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Quote:
Please describe what was wrong recording the tambourine with your existing mic, and what is wrong with recording your acoustics with your existing mics. This could very well be that you don't have a good preamp that can amplify your existing mics without noise.
When I recorded tambourine it wasnt good picking up the jingles (the loose jungles before you hit the tambourine on or off the beat). I've not had any noise issues though. The volume seemed to drop real quick when the tambourine wasnt infront of the mic. My preamp is a Presonus AudioBox 22vsl. Perhaps I should have used a compressor on it?
Not thought about recording my acoustics with this mic before?
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The audiobox 22vsl is a USB powered device, correct? I'm thinking that it's quite possible it does not have sufficient gain before noise is apparent, not room noise, but self-noise of the mic/preamp combination.
As for the reflexion filter - you shouldn't need that with the existing Beyer Dynamic mic. Use the biggest room in your house/flat, that has the fluffiest furniture and carpet - you won't pick up room noise with the Beyer Dynamic recording that way.
Where you will start to need some type of acoustic treatment, is if you buy a condenser mic that has a broader polar pattern and you are in a room that has lots of reflecting surfaces (hard floors, little furniture present, no curtains, etc.)
Before buying the reflextion, does the room you record in have a clothes closet or wardrobe? If so, stuff it with clothing and put the condenser mic in front of that when you record - it will do a much better job than the reflexion filter. At least give it a go first.
Rode is a great brand with a forward looking development view. Hard to go wrong with their products, although you can probably get similar performance with any of the other condenser mics mentioned in this thread, for less financial outlay.
The issue with the tambourine jingle is likely related to the Beyer Dynamic's hypercardioid pattern - might get the pop from the head, but it's going to reject the jingling, because they are off-axis from the mic. It might be a great microphone for acoustic guitars, however - in an untreated room.
Here's what I would do if I were you - I don't know where you are in the UK, but I would call Dolphin and ask if you can order a couple different mics; those in your list, and then some of the cheaper ones like those from sE or MXL, and ask if they will let you try several and take back in the models you choose not to keep. Or perhaps they have some that have come back in from other folks that they are willing to let out for a small price for this purpose.
I think you'll find very little difference between most of the models in the price range of the Rode and on down, similarly featured (same sized capsules for example). None of the recommendations have been necessarily wrong, other than some of the cardioid dynamics would still give you fits with the tambourine sound - the SM 58 and the Sennheiser MD421 (both mics I love for vocals, MD 421 I used to use as a tom and snare mic)
I would instead look for features that I consider to be more important like a high pass filter and pad switch on the mic. In my book, those are more important than the brand. Even the lowly Samson mics on the Dolphin link I provided above will sound very nice paired with a fairly quiet pre-amp. The Samson C03 would be one I would include in the short list and it's less than 100 quid. Multi-pattern, high pass filter switch, and 10 dB pad - boom, that would be on my short list. HIGHLY likely the capsule is made at the same factory as more expensive mics from more respected brands. The Samson SM58 knock-off I have is a great microphone.
You WILL want to high pass filter nearly everything that you record with whatever condenser mic you choose, and having it on the microphone takes away a bunch of low frequency rumble that will find it's way into your recordings without it. Having an on-board pad switch will also increase the mic's versatility immensely for whisper quiet vocals, to overhead microphone use. The NT2-A has all of those features, actually a 2 position HP filter (40 or 80 Hz cutoff), multi-pattern, and a multi-level pad (5 or 10 dB). However, it's probably overkill for the home office recording situation. Save yourself a couple hundred quid and get a nice pre-amp paired with a less expensive multi-pattern condenser.
I suggest high-pass filtering on the mic because you did not mention a mixer - good for you. No need for a mixer with low channel counts, as it is a noise source in and of itself. Most decent mixers will provide a high pass switch on the channel strip, but if you have it right at the mic, you can plug in directly to the interface and record to your heart's desire. However anytime you are routing signal through analog gear, you will increase the overall noise floor of the signal chain. It's unavoidable. Using less gear in the signal chain normally means a cleaner recorded signal.
