Bedroom music recording
January 14, 2016 10:28 AM   Subscribe

Bedroom music recording. Also, what is the equipment in this picture?

I have been recording music for a little while now; it's very lo-fi with ambient room noises that are starting to bug me. I'm using an AT2020 mic. How can I improve the sound quality without spending a lot of money? Also, what is the equipment in this picture and is it relevant to what I want to do?
posted by DeltaForce to Media & Arts (15 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Which piece of equipment are you referring to? The gear of note I see are a mixer, interface, laptop and pop filter. I guess the equipment could be relevant to what you want to do. What sort of music do you want to make? How is your AT2020 mic currently set up?
posted by aielen at 10:49 AM on January 14, 2016


If you'r'e talking about just the recording gear itself, it's a Yamaha MG102C Mixer and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB interface.

Neither of those things are relevant to the room noise issue.

In terms of ambient room noise, knowing what you're using the mics for will go a long way towards addressing the problem. Is this for vocals? Instruments? What kind of instruments?

There's really no such thing as a one-size-fits-all mic that will be perfect for every application.
posted by mykescipark at 10:51 AM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I would love to make music along the lines of Grimes or Laurel Halo, and I'm cool with a more lo-fi sound than that, just maybe not as lo-fi as what I'm currently making. For reference, the gear in the photo is R. Stevie Moore's, whom I also really admire.

And it's for recording my guitar.
posted by DeltaForce at 10:53 AM on January 14, 2016


Going right, from the laptop:

The blue thing is a mixing desk. A Yamaha one, looks like a 10:2. Usually, your interface will only have a couple of inputs, so in a bedroom studio it's not uncommon to use one to have everything connected so you don't have to keep plugging stuff in and out of your audio interface.

The red thing is a Focusrite Saffire audio interface. It's got lovely pre-amps.

The black circly thing is a pop shield and behind it there is probably a microphone. A pop shield stops plosive sounds (like 'p' and 'b') from sounding much louder, and can help reduce sybilance (harsh 's' sounds).

Below the music stand there's a few guitar effects pedals.

Your AT2020 mic is fairly OK as a low-end bedroom studio mic and shouldn't be noisy in and of itself, which suggests your room might be noisy or you might have electrical problems; how are you connecting it to your computer?
posted by parm at 10:55 AM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


You are looking at:
1. a laptop
2. a Yamaha MG82CX 8 Channel Mixer Stereo Console or similar
3. a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Digital Recording Interface
4. a tuner pedal of some sort?
5. an MXR Classic Distortion pedal
6. a microphone pop filter

The relevant stuff is #1-3, which is a VERY minimal recording setup. Like, to record onto a laptop at all, you basically need those two things (which these days are conveniently combined into one doohicky).

A lot of room noise, if it is indeed room noise, is usually solvable with a noise gate (available at fine stores everywhere) and a louder signal (i.e. sing louder). If you're recording into a computer, well, that's probably where the noise is coming from. Get some longer cables and record in a separate room from it.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:57 AM on January 14, 2016


Response by poster: It's a USB mic, so just directly to my laptop. Also for reference, here is my soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/natatatt
posted by DeltaForce at 10:57 AM on January 14, 2016


Computer-> Mixer-> Wireless Receiver-> Music Stand with a light -> Mic with a condenser.

I think that the mic might be a Shure KSM42 with a Cardioid Condenser. It isn't what is wireless since I see the wire coming up from the bottom - so I'd assume the Wireless Receiver connects to the owner's guitar (not pictured) or to a secondary mic.

On the boxes near the mic stand are two fx boxes but I can't identify exactly what they are. Oh, and next to the CDs is are two rolls of toilet paper - which is important for long nights of recording when you just have to crap right there in your recording space and not walk a few feet to the bathroom.
posted by Nanukthedog at 11:03 AM on January 14, 2016


From your recording, it sounds like it's a problem of getting your microphone pointed at the right place in your instrument/voice. The noise you're hearing is always there, and the more you can get close to your source, the quieter that noise will seem in comparison.

For voice, folks usually recommend being a little distance from the mic to get a nice sound. If you're singing very quietly, though, and the noise is bothering you, just get closer to the mic.

Similar advice on the guitar, which sounds REALLY quiet. That happens with fingerpicking. Point the mic right at the twelfth fret, and get it darned, darned close.

Lovely recordings, by the way. Nice vocals.
posted by billjings at 11:49 AM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Seconding the mic positioning - from the recordings on your soundcloud, there's not a huge amount wrong with them that better equipment would immediately improve, assuming the effects are deliberate (the distortion on IDK and at the end of Red Cherry and the 'telephone' effect in a few other places - you manage a cleaner recording on some other tracks so I'm guessing they are).

You might benefit from some sort of acoustic damping if you feel you're getting a lot of room noise - arranging cushions and hanging duvets around the place can work surprisingly well in a pinch. And yes, get the mic as close you possibly can so it's picking up more from the thing you want to record and less from the room.

There's a great book by Mike Senior on getting the best out of recording in a home/small studio - it's probably a bit beyond the level you're looking at, but it might still be useful.

And yes, nice recordings - great voice and nice atmosphere. I look forward to hearing more.
posted by parm at 12:30 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


In some of your recordings it sounds like you're capturing both voice and guitar in one pass. With a single mic its going to be difficult to do it without getting too much noise. You may want to get two mic's one for each voice and guitar.

I always recommend a decent mic pre-amp. That Focusrite scarlett plus another mic would probably do you wonders.
posted by bitdamaged at 1:12 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


If you're serious about maintaining the lo-fi vibe you have there, I wouldn't change too much (except tightening up the low-mids in the mixes).

That said, the room I record in right now is super-live and sort of noisy. If I need to record fingerpicked guitar, I still use a condenser, but I get it as close as I can, right up like billjings says at the 12th fret. Moving close will improve the signal-to-noise, and moving up the neck will kill some of the mud.

As for vocals, if you have a closet in the room, fill it full of clothes, stick the mic just in front of it, and sing into it. This way the mic isn't entirely in the closet, so you don't get the "dispatch from my car" effect, but since you're projecting into a dead space, you get a lot less "room" in the recording (especially if you have bare wood floors and plaster walls, like I do). Start with the mic one shaka from your nose for quiet work and move closer / further depending on what you're singing.

And yes, separate passes for vocals and guitar, and a real preamp (even the cheap Focusrites) will be better than any USB mic, which tend to be sort of noisy, from what I've heard.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:18 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


If it's just guitar, just use an H2N recorder on a tripod. It's all about pointing it in the correct direction and making sure your gain adjustments are not too outrageous (either high or low). I don't have any of my own samples to share, but it's good enough to trick other people with trained ears who thought I was really in a studio.
posted by TinWhistle at 2:44 PM on January 14, 2016


That R. Stevie Moore setup is nice and humble!

I'd say you need an interface more than anything else, so you can stop plugging directly into your computer. I would look into picking up that Scarlett 2i4 interface he has. I've had my eye on that one myself.
posted by naju at 4:12 PM on January 14, 2016


I would also look into getting a Shure SM58 mic for recording your vocals. It's the most popular vocal mic, and is quite affordable at $99.
posted by naju at 4:17 PM on January 14, 2016


(Lovely tunes! I really like the lo-fi aspect of them, to be honest.)
posted by naju at 4:17 PM on January 14, 2016


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