The wonderful "ROOM" sound

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuckschwandt
  • Start date Start date
Hi DeanTall Hat,

How are you using your equipment? How are
you micing ? I would suspect it is in this area
first. If your micing a guitar, you certianly don't
want to mic the hole directly in front - that is
definately boom to the max. Get off axis with
the mics. Record to your source flat with no EQ.
Hang some baffles around you to cut down
on reflections. Hope it helps.

Chuck
 
Built in pickup?

does anyone recomend using the built in pickups on their acoustic guitars. I use mine just so i can avoid room problems.

Come to think of it I only use my mic for vocals. everything else goes strait in(with the nessesary preamps and amp modelers and prosessers). I even have a pickup in my classical guitar.
 
Pickups are good for a really "clean" guitar sound... I think if you wanted a (forgive me) "warmer," more mellow and open sound, you will most likely have to put a mic on it. You could pan the pickups hard left, and put a mic on the the right..or vice versa for an interesting effect. Experimentation is the key.

Isaiah
 
Good point, ive been going through a tube MP to give my acoustic some warmth. my problem is Not enough tracks availible to mic an instrument and go direct. (I wish i had a 16 or a 24 track but I got a great deal on the D8 If i had more tracks that would be prefered).
 
I dunno. I've gotten some OK sounds in some pretty crappy rooms. I think the off-axis thing is the key. Trying putting your sound source in a dead spot in the room, and mic it fairly close. If you can, make sure you are using a cardioid pattern mike- most are anyway.

I spend a fair amount of time walking around a room and clapping. I just listen for what sounds echo back from the clap and where there are dead spots. In funky rooms I go for the dead spots. Claps are great because any reverberation comes from the room or something in it. You'd be amazed at the stuff that starts ringing when you do this.

I've also found that stereo micing beats the pants off anything for accoustic guitar. Period. Bad room and all. With two mics you get more room sound, but when you pan those two channels out the guitar jumps out of the speakers at you. Well worth the extra track if you can work your arrangement around it.

Other than that, I would guess that you need a...good room...to get a good room sound, though I LOVE n-Track's reverb, too...

Take care,
Chris
 
Hi Longwave,

Thank you for the MPX 100 settings.
I will give it a try.

Chuck
 
Some great room sounds:

Anything recorded at WaveLab in Tucson..Calexico, Richard Buckner, OP8, tons more. Killer drum sounds. I've seen the room--it's about 25' x 20', with a tall ceiling. Sounds fabulous.

Prarie Sun...the new John Hammond CD, any Tom Waits stuff from Bone Machine on...just a great room sound. Has anyone seen this room? Real curious as to the dimensions...

I'll second the Bill Woolf stuff...was the Rice stuff done at Arch St. Studios? The Grisman Quintet recording with all the instruments on the cover is a beautiful recording...

My secret weapon these days (I'm recording in a small room, but am building a big room soon) is the "Living Room" setting on a Lexicon PCM 80...it really sounds great when you want that intimate room sound in a recording...
 
Chuckschwandt said:
Harvey shared a great suggestion to me.

Mic with the artist sitting between two
shipping blankets, ya know those
blankets that movers use. Hang them
across two booms or something to sheild
the artist from the room. ...

Thanks Harvey,
Chuck :)
Click to expand...

Hey Chuck,
About hanging the blankets:

1. Do you mean to hang them over the guitarists' head, or just one to each side?

2. How high off the floor should they be hung?

This technique sounds interesting to me, and I'll probably try it during the nest six months. I'm looking for this kind of sound micing my classical guitar.

I love these forums. Lots of folks are helpful. This idea, which I hit sort of at random, is a real inspiration to me, and it's so great because it's giving me a lift out of a small rut. Thanks.

Denis
 
Set up of blankets - depending on position of the person / instrument.
One on each side - if you use them for vocals place them as high a poss on a T- boom.
If someone is sitting to, for instance, play guitar - from the top of the persons head to the floor.
Thats a rough guide - different for each room / environment. Just try until you have the sound you want.
 
Thanks for that clarification sjoko2. O won't be ready to try this for quite some time, but I'll let you know how it workd for me.
 
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