vocal booth sound problems

[dnkygirl]

Hi all,

I just started recording a female jazz artist with a beautiful voice. My problem is that the dry tracks i'm getting are sounding totally boxy just like shes singing into a box. How do i fix this problem with my vocal booth? I converted a closet by padding it with old comforters and then adding a layer of fabric on top. When you close the door.. you don't hear the outside sounds, but the room itself sounds bouncy still, but also boxy... ??? I am using a Rode NT1 A.


Demi

 

[TripleJ]

Hi all,

I just started recording a female jazz artist with a beautiful voice. My problem is that the dry tracks i'm getting are sounding totally boxy just like shes singing into a box. How do i fix this problem with my vocal booth? I converted a closet by padding it with old comforters and then adding a layer of fabric on top. When you close the door.. you don't hear the outside sounds, but the room itself sounds bouncy still, but also boxy... ??? I am using a Rode NT1 A.


Demi

Boxy sound, hmm. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact she's actually singing in a box?

Sounds like your 'treatment' is uneven and has such created an uneven, unnatural sound.

 

[Dani Pace]

How big is the closet? Sometimes a really good voice will sound much better (recorded) in more open spaces. With certain voices, room ambience is a desirable thing. Have you considered treating the celing in your closet/vocal booth? Cloce proxcimity reflections in small places will cause a boxy sound. If there isn't a lot of sound in the room outside the closet you might want to leave the door open to allow some sound to escape instead of bouncing around in the small space. If the door is hollow (most inside doors are) it will resonate in a weird sort of way and may be what is causing the "boxy" sounding vocals.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Closets, unless they are a big walk-in, usually sound like shit. Move her into a bigger room or try the bathroom. Don't treat with blankets unless you want a muddy, boxy sound, use rigid fiberglass.

 

[dnkygirl]

Closets, unless they are a big walk-in, usually sound like shit. Move her into a bigger room or try the bathroom. Don't treat with blankets unless you want a muddy, boxy sound, use rigid fiberglass.

So if i swap out the blankets to fiberglass it will lessen the bounce? The ceiling is not covered nor is the hollow door. This is the only room i have close enough to do anything so i have to figure something out. I want to take the room totally out of the equation is there a way to do that without having to move from this space?


Demi

 

[dnkygirl]

I know it's early for christmas, but I'm helping Lynn the jazz vocalist with a christmas demo. Here's the sound of the problem i'm having.... so you can see what i'm talking about. I have tried eq'ing it but it doesn't seem to help at all.. then adding just a little reverb makes it buzz....

It is the first song listed here:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=331276



Demi

 

[Dags]

Hi dnkygirl

TripleJ has it right - you're recording in a very confined, small space (essentially a box) which will create a very mid-range "boxy" sound.
The close proximity of the mic to the singer in that kind of environment will also enhance the low end of the audio spectrum, which can only make things worse.
Vocal booths, although similar in size to your average closet, are constructed very differently to avoid the very problem you're experiencing.

How noisy is the room?
If you can set up an area outside the closet that has mattresses or something against the walls to soak up the reflections it will help a bit.

pandamonk recently posted the following link (in another part of the BBS forums) to Ethan Winer's page on acoustic treatment and it may give you some ideas to help you with sorting out your acoustic problems.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

Dags

 

[dnkygirl]

Hi dnkygirl

TripleJ has it right - you're recording in a very confined, small space (essentially a box) which will create a very mid-range "boxy" sound.
The close proximity of the mic to the singer in that kind of environment will also enhance the low end of the audio spectrum, which can only make things worse.
Vocal booths, although similar in size to your average closet, are constructed very differently to avoid the very problem you're experiencing.

How noisy is the room?
If you can set up an area outside the closet that has mattresses or something against the walls to soak up the reflections it will help a bit.

pandamonk recently posted the following link (in another part of the BBS forums) to Ethan Winer's page on acoustic treatment and it may give you some ideas to help you with sorting out your acoustic problems.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

Dags

Thank you!!

 

[Dags]

You're welcome

Good luck with getting things sorted out to fix your problem.

