room and vocals

[rightbrainnow]

I see all these pictures of home studios and all these posts regarding vocal booths and "better be sure your room is good if you want good vocals". A lot of music I listen to, it seems like the room he is singing in adds a certain flavor, or sense of presence in his voice. Doesnt a room covered in foam just make everything dead? Is this "presence" im talking about mixed in after the take?

 

[Massive Master]

Foam doesn't absorb low end. That's where 90% the problems are.

In a "closet" booth (note that actual vocal booths are quite large) the problem frequency fundamentals are actually *in the vocalist's natural range* - That's a nightmare waiting to happen that foam isn't going to do squat for.

 

[mixsit]

I see all these pictures of home studios and all these posts regarding vocal booths and "better be sure your room is good if you want good vocals". A lot of music I listen to, it seems like the room he is singing in adds a certain flavor, or sense of presence in his voice. Doesnt a room covered in foam just make everything dead? Is this "presence" im talking about mixed in after the take?

Two different goals going here. If you need isolation from other sounds going on, or maybe just a tighter sound, then partitioning off is called for. On the other hand if the room sound is working, letting some into the blend is a perfectly natural way to add depth and interest. Part of our limitations with small rooms though can be the short reflections and where tones might tend to pile up. So to control it and add what we can't get naturally' might be the next best solution.

As a side note I've had some limited success pointing the back side of a fig-8 toward the open entry way to a second room to get a little.. extra extension.
Wayne