Vocals at Home | Noise & Other Things | HELP

[slumbering]

---

I know this has been brought up before, and i'm sure i have brought it up, too. I have read things here at MI and also articles that i've found on the internet.

My question mostly has to do with recording at home in a place that is generally quite noisy from many different sources.

Also, there are a lot of details, so i hope someone who can help can also be patient with me.

Before i go on to set-ups i've tried, just to get this out of the way -
I have already learned that i need a pop filter and a condenser mic for my particular voice, and i've been using both for the majority of my time here.

As far as recording in the home, the things i've tried, as far:

Hanging up a comforter behind me, standing with my back to it and recording the vocals. I did not notice any difference in sound with this method.

Shutting all the doors along our hallway and stacking pillows at the end. Our hallway is very narrow. Although this did shut out most of the noise, i was not happy with the vocal recording because it sounded very, very muffled. It didn't sound free. Very muffled and unclear. Does the hallway being so narrow cause this muffledness?

I began to think it might be better just to record with all the noise and then clip things out manually in the tracks than to have such a muffled sound.

I've also just tried sitting on my bed with my back to the walls, hoping that most noise will come from me and less noise will come from outside. Sitting while singing has a lot of disadvantages, though.

In the different methods, i placed my computer just outside the room to avoid fan noise.

(There's another problem with outside noise, besides it just being noise - it usually either scares me or just throws me off and i end up flubbing my singing and have to start over.)

Another thing that's important to mention is that, when i realized i needed a condenser mic, i decided upon a Blue Snowball.

What i like about the Snowball is that it is a USB mic and going to USB from the other meant i didn't need an amp. What i noticed right away is that the amp noise was completely gone and there was no noise from the USB plug or from anywhere except what the actual mic picked up. Because of that, i don't think i'd ever want anything but a USB mic for recording on my computer.

Another nice thing about the Snowball is that it has three settings and it really picks up the harder to hear parts of my vocals. I guess that has to do with it being a condenser.

What i really don't like about the Snowball is that it's very awkward to handle. I've tried it with and without the ring. I finally decided to leave the ring on it, as i find that it's a real bitch to get on and off. It's hard to handle, it can't really be held like a normal mic. Of course, i've set it on a shelf without holding onto it, but i'm limited in where i can actually set the mic. It can be pretty unstable, i spread out the bottom three legs of the stand as far apart and try to tighten it up but it can still bend or fall in midst of recording.

I realize this is a lot of info.

I guess i have two questions:

Firstly, is there any other kind of set up i could try at home that might help cut down on the noise?

Secondly, can anyone recommend a good USB condenser mic that isn't too expensive? Also, do you think that having a smaller mic might cut down on the noise, since i could have more control in the way i hold it?

Well, i guess i have three questions. Is any of it even worth it? I'm starting to wonder if my songs are even worth it.

I would like to go back to some old ones, since i can't seem to some up with anything new right now, and re-record some of the vocals. I'm basically happy with most of the arrangements and instrumentation on my songs. Although i do with i understood and knew how to do mastering so that i could bring out a better sound. And i also hope that i will be able to create some new songs, too.

Hope someone can help me, i would appreciate it so much.

Thanks.

[Entomophila]

These are really good questions. I have the same microphone. I guess you have to have a really long cable in order to put the MBP in another room, or away from the, er, singing area? I have only a 6' cable. I hate the noise it picks up (including my voice LOL).

Have you tried a closet, lined with clothes, etc? You could bend a hanger to hold onto the microphone (upside down) and hang it from another hanger (or duct tape it, or something similar)?

You need a studio! THAT would be awesome!

[maggieo]

The noise gate effect is your friend. So is a mic stand!

[toots]

Here's a my drawing of my Fritters' partner Kelli's improvised setting for singing:
She got some of that eggshell sort of wavy foam and made and "L" shape, hung the microphone from the cord down in front of the foam and sang most of her vocals for our Fritters stuff that way. She had to do this because there was a lot of noise in her apartment because being in South Texas, it's extremely hot pretty much all of the time and a fan or air conditioning was always on.