Back to recording your acoustics with the TG x 80 mic - you will have to remain pretty still as you record, otherwise, you'll get quite a bit of volume inconsistency throughout the recording, the closer you get to the microphone as a nominal distance.
But it probably is a great mic for recording that in an untreated room.
-Scott
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I have an Audix mic that is matched to the Bose L1 I bought. It's getting dusty. I need to get back to music. My Mother had 2 serious operations and we have to put her in a nursing home. While that was happening my Dad had a minor stroke, and in a week he got back the use of his right arm and it quit jerking about. I have to get hime twice a day to drive to the hospital, they doctor told him 6 weeks and no further problems and he can go back to driving. He's 85 and wants his car back very much. Oh well....
John Conley
Musica est vita
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You have been missed CCCC! I'll hafta take more careful aim, I guess. Seriously, your caustic wit is always welcome and obviously missing of late. Is there anything I can do for you or Dad?
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Thanks guys for your feedback and advise,
rockstar_not; I mentioned the acoustic filter for use with a condensor mic and not for my dynamic mic. My room is untreated so a filter would be a must. Anyway, all this talk about treating the room is giving me doubts about getting a condensor mic now in part because my PC (on the floor) gives a steady hum.
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Quote:
Thanks guys for your feedback and advise,
rockstar_not; I mentioned the acoustic filter for use with a condensor mic and not for my dynamic mic. My room is untreated so a filter would be a must. Anyway, all this talk about treating the room is giving me doubts about getting a condensor mic now in part because my PC (on the floor) gives a steady hum.
Sheesh!
All of this "treated room" stuff is ridiculous. Sells a lot of Aurelex, though. 
Get a decent condenser and a pop filter, learn how to use a gate, keep your preamp signal moderate and get up close to the mic when you sing. Unless they're digging up the road outside your window with a jackhammer, you should be fine.
Regards,
Bob
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Quote:
Thanks guys for your feedback and advise,
rockstar_not; I mentioned the acoustic filter for use with a condensor mic and not for my dynamic mic. My room is untreated so a filter would be a must. Anyway, all this talk about treating the room is giving me doubts about getting a condensor mic now in part because my PC (on the floor) gives a steady hum.
The room doesn't have to be treated, but if it's all hard surfaces, you WILL get early reflections into a typical condenser mic if you sing/play medium to loud, that can sound quite nasty - a gate has nothing to do with it because it will be in your sound that is above the gate threshold.
What I suggested to save you some money is to use a clothing closet or wardrobe, that has enough clothing in it that when you stick your head near the opening, or into the opening, you can hear the room levels simply fade away as you speak into it. Start 2m out into the room, simply talking in a normal voice and get closer and closer to the closet/wardrobe opening. It should get very 'dead' sounding as you approach. Any typical clothes closet somewhat stuffed with clothes will work way better than the reflexion filter.
I think I'm going to record a demo of this, because it works so well. I'll hold a condenser mic at a fixed distance away from me while reciting some poetry or something, then continue to recite and approach my 'booth' which is a clothes closet with a GOBO in front of it that has some wedge foam on the back side, angled toward the opening of the closet.
-Scott
Last edited by rockstar_not; 04/01/13 03:32 PM.
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"...above the gate threshold..." What 'threshold'? (The threshold is infinitely adjustable). A properly set gate will eliminate 95% of any dreaded "early reflections". Here's what you do: Go into the closet, cover yourself with a heavy quilt, and stand on one leg, holding the mic just above your head (under the quilt, of course). That will give you that "Pro Studio" sound.
