Vocal Recording Issue

[ajenkz]

My room I use for recording vocals isn't acoustically treated, and it wasn't much of an issue before with my set up. However, its starting to get difficult to get a good dynamic vocal performance without having to adjust my equipment to compensate for room sounds. So I was looking around the net and found this thing;http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... =270353Its endorsed by Stevie Wonder, so it cant be too bad, but it is a big chunk of money to invest. Has anyone got any experience with this thing (or one of the knock off versions). Is it very useful, or is it just a slight difference in quality?Also, I need suggestions for good, but not too terribly expensive, headphones to record with. I've been using my Shure in ear monitor phones, but its getting to the point where I can never get a perfect balance since they are actually in my ear. I know Nady makes some that are fairly cheap, and Wal Mart.com has some Sony Studio monitor phones that aren't bad at all, but im not sure how good the quality is. People are always down on Nady, and i've been happy with my Nady in ear system I use so I don't mind buying from them as long as the quality is fine, since I can't afford the more expensive phones like Sennheiser.

[hummingbird]

I can't speak as to headphones in terms of use for mixing, except to say that while mine are better than the average, they are not really expensive & seem to do the trick (allow me to hear the music when recording while not bleeding sound). They are KOSS Ur/29.I used to get lots of comments about room reflections on my vocals/live tracks so I created my own vocal booth inspired by reading Recording Magazine & articles off the internet. It's well padded

[diogenes]

I've been doing battle with headphones for years! in the long run you'll save money by dishing out about $100 and getting a good pair that will last awhile. I've had good luck with a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. I think Sony also has a pair in that price range. Also I think Audio-technica has a decent pair in the $60 range.

[gatorjj]

AJ I've had a Reflexion for more than a year now...it does a great job with keeping the room out of the mic and keeping the vox thick. There's other knockoffs of it that are cheaper but I can't recall who makes them. You might check homerecording.com/bbs or some place like that to get other opinions or find the other ones.FWIW I recently saw this Toby Gad/Hannah Montana video on YouTube and was surprised to see a Reflexion...if nothing else my girls think I'm the real deal now J.J.

[gatorjj]

One other thing...before I treated my room I used to stick my head in the Reflexion when mixing. I don't know if it helped or not but I felt like I was at least trying

[ajenkz]

Thanks for the responses. I'll definitely be getting it as soon as I can, as well as some good headphones; i'll be sure to check out the Audio Technica's, and see if I can maybe find some deals on eBay for the Sennheisers.Im thinking though, maybe I could make my own version of the Reflexion. Might not work quite as well, but im sure it would be better than nothing, and a lot cheaper than buying the actual thing. Just dont know what kind of material would be good to make the structure of it out of; I don't think wood would be very good.

[thewillbrock]

I have a friend who swears by that thing. Never tried but I trust him. Good luck!

[slideboardouts]

Quote:Its endorsed by Stevie Wonder, so it cant be too badNot true. Just because a product is endorsed by somebody doesn't make it a good product. I've played signature series guitars endorsed by Steve Vai, Dimebag Darell, and many others that I can't think of off the top of my head and they were all crap. Every single one of them needed at least 150 bucks worth of work invested in them before they were playable on any pro or semi-pro level. The only signature/endorsed guitar I've ever played that was good right off the wall was an EVH Peavey wolfgang.That being said, the product you are looking at could be fantastic. Just know that endorsements don't mean anything as far as the quality of a product goes.-Steve

[hummingbird]

Quote:I've been doing battle with headphones for years! in the long run you'll save money by dishing out about $100 and getting a good pair that will last awhile. I've had good luck with a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. I think Sony also has a pair in that price range. Also I think Audio-technica has a decent pair in the $60 range.Yeah my Boss were around $65/70

[andreh]

ajenkz-That Reflexion thing will help quell reflections from behind and the sides of your mic, but based on your vocal sample I think you'll also need some treatment on the wall(s) behind you.Of course, if you're not planning on doing any session work and your recordings will be just for teaching purposes, this degree of isolation might be overkill (though it'll certainly raise the level of professionalism perceived of you by your [potential] students).André