Home studio options and how to properly acoustically treat it.
Hello,
I am trying to set up my home studio and am having issues with getting it to provide professional quality sound. Currently I am using my walk-in closet because it was recommended to use a small room and clothes to help reduce reverb. After setting it up initially, I was told there was too much room echo so I added some acoustic foam panels on the parts of the walls that were still exposed. After this, I was told the audio had too much boxiness and background audio (most likely my laptop fan, it's really loud).
The closet is roughly 5' wide, 8' tall, 7' long. Two walls have a shelf with clothes hanging on them with space bags of bedding and other soft stuff on top. I have a spare comforter draped over a curtain rod to block the only empty wall. There are also 1"x12"x12" acoustic foam panels around the top of each wall (23.5 total). The floor is covered by boxes, suitcases, and a rug. My laptop usually sits on top of a stack of boxes.
As is, the only part still fully exposed is the ceiling.
I really want to be able to record with a professional quality but I am not sure what else I could do to make my space work. Would using a slightly larger room, like the spare bedroom/computer room, be a better option or is there a way to make my closet work? If there is a way to make my closet work, what would be the best thing to do to reduce room echo without it sounding boxy? Should I add more stuff? Reduce the amount of stuff used to deaden the reverb? Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. I can post pictures of my "studio" later along with my recordings if that would help.
-Steven Hack
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Hello Steven!
Thank you so much for reaching out through this space!
Acoustic treatment is a very broad topic, and one of the main ones we discuss here! Usually, the pictures help a lot when checking out what might be causing issues. With the description you wrote, I think the ceiling might be a definite issue, but some hard surfaces tend to create reflections too. I wanted to share with you a video that one of my colleagues found, which has an amazing DIY technique to create acoustic panels that, to be honest, behave incredibly well without costing much! Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABvTWSxOes&t=3s
A quick summary of that video is that towels seem to have a great absorption coefficient! So please feel free to use some towels around your recording setup to check if they help reduce that pesky room echo. Also, I would appreciate a sample to see how much room echo you currently have.
Kind regards,
Daniel
Hello,
Apologies for the late response. Here are the recordings that were rejected.
First recording with no acoustic panels; also did not do any editing using Audacity:
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studio-screening-audition/s-QnrMWDPrXHk
Second recording with acoustic panels in place and blankets covering the wall behind microphone; attempted to use the Noise Reduction feature in Audacity.
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studio-screening-audition-2/s-tiF5s94q7VS
Here are some pictures of my home studio. I did recently move things around a bit. When I recorded my samples, I had the stack of boxes on the right side but in a similar manner. I use that stack of boxes as a makeshift laptop stand when I record and read the scripts from my laptop. I also hung an extra blanket on the back wall, behind the current location of my makeshift laptop stand.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aCL-0zme5k74I83MaHfVoU-qTfYyA2nq/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a3ZrS_suhBhYl7E1hTfZ0-NY8RLd9f9a/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2rzdgrIY5mX-ZYg8snHCbWUjCqNDwQJ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2FGWDBIKj3QlKRDbYV-K93aRT-1_8pw/view?usp=sharing
I will make sure to watch that video soon. Being able to make acoustic panels would provide me with another way of controlling the sound of my recording space. Any more feedback regarding both my setup and recordings would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to assist me, I know this is probably most common topic that is discussed here.
-Steven Hack
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a3ZrS_suhBhYl7E1hTfZ0-NY8RLd9f9a/view?usp=sharin
Hi Steven!
Thanks for sharing your files!
Curiously, I think the first one sounds better than the second one! The second one has the fan noise you mentioned and the room is a bit more audible, did you change your gain settings from one to the other?
Regarding the first file, that one is closer to our quality standards! there is something that I want to mention, although I'm not the best advisor on this, it is mouth clicks and noises, they are audible on the first one and we have an article that talks about how to avoid them here:
https://help.bunnystudio.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/205412970-Tip-6-5-ways-to-keep-mouth-noises-under-control
I recommend checking it out since it might help you control them better! And finally, I couldn't check out your pictures, the links seem to be private, could you change them to public so I can give you some tips related to your space?
Kind regards,
Daniel
Hello,
Regarding the audio, the only thing I changed on the second one was through using the Noise Reduction feature on Audacity to help reduce any background noise. For the first one, I did nothing to it. It was essentially the raw recording so I don't know why it sounded so much better.
Sorry about the picture links being set to private, I have changed them to public. Here are the links again:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aCL-0zme5k74I83MaHfVoU-qTfYyA2nq/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a3ZrS_suhBhYl7E1hTfZ0-NY8RLd9f9a/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2rzdgrIY5mX-ZYg8snHCbWUjCqNDwQJ/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2FGWDBIKj3QlKRDbYV-K93aRT-1_8pw/view?usp=drivesdk
I'll check out that article later today. Thanks again for helping me out.
