STOP Recording Vocals In A Closet...Do THIS Instead

[@jackspring7709]

This is excellent advice for all those who need to come out of the closet.

[@timsoom7027]

I actually think it sounded better in the closet.

[@AnkothOfficial]

Come out the closet, so all the neighbours can hear me scream my vocals and maybe even report a domestic, like it almost came to last time I did vocals in my house (parents got asked of everything is OK because they could hear screaming and thought there was a fight).

[@CharlieMayMusic]

Very good point man! When I moved into my new space, I originally was stoked I had a decent sized closet for a vocal booth. After going over the logistics of it, I realized I'd rather have the storage, and mix vocals in my mixing room, and keep the live room live.

[@BetterMixes]

That's a good point too! Storage is something I wish I had more of in my studio, so I definitely wouldn't want to give up any storage I have to make a less-than-ideal booth!

[@daviddenisson515]

the criticism is very detailed and specific but your solution is so vague...not good!

[@BetterMixes]

You're right! Looking back, that part of the video was definitely not as specific as it could have been. I might try making a video at some point going deeper into that!

[@Kevintendo]

@@BetterMixesI thought the first few minutes was just the intro lol. Was ready for you to actually do your advice or something

[@user-th6rh8zp3t]

yea this video is terrible lmao

[@mcgritty8842]

@@BetterMixesmight want to work on that fake laugh. Makes you seem like a real pretentious snob

[@mukherjee22]

@@BetterMixesI support your advice, dude! It has helped me a lot 😊 all good!

[@Penelope416]

It would depend on if or how the space (whether big or small) is acoustically treated or not. It probably sounds boxy in your closet because you're literally sitting near a bare wall with no acoustic treatment behind you, in front, or on the sides of you. Also if there is a dense amount of clothing throughout the closet, then it would make a difference. And I'm also not sure what mic you recorded that part with. There are many different elements that come into play, but when there is enough dense fabric throughout the closet space, it can be very beneficial and sufficient.

[@BetterMixes]

I mean, if your closet was big enough (like a walk in closet) and you built or bought a bunch of proper acoustic panels, yeah, you'd basically have a actual booth. So it is possible! But this video was primarily focussed at the old recording 'hack' of just an average closet full of clothes being an acoustically great space, which it is not. And a kind of 'normal' smallish closet is probably too small to do proper acoustic treatment. There are occasional exceptions where you can make it work, but as a hard and fast rule, I'd typically advise against it. Oh, and the mic I used in the closet was a Lewitt LCT640ts, same one I use for the rest of the video.

[@attheofficejams]

​@@BetterMixes Thanks for making this distinction - I have a large empty walk-in (large enough for a sleeper chaise to fit in) that I want to use to record in.

[@BetterMixes]

@@attheofficejams Yeah, that should be big enough to make into a nice booth!

[@Fartinhalerr]

I think vocals for a song vs like an audiobook have different needs. A closet with some slight improvements might be good for reading lines but will be too boxy for singing.

[@BetterMixes]

That's likely true! I don't have TOO much experience doing voiceover work, but voiceovers probably don't get as loud as singing, so it would excite the room less, causing less of the crazy boxiness. And obviously depending on the exact closet, the dimensions and what treatment is in it, some closets might sound pretty ok for speaking, while others (like the one in my house I stood in for this video) will not. Just gotta try it and see, I suppose!

[@Kylie.Rose.]

what if you’re recording metal vocals? would a closet-sized space with soundproofing then maybe be more optimal?

[@BetterMixes]

PROBABLY not. The louder the vocal is, the more room reflections and resonances you're likely to get, so loud metal vocals would probably do better in a larger space.

[@JoeySavage]

Facts amen speaking truth

[@BetterMixes]

🤘🤘🤘

[@oinkooink]

My home studio is 8x9ft. Should I find another space?

[@BetterMixes]

You should be able to make that work! Just try to avoid singing right in the corners or any areas with bad flutter echo or other weird reflections.

[@madvillainy6845]

I know its not necessarily a low cost solution, but I use a not too expensive mixer, mic, and headphones in a bedroom. The sound is not bad at all.

