First attempt using a room mic

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:43 am

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to use a room mic. The only mic I had left over was my Audix I5, so I stuck it in the bathroom next to where we were recording. That mic may not have the best candidate for a room mic, but I just wanted to experiment. I have to say that I really like how the room mic helps fill everything out. The drums sounded pretty good with just the overheads and the room. This particular recording I did has a lot of clicks and pops, which are incredibly annoying. But here it is..

http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=13379

Oh, BTW I didn't put the reverb on the guitar in the intro, they recorded with some effects pedal.

This is only a rough mix and nothing is edited. It's from a band called The Great Valley

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:23 pm

Your idea of a room mic makes me laugh.
The music is tight. Boring, but really really tight.
The sound is nasty.
Keep on rockin' though. It takes skills to play that tight.

Was it a live recording? All tracked at once?

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:57 pm

Greener wrote:

Your idea of a room mic makes me laugh.
The music is tight. Boring, but really really tight.
The sound is nasty.
Keep on rockin' though. It takes skills to play that tight.

Was it a live recording? All tracked at once?

It makes you laugh? Why does it make you laugh? It wasn't a live recording.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:07 pm

How putting a mic in the room next door to where you are playing is not funny to you I don't know. But if it sounds good do it.
Are those drums real? quantized? Tight.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:11 pm

Greener wrote:

How putting a mic in the room next door to where you are playing is not funny to you I don't know. But if it sounds good do it.
Are those drums real? quantized? Tight.

I thought people did that a lot actually, but what do I know..

Yes, the drums are real. They aren't quantized at all. He just played to a click.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:52 pm

The room mic idea sounded a little odd to me as well, but the recording does sound good.

I have stacks upon stacks of recording magazines filled with stories about crazy things that engineers did back in the 60's and 70's to get thier sounds. What isn't always clear though, is whether it was trial and error or if they were using established sound principles and knew WHY what they did worked. I get the feeling that most of the time they knew exactly what they were doing.
Anyway, my point was that you shouldn't worry about doing crazy stuff, it's just better when you know why you are doing it.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:06 pm

If something doesn't sound good.. I don't have to use it. If that extra mic in the bathroom sounded awful, I wouldn't have used it. The reason I put it in the bathroom was because it was pretty much the only option I had as far as experimenting and trying something new goes. I put it in the bathroom and left the door cracked. I don't know.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 4:51 pm

After hearing your recording I decided to try an experiment and use the 10x10 mudroom that separates my studio from the house for a room mic and see what happens. Like you said, if it doesn't sound good, you don't have to use it.

Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:21 pm

MarkG wrote:

After hearing your recording I decided to try an experiment and use the 10x10 mudroom that separates my studio from the house for a room mic and see what happens. Like you said, if it doesn't sound good, you don't have to use it.

Haha, okay.

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 4:14 pm

Uhh. Room mics are used quite a lot. Dont know where the other guys are comming from. I like it. Sounded pretty damn good. I posted a tune earlier and my drumming was off a few times (I play all the instruments on my stuff), and some one replied to quantize my midi drums. I had to laugh. I struggle with the drums. But I try. But getting back to point. I have two room mics that are utilized at times. You want to use the same type if pairs. (like drum overhead mics). I space mine as far apart as possible. Adds a nice little bit of delay/reverb. Keep on doing what your doing.

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:50 am

I don't think anyone was trying to say that room mics were unusual. What is unusual is...

1. using a dynamic handheld mic
2. putting it in a bathroom

I thought it sounded good too, thats why I am going to try the same thing next time I track drums.

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:52 pm

Just dont flush Smile

Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:49 am

I just got a Rode NT2-A that I'm dying to try out for a room mic. Only because I've never really used a condenser for that yet.

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