TubeNet

There has been a lot of discussion on TubeNet about recorders and microphones; but there is not a lot about the venue used to record the tuba. What kind of space do you have and why do/don't you like it.

We know Bloke has a DAT and Neumanns (I'm envious of the mics, not the DAT). But, where does Bloke use them?

I record in my practice room, a spare bedroom, on a Zoom PS-04 Palmtop Studio. Because of carpet, a double bed, and an alcove the room is somewhat dead acoustically, so I use send/return effects on the Zoom to avoid getting depressed about my sound.

Occasionally I record in the live bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, but I don't like to risk horns I care about amongst all its hard edges and surfaces. However, a lot can be said for playing/recording in bathrooms. I know of one girl who used the good sound in one to encourage herself all the way to all-state band on flute. Today most folks would think she grew up rather disadvantaged in a big family in a small two-bedroom house!

Michael "who needs all the help he can get" Denney

In general (as with many things) bigger is better although a room can be too big. You want the room to be big enough to give you some natural reverb (echo) without it being too much. Then you place your mics so that you get a mix of direct and reverberent sound that you like. This distance will vary formroom to room. Too much reverb will make your sound very big but you will lose the clarity of attacks and quick passages can kind of turn to slush.
Good Luck, Phil