Wow I am so used to having to skip 8 minutes in from other channels, that i missed most of it hahaah (because of most other youtubers milking the ad money and leaving you in false suspense from clickbait, when they know their content isn't good enough to keep me there)
There are at least two more reasons not to come too close to the mic: 2. below a certain distance you just cannot avoid popping and wind noises 3. the voice is not a defined sound coming out of the mouth, but something that develops around a singer, as different soundwaves originating from different parts of the body combine. In my experience, when you get too close to the microphone, the sound will get more muddy and some parts of it will be lost.
Another reason: the microphone is esentially the listener's ear. Our brains have evolved over thousands of years to detect the finest characteristics of the human voice. There is a big perceptual difference between someone talking next to your ear, and someone talking from a more common conversational distance. No matter what reverb and processing you use, there will be a difference that the brain perceives -- between something delivered "next to your ear (mic)" and something delivered from a more natural distance. The vocal will blend with the other instruments better. And, on that note, I think Sinatra-in-an-expensive-studio would blend the best.
Hi Joe I am one of your fans from India, i love you not only for that you are an expert in the field of Audio engineering but also you are an amazing musician , i heard your songs on Spotify and also following you there
Great video! Organized and presented soo clearly and to the point. Even the stuff I already _knew_ and just forgot or never thought about in detail, my brain is feeling so refreshed.
I never realised this in the technical way. I always knew that the right distance is correct as you can feel it when recording but this clearly explains why that is.
Introduction and Overview - 00:00:00 Mistake 1: Microphone Too Far Away - 00:00:36 Why Distance Matters: Room Sound - 00:01:06 Mistake 2: Microphone Too Close - 00:01:59 The Inverse Square Law Explained - 00:02:26 Impact of Small Movements on Volume - 00:02:58 Importance of Proper Distance - 00:04:00 Practical Advice for Microphone Placement - 00:04:27 Vocal Production Live Stream Announcement - 00:05:43 Conclusion and Sign-Off - 00:06:26
I'm so impressed the second he said "inverse square law" I figured out exactly what he was going to say... But I shouldn't be impressed with myself because how much math and science and computer science and even synthesizer and multimedia coding experience i have...but I guess I'm just happy when things I learn apply to other areas of my life, and music and physics are basically the same subject
finally someone who knows what they're talking about and how to present it in an understandable way. I watched four of them before I found yours and they all spent 10 minutes to say the same basic bs that didn't really help understand the WHY of mic placement.
Thanks, this is something really new to me. I need to test it in my home recording. I’m a newbie soundman. During one of our briefings with the singers, my leader told them, once you’re on stage “eat the mic and don’t leave that position.. 😂 don’t worry if it sounds loud, we on the soundboard will compensate with the audio balancing”.
Wow the problem I have is I record too close and when you talked about the theory of cutting the volume in half every other word making it hard to mix just made so much sense!!
My ears instantly feel soothed and happy when hearing his voice, this man certainly knows a thing or two about recording sound 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 or is his voice just amazing??? 🙏🏻
Dude, GREAT video. 20+ years on the radio I had the benefit of the stations compression to catch me when I moved around on the air....to use your example.."million dollar studio".....I'm still on the air, but in this world of voice tracking plus stepping out into the voiceover acting land...LIKE YOU...pretty nice in home studio.....but not state of the art and I couldn't find a balance...it would sound off sometimes, great another time...and I was battling in Adobe sometimes to get that consistent sound. THIS fixed it. I thank you, my clients thank you. :) Ever make it to Atlanta let me buy you a beer! :) TJK
Great videos man! Maybe a video on “if you should be EQing and compressing before recording or during mixing”. If I had a studio with a console room separate from the live room, I could obviously mess with knobs while someone, let’s say plays drums. I am assuming that most your viewers do not. Keep up great videos.
hey Joe, question for you. I am really struggling with finding a decent mic for my channel and I just ordered a condenser mic with a volume knob on the mic. I'm just looking to do voiceover, not music. I intend to use a compressor filter to even out the sound, what is the best combination of compressor pre/makeup gain and mic volume placement? is it best to just set the mic at max and adjust the compressor, or set the volume on the mic then just work with the makeup gain?
Analogue recording systems pick up the sound from farther away. We noticed this huge difference when recording with a tascam multitrack on tape versus a daw with the same mike. With the tascam, the mike easily picked up my vocals and guitar at the same time. Not so on the digital system. Then I need two mikes because it cannot pickup the sound of these two sources that well.
My problem is that I clip my mic when I'm doing agressive vocals despite the fact that I'm 1-2 meter away from the mic + My input volume level is almost at 0
Joe - I record with the u87ai in a decently acoustic / sound treated bedroom, I have the panels on the walls and bass traps , I have the option of using one of those isolation shields that holds the u87ai where I do my vocals (folk/songwriter). Am I improving the sound by using this shield or am I essentially worsening it ? Thank you again!
