alexis
Joined: 10/01/03
Posts: 1209
Loc: San Antonio, TX USA
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Minimizing room noise: Play/sing with less volume?
#971144 - 20/02/12 12:26 PM
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Hi - For those of us that don't have great rooms and are recording audio ... would
singing/playing with less volume be the best way to go? I was thinking that might be the
case since the sound waves wouldn't have enough energy to bounce around the room as much.
But I wouldn't bet a whole lot that isn't backwards!
Thanks!
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Alexis -Cubase 6.5.0/SX3.1.1.944, XP SP2, 4GB RAM (1GB not accessible, but used just to balance the computer so it doesn't tip over); Delta 66 in Omni i/O Studio; Motif8; UAD-1
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Korff
Loose Cannon (Reviews Editor)
Joined: 20/10/06
Posts: 1996
Loc: The Wrong Precinct
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Re: Minimizing room noise: Play/sing with less volume?
[Re: alexis]
#971146 - 20/02/12 12:41 PM
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'Fraid not dude. Natural reverb is a linear thing, so while you're right in thinking that
playing quietly will excite the room less than playing loud, by the time you've turned,
say, a mic preamp up to make up for the difference in level between a quiet and a loud
take, you'd end up with the same ratio of direct sound and reverb as before.
Cheers!
Chris
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BonnieMac
Joined: 20/02/12
Posts: 1
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Re: Minimizing room noise: Play/sing with less volume?
[Re: alexis]
#971151 - 20/02/12 12:59 PM
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Lower volume does help. Along with as much separation as you can get.
We use a very
old converted single car attached garage. Diffusing parallel surfaces best we can with
home made baffles and partitions around room and the drum kit. We're a 4 piece, (guitar,
bass, keys, drums, and everybody sings) With the use of headphones or not we manage to get
decent tracks, although we are always trying to improve/experiment with mic placement,
live recording has the most potential for capturing magic.
Good Luck!
Bonzai
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Hugh Robjohns
SOS Technical Editor
Joined: 25/07/03
Posts: 18540
Loc: Worcestershire
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Re: Minimizing room noise: Play/sing with less volume?
[Re: alexis]
#971157 - 20/02/12 01:13 PM
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Quote alexis:
would
singing/playing with less volume be the best way to go?
No. It changes the style of the performance
for a start, and as the Korff says, it doesn't really help with the direct/room sound
ratio.
In a big space then reducing the source energy might reduce the strength
of sounds reaching and being reflected from distant objects because of air absorption, but
in a small room it really won't make a lot of difference.
The best thing is the
SOS classic 'duvet hung up behind the performer' trick to soak up any sounds that might
otherwise bounce into the front of the mic from the walls behind the performer. And you
can then gain further improvement by rigging duvets around the sides sice the sides of a
cardioid mic are only a few dB less sensitive than the front. This is where things like
the Reflexion Filter can help, and they are a little less oppressive than some big
duvets!
hugh
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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound
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alexis
Joined: 10/01/03
Posts: 1209
Loc: San Antonio, TX USA
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Re: Minimizing room noise: Play/sing with less volume?
[Re: alexis]
#971159 - 20/02/12 01:26 PM
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OK, thanks for that.
I do have the Reflexion Filter, and duvet (or whatever
it is called here in the States)rigged up. I'll just say that's the best we're going to
get for now, and carry on.
Thanks -
(P.S. - "The" Korff?  )
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