Mic placement in an untreated room?

[The Marrvel]

The room I'm about to record vocals in is untreated and doesn't naturally sound very good. I'm going to add the SE Reflection Filter and get some foam for the walls as well. In addition to this, where should I place the mic in the room?

[Jim vanBergen]

If you have ANYTHING on the ceiling, I have had good luck using spring clips to attach packing blankets to headers, wood beams, overhead sprinkler pipes -shhh! whatever- to create a dulled, quiet environment. Get the mic close to the subject, and maybe pointed towards a corner but NOT with the walls parallel so you don't have standing waves or reflections. Do you have gobos, or music stands you can cover with fabric or blankets? Sometimes a table on end with sonex and a packing blanket can cut a room in half. Sometimes, you move the mic and singer six times and finally find the sweet spot in a "bad" room.

Good luck, it takes trial & error, and lot of patience!!!

JvB

[John Suitcase]

I agree that you have to just use your ears. Walk around the room singing, clapping, shouting, 'til you hear something that sounds ok. If you have flutter echo, use a packing blanket hung from a boom stand or the ceiling as mentioned above. I've had good luck with a singer standing with their back to the corner, packing blankets behind the singer, a couple feet off the wall. Use a cardioid pattern, and keep the mic relatively close. By the time reflections come back, they're significantly quieter, then they hit the blanket and get deadened even further before they reach the 'live' side of the mic. I don't have the singer face towards anything deadening, as I find even auralex (or reflexion filter thingees) impart a sound that I don't like, like a singing in a box kind of sound. Use the biggest room you have to work with, unless you want a close, whispered in your ear type thing, then use a closet, with clothes in it!