I think holding onto the microphone for recording is not a good idea because the mic will pick up a lot of noise from your handling of it. The Snowball is threaded for a standard mic stand so that will also work. The advantage of hanging the mic would be if you have a noisy floor, or you tap your feet, that sound will transmit through the stand onto your recordings as well, unless you also have a shock mount holding the mic. http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones- ... B000H18RYS

[slumbering]

---

Thanks, everyone! And sorry for the rather long post.

Maggie, i have fiddled with the noise gate but i guess i really need to hone my skills or something. It seems that when i think i have it set just right, my voice will start cutting out, too.

James, i've actually seen that illustration before and it's what i was trying to do when i used the comforter. I don't have any foam to use. But it looks like i remembered the illustration wrong because i was singing with my back to the comforter and not facing it.

Now, when i look at the picture and the type of microphone, i think i can see why she's facing it, because that mic looks like it goes all the way around, it picks up the sound all the way around, so from one side, it's getting Kelli's voice and from the other the foam blocks noise. Okay, i can see it.

However, the Blue Snowball i have doesn't seem to go all the way around. The mic part that's open seems to be only on one side. Which is why i think i must have thought i should sing with my back to the foam.

But do you think, even with the Blue Snowball appearing one-sided, that it really isn't?

I have all the other stuff you mentioned, the Snowball, the Ringer, the stand and even a pop filter. I have the whole kit. It's just very awkward and since the stand is pretty short i have to place it on a shelf or else hold onto it and it's a difficult set-up for me to handle.

I guess, for the Snowball, what i really need is a good strong and tall mic stand or, like Kelli, to hang it, somehow.

Maggie gave me a great link on Facebook for a piece of equipment called the One, which apparently even has a condenser mic built in and then a separate mic can also be used with it, too.

Okay, thanks again! And, sorry for another long post.

[slumbering]

---

Here's a link to the interface Maggie recommended:

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/one.php

I think it looks nice.

[cStu]

I'm still using a dynamic mic, here which doesn't pic up nearly so much ambient noise (so I'm told).

[toots]

Well actually, the mic that Kelli uses is an AKG C1000 which is a medium diaphragm condenser mic that picks up a lot ,and it is a front address mic, so it does have a front side. The reason for the foam is to cut down on reflections. If your voice bounces back from a wall it will give you a hollow sound. It really depends much on the room. I have a room that's isolated from the rest of the house so I don't need to worry too much about external noise unless I open a window. I had foam on a lot of the ceiling and on a section of the walls in front of and in back of where I record to cut down on reflections. I ended up taking the foam off the ceiling because my vocal sound lacked a bit of life and it was ugly.
So I know what you mean by muffledness; your hallway being narrow might cause the muffledness but it's probably also the pillows. sometimes you want a bit of reflection to give the recording especially a vocal a bit of life. It needs to be controlled, that's all. the doorways also break up the side walls and so the sound waves don't move far, probably, so there's probably a lack of reverberation there, and the pillows at the end are just absorbing the sound to muffle it.

Clipping out the noise is a solution, much like a noise gate, but sometimes can sound unnatural.

How noisy is it in your recording environment? Is it from things moving around in the house or from outside? What sort of noise is the problem? A smaller mic might cut down on the noise, but you really shouldn't hold it while recording, and getting a proper stand (not just the little tripod the snowball comes with) or other way to suspend the mic is the first thing to try. It will give you a lot more options for placement.
I think the Blue should be a good mic and all you need is a mic stand to facilitate your recording.
But I just realized that nobody answered the third question of whether it is it even worth it.