[@Allthatwethink]

What if its a walk in closet thats treated with acoustic panels and bass traps? Also, due to the boomy sound a small space could cause would leaving the door open to the closet help that? Thanks!😊

[@BetterMixes]

A walk in closet would most likely be large enough! That would both give you enough room to properly treat the space and not be so tiny that you'd be singing like 6 inches from a wall.

[@CaraHillVoiceoverArtist]

Great question! I now use a walk in closet to record my audio. (Keep in mind this is coming from a vo person, not a singer or instruments, so keep or toss). :) I was in the middle of a recording session and got so hot in the closet that I had to open the door. Then I kept recording. When I listened back, oh my! What a difference! I could hear the echo in the latter half of the recording and had to start over. I am not sure of the solution to that except installing a vent which is not going to happen. Food for thought. Have fun recording awesome things and let me know how it goes! :)

[@elwarofficial]

Strong video, thank you

[@BetterMixes]

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@johnp4887]

what about if i use the aston mic shield in the same good spot in the room?

[@BetterMixes]

I've never used the aston shield, but I have used some of the sE ones and like them. They'll generally do less than the packing blankets hanging from mic stands trick, but they still help a bit. And if you pick a reasonably decent sounding spot in the room to begin with, then you likely won't need TOO much help anyway!

[@johnp4887]

@BetterMixes also i hear its a good idea to instead put a mic shield behind you, because of the sohnd reflection

[@RichardChamberlinTV]

I am too big to stand and fit in my closet - but what I am planning is soundproofing the closet walls & ceiling, using 3 sound blankets for the title floor, and 2 more as a door -- leaving the closet doors open, so I can stand for VO work. Otherwise my options are limited. When you said "you'd be better off standing in the middle of a room," light bulb went off -- I could set up the mic in the center of my room like a hospital room(instead of the bed, it would be the mic and sound blankets circling around it with plastic clamps on the outside to tie each blanket together. Overhead proofing would be more blankets draped over. I could use plastic piping (PVC) to build a circle "shower-like" stand. Threading the PVC piping through the blankets to hang-like shower drapes and then throw a cover over it acting as the "ceiling." 7ft tall with a circumference of 10'

[@CaraHillVoiceoverArtist]

Great idea! Before I had a closet, I built exactly that with PVC and moving blankets. It actually sounded great! Now I have my studio in a walk in closet and it is so hot in there I am tempted to rebuild the portable booth. Let me know how it goes! :)

[@DismaliciouSx]

2:10 when you are listening for the sweet spots do you put the mic facing the direction of your ears or where you're facing?

[@BetterMixes]

Once I find a spot that sounds good, I'd stand right there to sing and put the mic in front of me.

[@jaybuck9124]

Recording in a closet, wrapping a microphone with a sock, the worst mistakes I've ever made

[@BetterMixes]

Haha we've all been there!

[@donpayne1040]

word. I'll try it.

[@BetterMixes]

🤘🤘🤘

[@mahoneypirate]

Hi Mike -- great advice. I've recorded in the closet a lot!! I writing you because every time I watch an online video, the person is recording in what appears to be an untreated room, and they sound great. How can I do that? what am I doing wrong? I've spent money on acoustic cushions, large packing blankets, etc. There has to be an easier way to record than this!

[@BetterMixes]

Hey Bill! I always recommend starting by just walking around the room or rooms you have available while speaking fairly loudly to find a spot that sounds good (or the best you can find) to your ears; an area without flutter echo or any obvious reflections or frequency buildups. You're more likely to find a good spot away from walls and corners, but just try to find the most natural sounding spot. If it's still a little funky there, then you can add in some acoustic panels or packing blankets. I'd recommend hanging the packing blankets fairly close to you as opposed to right next to the walls or something like that. And then I'd say just keep the mic fairly close to your mouth (unless you're using a shotgun mic or something like that) to maximize the direct signal and minimize reflections. The camera angle makes the mic look farther from me in this video than it really is. I usually try to keep it maybe...7 or 8 inches away? I hope that helps!

[@mahoneypirate]

@@BetterMixes Thank you! It does help tremendously.. Keep up the great job!

[@BetterMixes]

@@mahoneypirate glad I could help!

[@bd-one4213]

I been there and it’s hard to mix, small booth kills a lot of my mix

[@BetterMixes]

Absolutely! Whenever I get a track to mix recorded this way, I can tell right away, and it's always a headache to deal with!

