About Me

Musician

Drummer

Sound Engineer & Producer

DIY vocal reflection filter/booth

Have you ever been recording vocals and found yourself struggling against background noise. Or does you microphone pick up too much of the ambience of the room when all you want is a clean and dry vocal take?


This is the blog for you!

There are a number of options. You could acoustically treat the room but this is expensive and quite a hard task if you don't understand acoustics. Also if the treatment is done badly it can cause further Problems and luck very messy.

You could also turn a closet In to a vocal booth and line it with carpets, foam, blankets and all sorts of other thick materials.. What if you don't have a spare closet then what do you do?

You use a vocal reflection filter. With your microphone in the middle and the acoustic treatment of the filter around the back and sides the amount of background noise it picks up will be greatly improved.

SE electronics are a notable company for making these as are many others. I really like the editors keys version and will include a link to there website below.

Unfortunately these things cost money. This is where some recording studio DIY comes in.

Materials

Old drum 

The size is up to you as each size will give you different end results.  i used a 16" floor tom.  You can pick up cheap drums on eBay or on many other places online.  Some drum/music shops sell broken drums for spares and repairs that you could use depending on there state.

Acoustic foam

eBay is also a great place for this.  I used some auralex egg box foam but most acoustic foam will suffice just make sure you get a size big enough for your drum.  any excess could make smaller versions or a number of other things.


Wood glue/Hot glue gun

For glueing the Acoustic foam to the drum shell.


Brackets/clamps


Head to your local hardware or DIY store and buy something to attach it to a stand or wall.  i attached mine with butterfly style clamps to a straight microphone stand but the possibilities are huge.

How To

Step 1

Saw your drum in half

This will give you the contour you need for your booth.

Step 2

Grab your acoustic foam and glue it to the inside of the shell. Make sur you use plenty of glue to keep it glued down.

Step 3

Cut off and excess foam. This may vary depending how much you want the filter to wrap around. On mine I've left a bit past the drum shell edge.

Step 4

Attach your brackets or clamps to the drum in the position you want. Depending how and to what your attaching your reflection filter the results will vary.

Step 5

Record some crisp vocals with less worry!

Here's a picture of how mine ended up:

This is a link to the Editors Keys Vocal booth if you were looking to go to the next level and purchase one.

Michael Paul Stavrou - Microphone Hardness (Meaning or Interpretation?)

A few years ago i purchased a book entitled Mixing With Your Mind by Michael Stavrou.

The book was a lot of different ideas for setting up a studio and techniques for approaching a recording session.  How to set up your monitors, how to mic up a guitar and many more.

We looked at this book briefly as part of my degree and one section in particular sparked debates.

MICROPHONE HARDNESS

In the book Michael Stavrou talks about his microphone rating system.  The theory is create a chart of microphone hardness, if your using a soft instrument use a hard microphone and visa versa.  This way you can try and get as natural a sound as possible.

What on Earth Is Hardness?


This is the section question that caused a debate.  In the book Michael Stavrou doesn't state exactly what 'hardness' is.

This could be for a few reasons:

• Maybe he just wanted it to be his little secret (but then why right a book?) 
• Maybe he made the whole thing up to fill a chapter?
• Maybe he wants it to be your choice,  your interpretation.

Personally i think the third idea is probably the most likely.  The way i see it, by not defining it, nobody can go wrong with this technique.  Aslong as you perceive your hardness for your microphones and instruments the same way and apply this perception accordingly then that should in theory work for you.

if you struggle to think up your own interpretation of this then here are some ideas that could get you started:

• Does the microphone hurt at loud volumes,  does it get 'harder'?
• Does it sound dull or bright?
• Where are the harmonics?
• Does it sound smooth or crisp?

in the book Michael Stavrou does list things that he says hardness isn't but like i said above if you apply it in the way in which you perceive it then it is a technique that could work extremely well for you.

How Do I Find My Microphone Hardness?

