using the room

[thelowerlip]

I´m currently across the pond and away from my studio but when I get back I think I will try using distance from the mic to get "space" in my mixes. Any fans of this sort of thing out there? Any tips or past experiences to share?
I want a more organic feel as most of my stuff is acoustic based.
I think I will also try some stereo room mics 4 to 10 feet away perhaps, depending on where I want things to "sit" in the mix.

[Skully]

It's sounds like a fun experiment, and if you do it right, it could sound great. But you could potentially be creating an untold number problems for yourself and limiting your options in the mix or destroying your ability to mix. If you have a band playing together all at once, that's one thing. You can hear how the instruments are blending together. But an acoustic guitar played in an echo-y room might sound great on its own, but simply awful when you try to combine it with other tracks.

[woodman]

I've heard a lot of positive stories about using a combination of close and room miking, but when I've tried it myself, phase issues popped up to bite me in the butt. Largely a result of personal ignorance, no doubt, but if you experiment with it, maybe you can find a winning combination.

[LightninMike]

mic the mix normally and place mics around the room as well for the ambient sounds.... Now, as Woodman noted there can be phase issues which can be easily taken care of with a quick flip.... time alignment can also present a problem, which is actually a further representation of the phase we hear... unless you know the room intimately and can play the room as an instrument, you might find it difficult to place it properly in the mix... it will grow and swell at seemingly un-natural points and later than you expect

take your time and figure out how the room responds to the mix.... perhaps a better way of using the room is to get the mix and then run it back through a good full range stereo setup.... you will still need to spend some time to get the mics placed where they are picking up a clean sound that translates well for your mix

[Fran Guidry]

Bruce Swedien makes a big deal of recording overdubs with a stereo rig - sometimes just a Rode NT4 - and moving the source in the soundfield rather than panning in post. In other words, if he were recording an overdubbed acoustic guitar duet, he'd put up stereo mics and record the first one sitting stage left, then record the second dub with the same mics in the same position but with the player sitting stage right.

http://inthestudiowithbruceswedien.com/index.html
http://www.rodetv.com/rodemic/bruce-...-the-rode-nt4/

Fran

[Geoff738]

First, make sure it's a decent sounding room!

Compression can bring up the room sound.

Move the mics around - don't just put them where it "looks" like they should go. A good deal of experimentation will be in order.

I like ribbons for this. I probably wouldn't use a condenser unless it was a really good sounding room. But again, you're going to have to experiment. Maybe the best mic in your room will be a condenser pointed away from the source. Or a dynamic down low a foot off the ground. You're not going to know until you try.

good luck with it!

Cheers,
Geoff

[String Tree]

Originally Posted by woodman

I've heard a lot of positive stories about using a combination of close and room miking, but when I've tried it myself, phase issues popped up to bite me in the butt. Largely a result of personal ignorance, no doubt, but if you experiment with it, maybe you can find a winning combination.

A cheat-to-win method is to move (nudge, slide, etc) the room mic channel (while mixing) so it lines-up with the close mic channel at the point of attack.
The room mic still sounds like a room mic.

~ ST

[scantron81]

I never spot mic anything anymore. I like using the space too. I stick mics in the kitchen, down the hall, in corners of rooms, sometime I point then straight up at the ceiling. I'm always pleased with the results, whereas I was always unhappy with anything close to spot mic'd. Just read how the Stones recorded Exile on Mainstreet. They did wild stuff too.

[banjohabit]

+1 on all of the above, it will take time to get it right and phase issues may be hard to defeat. however, if you can capture the complexity of a fine acoustic guitar and bring it whole into the mix, i think you will be well rewarded for the effort, even if it's just your own satisfaction.

[winny pooh]

Have the player play, then don cans. Have your close and distant mikes in the cans and matched for level. Now move the room mic around until it sounds good with no phase conflicts. Then blend to taste in the mix. It works, even if you just bang up a mic without listening a little bit in the mix helps in subconscious ways.