Author Topic: Mic placement in a building of glass? (Read 7480 times)

Curioustín · « **on:** May 22, 2016, 12:24:44 pm »

I don't quite know where to post this...

I wan't to record my own vocals for a track that I'm working on for my album, and I found the perfect place in a huge glass building covering ruins of an old dome here in Hamar, Norway! The building is formed like a huge triangle, and have these ruins of stone sticking up here and there (http://www.hedmarksmuseet.no/Portals/59/Bilder/Historikk/Hamardomen-3418-11.jpg). As you may or may not understand, the reverberation in this building is enormous beautiful and perfect for the track.

The questions:
How and where do I strategically place the mic(s) - in the middle, on one of the sides, agains a wall, near/far from the rocks?
Should I use two microphones - one near the source (me), and one a bit further away capturing most of the reverb?
If I have one mic, how far should I stand from the mic to capture both the dry and wet voice in a balanced way?
I own a Shure SM7B. Should I borrow a different mic for this with a different polar pattern for instance?

FarleyCZ · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2016, 01:19:25 pm »

Never done something like this before, but my 2 cents:
I'd try to get some super-cardioid mic with as much side rejection as possible. This one I'd give as close to mouth as possible, so you have dry signal at your disposal.
For reverbation I'd either get stereo mic or pair of two same mics and put them far from the singer.

Aerithos · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2016, 05:42:48 pm »

Also make sure to record a sine sweep or impulse using stereo mics, and then generate an IR for it. That way, you can "re-use" the space as frequently as you want with a Convolver plugin.

ion · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2016, 08:18:35 pm »

I´d just ask NRK how they have placed mics when they have been filming there. Most sound guys are really friendly and happy to share.

Curioustín · « **Reply #4 on:** May 24, 2016, 08:09:44 am »

Tanks guys. I'll just have to try. The reason I ask is that it costs about 750€ to rent the place for a day. But the last time I was there I payed 5€ to get in. So if I can be really quick, I may be able to do it on a visitors day. There were extremely few people there.

and I'll be sure to ask NRK.

Dot · « **Reply #5 on:** June 14, 2016, 01:15:14 pm »

Quote from: Curioustín on May 22, 2016, 12:24:44 pm

Should I use two microphones - one near the source (me), and one a bit further away capturing most of the reverb?

Ideally, yes. I'd use your SM7B for a close vocal mic, and then place an omni pattern mic 2-3m away at the same height.

Quote

If I have one mic, how far should I stand from the mic to capture both the dry and wet voice in a balanced way? I own a Shure SM7B. Should I borrow a different mic for this with a different polar pattern for instance?

The 7B could still work, since the space has so many reflective surfaces. Standing back between 1-2m will pick it all up. If you have headphones on, then you'll be able to hear the voice/space blend, and then move until it sounds like you want.

Again, though, one mic for your voice, and one mic for the space will give you the best possibilities for getting just the right blend later when you're back in your studio.

Curioustín · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2016, 09:32:51 am »

Should it be a large condenser mic? Do you have any recommendations?

Author Topic: Mic placement in a building of glass? (Read 7480 times)

Curioustín

Mic placement in a building of glass?

FarleyCZ

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?

Aerithos

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?

ion

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?

Curioustín

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?

Dot

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?

Curioustín

Re: Mic placement in a building of glass?