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OK, I made a demo tonight to demonstrate that even with a noise gate in place, the room effect on any mic that has a pretty broad polar pattern can affect the quality of the recording - in this case it's a CAD M-177 LDC. It's a single pattern version of this mic: http://www.cadaudio.com/M179.php Quite typical Chinese made capsule, assembled in USA. Here is the link to the .mp3 file http://rockstarnot.rekkerd.org/misc/demo...20place.mp3.mp3It's a few minutes long, just me narrating what the recording environment is; first sitting in front of my DAW - about 24" from the computer screen, getting up and then speaking in my 'booth' which is an open clothing closet, with a GOBO that is adjacent to the open sliding door of the clothes closet, with 4" deep wedge material on it - which I garbage picked over a few months, then walking out into the hallway outside the 'studio' then into the bathroom across the hallway. All the while there is a noise gate on the mic signal, which shunts very low level sound, but passes all sound above the trigger level. I have also high-passed the signal at about 150 Hz, which is sort of where I like to HP filter my vocals, to keep them from being 'tubby'. Note that when I'm in the home made 'booth' the high and mid frequency reflections are basically eliminated. This is not a treated room, but I have taken precautions to try to eliminate reflective surfaces in the vicinity of the mic - which is all that the reflexion filter which costs quite a pretty penny, is doing. It's easily accomplished with clothing and some elbow grease, and just eliminates one more hassle in the recorded signal. I can sing quiet, and loud in this 'booth' and not have significant interaction with the reflective surfaces in the room. Not trying to sell Auralex or Primacoustic or any other supplier's foam here. In fact the opposite.
Last edited by rockstar_not; 04/01/13 09:02 PM.
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Thank you, the changes in sound quality are impressive.
Now I've a question that Dr. Google and Dr. Wikipedia couldn't answer: What is a GOBO in your setting? (I only found GOBOs with lighting equipment.)
Guido
Desktop; i7-2600k, 8 GB mem., Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build
Laptop: i5-2410M, 4 GB mem, Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build
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Quote:
90 dB, sent you a PM.
From your PM:
“90 dB, I wanted to explain how a noise gate works in the thread - but I will explain it first here to you to give you a chance to do what you would like for your comment
I appreciate the lesson on the use of a noise gate, professor. It's always amusing to receive such condescending advice from an “Expert”. I've only been using them for forty-odd years, so it's nice to finally have them explained to me.
“a gate has nothing to do with it because it will be in your sound that is above the gate threshold.”
You might try using those “settings” on the NG; “Attack”, “Hold”, “Release”, “Lookahead”, etc. You might find that when properly set, one can eliminate most extraneous sound from entering the mic, even the dreaded “early reflections”.
p.s.
I quoted your PM here so that others might appreciate the astounding scope of your arrogance. By the way, have you purchased BIAB yet?
Regards,
Bob
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Well, it was meant to be a PM. I also asked if there was something that I was missing from your inference that a noise gate can manage reflections. Dynamics settings for the gate can be tweaked, but for this type of a signal - my experience (though not 40 years, perhaps 30 if I count a guitar pedal type gate - but that really isn't the same type of signal situation as mic'ed signals) is that this ability to hide reflections has to do with the direct signal to reflection level - like the guitar amp mic'ing that I mentioned in the PM, where the direct signal is fairly overwhelming compared to the reflections.
You now have the source signal. If you can make the different acoustic influences go away with noise gate dynamics settings - then it should be able to be done on this signal - where the direct sound isn't terribly loud compared to the reflected sound at the mic. The signal demonstrates 3 or 4 different qualities based on the local acoustics near the mic - reflections off of various surfaces (computer monitor, foam wedges, light-weight bedroom door, semi-tiled bathroom).
To answer the question about BIAB - no I haven't purchased it yet - I didn't see where that has anything to do with the question about what mic to use nor the ensuing discussion on whether or not to buy a reflexion filter.
I am getting closer to BIAB purchase, for whatever that's worth - and since you asked. I've had my first go with auto-accompaniment software and the experience was generally good and has me thinking about it.
