Application Feedback
Hello everyone,
I just applied a couple days ago; however, I was rejected due to reverb and background noise. I was pretty sure I did a fairly good job at getting anything out of the background; however, I could totally be wrong. Would anyone be willing to listen to my application recording and provide me with feedback? Any advice on editing tips, or needing to upgrade my recording space is greatly appreciated.
Nick
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LyhNAa7x_tOwqQoobboeevy8VbDzhoFr/view?usp=sharing
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Hey Nick,
There are some room reflections reflections in your recording but I think they're definitely fixable. Just make sure to record away from any flat surfaces. If you need some DIY tips on acoustic treatment, have a look at this post: https://goo.gl/vGqUIW.
Send us any new samples you record and we'll be happy to provide more feedback.
-Seb
Hi Nick
I agree with Seb's comments. I also feel there's a lot of noise in the background, like a fan or AC. I suggest you review your acoustic treatment and see how you can maximize it. If you have the computer in the same room where you're recording, it would be a good idea to face away from it and try to add some padding to it to reduce the noise that it's generating.
Hope this helps! We look forward to new samples.
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback!
I have a couple of questions though. I am about to move into a new apartment, and was planning on revamping my recording space there. I was thinking of taking the shelves out of my closet and putting up acoustic foam on all the walls of the closet. However, I'm seeing online that a lot of people think recording in these small places is a bad idea. What would you recommend? Should I do the closet or dedicate, say, one corner of my larger room to recording and just treat that corner? I appreciate your input.
Nick
Hi Nick!
Sorry for my late response. I think the closet is a good idea, however, you have to be mindful of how you treat it acoustically. As people say, it can get quite boxy when the room is too small and too absorptive, so I suggest you use foam and other materials such as cloth and carpet to treat it. Microphone technique is also important when recording in this type of spaces as it also will depend on your polar pattern.
I wouldn't give up the idea of using the closet, tho! It can be challenging, but to me, it's the best option when you have limited space to record as you can control the surfaces and reflections easier.
Hey, I'm back. This is my second retry (third attempt overall). I moved to a new space since my first attempt. I got rid of the room noise problem, but my second submission had too much reverb. I fixed it by hanging clothes inside my acoustically treated closet. I was really confident about my third submission, but it got rejected for "audible room echo". I was hoping for some feedback by more well trained ears. What do you guys think, is it close? What more could I do?
Here is the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ec2aMlyI-d34dNq9C9De8qDwjyLex8uR/view?usp=sharing
Hi Nick
This file also has some audible room reflections, but they're not that strong. You could try reviewing your mic positioning in the space and seeing if you have any reflective surfaces uncovered in your studio. Would you mind sharing some recordings of your current setup?
I also believe you're recording too near to the mic's capsule as the voice sounds too upfront and with a lot of low frequencies. Try stepping a few inches away from the mic and repositioning the mic to see how that goes!
Here is my current setup. My closet is pretty small (that's NYC for you) and so I can't fit in the closet with the clothes inside. I have coated the walls with acoustic foam, and usually sit the mic in the middle of the clothes I also usually put a big blanket down on the floor when I record. I can definitely step back from the mic, but I'm now thinking what if the problem is that my voice is bouncing directly off the wall of acoustic foam and not the shirts. Maybe I should position it right in front of some clothes so there isn't as much direct bounce back. Honestly, this is a world that I'm all new to, and I have no one I know that has any kind of expertise in this. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.
Hey Nick,
Yeah, maybe try leaving less of a gap, so that your voice doesn't reflect off the wall but more off the clothes. It's a question of trial and error.
Do send us more test recordings so we can further assess the setup. I'd say you're almost there, it's a little tweak and you should be set.
-Seb
Hi Nick!
Agreed with Seb. I also record in a similar space as you are but I approach it differently. Mainly, what I do, is that I stand inside the closet and the mic outside. This way, as these microphones are usually directional, the mic will mainly pick up the sound that comes from where your mic is coming from. You can also close the door more when it's just the stand and the mic outside. You can also try hanging a blanket to close the area that remains open between the door and the closet.
Hope this suggestion is clear! This is what I do and it does help a lot.