-Steven Hack
Hi Steve,
That is definitely strange indeed, since I'm not so versed In audacity (I normally use Avid Pro Tools) I don't know what might have caused that change, but it sounds like the noise floor was higher as well, like some sort of limiter might have been present.
I was also checking your space and there are some things you can try! First, you can try and surround the mic with thick and soft clothes (like wool sweaters for example) which might help get rid of some reflections that might occur in the room. Also, and regarding the youtube video I sent, you can also try to put towels behind, on top and on the sides of the mic, maybe hanging from the closet racks, to help you filter some of those reflections, so please give that a go and share a new file with me to see how it goes!
Kind regards,
Daniel
Hello,
Thank you for the advice and sorry for taking so long to get back. I hung a couple spare towels from the racks and on the wall behind the mic and recorded a couple more tests using one of my previous audition scripts. I believe I have enough things to use to help cut down on the room echo and other noises. As for my laptop fan being really loud, I discovered that turning it on power saver mode and unplugging it makes the fan significantly quieter. Please let me know if these recordings sound any better.
Test 1: I am speaking at an angle to the mic.
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-1/s-9rnYzO6PZg0
Test 2: I stood back a little bit and face the mic more directly but spoke towards the top of the box my laptop is resting on.
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-2/s-ZveuGKiVxkH
-Steven Hack
Hello Steven,
Thanks for sharing your new files with me!
Although the acoustics seem to have improved a bit, there is still boxiness present, I think the space still needs some extra work to be a bit more "Dry" (fewer sound reflections. Also, these last ones have a significantly higher noise floor than the first file you sent, I will share with you an article that talks about hiss (the sound you get with a high noise floor) and some ways to handle it:
https://help.bunnystudio.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/203418064-Recording-Problems-Hiss-Noise
Also, here is another article with some tips for acoustics:
https://help.bunnystudio.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/203461624-Tip-5-Basic-acoustic-treatment-is-not-rocket-science
Please give them a look and also you can share any new samples for me to review!
Kind regards,
Daniel
Hello,
I read through the articles and did another couple recordings of the same script. I feel like they sound much better than the previous ones. Could you give them a listen and let me know what you think, please?
Attempt 3:
Unedited version (as in, I only cut out any breath sounds and removed silence at the beginning and end but did not use any filters to attempt to fix any audio issues):
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-3-unedited/s-47Ql7VLgBWs
Edited version (used the normalize tool and then used a high-pass filter to cut down on any hissing that may have been amplified):
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-3-edited/s-vQR9Qsjk4p1
Attempt 4: increased the recording volume in Audacity and removed breath noises and excess silence but did not use any filters)
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-4/s-mufE1Ari8Sz
I was drinking water between takes for attempt 3. I got apple juice for attempt 4 when I kept hearing mouth noises in the previous recordings. I'm hoping I am getting my audio back to the quality of my first one. Granted, it was rejected, but it seems like it was really close to the quality you expect. Thank you again for your feedback.
-Steven Hack
Hello Steven!
Sorry for the delay, we've had some pretty crazy days.
I just checked your new files and let me say congratulations! You have improved your sound SO MUCH, and I really mean it :)
My favorite one is the Unedited version, I think if you record in that same way but a little bit closer to the mic or with a tiny bit more mic gain, you will be ready to apply again! The other two files are good as well but the normalization and volume increase in audacity is still bringing up some slight near-field reflections (they are very minor though, nothing to do with the previous way it was), but I think that if we can get your voice a little louder from the first stage, everything should fall into place, that is why my recommendation at the moment is just to get a little bit closer or increase the mic gain a little bit. After that, you can edit breaths out again.
Please share with me any new files! I think we are mostly there :)
Kind regards,
Daniel
Hello,
Thank you so much for the feedback. I did a couple more recordings of the same script, adjusting the recording level to what it was for the unedited version of take 3. I am using a slightly different setup along with my new, adjustable mic stand. It also came with a foam cover for my mic which I believe helped out a lot. Could you please give them a listen please?
Take 5: Mic is slightly above me (near top of my head) and I stood so I was closer to the mic.
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-6/s-BQF7C7t1giU
Take 6: Adjusted mic so it is now around eye level. I also stood a little closer to the mic.
https://soundcloud.com/steven-hack-409466829/bunny-studios-mic-sound-test-7/s-eCUoQag3fbM
I feel like they are better than my previous takes, thanks mostly to the new foam cover. I am very thankful for your willingness to work with me to improve my audio quality. Once that is taken care of, I fully plan on applying again with hopefully better results.
-Steven Hack
Hello Steven!
Congrats again on all the improvement you have made up to this point :)
My favorite one from both of them is "Take 6", the other one changes the timbre of your voice in a way that doesn't feel as natural as the Take 6 file, so I think that is a better position for the mic.
I think you are ready to apply again! Also, remember all the other tips, drinking water, editing breaths out, etc. Just a friendly reminder for whenever you apply again.
Let me know if I can help with anything else!
Kind regards,
Daniel