Audio Test

bmurphywa · 06-11-2009, 08:47 PM

I have a new home set-up and hope to get some third party critque of the audio quality. Please let me know what you think of the attached. Thanks.

Mike Sommer · 06-11-2009, 09:08 PM

Lot's of noise and room echo. I hear some kind of machinery or fan.

Need to tame that room with some ridged fiberglass base traps to kill the echo.
There is lots of info here: Bass traps, acoustic panels, foam etc - Gearslutz.com

Some Pics of the room and dimensions, would help greatly to move you in the right directions.

I'll make a blind taste test on you mic: It's either a RE20 or TLM103.

bmurphywa · 06-11-2009, 10:09 PM

Thanks, Mike. I'm working in a difficult environment - all large rooms with hard surfaces. Trying to soften that up is a challenge that I'm working through at the moment.

The mic is a CAD GXL2400.

Mike Sommer · 06-12-2009, 01:45 AM

Large rooms are fine, certainly better than a small room.

It does not take many base traps or gobos to tame a rooms echos. And a word of advice dollar for dollar you'll get
more effective control over your room with 703 then you will with foam.

But your first step is to find out what is making all that noise.
If you have closet in the room you can turn it into an equipment room to keep noisy computers and drives.
Make sure you have a good mic stand, and shock mount to kill rumble.
If your along a busy street move the studio to the other side of the house, double glazed widows help too.
Heaters and AC contribute to noise levels also.

Campbell · 06-12-2009, 08:21 AM

Here's some tweeking on your file. I did a high pass filter below 60hz and some mild expansion.

It improves the sound quite a bit. You need to get rid of the room reflection from behins you.

Hang a $15 U-Haul moving blanket behind you. Record with your back facing the wall and about two feet away. That will rid you of much of theat reflection.

Not to sound insensitive, but if you're using that cheap mic, I'm sure you don't want to spend alot on acoustics.

Bill
www.asapaudio.com

lanceblair · 06-12-2009, 09:21 AM

Mike, RE20 or TLM103? They're pretty different sounding mics.

The sound quality wasn't good enough to be a 103, and the clip was too reverberant to be an RE20.

Mike Sommer · 06-12-2009, 10:33 AM

HEy Lance

You're absolutely correct.
That was the very same debate that was going through my head when I was trying to figure what mic he was using.

All I was hearing was the "buzzy rattle" that I so dislike about those two mics. But of course now it's obviously clear now!

"Guess the Mic" is a game I play. It keeps the ears and the mind open to the subtleties and the fine nuances of audio. This time I ignored the obvious flaws.

lanceblair · 06-12-2009, 10:54 AM

I understand what you mean, Mike.

As a TLM103 owner that uses it happily with a Speck 5.0 and an ART MPA I think a big problem with the mic is that most people misuse it. You've got to back off it a bit, have good room acoustics, and don't send it through a completely transparent preamp. It does have hyped high end, and not a ideally rich low end. People buy it thinking that it's the most affordable magic bullet with the Neumann badge on it and then are disappointed when it doesn't sound magnificent. So they go back to their sE or SP mic and somehow that's a move in the right direction.

bmurphywa · 06-12-2009, 11:14 AM

I appreciate the various suggestions.

My house is set back from the road and the external environment is quite quiet.

As to internal noise, I will move the mic further from the computer equipment and try to isolate it.

When you say 703 foot, I assume you mean constructing some sound absorbers using the rigid 703 fiberglass panels. I can probably get that done over the weekend.

As to the mic, I did pick that up on the cheap to get started. While its easy to spend $$ on a mic, it didn't seem wise to do so until I had a clear idea of what mic to buy. I didn't want to spend $$ just to spend $$ on a random pick. If you have any suggestions, I'm open.

Thanks again.

Mike Sommer · 06-12-2009, 12:29 PM

Spec is a good choice as is the Avalon 737 for the 103. As Dr Neumann discovered condenser elements need a good transformer to smooth out the harsh tones it produces, the very thing FET's lack. The 737 provides this along with the tube section of the amplifier. And very true regarding the room, it's just as important -if not more- with a condenser mic, along with backing off and letting the voice bloom.

06-12-2009, 01:45 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,163	Large rooms are fine, certainly better than a small room. It does not take many base traps or gobos to tame a rooms echos. And a word of advice dollar for dollar you'll get more effective control over your room with 703 then you will with foam. But your first step is to find out what is making all that noise. If you have closet in the room you can turn it into an equipment room to keep noisy computers and drives. Make sure you have a good mic stand, and shock mount to kill rumble. If your along a busy street move the studio to the other side of the house, double glazed widows help too. Heaters and AC contribute to noise levels also. Last edited by Mike Sommer; 06-12-2009 at 12:30 PM.

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06-11-2009, 09:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,163	Lot's of noise and room echo. I hear some kind of machinery or fan. Need to tame that room with some ridged fiberglass base traps to kill the echo. There is lots of info here: Bass traps, acoustic panels, foam etc - Gearslutz.com Some Pics of the room and dimensions, would help greatly to move you in the right directions. I'll make a blind taste test on you mic: It's either a RE20 or TLM103.

06-11-2009, 10:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
bmurphywa User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8	Thanks, Mike. I'm working in a difficult environment - all large rooms with hard surfaces. Trying to soften that up is a challenge that I'm working through at the moment. The mic is a CAD GXL2400.

06-12-2009, 09:21 AM	#6 (permalink)
lanceblair User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: decatur, ga Posts: 392	Mike, RE20 or TLM103? They're pretty different sounding mics. The sound quality wasn't good enough to be a 103, and the clip was too reverberant to be an RE20.

06-12-2009, 10:33 AM	#7 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,163	HEy Lance You're absolutely correct. That was the very same debate that was going through my head when I was trying to figure what mic he was using. All I was hearing was the "buzzy rattle" that I so dislike about those two mics. But of course now it's obviously clear now! "Guess the Mic" is a game I play. It keeps the ears and the mind open to the subtleties and the fine nuances of audio. This time I ignored the obvious flaws.

06-12-2009, 10:54 AM	#8 (permalink)
lanceblair User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: decatur, ga Posts: 392	I understand what you mean, Mike. As a TLM103 owner that uses it happily with a Speck 5.0 and an ART MPA I think a big problem with the mic is that most people misuse it. You've got to back off it a bit, have good room acoustics, and don't send it through a completely transparent preamp. It does have hyped high end, and not a ideally rich low end. People buy it thinking that it's the most affordable magic bullet with the Neumann badge on it and then are disappointed when it doesn't sound magnificent. So they go back to their sE or SP mic and somehow that's a move in the right direction.

06-12-2009, 11:14 AM	#9 (permalink)
bmurphywa User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8	I appreciate the various suggestions. My house is set back from the road and the external environment is quite quiet. As to internal noise, I will move the mic further from the computer equipment and try to isolate it. When you say 703 foot, I assume you mean constructing some sound absorbers using the rigid 703 fiberglass panels. I can probably get that done over the weekend. As to the mic, I did pick that up on the cheap to get started. While its easy to spend $$ on a mic, it didn't seem wise to do so until I had a clear idea of what mic to buy. I didn't want to spend $$ just to spend $$ on a random pick. If you have any suggestions, I'm open. Thanks again.

06-12-2009, 12:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,163	Spec is a good choice as is the Avalon 737 for the 103. As Dr Neumann discovered condenser elements need a good transformer to smooth out the harsh tones it produces, the very thing FET's lack. The 737 provides this along with the tube section of the amplifier. And very true regarding the room, it's just as important -if not more- with a condenser mic, along with backing off and letting the voice bloom.