Surgical mask/allergy mask

[TBman]

Anyone try wearing one of these when recording instrumentals. I'm seriously considering trying this. Wearing one has got to muffle the breathing sound a bit.

[jim1960]

I tried that about 15 years ago. Didn't really help. I've found that deep slow breaths through my mouth helps keep the noise down.

[frankmcr]

C
Luke, fffffff
F7add 11
I am your fffffff
Gm7
father fshshshsh . . .

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by TBman

Anyone try wearing one of these when recording instrumentals. I'm seriously considering trying this. Wearing one has got to muffle the breathing sound a bit.

Hi Barry

When I operated an acoustic studio, there were 'deep breathers', 'excited breathers', 'intermittent breathers' (often breath holders), 'explosive breathers' especially after they'd been holding their breath for 20-30 seconds…all sorts of 'noisy breathers'! Sometimes really noisy

A surgical mask blocks germs not sound.

Sometimes all it took to 'fix' it (or limit it) when recording was to elevate the mics (when I was using a cardioid pattern mic) and aim them downward at the same point on the guitar so the 'breathing' fell into voids in the mic's pickup pattern. And things which were apparent on my studio monitoring gear would often go un-noticed by the 'public' who were playing things back on phones, and computers.

Also sometimes I backed off the mics another foot or two after elevating them. While it increased the room noise a bit, that was sometimes preferable to noisy breathing.

A couple times I was able to teach guitarists to breathe more quietly. Mostly not…

If they had a cold and were 'snuffling' we re-scheduled. There's no fixing that in post (or while recording).

In one case I used a figure 8 mic to take advantage of an even 'bigger' void in the pickup pattern.

I listen to albums by great fingerstyle players where you can hear them breathing. Many players are not aware they are producing other noises besides the guitar. And sometimes apparently they don't care. It's so organic that after a while I must just ignore it.

[reeve21]

Barry,

I don't hear your breathing on what you post on show and tell, listening through headphones. But now I'll be listening for it

I do hear the breathing of at least 2 of our resident "pros," on their CDs. I got used to it pretty quickly. In some cases it actually ads to the performance. To take it to an extreme that can be distracting to some folks, have you ever listened to solo piano recordings of Keith Jarrett?

Breathing is a very interesting part of playing. I tend to be a breath holder. My playing is smoother when I think about breathing evenly. My guess is the mask wouldn't muffle the sound (in might even amplify it in your ears), and might be distracting, but there is no harm in trying.

[mr. beaumont]

Whenever I see someone with one of those masks on, I think "Hmmm...are they protecting me from them or them from me?"

As for breathing on recordings, I have noticed it (although not on yours) and I gotta say unless it's something weird like "the breah holder who then loudly exhales and inhales" or something, it never bothers me. Just like string squeaks. I like the occasional reminder that there's a HUMAN playing the music.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Whenever I see someone with one of those masks on, I think "Hmmm...are they protecting me from them or them from me?"

As for breathing on recordings, I have noticed it (although not on yours) and I gotta say unless it's something weird like "the breah holder who then loudly exhales and inhales" or something, it never bothers me. Just like string squeaks. I like the occasional reminder that there's a HUMAN playing the music.

Hi Mr. B

Agreed. I dislike the sterility that digital 'correction' has introduced into studio recording.

Pitch correction, & quantization are two I particularly dislike.

De-breathilization (I may have made that up) is sometimes necessary (singers who inhale too sharply).

The pursuit of perfection leads to all kinds of strange alterations of recordings. And just because we CAN doesn't mean we SHOULD correct everything.





[/size]

[TBman]

I'm going to try them anyway because I must,

Larry, I'm going to try different mic positions, thanks.

[Silly Moustache]

Wouldn't it simply be better to learn how to breathe as a singer.

Loads of vids on YouTube if yuo can't find a good singing teacher (which I found very useful).
also proper mic technique - (not so close!)

[islandguitar]

I once saw a pic in an article about this topic of a young guy actually wearing a scuba mask as he worked through recording a track!! Seriously!!

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by TBman

Anyone try wearing one of these when recording instrumentals. I'm seriously considering trying this. Wearing one has got to muffle the breathing sound a bit.

It will likely amplify the breathing sounds.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

It will likely amplify the breathing sounds.

What if I wear half a dozen.... They're thin,