Okay, this is cool and all, but, and I can't seem to find this ANYWHERE, can you have a discussion on microphone POSITIONING? I recently noticed an odd inconsistency with the microphone I have, and I couldn't figure out why. The distance is always the same, but because I'm moving it out of the way and bringing it back when I'm not recording, it wouldn't always be at the same elevation, I'd usually try to keep the angle the same, but more specifically, if it was lower than being directly infront of my mouth, it would start to sound "tinny", and I'd lose the bass in my voice, which made the recording sound very cheap, and I REALLY can't seem to find any direct information on this effect. I will admit, I have no idea on what to search to get more information on this topic, so perhaps you do know, but I'd really appreciate a more..."indepth" understanding of why this is such a significant factor on pitch. You KIND OF touched on it with that low pass filter thing, but I'd just like more information if that's okay.
Do u have any tips for loud vocalists? I can get very quiet & very loud & those dynamics are great live but I'm struggling w/ not peaking the mic when recording
Hi Joe. Very important. And how you doing? What are 3-basic analog equipment required to make vocal recording standout even before signal goes through an audio interface? DAW has stuff but it's just too much work to correct all the nuances after recording into the DAW., Please let me know your feedback. Thanks.
Hello , i have a question. I have presonus px-1 mic. Whe i sing high notes, the sound gets really noisy( im not that close to the mic), i dont know how to solve it.
When I use my condenser mic for only talking, I had to pull up the gain of my Presonus iTwo nearly to full up, to get my level for recording about -6db. Is this normal? This is the reason why I mostly get really near to my mic when recording and I only talk instead of singing (My singing voice is much louder then). It´s a t.bone 450 (looks like the one you use here too)
But what about if you're recording close mic vocals and the singer keeps still e.g. if they're recording quieter parts that require less energy, movement and physical performance? Are there not benefits to that? For example, this is how Cliff Richard records vocals sometimes.
Hi Joe, excellent tech discription. I've learned something new. BUT what about the Shure sm7b? It is suggested to have lips touching pop filer which in turn is on top of shures capsu!e. What advice do you give for that.
Doesn't the design of that front address mic with pop filter add distance over the side address mic like Joe demos? That difference is what I'd consider needing added into the distance goal.
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6lZ6b3_7Vo/mqdefault.jpg)
Omg, first time I've ever seen someone jumps to the answer were here for so quick. Your awesome joe!
You 're
Same😭💀🙏🏻
Wow I am so used to having to skip 8 minutes in from other channels, that i missed most of it hahaah
(because of most other youtubers milking the ad money and leaving you in false suspense from clickbait, when they know their content isn't good enough to keep me there)
finally someone who gets straight to the point without the lollygagging
The science explanation actually just helped me soooo much to understand the inconsistencies in the volume of my vocals. Thank you!
There are at least two more reasons not to come too close to the mic:
2. below a certain distance you just cannot avoid popping and wind noises
3. the voice is not a defined sound coming out of the mouth, but something that develops around a singer, as different soundwaves originating from different parts of the body combine. In my experience, when you get too close to the microphone, the sound will get more muddy and some parts of it will be lost.
Another reason: the microphone is esentially the listener's ear. Our brains have evolved over thousands of years to detect the finest characteristics of the human voice. There is a big perceptual difference between someone talking next to your ear, and someone talking from a more common conversational distance. No matter what reverb and processing you use, there will be a difference that the brain perceives -- between something delivered "next to your ear (mic)" and something delivered from a more natural distance. The vocal will blend with the other instruments better. And, on that note, I think Sinatra-in-an-expensive-studio would blend the best.
Hi Joe I am one of your fans from India, i love you not only for that you are an expert in the field of Audio engineering but also you are an amazing musician , i heard your songs on Spotify and also following you there
Great video! Organized and presented soo clearly and to the point. Even the stuff I already _knew_ and just forgot or never thought about in detail, my brain is feeling so refreshed.
Thanks Joe, I learned something today. I've never really thought about the volume thing with being too close before.
I never realised this in the technical way. I always knew that the right distance is correct as you can feel it when recording but this clearly explains why that is.
Introduction and Overview - 00:00:00
Mistake 1: Microphone Too Far Away - 00:00:36
Why Distance Matters: Room Sound - 00:01:06
Mistake 2: Microphone Too Close - 00:01:59
The Inverse Square Law Explained - 00:02:26
Impact of Small Movements on Volume - 00:02:58
Importance of Proper Distance - 00:04:00
Practical Advice for Microphone Placement - 00:04:27
Vocal Production Live Stream Announcement - 00:05:43
Conclusion and Sign-Off - 00:06:26
I'm so impressed the second he said "inverse square law" I figured out exactly what he was going to say...