[@bd-one4213]

@@BetterMixes at first I thought that was the best vocal I could record but when I start adding compression and more I can barely hear the words from the song 😢😅..

[@AnkothOfficial]

😂 💀💀 atm the ONLY thing that concerns me is getting these mother fucking vocals done without the neighbours reporting a domestic or complaining about noise. Idk if they sound a bit bad. I rather they get done and in a safe space like a closet where they hopefully can't be heard, than have 9+ tracks with no vocals because I can't practice, record or do anything to do with vocals in my house. So it's either closet or make my own vocal booth (which takes time and resources and money which we DO NOT have). It's amazing how people here act like we have a choice and fucking defecate money and can afford to just find ourselves a fancy area for vocals 💀

[@BetterMixes]

"It's amazing how people here act like we have a choice and fucking defecate money and can afford to just find ourselves a fancy area for vocals" I mean, I literally suggested you record your vocals in like...any other room. Say a bedroom, or a living room or whatever. Nothing fancy or expensive about that. And if YOUR closet is in a spot where it blocks enough noise from the neighbors to make recording possible, than that's where YOU should do it, but as general advice, a closet isn't necessarily going to provide any more soundproofing towards neighbors than any other room. I guess that all depends on the layout of people's houses/apartments. So without being able to see every viewers blueprints, I'd still say that as an overall statement, closets are a bad idea (with the caveat that your mileage may vary depending on your exact circumstances).

[@FullKarenMusic]

You need to be able to stand up. Sound treatment to an unused closet can be great. Hanging blankets is a great quick and easy idea for a temporary set up.

[@BetterMixes]

The problem with even a treated closet (unless it's a BIIIIIG closet) is that yo literally don't have enough room for the amount of treatment you would need. All the close walls and corners leads to the main issues being in the low end and low mids. Your typical acoustic panels really don't do that much to fix issues that low in the frequency spectrum, so you'll still have all those weird and difficult to work with low resonances. If you start in a larger room, away from walls and corners, you're less likely to have low end issues (or at least not as bad), so you can use a bit of treatment to deal with some of the higher reflections, and boom, you've got yourself a solid vocal sound.

[@inspyre4312]

Should I still buy a vocal shield also??? Like if i had the shield in front obviously and then the blanket behind? Also i have wood flooring so should I get a small carpet in this area? And do I treat the area above (ceiling) with anything?

[@BetterMixes]

Yeah, I realize I should have demonstrated the mic stand thing. I'm planning on making a "vocal recording tips" kinda video, so I'll show it in that! And yeah, the vocal shields can definitely help! I have an sE one that works great. A small carpet PROBABLY won't make a huge different, but it might help a little, and almost definitely won't make anything worse. Plus, if nothing else, it'll keep things quiet if you end up tapping your foot or something while recording!

[@inspyre4312]

@@BetterMixes I appreciate your reply. I'll def check that out when the video comes around. All good on the mic stand I am going to just build something. Shield already coming today :D. Thanks for demonstrating though, i always just assumed the closet could be a good space but it did sound pretty boxy upon me testing it out and proofing it did seem pretty hectic even if i went all out on actual quality panels.

[@cobraofearth]

Thanks for the tip! Do you hang that blanket up behind the mic?

[@BetterMixes]

I'll typically use a reflection filter behind the mic and then place the blankets behind and to the side of the singer. If you don't have a reflection filter, I'd just try setting up a few blankets, maybe one or two behind the singer and one behind the mic. If you're short on space or mic stands, the ones behind the singer will usually make the biggest difference, so start there!

[@cobraofearth]

@@BetterMixes ok that makes sense especially sense I have a mic that is front focused

[@cobraofearth]

@@BetterMixes ok I will do that!

[@jsmitt812]

Hey, would the vocals sound bad in a walk in closet if you professionally treated the walls with acoustic foam rather than clothes ?

[@BetterMixes]

Depending on the size, that could definitely work! Although I'd recommend going for acoustic panels made of rockwool or something similar as opposed to foam. There are a ton of useful videos on how to build your own for pretty cheap if you're a little bit handy!

[@gettuffstudios]

What if the closet is treated? Is that still bad?

