Thinking outside of the box - mic treatment vs room treatment

[TBman]

I was thinking... yeah I know....

But.

What if, it isn't practical to treat a room, so instead treat the mic?

What if I made a funnel, like the one below, only out of some sort of foam (a thinner version of the foam used for sound panels) instead of paper (as shown for illustration) to treat the mic to stop the capture of unwanted sound reflections?

[runamuck]

That little foam thingy is invisible to all but the higher frequencies. In other words, it wont stop low and mid frequencies that are bouncing around your room from affecting your recording.

There are things that have been designed based on the same principle as your idea ( Google, Reflection Filter) and they can be helpful but can also introduce what's called, comb filtering. I was using one for awhile until I discovered that that the Reflection Filter was causing more problems than it was solving.

If you can't treat your room, in my opinion the next best thing is to surround yourself with heavy blankets which act as gobos.

[Rudy4]

It's not the mic that sounds bad, it's the room!

[rick-slo]

No, no, and no again!

[KevWind]

In reality it is just as practical to make or buy portable absorption 2'by4' by 4" (Owens Corning 703 hard fiberglass or Rock Wool) panels , (also called Gobo's) and far more effective than trying to place foam/etc around a mic.

You can search here or google there is a huge amount of info available ( If you can't attach them to the wall as In the diagram I posted in the other thread)
You can buy or build simple stands and store them out of the way when not recording or mixing and just pull them out and place them when needed.

IF the Room is a significant problem .Consider that what you're proposing doing, is like slapping a bandaid over the surface puncture of wound of a deeply embedded metal sliver as opposed to digging it out.

[MikeBmusic]

What they ^^^ all said.
The 'foam' available (Auralex or clones) for acoustic treatment of rooms only takes care of high frequencies - think of the 'slap back' echo you'll hear in an empty room that has sheetrocked (gypsum) walls. That's only part of the audio spectrum.
Some people have had good luck with professional reflection filters (the best actually have multiple layers, including a perforated metal layer) - specifically for vocal recording, not guitar.

[sdelsolray]

That will make things worse, not better.

[Bob Womack]

The problem with placing materials around the mic is that those materials create reflections that alter the mic's frequency response by creating what are known as comb filters.. For that matter, they've found that even materials inside the headshell of the mic can create reflections so they are beginning to reduce the amount of pop filter materials in the shell in some new designs.

It is far better to come up with portable absorption or diffusion systems. You can hang panels on mic stands and put one behind the mic and one behind you, for instance, then knock them down and put them away. Did you know that a tall bookcase full of books is a great diffuser? If you can fill a wall with tall bookcases you can eliminate some reflections.

Bob

[muscmp]

some people are even able to use guitar cases stood up to help. not the best solution, but may help somewhat.

play music!

[alohachris]

Aloha Barry,

Love your sense of humor, Bah. That picture is hilarious.

However, there is no way around NEEDING Room Treatment when it comes to being able to control your space & achieve consistency in your home recordings, my friend. And DIY Room Treatment is not prohibitively costly or difficult to make yourself. Build two to four portable, OC 703 Broadband Absorbers to begin with & you can place 'em where you need to for recording & store them when not in use. Makes all the difference. Gives you lots of possibilities for mic placement.

Here's how to build a broadband absorber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lni_4HpwmZk


Here's why you need them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mPR0q1KzqQ&t=34s

Everything you need to build these absorbers is at Walmart except for the OC 703 rigid fiberglass (used in most pro studio's). You can buy or order that from Acoustic Material Supply houses. You double up the panels to 4"x2'x4' & cover with nice material (mine use white burlap from Walmart).

I started out by building nine broadband absorbers to put around & above where I track. They are free-standing without frames & I hook them together w/ hard wire. I put two in front of the mics, two each on both sides, two in back & one hanging above me - experiment with panel placement & spacing).

I ended up with 22 of these great panels (built over three years) for the room corners including ceiling to wall joints, around, in front & above the recording desk & tracking spaces). They still look good & work perfectly after 12 years of using them in many kinds & shapes of recording spaces. I love their portability & how easy & cheap it is to make broadband absorbers. I don't fight early reflections anymore & can concentrate on recording & playing, not fighting the room.

Give it a shot Barry.

BTW, start recording with two mic's in stereo. Time to step up.

All the best!

alohachris

[Northward]

There seems to be plenty of good advice on how to sound treat rooms DIY, but they all have that in common to be bulky and take up a lot of space. If you live in a house or flat where you just can't spare the space for a permanent set up. I've yet to see an elegant solution that is packable and can be stored in a closet... I mean who's wife would be happy with a huge spherical disc on a stand mostly just standing there.. [emoji28]

However I have come to the conclusion that with today's offerings on affordable, decent recording equipment and computers, I think the biggest obstacle most people have for good sound is the recording space (home). I'll soon have an ok setup myself, but my room are a problem I need to solve. I 'd wish the fix was as easier.

How about animal fur? Any opinions on how sheep or reindeer would work on a walls around the mic? [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by Northward

There seems to be plenty of good advice on how to sound treat rooms DIY, but they all have that in common to be bulky and take up a lot of space.

But that's the facts - you need some bulk to absorb the lower frequencies.
Three 4"x2'x4' will take a 1ft x 2ft x 4ft space to store away - about the same as two guitar cases. With 3 of these traps, you can put 2 in front of you in a V and one behind you when recording to absorb a lot of the unwanted reflections.

[SteveA]

Why don't you just buy the CAD VocalShield VS1 Foldable Stand-Mounted Acoustic Shield, or something similar??? They were the Stupid Deal of the Day last week for $49....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-a...I0aAg9D8P8HAQ&

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by SteveA

Why don't you just buy the CAD VocalShield VS1 Foldable Stand-Mounted Acoustic Shield, or something similar??? They were the Stupid Deal of the Day last week for $49....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-a...I0aAg9D8P8HAQ&

Ok for recording vocals I suppose. Not ok for recording an acoustic guitar.

For example in prior threads:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=269557

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=392153

[TBman]

What about a foam circular shield with the mic in the center like a collar for the mic, maybe with a foot to 18" diameter?