But I shouldn't be impressed with myself because how much math and science and computer science and even synthesizer and multimedia coding experience i have...but I guess I'm just happy when things I learn apply to other areas of my life, and music and physics are basically the same subject
finally someone who knows what they're talking about and how to present it in an understandable way. I watched four of them before I found yours and they all spent 10 minutes to say the same basic bs that didn't really help understand the WHY of mic placement.
Thanks, this is something really new to me. I need to test it in my home recording.
I’m a newbie soundman. During one of our briefings with the singers, my leader told them, once you’re on stage “eat the mic and don’t leave that position.. 😂 don’t worry if it sounds loud, we on the soundboard will compensate with the audio balancing”.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Excellent, specific, and clear explanation. Thank you!
Seriously the best tutorial I have seen so far on the topic matter. Great stuff, just got a sub
Wow the problem I have is I record too close and when you talked about the theory of cutting the volume in half every other word making it hard to mix just made so much sense!!
Most people who have tutorials on setting up mics have bad audio quality, ironically. Thank you for the good info, and great tutorial!
I just want to use this opportunity to say how much I love Presonus products and that content. Thx !
What a nice video. Informative, funny, and straight to the point. Cheers guys.
Very educational, thanks!
I really appreciate you giving th information right up front.
now this is how content should be delivered! i love it! subbed
My ears instantly feel soothed and happy when hearing his voice, this man certainly knows a thing or two about recording sound 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 or is his voice just amazing??? 🙏🏻
super great video. I kept getting a ring will mixing. Even though i wasn't clipping while tracking. I was singing to close. thank you Joe.
Dude, GREAT video. 20+ years on the radio I had the benefit of the stations compression to catch me when I moved around on the air....to use your example.."million dollar studio".....I'm still on the air, but in this world of voice tracking plus stepping out into the voiceover acting land...LIKE YOU...pretty nice in home studio.....but not state of the art and I couldn't find a balance...it would sound off sometimes, great another time...and I was battling in Adobe sometimes to get that consistent sound.
THIS fixed it. I thank you, my clients thank you. :)
Ever make it to Atlanta let me buy you a beer! :)
TJK
i had no idea about the double distance thing, now it makes so much sense why my audio sometimes seems like it goes from loud to quiet in seconds
Great videos man! Maybe a video on “if you should be EQing and compressing before recording or during mixing”. If I had a studio with a console room separate from the live room, I could obviously mess with knobs while someone, let’s say plays drums. I am assuming that most your viewers do not. Keep up great videos.
You might be the best talker I have ever listened too..
Bro your voice is majestic 😍
The second advice is super importent, ty
Who’s here because you know joe’s awesome 👍 n presonus?...
Joe is my King and König, he deserves all the ice cream in the world
This is so helpful! 👌🏾
So helpful, Thanks Joe ❤️
I use a pop filter to keep the singer at a consistent distance from the mic. Seems to help. Love ya Joe ... well your videos anyway
hey Joe, question for you. I am really struggling with finding a decent mic for my channel and I just ordered a condenser mic with a volume knob on the mic. I'm just looking to do voiceover, not music. I intend to use a compressor filter to even out the sound, what is the best combination of compressor pre/makeup gain and mic volume placement? is it best to just set the mic at max and adjust the compressor, or set the volume on the mic then just work with the makeup gain?
Analogue recording systems pick up the sound from farther away. We noticed this huge difference when recording with a tascam multitrack on tape versus a daw with the same mike. With the tascam, the mike easily picked up my vocals and guitar at the same time. Not so on the digital system. Then I need two mikes because it cannot pickup the sound of these two sources that well.
Excellent video! Thanks man!
Excellent video and thanks for the break down 🤘
This was so informative. Thank you!
Does it matter if it's a Condenser mic or a Dynamic mic?
Yes - dynamic mics are not as sensitive and therefore you generally need to be closer to dynamics than condensers
Thank you so much bro you’re awesome lol
That tip about the mic distance and volume inverse-square law was an ah-ha moment for me. Thanks!
My problem is that I clip my mic when I'm doing agressive vocals despite the fact that I'm 1-2 meter away from the mic + My input volume level is almost at 0
Fantastic advice, another question, I see your camera is not at eye level, what is the angle and how far is it from your eyes?
thanks dude! helpful video
Joe - I record with the u87ai in a decently acoustic / sound treated bedroom, I have the panels on the walls and bass traps , I have the option of using one of those isolation shields that holds the u87ai where I do my vocals (folk/songwriter). Am I improving the sound by using this shield or am I essentially worsening it ? Thank you again!
