I may have mentioned here before that I've been dissatisfied with the
sound of my recordings, mostly due to the ungodly racket that my
Zareason machine makes. Loud as a lawnmower, it requires me to use
alternate (and ungainly) methods to make decent recordings. Oh, I've
mulled a-many methods in my time, but I've yet to come to any
satisfactory conclusions. Did I talk about my homemade micbox? I must
have. Assuming I didn't, though, it's a cardboard box with a cardboard
mic stand inside, lined with bedfoam. It's purpose was to block the
noise of the Zareason machine enough so I could make a decent recording
without that bulldozer in the background. And it does exactly that.
Unfortunately, it also sounds like I'm recording from within a muffled
box. We're not after reality here.
So, today I trimmed off three of the sides to this thing, save only the
back and the bottom, and a framework of cardboard all around, leaving
the internal foam exposed. It now makes my voice sound awesome! No
muffled box to be heard. Just me and...you guessed it: the Zareason
machine. All that helicopter noise is back. Again, it seems I can have
one (that is, no computer noise OR good vocal quality) but not the other
at the same time. To get the absolute BEST sound, I had to put a pillow
and blanket over my head and record using my eeePC, running Puppy Linux.
For a couple of reasons, this little machine is capable, but also really
limited in its capabilities. And my goal is to improve on all that,
naturally.
My basic procedure here is a bit refined, then. I can't say improved,
necessarily, though I'll likely use this box in conjunction with the
eeePC method of recording for the time being (sans the blanket -- way
too awkward): I mean, I WANT to use the Zareason machine for recording;
and I want to record in this room. It seems elusive, though, this chase
after good sound quality. I KNOW what can be achieved, even with my
modest equipment and skill set -- I just haven't been able to achieve it
all at one time. I can interface my software with my computer, and
thereby gain the convenience and power of using a decent desktop machine
for recording; I can eliminate the noise of said desktop with a micbox;
i can record with a micbox without a disturbing boxy sound; I can record
nicely on a (mostly) silent eeePC. Yet none of these approaches is
close to perfect. I have big issues with them all.
So, all said and done? The search goes on.
Monday, February 28, 2011
(c) 2011 lostnbronx
CC BY SA 3.0
lostnbronxATgmailDOTcom