Dags

 

[TexRoadkill]

So if i swap out the blankets to fiberglass it will lessen the bounce? The ceiling is not covered nor is the hollow door. This is the only room i have close enough to do anything so i have to figure something out. I want to take the room totally out of the equation is there a way to do that without having to move from this space?


Demi

Why not just put her in the room the closet is in? The farther away the walls the less the room is a factor. So in order to make a small room dissapear you need to use a lot of absorption.

A quick and easy way to get pretty clean vocals is to put up 2 - 2'x4'x2" pieces of rigid fiberglass in a V shape and put the mic in the middle. Have her sing close to the mic.

That panning ride is going to drive people insane. And I like weird stuff

 

[dnkygirl]

Why not just put her in the room the closet is in? The farther away the walls the less the room is a factor. So in order to make a small room dissapear you need to use a lot of absorption.

A quick and easy way to get pretty clean vocals is to put up 2 - 2'x4'x2" pieces of rigid fiberglass in a V shape and put the mic in the middle. Have her sing close to the mic.

That panning ride is going to drive people insane. And I like weird stuff

i removed the paning issue it happened in converting it to mp3 I will post a new one.. once i get the vocals sounding better. )

 

[gbondo9]

In addition to the treatment advice above - it sounds like she needs to be singing closer up on the mic.
It could just be the reverb on the mix - but she sounds far away, and the further she gets - the more room tone will get in.

 

[tmix]

I think you have been given good advice.
Mine would be the same . Make a area in the main room with gobos between the vocalist and the noise sources.

I love recording Jazz, and Jazz vocals. It needs to sound big.
If you run aground and don't mind a trip to Mansfield I might have the time to let you track the vocals at my place where you can bring them back to mix at your place.

Tom
www.tmixstudio.com

 

[dnkygirl]

I think you have been given good advice.
Mine would be the same . Make a area in the main room with gobos between the vocalist and the noise sources.

I love recording Jazz, and Jazz vocals. It needs to sound big.
If you run aground and don't mind a trip to Mansfield I might have the time to let you track the vocals at my place where you can bring them back to mix at your place.

Tom
www.tmixstudio.com

Thanks Tom, but i am trying to get all the bugs worked out of my setup. I am however interested in how you have setup your vocal booth. Do you have pics? Did you go the fiberglass route? Looks like this weekend i will be removing all the blankets and hanging 702. I am also looking at baffles and bass traps for my mixing area as well. Do you know of some place locally that sells 702 or something like it? Thanks!


Demi

 

[dnkygirl]

In addition to the treatment advice above - it sounds like she needs to be singing closer up on the mic.
It could just be the reverb on the mix - but she sounds far away, and the further she gets - the more room tone will get in.

I actually had very little reverb on the vocals... it started to buzz when i started to add it. I left a little headroom because it sounds extremely boxy without it.


Demi

 

[tmix]

Thanks Tom, but i am trying to get all the bugs worked out of my setup. I am however interested in how you have setup your vocal booth. Do you have pics? Did you go the fiberglass route? Looks like this weekend i will be removing all the blankets and hanging 702. I am also looking at baffles and bass traps for my mixing area as well. Do you know of some place locally that sells 702 or something like it? Thanks!
Demi

Demi,
I fully understand.
It takes real projects and pressures to force us to work the needed kinks out.
I need to take some pics an post them.
You can get a slight peak at my web site:
www.tmixstudio.com

I have 3 rooms. The vocal booth is an odd shaped thing roughly 7 x 8 x 9ft tall with a lot of covered mineral wool panels on the walls and ceiling. I have a 15 x 32 ft main room with a 7 x 8 mix nook about mid wall and a 10 x 11 drum booth. They are all treated the same way.
I bought the mineral wool and 703 from a place in Dallas around Harry Hines area called SPI.
They not only had the best prices but they were really nice to boot. They actually get a lot of business from studios so they know exactly what you are talking about.
I went with mineral wool in all the places that were fixed because it is literally half the price.
I had to buy about 250 pieces for my place.
Works the same, but is not as sturdy to be roughly and repeatedly handled.

Good luck!
Tom