New Gear
Hi Guys,
I was rejected over the summer due to my poor equipment and untreated recording space, (a large room with windows and hardwood floors).
I now have a Universal Audio Apollo Twin with a Shure SM7B and reflection filter - recording to a Mac Pro Trash Can, (Solid State Hard Drives and no excess fan noise), in a carpeted and sound treated room. I created a few sound panels, covered the walls with hoodies and towels and am using stacks of old t-shirts as bass sumps. I wrapped the arms and legs of the computer table with foam and set towel covered book cases in front of the windows. It's pretty quiet in here now - I can barely hear myself think and the sound floor is down at -60db!.
I'm still getting used to the Apollo and it's got a ton of plug ins. Oh - I'm also recording into Adobe Audition as I haven't been able to get Pro Tools to install on this new machine yet.
I'd appreciate any advice about working in / with the Apollo interface as pertains to narration and voice overs. Most of the stuff I've found seems geared toward instruments and vocals, (singing).
Thanks for all your help, I love the challenge of meeting your high standards and I'm really looking forward to working with you guys!
Best,
JC
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Hi John!
That sounds like a really solid setup! Would you mind sharing a recording with us so we can see what we can advise you? If you can also share some pics of your space we could also give you some tips :)
I have to admit - it's not very visually appealing, but it certainly seems to be working! I wrapped my old mac pro tower in foam, (under the computer desk), and had also set styrofoam in the upper corners of the room, as well as stringing a 'clothesline' across the room to further break up sound reflections...
I'll get an audio sample posted somewhere I can link to...
Thank you, John! Once we have the recording we'll give you all our comments.
Here's a new sample - posted at Soundcloud - thanks again!
https://soundcloud.com/user-709591353/legacy-of-a-mad-scientist-chapter-15-excerpt
Hi John
The recording has a high level of hiss noise and sounds quite boomy. I believe this is because the Twin is not able to power properly the Shure SM7B. This mic, as it's dynamic, requires a much higher level of gain than what a normal interface can provide to be able to work properly. Using it with just the normal preamp makes you have to add way too much gain and, therefore, adding hiss. If you want to use this mic, I personally recommend getting a Cloudlifter or an external preamplifier. these devices will help you add the gain you need to use it without adding any hiss.
If you want, you can also explore the possibility of trying a condenser microphone. The Twin has some really good preamps with phantom power so you'll be able to get great results with one. Do you have one you can try? Or maybe someone can lend you one to see the difference?
In regards to the boominess, this could be a result of the microphone's capsule reacting to your space. I can see it's a bit small and you have a lot of padding + the reflection filter. The SM7B is already quite sturdy so this could be a result of that. You may want to try removing the reflection filter or pulling the mic out a bit of it to see if the high frequencies come back!
Thanks so much Angela!
I'll be picking up a cloudlifter asap