[@BetterMixes]

Yeah, typically still not ideal. The problem is that all the corners and close walls in a closet cause issues primarily in the low end, and typical acoustic treatment is mostly helping the midrange and high end and not doing too much to the lows. By starting in a larger room, you're less likely to have low end issues, so the issues you DO have will be easier to treat.

[@DiamonzBurnett-z2q]

thanks fam

[@BetterMixes]

Any time 🤘🤘🤘

[@gustavtarankov3899]

People récord in theor closets because they are fucking broke and they starting up and they gotta make it work. Give them alternatives or give them money to make a studio like yours

[@BetterMixes]

I mean...I did give them an alternative. The cheapest (free) alternative would be to just record vocals in whatever room the closet is attached to. That's already likely to be a lot better. Then you can improve that pretty dramatically by draping some heavy-duty blankets over mic stands and placing a couple of those around the mic.

[@fluph1]

@@BetterMixes point of a closet is all the clothes help absorb the sound. A room is going to be extremely bad unless money is spent on panels.

[@BetterMixes]

Like I showed in the video, standing in that closet full of clothes sounded terrible. A bunch of tshirts can't overcome the naturally terrible acoustics that come with a room that tiny (specifically all the low end and lower mid issues. Your clothes are only really going to affect the top end). And like I said, you can use blankets (that you likely already own, or get some packing blankets from harbor freight for super cheap) and a couple mic stands (that you likely already own if you record music or can be bought pretty cheaply at your local guitar center) to make an impromptu vocal booth. Put that in the middle of your room, and at least 9 times out of 10, that'll sound significantly better than a closet.

[@PremierWaveMedia]

You do know you can Acoustically treat a closet just like you do any other room right

[@BetterMixes]

Not really. Due to all the corners in close proximity (and those corners' proximity to the singer/mic), the biggest acoustic issues in a closet are typically with the low end which is VERY difficult to treat properly (and takes a LOT of space to treat properly...space that doesn't exist in a closet). The larger the room, the less likely you are to have major low end issues so you can focus your treatment on the mids and highs (which are much easier to treat).

[@nomad1517]

I mean, the next best option is to get a job and just save up for some decent equipment over time. Get shit on sale, used, refurbished, or borrow or buy from a friend. This is good if you have no other choice, but if you do, just get the good stuff as much as you can.

[@lordovthorn2747]

not if I soundproof the entire closet and use foam to round corners lol my closet is gonna be a literal booth

[@BetterMixes]

I kinda assume you mean treat, not soundproof, but even then, the problem with very small rooms (like closets) is that the worst of the acoustic problems are likely to be in the low end which is extremely difficult to treat, and that treatment would require a lot of space, space that doesn't really exist in a typical closet (unless you have a massive walk-in closet, but then space wise, it's probably closer to the size of a typical bedroom). Slapping some foam up (or even proper acoustic panels for that matter) would really only do anything to the top end and upper mids, not the lower mids and low end where your main problem is. By starting off in a larger space (like a bedroom or living room for instance) and getting away from the corners of the room, you're less likely to have as many problems in the lows, so you can focus your acoustic treatment more on the mids and highs, which is much easier to do.

[@lordovthorn2747]

@@BetterMixes it’s a massive walk in lol You could set up a full size mattress in there and still have a little room

[@BetterMixes]

@lordovthorn2747 well there ya go. I was obviously talking about a 'normal' sized closet. I mean there's undoubtedly someone who has a 'closet' half the size of my house. Just because they call it a closet doesn't mean that's automatically what I'm saying not to use.

[@lordovthorn2747]

@@BetterMixes I've seen large walk in closets but not quite as big as mine also effectively dampened and used well for vocals... it's allllll about HOW you treat the space you're utilizing.... if you dampen the corners and ceilings and use dampening materials on the floor as well like foam matting you can get pretty good results... I just feel like this video is good but not specific enough and doesn't get into "what" one could do better with their closet space? a lot of people who make content like this do not consider that the creator, musician, singer, etc is using such a space to minimize noise complaints just as much as they do it to get a clean take. Food for thought.

