Using a cup over a microphone?

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thehymns

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I was browsing through a recording technique book and I saw a SM57 on a snare drum with a foam cup over it...is this some super-cheap way to block out surrounding noise? Would it work on Small Diaphram condensors as overheads as well? I record in a small 10X10 room, and if this techique works I might try it out today since I have drummer coming in. Please respond quickly!?!
 
You also might want to use 2 tin cans and a piece of string for the overheads.
 
If you mean the bottow of the cup was cut out and slid over the 57 so the capsule is still facing the snare then they probably are attempting to reduce hi-hat and tom bleed into the snare mic. There are some commercial products for that, too.

I would skip the foam cup and try to position the snare mic so the hi-hat is in the null of the pattern (cardoid).
 
It might block out a little sound but I think it would make the sound you wanted sound like shit. I would expect it to give a strange boxy sound......I don't know.
 
Cut out the bottom of a cup. Put the cup up to your ear. Do things sound better or worse?
 
I figured about the same; the cup thing is to light, and is apt to be boxy sounding.
My solution was to put about an inch of dense foam on an 8 x 8" slab of hard plastic, curved it (about a six inch radius), and mounted it on a gooseneck. The mic hugs in right between the shield foam and the snare. It does a little, but not as much as you might like (or expect).
Wayne
 
It's an endless loop!!! I keep clicking on Track Rat's links back and forth and I am eternally trapped!!! HELP!!!!









Evil crossposter. :eek: :D
 
Farview said:
Cut out the bottom of a cup. Put the cup up to your ear. Do things sound better or worse?
Click to expand...

Try it and find out instead of giving smart ass replies. The old cup over the mic has been done for years in real studios on real albums by real producers and engineers.
 
I did, about 20 years ago. It was terrible, in fact, it sounded about the same as putting a cup with no bottom up to your ear. Imagine that!
 
It can actually be a pretty cool on re-amping vocals. Run a vocal track in to a guitar amp, close mic it with a 57 and a cup over the mic. It's an Albini thing, I believe.

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chessrock said:
It can actually be a pretty cool on re-amping vocals. Run a vocal track in to a guitar amp, close mic it with a 57 and a cup over the mic. It's an Albini thing, I believe.

.
Click to expand...
And your doing that to acheave the highest fidelity recording? I think not. As an effect, anything goes.
 
EDAN said:
Try it and find out instead of giving smart ass replies. The old cup over the mic has been done for years in real studios on real albums by real producers and engineers.
Click to expand...

The "try it and find out" part applies to the original question as well, doesn't it?
 
You guys are doing it wrong.

You're supposed to use a SUPPORT CUP, not a foam cup. :eek:

Fasten it to the mic with a jockstrap. :p
 
vestast said:
The "try it and find out" part applies to the original question as well, doesn't it?
Click to expand...


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Someone called me a peckerhead for this comment.

Gee... I wonder who it was? :rolleyes:
 
I believe that this technique is quoted in the Recording Engineer's Handbook. I was curious about it too and want to give it a try. Thats a well respected book is it not?
 
Makes you wonder why they don't sell especially designed cups for recording engineers.


"The Ultimo Force Full Frequency Response Cup with optional 50$ shockmount"
 
I won't comment on putting a cup over a snare mic, cause I haven't tried it, but putting a cup over your overheads sounds completely useless to me. On the snare it might keep out hihat bleed, but on the overheads, what are you trying to block out? You're not going to bypass the sound of your room that way, you're just adding another potential reason for your drums to sound bad. If you're in a small room with bad acoustics, sound treatment is the way to go.
 
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