I believe in Acoustic Sciences Tube Traps.....

[ps-2205-ycho]

thank you all for the valuable informations you're giving

i was wondering about the fact of using egg crates

what would be the results if it's filled with concrete ?

i donno but i thought that i might have more reflection on high freq and much bass absorb

is that true

[myfipie]

Wow, did I start all of this by pointing out about the egg crates?

Bruce I am glad to see you post you would not use them now, nor would recommend using them. It is hard enough to teach people to use the right stuff these days and with a background like yours, when you talk people listen.

Glenn

[xSpace]

I wouldn't fret over it.

Being in the presence of someone with such vast knowledge as Mr. Swedien has, everyone was getting a little wigged out.

[timogiodeson]

Yes it is. People have been writing here continually that it is too much, and provide little diffusion.

Andre

yes with fiberglass or foam 100% coverage is to much, because absorption coefficients are to high especially above 500hz, basically 1.00 , but I still believe that with a different material or combination of materials with lower NRC it is possible.

thanks Andre,

[timogiodeson]

Wow, did I start all of this by pointing out about the egg crates?

Bruce I am glad to see you post you would not use them now, nor would recommend using them. It is hard enough to teach people to use the right stuff these days and with a background like yours, when you talk people listen.

Glenn

Hi Glenn , I like your picture,
can you please teach me to use the right stuff ? I need more coverage but my room is dead.

[Sculli]

Mr Swedien,
First off, let me say how thrilling it is to have your expertise on this forum!
Second, I offer my Greatest Appreciation to you and all the pioneers who
experimented (egg carton or crates,bathrooms etc etc.....)and brought us
new sounds that have changed the way we listen to and create music. I have
your book and it gave me great insight about recording. I didn't know you
were in on so many records that I love! Thanks Bruce! I hope I can stay as
excited about recording as you.
Peace,
Kevin

[Bruce Swedien]

Mr Swedien,
First off, let me say how thrilling it is to have your expertise on this forum!
Second, I offer my Greatest Appreciation to you and all the pioneers who
experimented (egg carton or crates,bathrooms etc etc.....)and brought us
new sounds that have changed the way we listen to and create music. I have
your book and it gave me great insight about recording. I didn't know you
were in on so many records that I love! Thanks Bruce! I hope I can stay as
excited about recording as you.
Peace,
Kevin

Kevin.....

Thanks for your kind email....

All you have to remember is: MUSIC FIRST!!!

BRUCE

[MMazurek]

Thanks for your generosity of time, Mr. Swedien.

What are your reasons and favorite uses for the tube traps?


Are there any specific uses where they just shine?

I've only used them at Wireworld Studio in Nashville on one session (with Michael Wagener). We used them to create a 'less roomy' lead vocal space in a medium sized room, and to disrupt early reflections around the drums.

How bout you?

Mark

[Bruce Swedien]

Thanks for your generosity of time, Mr. Swedien.

What are your reasons and favorite uses for the tube traps?


Are there any specific uses where they just shine?

I've only used them at Wireworld Studio in Nashville on one session (with Michael Wagener). We used them to create a 'less roomy' lead vocal space in a medium sized room, and to disrupt early reflections around the drums.

How bout you?

Mark

Mark......

Studio Tube Traps

I always take my Studio Tube Traps with me to my recording sessions. I have the traps that are fifty-three inches high and 9 inches in diameter. The Studio Trap is adjustable for height. Each trap actually has two sides with little marks to identify them; one side is reflective and the other is absorptive. In many recording situations I won’t pay too much attention to those little marks.

In other words, I wouldn’t carefully organize them, aimed in one direction, or face them all in one neat little row or something. I’ll generally make a random Tube Trap set-up. I’ll try to make the room sound as natural as I can. I usually put the Traps more towards the outside perimeter of the room and never between the sound source and the microphone.

If the room has an area that might be perhaps too reverberant, or if I hear a reflection, or standing-wave I don’t like, or if the area I want to record or mix in is simply sonically too belligerent, I can use my Tube Traps to immediately modify the sound field.

I find that Tube Traps make a dramatic difference. In this situation I always pay attention to those marks that identify which side is reflective and which side is absorptive. You can experiment by starting out with a lot. Then just remove them two at a time - you will hear the sound liven up incredibly. They allow you the ultimate control of the room reflections mixed in with the direct sound. It’s like having movable walls.

I have always used my “Tube Traps” in an array around Michael Jackson when I recorded every one of the vocal tracks on all of Michael’s albums since “BAD”. The acoustic space created by the Traps allows for consistency of sound at the mike regardless of position shifts on the part of the performer. I find the Studio Traps particularly useful for recording an artist like Michael Jackson - because Michael always dances as he sings, even when he's recording. This combination helps create a dense pattern of early reflections on both the vocal and the footstep sounds, at the mike. I love the sound of his dancing coupled with the vocal sound.

My plywood drum platform (when I use it for recording Michael’s vocals), together with the Studio Traps, makes Michael’s dancing footsteps a distinctive element of the rhythm track.

In essence I think I could say that I use the unpainted, plywood surface, of the drum platform to reflect Michaels' vocal sound source, surrounded by Tube Traps, back to the microphone. This also preserves the rhythmic effect of him dancing happily away, while he sings. I think that is an important part of Michaels' sonic character.

In fact, I have used them on all my projects since 1987. No matter where I go I take these wonderful devices with me. I’m sure you have figured out by now that when I go from studio to studio all over the world with all of my equipment and microphones it is a big deal to move all this stuff. Quincy Jones says that moving me from studio to studio is like “Moving the Fifth Army!”.

That's the short story....

Bruce Swedien

[timogiodeson]

I especially believe in the scientist that make them , Mr Noxon is a very generous man .
I believe in Mr Noxon.

[Bruce Swedien]

I especially believe in the scientist that make them , Mr Noxon is a very generous man .
I believe in Mr Noxon.

timogiodeson....

You are absolutely right!!!

Bruce

[MMazurek]

Thanks Bruce.


I'm building out tracking rooms at the moment.

I'll probably make one area pretty dry sounding and have two 'more lively' areas (at least one of those two pretty isolated from the others).


I've considered leaving those to areas almost a little TOO lively, and use tube traps to control the amount of reflection/absorbtion as you describe.
(I'm sure I'd need to trap bass/low mid's due to room sizes.)

It might also give me the option to take them out of the room to use the room as a chamber at mixdown.

Thanks again for the insight.

Mark

[qiktune]

Hi Bruce, thanks for your insights - we're lucky to have you here. I often check back on some of your posts over at GS.

I was REALLY happy to read that you actually "liked" having MJ dance around while doing vocal tracks due to it adding something to the rhythm. I find that on a lot of forums people can sometimes become a bit anal about tracking environment and ambience especially when what we're really after is a great performance.

Well, that's my .02c worth and I'm REAL new to recording.

[jamescecil]

reading about recording michael jackson's feet at the same time as his vocals.. is just amazingly cool. thanks so much bruce for sharing all this!

is there anything special about the design of the drum riser you use?

humbly, james.

[n-xendio]

Bruce Swedien!! Wow! You have definitely been an inspiration for many of us! I'm speechless...... Thanks for opening up the doors to this awesome world of Music!