Moving And Setting Up Recording Studio!

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

wow, weird i dunno what happened here, but what i originally typed was something like this:

im moving sometime this month. my new room has a walk in closet. my walk in closet is a wall away from where the computer will be set up. in the closet I will be padding the walls with foam/pad that absorbs sound. i'm going to set up a mic to record the cabinet/amp in the closet and a jack panel with 2 1/4 inch jacks and 1 xlr jack in both rooms. I would set up my guitar in the computer room then hook the guitar up to the jack panel, then hook the jack panel to the amp and record using the mic i set up. i would connect the mic to the xlr jack in the jack panel and connect the xlr jack in the computer room to the computer and record. if anyones done this or similar, got any pointers and such? does this set up sound good? any concerns?

Edited February 15, 2005 by silvertonessuckbutigotone

[Dugz Ink]

Yeah, I've done something similar, but I use the ½ bath that's connected to my song writing studio. One thing to consider; if you 1) only use one mic, and/or 2) use too much sound treatment, then the recording won't sound like what you're used to hearing. Most people get their best results by putting a mic on the amp (that handles high SPLs) and another mic 3, 6, or 12 feet away (to pick up the ambient sound) then mix the two... sometimes with some slight stereo panning.

Here are two great sites:

Acoustics 101 (details on sound treatment)

Studio-Central (home recording forum)

D~s

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

I was thinking about getting the SM57 for the mics, i read about them in the other thread, do you guys think thats a good idea?

[syxxstring]

id also consider the Seinheiser e609. Its a way cool guitar mike. The songs on my page all the solos were done with that and all the rythm parts done with my 57.

Do some research on sound proofing if thats your goal. Regular foam won't do much for you. Its not dense enough. The cheapest solution we found was old cubicle walls. We got a truck load for free, and lined the entire garage and set up booths and desks.

I have an alley way where I set up my 55 watt mesa and 1x12 cab cranked you can barely here it outside the booth.

Check your phone book for companies that resell used office equipment, they may be able to help you find or buy some.

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

my goal isnt to sound proof, but to keep as much sound as possible in the recording room, so I guess they go hand in hand, but the foam stuff I have heard has great results.

[syxxstring]

My whole point was that unless you use studio grade foam most test show ordanary foam stops about as much sound as a bed sheet.

So before you put time and money into it make sure its dense enough to absorb.

[Jester700]

Remember also that foam won't do squat for the bass. You will hear thumps from outside, as others will hear your kick drum and bass guitar. Pure physics - you need mass to absorb that, and NO foam has it. Concrete does... ;-)

If you look at the absorption coefficient of the various foams at different frequencies, you'll see that the deeper the wedges the lower the absorption goes (in terms of frequencies). But at 125Hz they ALL suck. So you end up with a room that is muffled and boomy, and recordings sound that way. Best IMO to just make the room SOUND good. And if the room is bright or has slap echoes, judicious use of foam works great. But then, so do drapes, mattresses, bookshelves, and several other things. If you really need soundproofing, it's gonna be a major project.

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

like I tried to explain, I'm not needing it to sound proof, all I need is to make the room balanced, I don't mind if I hear people from outside or people hear me from outside, because I'll most likely be recording when few to no people are home. My ONLY goal is to make it sound good, not soundproof. And the room is already almost soundproof because it has a concrete floor and that abosrbs a lot of sound, but that concrete also creates a very bright annoying echoey sound, so with foam on the wall and carpet on the floor it will balance it out for the clearest and most pleasing sound possible.

[Jester700]

Ah. Sorry. By "keep as much sound as possible in the recording room" I thought you meant to keep it from getting OUT. So, then...

Yeah, foam will work to disperse slap & flutter echoes and tame the high end. But do consider the other means that I mentioned - they work, too. And you probably won't need to cover entire walls; just put some absorptive materials up until the overall balance is what you want. What are the walls? Studs & wallboard?

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

I don't know anything about the walls except that they look like standard walls, I don't know any specifics becuase I've only been there a couple times.