Fledgling voice artist seeking counsel.

[steve]

The first thing that I'd do with that space is to get some carpet down, preferably with old fashioned "felt" underlay below it. If you can't get the old "felt" stuff, then aim for a fairly dense underlay rather than just the soft foam stuff. It does not have to be a fitted carpet, a rug will do. Carpet can make a huge difference to the acoustics of a room, absorbing much of the "zing". Given the cost of sound absorbent foam, carpet can work out to be quite economical as part of the acoustic treatment.

Working out exactly what you need is very difficult. Even the experts can make expensive mistakes.
Foam does little to help with boominess, or with sound proofing. What it does help with is "high frequency absorption", or as I would describe, reducing the "zing" (that bright reverberation that is typified by tiled bathrooms). Generally heavier, more dense foams can absorb down to lower frequencies than lighter foams. For low frequencies (boom), foams are largely ineffective, and that is where various types of "bass trap" come in.

Rooms that have a very regular shape tend to have a less even acoustic response than irregular shaped rooms. Large parallel surfaces tend to accentuate frequencies that have a wavelength that is the same. or an exact multiple of the distance between those surfaces, "Diffusers" can help to break up these resonances to create a more even acoustic response.

One way to judge the "sound" of a space is to stand in the middle, clap, and listen to the sound. How much does it ring? Does it have a discernible "note". Unless the room is very large there is not likely to be any distinct "echo".

Particularly because of the expense involved, it is worth doing a lot of reading on the subject before finalising your purchase. There's quite a good article here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec09/a ... ustics.htm

[MichloIW]

Steve, thank you once again.

Yes I don't have much money at the moment so do need to be careful. The other item they recommended, the Mudguard, I've put on my Amazon wish list (tis my birthday soon) and I think my best mate is getting me that. I shall read that article and look at bass traps too, though.

I do have carpet, fortunately as there was some left over from when my living room was re-carpeted a few months ago. I don't think they left any backing, though. It is also bigger than the room and at first I expected to cut it but then wondered if I should just let it curve up the walls?

Did you get a chance to listen to the sound clips I posted yesterday without any foam or anything yet? All my untrained ear could detect was a bit of an echo and a hollow sort of sound.

Cheers.

[kozikowski]

The first thing that I'd do with that space is to get some carpet down

Note the double layer of furniture moving pad on the floor. That's over a layer of industrial carpeting (gray). The walls are double layers of moving quilts.

http://www.kozco.com/pictures/boothFini ... op-mic.jpg

The "booth" is on a corner of the building facing one of the parking areas and it has windows, but I didn't hear anything in the recordings.

Koz

[kozikowski]

New Studio Completely Empty 4.wav

I think we've identified the first problem. The fourth clip "further suppressing the laptop noise" won't pass ACX noise guidelines.

"mmmmmmmmmmmm"

See Illustration. One peak at 60 (US Power Line- Mains) one at 120 and one at 240. The last two are the audible ones, probably caused by the power system and fan controllers.

One major problem with USB microphones is the inability to get away from a noisy computer.

Koz

[MichloIW]

Well then, fiddlesticks!

Yes, I definitely need more on the floor. Though the piece was wider than the room it wasn't enough to completely cover the floor anyway. I shall look into that. Thanks.

As for the noise, once I have all the padding (and hopefully the Mudguard a mate is getting me for my birthday) plus use the tricks you lot have taught me, won't it then pass? Hmm, I could also get a USB extender for the meantime.

If not, another friend is hoping get me this from my wish list for my birthday.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZADRMC/ref ... 7UNF0JPI21

But yeesh, I thought I was so fortunate to actually have a quiet room that so many don't.

Cheers.

[kozikowski]

But yeesh, I thought I was so fortunate to actually have a quiet room that so many don't.

You do have a quiet room. It's the computer that's noisy.

I could also get a USB extender for the meantime.

You should be able to park the computer outside the room and snake the cable past the doorway without damaging anything. I probably wouldn't go much over six feet (2M). USB was designed to connect your keyboard within arms reach, not a sound device on the other side of the house.

Rode NT1-A

That's not too shabby. That gets you into the Phantom-Powered XLR microphone territory. That means you can put the microphone a hundred feet away from the Audiobox and the computer. you could put the computer in the car if you wanted.

But.... I can't go to bed until I've thrown a little cold water around. The sound meter you have to pay attention to during recording is on the computer and the Audiobox doesn't have sound meters.

I thought this up for field recording, but it would work for you, too.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/pix/ZoomFieldRecorder.jpg

That's a Zoom H4. I think the current model is H4a. You plug your Rode NT1 into that, switch on the Phantom Power, put on the headphones and press Record. The Zoom H4 makes no noise and produces a very nice recording — extended if you upgrade the operating system and buy a larger memory card. And yes, it does have sound meters on the little display, but it doesn't have good volume controls, so you change volume in gross jumps (H/M/L) and from there with vocal expression or distance.

This is where I post a sound clip, but I don't have one that wasn't intentionally trashed because of testing.

Koz

[MichloIW]

Tis done!

Apart from a squeaky floorboard which I shall be working on in the next couple of days (I found a kit which supposedly fixes beneath floorboard squeaks) the home studio is finished.

I may add one more box of Auralex at some point but for the time being this is it.

PLEASE tell me I finally have it right?

I've included both the raw version and then the processed with the advice you have given me here. The Limiter I found was George Yhong's W1 Limiter though I'm not entirely certain which settings to choose beyond the -3 limit.

It is so wonderful not hearing ANY traffic noise now.

Cheers.

[flynwill]

You still should try to track down and fix the hum. It's right at -60 db in the "processed" recording you posted which is the ACX limit, but it should be possible to do a lot better.

Assuming you're still using the USB mic try getting a separately powered USB hub and installing that between the mic and the computer.

[MichloIW]

Thanks, Flynwill.

I couldn't hear it myself but perhaps I still need better headphones.

I don't have a spare powered USB at the moment (well not one that would allow the mic to communicate with the computer still) but I do have a USB extension so I've moved it further away. I shall also close off a curtain I have in the room over the computer. That is the only thing I can imagine is making the hum unless it was the temporary lamp I had in there as the overhead light's cord snapped. I have that fixed now so will try another recording tonight.

Cheers.

[kozikowski]

That may do it. That [email protected]#$% frying mosquito noise is low enough down so you can slice it off by gently noise reducing it — which appears to be what you did in part B.

I think you have arrived. Read something for real.

Koz