YES YES YES of course it is worth it. You can learn a lot and your old songs could be polished up nicely so that your sense of confidence gets a boost. And once you get the techniques down, making new songs should be easier. Everybody has a certain degree of lack of confidence but it's often little technical problems and the sort of non-creative glitches that get in the way of overcoming that lack of confidence in your art. It's the non-creative technical things that can certainly plug up the pipeline of creativity.

[Tall J]

This is a great thread.

[slumbering]

---

James, thanks for all your advice and explanations. It really helps!

Also, thank you for your words of encouragement. I needed them very much today. <3 And what you said makes a lot of sense.

[slumbering]

---

Oops, forgot to get back to you on the noise. Well, it's just about anything you can imagine.

Trains, air force planes flying over, cars, horns, annoying kids with rap music so loud it makes my windows rattle, a neighbor who is a musician but, well, not a person i'd like to get to know, as part of his musical "process" seems to be yelling derogatory things at his kids at the top of his lungs, in between playing his guitar. Which is also quite loud. He's clear over on a parallel street and about two spaces down, and he's constantly doing all these hammer-ons, just relentlessly.

Then there are the typical sounds around the house, and these are easier to deal with, it's just a matter of timing. Washing machines, appliances, water running. I am careful to record at times when at least these things aren't going on. However, what always gets me is when someone flushes the toilet. I never can predict that one.

And then the typical white noise.

Again, what i really like about the USB mic is that the noise that so many amps have is completely eliminated.

Looks like, for now, a tall mic stand will really help me with the Blue Snowball, as it really is a good mic for my voice.

And maybe a bit later, when i can afford it (or maybe a X-mas present!) i can try Maggie's suggestion of the One. Which really looks cool to me.

[slumbering]

---

Oh, and Stu, about the dynamic mic.

Sp3ccylad explained to me that, for my voice, a condenser mic was best because of frequency.

I'm guessing that since your voice is pretty strong and isn't so breathy, that's why a dynamic mic would work well for you.

Just guessing, based on what i have learned. Not sure it's an adequate explanation but it's what i understand to be the difference.

[cStu]

I'm guessing that since your voice is pretty strong and isn't so breathy, that's why a dynamic mic would work well for you.

that makes sense to me too. and with my 'studio' wedged between the washing machine, the stairs, a bathroom, and the central heating I decided not to go the condenser route for now. And yes, flushing the toilet happens when you're least expecting it! It does take a bit of work getting levels right sometimes, but I guess that's called experience whatever kind of setup we have.

[toots]

I live in the middle of a city with lots of noises but my recording area is in the back of the house and the house in the back of my house is a bit quieter (yes, I have a house in what would normally be my backyard; Boston is a very dense old city) so not so much outside noise comes in. I shut my windows when I record. I also am very close to the microphone. It sounds like you might not be close enough to your microphone, because sounds that are outside of the room shouldn't be picked up normally, even with a condenser mic. But then you do have a breathy, soft, and might I say wonderful voice.

just a quick thought...

[rcandrews]

Folks have pretty much covered everything but I thought I would toss a couple pennies out there

I have two mic's but use The Snowball by Blue on a boom stand with a pop filter mostly. I never hold the mic and depending upon the reflection I am wanting I have varying distances I sing into it from. I close up the room and have no special barriers (one day). I do turn off all fans, and electronic devices. I had to move the clock on the living room wall as that wall is my recording rooms wall too.

I crank all the volumes up. The computers volume and the channels volume. I then do my adjusting with the master volume. It takes some getting used to to avoid from distorting but distortion isn't always the enemy

Here's the thing when I am laying down a vocal to say my guitar track I do turn the guitars track down to lessen the chances of it bleeding through onto the vocal track via my cans. But if I am doing one of them one track things I position me and my guitar properly and just hum and strum away

The truth is those tracks are the easiest to do opposed to layering, for me anyway

Oh yea my Snowball is hung upside down with the 3rd setting selected and is equipped with a spider shock mount as well.





Not sure any of that was useful

Peace,
Rob