Ok, so I finished my ghetto set up and I'm ready to get my ghetto mic setup now..

My bedroom does have some reflective noise.....and it's a perfect square, which is the worst. But I notice if I open the closet (which is really dead) it help a little.

I have two huge, heavy moving blankets and I'm about to make my faux "booth"... I would like to see if I can field some suggestions.

I was told the BEST way to do it is to hang the blankets in a "U" type enclosure and have the vocalist back to the blankets and pointing OUT into the open space of the room...

But some people have told me to have the "U" set up and have the mic in the "corner" with the vocalist pointing into the pocket.

Any thoughts?

 

We recorded vocals with a friend for his band, it was into his bedroom, under his bed (Which is very high of course lol) with blankets everywhere around, it sounded fantastic !

I tried to make a booth in my room too, with blankets on my right and on my left but it's not as good... I guess because of a huge window in this room, when I sing loud I hear the room's reverb

So I think each case is very different, experimentation is the only way but my experience would say : More blankets, the better x) lol

Good luck !

 

So, the deader the better?? I read so many conflicting views on this subject. Some people say that even if you completely deaden a small closet for a mic booth it sounds horrible because it's small. Some people say it works..

Thanks... I'm actually going to test that bed thing out LOL.. that's crazy I never heard of that loll

 

What microphone? Pix please!

 

Oh sorry...

it's a USB Yeti.. real UN-professional stuff... But I'll get by.

 

Deader is not always better, but it is usually better than room coloration and reverberation. This is one of those things that you just have to experiment with. I made a vocal booth out of a triangle shaped small closet, and I am still trying to find the right spot, how much Auralex foam to use, etc. I have found that you may not want total coverage of absorbing substances. Depends on what it is and where it is at in relationship to the mic, but you really just have to experiment and let your ears judge. It takes patience and time guided by experience. Good luck. I have changed this around since this photo. Mounted a smaller monitor on the wall down at eye level and put the interface closer to eye level also. wireless mouse and I can do takes and set all my levels, control playback from in the "booth".

 

Yea, that much is certain.....Gonna take a while to find a sweet spot or an "as good as it's going to get spot" rather.

 

Pick up one of these:

http://www.primacoustic.com/voxguard.htm
http://www.cadaudio.com/AS32_Acousti-shield_32.php


Or construct something similar:

 

My Vocals FX Chain:

Reaper is crazy with routing you can do some crazy stuff since everything is a track
Vocals Mastering

1.Aphex Vintage Exciter (Waves)
2.CLA Vocals Mono/Stereo (Waves)
3.Vocal Rider Live Stereo (Waves)
4.Scarlett Reverb (Focusrite)

In that specific order


Master Bus= Custom IR pulled from my 80's collection- Already posted how to do this

That's it, the IR will help with any little hiss or reverb tailing issues you are having look for the post there is a link to grab the IR-Pulled from Foreigner Tracks-Most likely British Consoles

 

I heard that nearfield absorber works well when you already got a not so bad acoustic. But yes it can be a good idea !

Most of the time they're not that cheap, there's probably way to do a DIY one !

One more time it seems there's no real rules for recording vocals...

Thanks Dan for your details ! Very interesting, I always wonder how others do :p

 

truly , I know you're worried about not to " color " the sound too much , but in the end , that is what will give it some personal touch .
If you try the U or V shape with the blankets , don't forget to leave some leak , meanning > some space to catch at least a discrete reverberation of the room ( you can alwaya duck it with a gate , or filter it) .....

It will give you something to work with , better not to be too clinical , or it will sound flat , lifeless , and then when you add effects , artificial . As much as tried to emulate , reverberation it's an incredibly complex and self reactive thing , so , try to have , at least as a start basis , some actual reverb from the place you're recording , you can always damp it , and go tottaly synthetic if you don't like it , but sometimes it really pays off !
And , a good chain can have (your loving subtle Eq )+ Sugarbytes Vogue and/or iZotope Nectar + (optional discrete reverb).

One in a million ways of doing it !

yeti

 

If you have a loud vocalist, you'll want to put him in the closet. If theyre a soft singer you can get away with a corner. Hang blankets on the walls all around the closet and thumbtack one over the door too. If you have those aluminum pocket doors, remove them! Trust me, Ive done this many times. I even put pillows in the corners for "bass traps" If you can, put something on the ceiling too. I have a couple of LOUD rappers I record like this. I also use one of these....

Reflexion Filter Pro

Buy you can make one pretty easily and get decent results.

Mattresses will work for soft singers. Two in a corner

For processing try vocal rider and nectar (in that order) to start. You can get some good results fast. Then I turn off the reverb in nectar and bus the vox to the vox bus(es)

 

I would put vocal rider before the comp (whatever mojo CLA Vocals is using) so that youre hitting it at the same level all the time = youre getting the same amount of (color) saturation. Well thats the way I do it anyways. Youre riding the signal after its been compressed and eq'ed and processed.

The CLA vocal is a whole chain with reverbs and effects. you wouldnt automate your faders post sends on a board

also my exiter and reverb would be on aux buses.