Thanks, dude. Good video.
Thank you. Very interesting
thank you
Where can i find the video you mentioned at the end? I'm very interested in watching that
Awesome as usual. Thanks mate.
Please explain the Greek tattoo
I have problem with that recording microphone why my mic volume keep going to low and high volume sounds while singing.
" by any stretch of the imagination "🤣🤣 that's hilarious
Great stuff right to the point
Okay, this is cool and all, but, and I can't seem to find this ANYWHERE, can you have a discussion on microphone POSITIONING? I recently noticed an odd inconsistency with the microphone I have, and I couldn't figure out why. The distance is always the same, but because I'm moving it out of the way and bringing it back when I'm not recording, it wouldn't always be at the same elevation, I'd usually try to keep the angle the same, but more specifically, if it was lower than being directly infront of my mouth, it would start to sound "tinny", and I'd lose the bass in my voice, which made the recording sound very cheap, and I REALLY can't seem to find any direct information on this effect.
I will admit, I have no idea on what to search to get more information on this topic, so perhaps you do know, but I'd really appreciate a more..."indepth" understanding of why this is such a significant factor on pitch. You KIND OF touched on it with that low pass filter thing, but I'd just like more information if that's okay.
Dude, you're awesome.
It was the science segment that got my like 🥰
Thanks
Do u have any tips for loud vocalists? I can get very quiet & very loud & those dynamics are great live but I'm struggling w/ not peaking the mic when recording
Same problem
Same Problem Here...maybe too much Treatment... room to small idk
Wonder if some movement is necessary for a dynamic singer who sings at higher DB level when they hit high parts?
Talk nerdy to me bb. lol thanks for sharing, that made total sense and will be very helpful when I record vocals soon.
Useful science right there!!!!
I love the science of it!
thank´s Joe from Argentina
4:24 I understood 👍🏾😀🛸
Well said Joe
Thank you!!!
thanks for the tips
great video. very well made
So informative thank you so much, I’m learning a lot
Thanks, Joe. Now I know!
very informstive! nice video
i love you, Joe!!!!
Im having a problem when recording my vocal for singing. My vocals didn't match the sound of my instrumental. It makes my vocal not mix
ty man it so helped
Hi Joe. Very important. And how you doing? What are 3-basic analog equipment required to make vocal recording standout even before signal goes through an audio interface? DAW has stuff but it's just too much work to correct all the nuances after recording into the DAW., Please let me know your feedback. Thanks.
As allways helpful! Thanks!
i know i'm late, but what about recording belting but still getting that pop "close-up" sound? is it possible?
Joe, great discussion, but your science reference said double the distance is one FOURTH the intensity.
Close enough. 😊 - Joe Gilder
So what's the best distance to be from the mic?
Mind blown thanks
can the PreSonus Revelator be connected to a desk top boom? if so what one?
What about dynamic microphone
Thanks !!
Joe Gilder bobbing his head for 10 hours straight!
Hello , i have a question. I have presonus px-1 mic. Whe i sing high notes, the sound gets really noisy( im not that close to the mic), i dont know how to solve it.
When I use my condenser mic for only talking, I had to pull up the gain of my Presonus iTwo nearly to full up, to get my level for recording about -6db. Is this normal?
This is the reason why I mostly get really near to my mic when recording and I only talk instead of singing (My singing voice is much louder then).
It´s a t.bone 450 (looks like the one you use here too)
You can record comfortably with levels around -20 or even -30dB, -6 isn't recommended in any situation.
it's a valid point made
Thank you that was helpful
But what about if you're recording close mic vocals and the singer keeps still e.g. if they're recording quieter parts that require less energy, movement and physical performance? Are there not benefits to that? For example, this is how Cliff Richard records vocals sometimes.
Yup many many benefits! As long as you're aware of the potential problems, you should be able to avoid them.
Hi Joe, excellent tech discription. I've learned something new. BUT what about the Shure sm7b? It is suggested to have lips touching pop filer which in turn is on top of shures capsu!e. What advice do you give for that.
Doesn't the design of that front address mic with pop filter add distance over the side address mic like Joe demos? That difference is what I'd consider needing added into the distance goal.
interesting. Im trying to make my audio sound better, first step is to relearn "mic placement"
:30 seconds in and you've already told us what we came for. Immediately liked the video lol
That ending sound 😂😂 please do a tutorial on how its made
😂 I love the outro audio😂😂
What mic are you using in this video?
Six decibels equals four times, three decibels is double if increasing or half when decreasing.
Hey Joe lovely content!!!! Bt is this for both Dynamic aswell as condenser mics??
Yup. The square/decibel law applies to all things at all times.
Didn't improve my singing but 10/10 for mic placement.
0:22 Oooooooooo