Get all the microphones at your disposal (studio, home, friends).  using the manufactuers websites and manuals look at the frequency response to see which one will colour the sound as little as possible.  Ideally get hold of a flat response microphone if you can.  This microphone will have a hardness rating of 0

After this you can cary on with all other microphones until your left with a rating that goes from what ever number you want.  If your only doing home recording and/or learning about music technology i recomend a -5 to 5 rating.  If you want to do more thats entirley up to you.

as you do the other microphones decide if they sound harder or softer than the flat response microphone rated 0, then give them a rating accordingly.  

How Do I Apply This To My Next Session?

Now you have that rating chart lets put it to good use.  Print it out and stick it on your wall if you want especially if you have a lot of microphones.

Listen to your audio source (guitar, vocals, piano, etc...) and using the same perception for hardness decide if your source has a hard or soft sound.  if your source has a hardness rating 2 then use a microphone with a hardness rating -2.  basicly use the opposite of the source to help get the most natural response.

Make sure you remember that not every vocalist will have the same percieved hardness just like no 2 of the same guitars or instrumentalist will either, however if you use this system you can get good results everytime!

One more thing to remember is that, like most other things in this industry, this isn't set in stone.  You may want to capture a hard or soft sound so will use a hard mic on a hard source or visa versa.

Where Can I Get That Book?


I highly recommend purchasing this book if you want to learn more of Michael Stavrous' innovative techniques.  The book is full of great ideas and a lot can be taken away from it.

The book can be purchased from one of the two links below

Michael Paul Stavrou - Mixing With Your Mind - Official Author Website

Starting you first home/project studio

Setting up your first home studio can be a daunting prospect.  It doesn't need to be!

I started building up my home recording equipment at the age of 15 and to this day after many purchases its still growing.  My first set up involved using a PC microphone, Audacity and a computer with 256mb of ram.  Since then this has changed a lot  but i learnt so much using that set up.

There are so many different ways you can go about setting up your studio.  Every person will prefer to work with different equipment in a different way.  I think the best way is to outline your options and work one stage at a time.

A full list of my recording equipment can be found hear MY RECORDING EQUIPMENT

The equipment i personally think you should invest in is:

• Computer
• Recording Software
• Interface
• Microphone
• Headphones
• Speakers
• Accessories

On top of this you can consider a headphone amp, a pre amp and a mixer but usually these are down to personal preference rather than necessity. 

Now comes the break down (not the epic musical kind) of each section.

Computer

This is where the age old Mac vs PC argument could begin, I'l avoid it.  Use what your comfortable with. I now use Macs but thats what i prefer not what everyone should use!  If you require more help on this small subject please contact me or use google to find millions of amusing arguments! 

Il look at the technical side and not the logo on the case.  There a few things you will want to look out for on the technical or geek side of a computer.  i wont start explaining what each thing does as this would make this post twice the length.  If theres words you don't understand or want to know more about please google them or ask me!

• Ram - Most softwares state a requirement of a minimum of 2gb ram.  While this is sufficient i would always recommend going for 4gb.  In my experience 4gb is enough,  the only reason i have more is as a precaution when im working on large projects.
• Processor - Anything Intel or AMD dual core or better should be fine! The faster the processor the better and the more cores the better (theoretically).
• Hard Drive - once again the faster RPM the better.  Id say go no less then 5400RPM. I use a 7200RPM as my recording disk and a 5400RPM as storage.  You'll need a decent amount of hardrive space (at least 500gb) as project files can get large as can software packages.  It is however possible to offset these onto a external disk.  Using an SSD will improve speed dramatically but can be expensive (or effect space).
• Inputs - If your not using a external sound card you need to make sure you have an audio in and out on your computer.  Its always a good idea to have plenty of USB ports especially if you plan on using USB sound cards, Mice, Keyboards or flash pens. and also firewire if your desired sound card requires it.
• Graphics card - aren't that important other than if your wanting to run more than one monitor (this again is personal preference).

