Once again DIY Panels

[fenderrocker]

what do you guys think of this? worth it or not?

http://www.angelfire.com/sports/RCca...tic_panels.htm

[albee1952]

I think it would be better if filled with 703/705, but I bet it works better than foam.

[erthquake]

Originally Posted by albee1952

I think it would be better if filled with 703/705, but I bet it works better than foam.

Exactly. R13 isn't going to be very dense, so it won't do much to kill the low end. It's only going to help deaden the room.

If you could find a way to stuff and compress several batts into that frame, that'll help more.

[fenderrocker]

Originally Posted by erthquake

It's only going to help deaden the room.

Well that's exactly what I'm trying to do. My vocals aren't clear enough because my room echoes like crazy. I'm looking for a cheap way to deaden it. I went up to an insulation warehouse yesterday and they wanted to sell me 6 pound, 1.5" thick fiberglass board for $40 per 4' x 8' board. That's more than I want to spend, and I don't think it'll be thick enough. I'm going to college mid August so I think I'm just gonna give up. I can't get a good vocal sound in my room, and I don't want to dish out a lot of money just for a few weeks of use.

Maybe I'll try recording in my closet. Man, I don't know what I'm gonna do when I'm in a dorm...

Thanks guys.

[erthquake]

If you're just concerned about deadening echos for recording vox, and not treating your room for mixing, then here's a few ideas:

Buy a bunch of cheap cotton drapes from target or walmart like these. Their easier to store and keep out of the way when you don't need them. I used a bunch of these recording in a student lounge and they worked great. Just get a bunch of pushpins to hang them.

Yes, closets with lots of clothes in them work as well.

Singing closer to the mic will also help raise the level of your voice relative to the room reflections.

If you can use a laptop, many colleges have rehearsal rooms/lounges with pianos that might already have some treatment in them.

[fenderrocker]

Sweet. Just used some mic stands to hang a bunch of quilts in my closet. Unfortunately, my AC room is behind a door back in my closet, but I sealed it off with a feather duvet and that reduced the noise enourmously lol. Then I hit the 80hz cutoff on my Presonus Mic Pre and BAM. AC practically doesn't exist anymore.

Just wondering, what's wrong with the preamp on my Mbox 2, or even my tube Mic Pre? Will buying a good preamp really improve my vox that much? And compression. I would imagine having an external compressor is much better than the virtual comp, so should I look into investing in a good comp/eq/pre?

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by fenderrocker

Sweet. Just used some mic stands to hang a bunch of quilts in my closet. Unfortunately, my AC room is behind a door back in my closet, but I sealed it off with a feather duvet and that reduced the noise enourmously lol. Then I hit the 80hz cutoff on my Presonus Mic Pre and BAM. AC practically doesn't exist anymore.

Just wondering, what's wrong with the preamp on my Mbox 2, or even my tube Mic Pre? Will buying a good preamp really improve my vox that much? And compression. I would imagine having an external compressor is much better than the virtual comp, so should I look into investing in a good comp/eq/pre?

Nothing is going to make up for bad acoustics, so start there for sure. Having an external compressor doesn't really make the sound better(unless we are talking expensive stuff) but it would allow you to record a little hotter without worrying about clipping. Of course, to use an external compressor with an Mbox, you need an external mic preamp in front of it(yet more money). I would save my money and work on maximizing what you have. A decent microphone, tamed room acoustics and proper recording techniques will get you quite far(and unskilled use of the best mic and preamp can still sound bad). My friend gets great vocal tracks with a stock 002 and an AKG 414(suits his voice well). 2 more cents on compressors, I'll take the BF76 or SMACK plugins over any sub-$1000 compressor any day. Since I do have external mic pre's, I do insert an RNC on vocals and I record bass thru an Aphex Punch Factory(a stomp box opto compressor/DI unit).