with that room,but he really hit on something!