Soundproof/muffle an XH-A1? at DVinfo.net

D.W. Lewis · February 9th, 2009, 01:38 AM

I was shooting a rapper in a recording booth tonight, and his mic was so sensitive it was picking up sound off the tape transport and zoom motors. Anybody have suggestions on reducing the noise? Anybody have any experience shooting inside the booth? Am I stuck with lipsychs?

I had the same problem with my sennheiser until I got a shockmount for it.

Allan Black · February 9th, 2009, 03:45 AM

If you were positioned in front of him (to the rear of his mic) he was either too quiet, his mic was on omni or you were way to close to him.

Whatever the case, try putting something like a Porta Brace rain cover on your A1 to quiet it down.

Cheers.

Tripp Woelfel · February 9th, 2009, 05:48 AM

Wow. That must be one sensitive mic. You shouldn't pick up any camera noise if you're more than a couple of feet away. The camera just isn't that loud.

Are you recording straight from the mic or through the studio's console? If through the console, is any dynamics processing being applied? Too much compression can suck up all kinds of unwanted background noise, but to get what you're hearing there would have to be a lot of it.

I'd agree with Allen about the PortaBrace rain cover. It should markedly cut camera noise.

D.W. Lewis · February 9th, 2009, 07:14 PM

Its all making sense now, the engineer made a comment about my body partially blocking reflected sound, I think the booth was built to be used with an omni.

The sound was being run through the console, from the mic to an eighties-era tube pre-amp, to a compresser/limiter (very moderate compression, to the board. I got my audio from the headphone monitor over a wireless.

I like the rain cover idea, maybe stuffed with a little foam for good measure, though it might be pointless if my body is changing the booth acoustics. I can live with lipsychs if I have to...or we can saw a window into the booth. ;-)

February 9th, 2009, 01:38 AM	#1
D.W. Lewis Tourist Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 4	Soundproof/muffle an XH-A1? I was shooting a rapper in a recording booth tonight, and his mic was so sensitive it was picking up sound off the tape transport and zoom motors. Anybody have suggestions on reducing the noise? Anybody have any experience shooting inside the booth? Am I stuck with lipsychs? I had the same problem with my sennheiser until I got a shockmount for it.

February 9th, 2009, 07:14 PM	#4
D.W. Lewis Tourist Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 4	Omni Mic Its all making sense now, the engineer made a comment about my body partially blocking reflected sound, I think the booth was built to be used with an omni. The sound was being run through the console, from the mic to an eighties-era tube pre-amp, to a compresser/limiter (very moderate compression, to the board. I got my audio from the headphone monitor over a wireless. I like the rain cover idea, maybe stuffed with a little foam for good measure, though it might be pointless if my body is changing the booth acoustics. I can live with lipsychs if I have to...or we can saw a window into the booth. ;-)

February 9th, 2009, 03:45 AM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	If you were positioned in front of him (to the rear of his mic) he was either too quiet, his mic was on omni or you were way to close to him. Whatever the case, try putting something like a Porta Brace rain cover on your A1 to quiet it down. Cheers.

February 9th, 2009, 05:48 AM	#3
Tripp Woelfel Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: North Conway, NH Posts: 1,745	Wow. That must be one sensitive mic. You shouldn't pick up any camera noise if you're more than a couple of feet away. The camera just isn't that loud. Are you recording straight from the mic or through the studio's console? If through the console, is any dynamics processing being applied? Too much compression can suck up all kinds of unwanted background noise, but to get what you're hearing there would have to be a lot of it. I'd agree with Allen about the PortaBrace rain cover. It should markedly cut camera noise.