Is it just me or... (advice needed)

[Cryo114]

Might this be an indication of comb filtering coming into play? My situation is that i recently did some recording with my singer and although i now have a half decent mic (an MXL V67i) things have worked out hard to sit in the mix. I've heard what i feel like is a very slight "boxyness" to the sound and this has alot to do with the room, which is untreated. I'm just wondering if this is likely to have led to some comb filtering in the vocals. The reason i thought that i might be able to get away with the lack of treatment in my room is because my vocalist is actually very, very quiet. (not metal)

What do you guys think?

How do you guys test materials and locations for dampening? My initial thought was to set up a monitor to play music i knew the sound of very well into the mic and then experiment with acoustic placement while saying into the mic what ive used and where ive put it, and then listing back to see what worked. Only i'm not coming up with much of a variation, mainly i think this is because the music isn't percussive/stop-start/dynamic in nature like a vocal performance. On the plus side its not sounding boxy.

Is this a decent idea on how to workout dampening?

Cheers, for any feedback

 

[abyssofdreams]

I can't say anything about the numbers but can you post a sample?

 

[Cryo114]

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6280935

I'm starting to think I'm just getting a strong proximity effect... What do you think?

Totally dry clip btw.

Thanks

 

[abyssofdreams]

Are you sure it's completely dry?
Actually I can hear what you mean but I'm not familiar as to how the characteristics of the MXL V67i are.
On the other hand, I think the tone is pretty usable (nice voice btw), nothing some EQ and compression couldn't take care of.
Sorry I can't help you further but I'm sure some more experienced guys will reply pretty soon

 

[abyssofdreams]

just listened again with headphones and the effect is more obvious.
is she moving while singing? I mean it sounds like the distance to the mic is changing a lot.

 

[Cryo114]

Yeah its completely dry, i made certain it was.

If it helps the MXL is a dual diaphragm, one with emphasis on brightness and one on warmth, i used the bright side with the highpass switch on. i don't know that that helps to know.

As far as i could see (I'll make sure i can see better next time) she was being pretty still.

Thanks for the feedback though, knowing you think its a usable sound means something: A) i haven't done a terrible job in recording and B) its very possible that its my lack of skills in using EQ and Compression that's holding the mix back. Which is still good news since all i have to do is carry on learning.

Just in a Too-loud-or-too-quiet situation.

 

[ElektricEyez]

I'm no expert on comb filtering, and because I am at work I am unable to hear the clip your refering too (they block sound click). But I can tell you that I have/still am dealing with comb filtering. From what your describing that boxy sound does it also sound hollow and bassy? If so, then it probably is comb filtering, and this occurs alot especially in small rooms, especially in small untreated rooms. Small rooms are insane with adding too much bass, and different singers and different mics and bring it all out. I would suggest that if your in a small room, start treating it. It's a pain in the butt, but well worth it! Look up Ethan Whiner, and you'll get lot's of info on how to tame those lows. I'll tell you now that they are NOT easy to deal with. Oh and stay away from Auarlex Lenrd bass traps, they do nothing to solve the problem your having. The best stuff is to make bass traps using 4 inch thick Rockwool panels.

 

[Cryo114]

Awesome, thank you both very much.

Funny thing is as soon as i went to the Ethan Whiner site, this jumped out at me:

This is an important distinction because a flat surface that is angled or curved still fosters the boxy sounding response peaks and dips known as comb filtering.

Looks like i might have been right about the comb filtering happening.

Thanks again