All software you buy will have a minimum system requirements on there website.  this way you can check you have the right operating system and other things that you need.  Above is just my personal recommendations for a start up! 

Also think about running your computer offline.  This will help keep the speed of your computer fast but can become a pain for licensing and updating software! 

Software

Again to avoid any arguments this section wont be that long.  

I spent my first 3 years learning to use Cubase.  i then moved onto Logic and Pro Tools.  At home i now use Logic and Pro Tools and havent used cubase for a while now.  I have nothing against any software,  i use what i find works for me. 

The three softwares listed above are what i think to be the main industry standard packages.  Theres a lot of other cheaper and free options out there as well such as Reaper, Audacity, Mix Pad and hundreds more! 

Just remember that if you like the look of logic then it is only available for Macs

Interface/Sound card

This is where you should really consider what it is your wanting to record.  Do you really need that shiny interface with its 16 inputs, or would 2 inputs suffice.  If your recording drums at home then obviously 8 inputs will be the minimum you need,  if your just recording acoustic guitar between 2 - 4 should suffice.

Also look at what form these inputs take.  Do you need XLR, Jacks, ADAT etc...

Once you've decided this you can look at other options such as expandable by ADAT, Daisy Chaining, Future expansion and many other special features that manufacturers are packing into there products.

A lot of the time with interfaces you do get what you pay for.  if you buy a cheap interface it will sound cheap and wont be built to withstand heavy usage.  If you spend thousands of pounds on one then its preamps will sound a lot nicer and it will have a lot more features.  

Work within your limits and use common sense at this stage theres no point in buying what you dont need.

Microphones

Microphones are often another case of get you what you pay for in terms of sound and build quality.  This isn't to say all of them will be the same.

I would say your best bet would be to pay for a mid range large diaphragm condenser microphone.  These are great for pretty much every application you will need to begin with and have a great clarity to them that dynamic mics can often lack. 

If you buy a condenser microphone then remember to make sure your sound card has phantom power.

If being used for vocals a pop filter will almost definitely be required to stop implosives destroying your recorded sound.

As every microphone sounds different it would be a good idea to find some friends or a local shop with some microphones you can try out to help you find one thats suits your style, application and ears.

If your recording drums you will most likely need a good set of drum microphones.  you could buy a very cheap set and trigger after recording or you could buy a mid/expensive set which would yield better results.

Headphones and Speakers

Using Headphones to begin with may stop your needs for speakers but i would highly recommend both as mixing on headphones will often yield very different results.  

Using headphones while recording will take away the chance of getting any bleeding signals on the recorded tracks (which is something you do want rid of).

Headphones and speakers all sound different as well so i would recommend, to get used to them, listening to your favourite music on them.  Songs you know the sound of well.  this will help you get accustomed to how your speakers sound.

Pre amp

Often already built into your interface.  However sometimes an external sound card can sound better or maybe your interface doesn't have them on all inputs.

Tube pre amps can add coloration's to sounds. 

A mixer with direct outs ( or Aux outs) can be used as a pre amp if necessary.

Accessories

• Pop Filter - To eradicate Implosives
• Microphone Stand(s) - Sizes and styles vary so consider your needs
• Cables - Depending on what your recording your cabling needs may be tiny or vast.  Make sure you have the correct cables and enough of them.  if your hands with a soldering iron then making your own cables to your desired length can be cheaper and handy.
• Midi Keyboard - To input sounds.
• Acoustic Foam - Can come in handy to add an extra dampening to a room or isolate a sound in a room. 
• Adapters - For headphones, inputs, outputs, Pads and all sorts! 

Conclusions

Everything above is just how i started.  There is no correct way to set up your studio but hopefully now you know how i did it you can start to plan your own way of working.  Feel free to ask me anything more you want to know or to discuss different kinds of set ups that could work for you! 

Need gear check out the sites below for places to buy some of the things you might need.

Editors Keys
Thomann - Just click to go to the UK site at the top!
Amazon