Vocals sound like I'm in a tunnel, tin can, weird!

[cleary]

Hi! I just bought and set up a FireWire Mobile from PreSonus that I'm using w/my MacBookPro and the software it came with (Studio One) to record some songs.

I'm using a Sterling Audio Condenser mic w/phantom power and the vocal tracks sound like I'm in weird sort of tin chamber! Is there someway to adjust that sound within the program/software or is it maybe because I'm in my office w/no padded walls and such?

I've never tried to record with good quality before and am a rookie at this part of things so I'd love any advice!

Thanks

 

[Lo-Fi Mike]

enviroment

Hi! I just bought and set up a FireWire Mobile from PreSonus that I'm using w/my MacBookPro and the software it came with (Studio One) to record some songs.

I'm using a Sterling Audio Condenser mic w/phantom power and the vocal tracks sound like I'm in weird sort of tin chamber! Is there someway to adjust that sound within the program/software or is it maybe because I'm in my office w/no padded walls and such?

I've never tried to record with good quality before and am a rookie at this part of things so I'd love any advice!

Thanks

It might be the environment in which you are tracking and/or the effects you apply to your vocal track.
Try recording in a small closet with cloths hanging up. if that's not possible try putting some type of acoustic treatment right behind the microphone.
maybe shove a pillow or foam in the corner of a wall and set the mic there.
Most importantly: Remember that the microphone is not only going to pick up your voice, but the room and all it's reflections as well.

P.S. be carfull about double posting

 

[Cosmic]

It's called "bad acoustics" and no amount of gear will make up for it.

Whether you want to or not, you will have to treat the room to kill the bad reflections if you want any hope of recording something usable. Making up for a bad recording after the fact is the road to hell.
(Very occationally, someone will be lucky enough to have a naturally good-sounding room in their living space and such rooms are exceedingly rare indeed.)

Good luck with it; it ain't easy, but when it works, it is rewarding.

C.

 

[D_Vincent]

My studio/entertainment room is close to an outside back door so if I was having your issues I would try recording outside to see if you still have that tunnel like sound...If you do still have that tunnel sound then you can eliminate thats its the room enviroment.

You could stick mic out a window as well if it wont reach a door then go out side and test it somehow.

Kind of a strange way to test a mic however its a quick way to see if its the room enviroment doing it.

 

[XLR]

Make sure you're singing into the correct side of the mic.

 

[D_Vincent]

Make sure you're singing into the correct side of the mic.

Good point

 

[XLR]

Good point

Thank you. Happens all the time.

 

[Lo-Fi Mike]

Dynamic mic

I'm using a Sterling Audio Condenser mic

You could also try a dynamic.....you get less of the room with a dynamic in most situation.

 

[TimOBrien]

Sensitive condenser mic in a square box office with reflective surfaces = boxy sound

There's a reason studios spend million$ on their recording rooms....

 

[philbagg]

You could also try a dynamic.....you get less of the room with a dynamic in most situation.

This has been said tons of times and it's just not true.

 

[Armistice]

Just want to clarify...

You're not actually standiing in a metallic tunnel, are yoU?

Dunno what size your room is, but if you want to try to minimise the issue without doing extensive room treatment (you may need to do this ultimately anyway) then try:

1. Singing softly - to minimise bounce back
2. Singing at an angle to the all walls, as far away as you can get, without putting yourself into a corner - so that the waves bounce away and are weaker when they return
3. Put your couch / matress / large dog or horse (preferalby dead so it doesn't move) in front of you pointing at random angles to break up the reflections and damp them down a bit

If you get a noticeable improvement, then this is a sign that you should investigate treating your room...

Of course, if you're happy to have a dead horse in your loungeroom, then perhaps you don't need to...

Luck

 

[Armistice]

PS - a random assortment of fat chicks can help diminish reflections too...

Invite the cast of your local Biggest Loser show around while you record.


Hmm... I'm gonna pay for that one...

 

[philbagg]

PS - a random assortment of fat chicks can help diminish reflections too...

Invite the cast of your local Biggest Loser show around while you record.


Hmm... I'm gonna pay for that one...

That's not the only thing they can diminish

 

[strangedayz]

This has been said tons of times and it's just not true.

this is interesting. Care to elaborate?

 

[mixsit]

this is interesting. Care to elaborate?

You can have variables in the tightness of the pattern, but the big one is distance to the element, i.e, higher signal to noise. (Noise' in this case being the room. We don't typically work our 4047's at 3/4 of an inch.

 

[strangedayz]

So the difference is proximity?

 

[philbagg]

So the difference is proximity?

Exactly. People sing further away from condensers than dynamics (I think it's due to higher sensitivity to plosives and such from condensers). So,the mic picks up less source sound, and more room. Whereas, people tend to sing closer to dynamic mics, so there is less room sound in the recording.

Think about it, if you mic a guitar amp, an inch from the grill, you're not going to get any room sound with a cardioid mic, no matter what type of mic it is (dynamic, condenser, ribbon etc.). You move the same mic a few feet back, much more room.

This must be the third time this month I've had to explain this I might put it in my signature

 

[moresound]

PS - a random assortment of fat chicks can help diminish reflections too...

Invite the cast of your local Biggest Loser show around while you record.


Hmm... I'm gonna pay for that one...

Quote from 1st Star Trek movie....ugly bag of mostly water.

 

[XLR]

I still bet the OP is simply singing into the wrong side of the mic.

 

[Bristol Posse]

Exactly. People sing further away from condensers than dynamics (I think it's due to higher sensitivity to plosives and such from condensers). So,the mic picks up less source sound, and more room. Whereas, people tend to sing closer to dynamic mics, so there is less room sound in the recording.

Think about it, if you mic a guitar amp, an inch from the grill, you're not going to get any room sound with a cardioid mic, no matter what type of mic it is (dynamic, condenser, ribbon etc.). You move the same mic a few feet back, much more room.

This must be the third time this month I've had to explain this I might put it in my signature

Well to the original statement of use a dynamic you will get less room noise.
While inherently not the case that dynamics pick up less room, lower sensitivity of a dynamic necessitiates very close proximity mic technique often less than an inch leading to less room to vocal mix. (i suppose if you had a pre with over +80db of Gain then you could distance mic with a dynamic and room noise would be more of an issue)
Condensors are more sensetive and generally LDC mics used for vocal are placed further away,more than a foot because of sibliance, plosives and clipping, so the mix of room to voice is more room heavy than a close mic'd dynamic.

So while not specifically designed for the purpose of eliminating room noise the low output and necessary proximity of a dynamic generally results in Dynamic for vocal recording = less room noise than condensor. So as a general rule/statement this is very often true, Using a dynamic will result in less room noise, even if the semantics behind it are not completely transparent or technically accurate. There are of course exceptions plus all the pros and cons of the more mid rangyness of dynamics, the added bass of proximity effect, more flat frequency response with (good) condensors etc etc etc.