Back to this thread topic. Perhaps we are still talking about two different things? - I'm talking about the early reflections that change the timbre of the recorded signal like what is evident in the demo recording. I think that trying to use dynamics settings in a noise gate will affect the timbre of the recorded signal in a negative way, with some pumping becoming evident - but I would like to hear the result also - maybe you are talking about something different than what I demonstrated in the recording.
For GHincH:
GOBO, at least as far as I know, is a moveable physical screen meant normally to isolate acoustics between various players in a recording space. I think it's a modified abbreviation of 'go between', but I'm not entirely sure about that.
I started a different thread about acoustic treatment where I've got photos of the one that I built, the business side with the foam, and then the other side that is decorated with a colorful throw rug. I didn't build it for isolation between different sources, but basically to give myself basically a way to get manage the reflections off of the hard walls in my 'studio'.
-Scott
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"...I think that trying to use dynamics settings in a noise gate will affect the timbre of the recorded signal in a negative way, with some pumping becoming evident ..."
Actually, no. Not if it's set correctly.
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I've used a Blue USB mic for most of our recordings that have been posted here -- mainly out of convenience. Last week I bought a XLR interface that provides phantom power and has a USB out...so now I'm back to the Rhodes NT1 that I used in my predigital days. I just did some recording with it (redid the vocal on A Small Suitcase (posted in user showcase) and I'm very pleased with it. From our perspective it has a very warm sound with just the right hint of airiness.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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@Bob,
As much as I don't like to admit it, you were right that the snippet you took from my PM was arrogant.
I'm sorry.
-Scott
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Quote:
@Bob,
As much as I don't like to admit it, you were right that the snippet you took from my PM was arrogant.
I'm sorry.
-Scott
No problem Scott. I suffer from arrogance myself.
Regards,
Bob
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Citaat:
Sheesh!
All of this "treated room" stuff is ridiculous. Sells a lot of Aurelex, though.
Get a decent condenser and a pop filter, learn how to use a gate, keep your preamp signal moderate and get up close to the mic when you sing. Unless they're digging up the road outside your window with a jackhammer, you should be fine.
Hahahaha! Right on target!
It also doesn't matter what microphone you use: you can get any sound you like using an equaliser. You might even want to try a MyFirstSony radio for nearfield monitors. Should be just the same as real monitors.
Popquiz: what is closest to the truth:
A: I can fix it in the mix
B: crap in equals crap out
Improvement of your room acoustics can be done using inexpensive methods, just like Rockstar-not already wrote. You can also improve the acoustics by using DIY basstraps a. Cornertraps.
As for mics: In the ideal world we have a whole range of mics to choose from for every type of recording. Budget takes you to the real world however. The Rode NT2a is a very versatile microphone (as are other brands and models in that pricerange) and absolutely a good buy that you won't regret. Use a heavy micstand to prevent a dive to the ground.
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Wow, did this thread go down a weird path.
Far as I understand it once a signal gets past a gate it is live, right? So while the singer is singing 'I looooooove yoooo' (and the gate is open for that period of time) all early reflections are being passed on for that duration along with the dry signal, unless your gate is smarter than mine. Thus the room affects the recording.
Yes you can control a lot of it, but maybe you should experiment a little. Put the mic in a hallway, or a closet, or stairwell. Put the mic right close to the source and move it back a bit. Compare and adjust.
I have discovered that for lead vocals, I know of one hallway that offers all kinds of choices. Lots of early reflections or very little (depending on mic placement/direction and doors opened or closed). One singer needs the bathroom door open, but another sounds better with it closed.
/I just gotta hope nobody goes in there during a take.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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@mootsman "I've used a Blue USB mic for most of our recordings that have been posted here"
Which Blue? Which songs did you use the Blue on? And how is it for vocals? Been thinking of getting one. USB mics have a bad rep from what I've read on the Internet forums and reviews. Any input is appreciated.
"The desire for fame is the last infirmity cast off even by the wise."
Cornelius Tacitus
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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