[@BetterMixes]

@@lordovthorn2747 It's absolutely not all about how you treat the space. For something like a normal to slightly large (but not massive) closest, in order to fix the low end problems in there, your treatment would need to be THICK. Like RELLY thick. Not like a few inches of foam. Like thick enough that there probably wouldn't be much room left after you were done with treatment. Throwing some foam on the walls will absorb some top end and make it sound dead, but you'll still have all kinds of weirdness going in the low end that make it extremely difficult to get the vocal sounding right. Any time someone sends me a track to mix that was recorded in a closet, it's instantly obvious and a huge pain to deal with, "treatment" or not. If I was making this video today, I would go much more in depth about how to get a better sound, but I still think the advice I gave in this video is solid: 1) go in a bigger room (like a bedroom) 2) walk around and find a spot that sounds reasonably good to begin with 3) hang up some heavy duty packing blankets around where you plan to sing (or proper acoustic panels if it's in the budget) to cut down on reflections and flutter echo. This is cheaper, easier, and sounds better than gluing a ton of foam to your closet walls. And as far as reducing noise complaints, using a closet for that doesn't make any sense as a general piece of advice. It might be a good idea in your particular apartment, but a terrible one in someone else's. It all depends on the layout of the building. For that I'd say just pick a room as far away from neighbors as possible. And if it's really that bad that you can't record anywhere that sounds halfway decent without getting complaints, either try a different time when neighbors aren't around, or if that's not doable, find somewhere else to record. Maybe a friend's place with chiller neighbors, or use all that money you saved from not buying foam to go to a studio for a couple hours to do vocals.

[@jaredmattocks]

It looks like your proximity to mic is changed in the closet

[@BetterMixes]

It does kinda look like that, but it's just the camera angle that makes it look farther away in my non-closet setup. It's obviously at a different angle in the closet (right in front of me instead of to the side), which I shouldn't have done to keep it as consistent as possible, but the distance was the same.

[@lathspell2659]

Te closet solution covers a couple of vital everyday real life aspects, not considered here. As much as I would like to consider acoustics, recording my own voice in a closet with foam, is the only way of not getting angry neighbors at my door. A mic stand holding a heavy blanket would do the work? Also... Can't I hold the blankets on a pvc structure? Isn't it way cheaper? I praise the devotion for your trade, but I think there is a wide range of scenarios/budgets that are not taken in consideration. I'm sure you have the knowledge, and the will, to help us, cheap broken rats, with a more suitable solution, at least until we get back on our feet. Thanks!

[@BetterMixes]

You can absolutely use a PVC stand instead. I mentioned the mic stand thing because I figured a lot of people would already own an extra stand or two. And yeah, I mean, if the closet is the only space you functionally can record, do whatcha gotta do! If the extra walls of the closet blocks enough noise so you can record without your neighbors complaining, go for it! But I see so many people suggesting you record in a closet for acoustic reasons which, if you have almost any other option, is bad advice.

[@headsman2023]

I was dying to see someone say something about this❤❤❤ thanks man, the acoustics aside... B singing in a really uncomfortable space can fu++ your skills... you'll never sound good cause you can not be creative at all

[@BetterMixes]

Absolutely! Having the right vibe is insanely important! Even perfect acoustics won't help if you're not getting a great performance!

[@ReviewReview-ib3po]

What u think about recording in ur car ?

[@BetterMixes]

In general, I probably wouldn't recommend it (although I can't say I have any personal experience with it). The space is still small with somewhat strange acoustics, but maybe most importantly, you can't even stand up. Just seems like an uncomfortable way to work, but i dunno 🤷

[@MrP3t3]

This is not what people mean when they say record in a closet.... add sound foam to all walls is suppose to be assumed. When people say take the trash out, do you remove the garbage and put it on the floor?

[@BetterMixes]

Well first off, a LOT of places online recommend literally this. They say the clothes in the closet act as treatment. But as for your suggestion of adding foam to the walls, that would sound basically just as bad as only having clothing. The problem with closets is the low end. All the close walls and corners create all kinds of weird buildups and resonances in the low end. Foam is only really going to affect the top end and maybe the mids if the foam is thick enough, but it's going to do essentially nothing for the low end where the actual problems are (much like a bunch of clothing hanging in the closet).

[@squatonthecomet1306]

So you not gonna show us how to do it?

[@BetterMixes]

Yeah...looking back that would have been a good idea! I'll probably demonstrate it in some future videos I have ideas for, but in the meantime, just set your mic stands into a T shape, raise them as high as they go, drape the heavy blankets over them, and place them around the singer!

[@deathfmradio]

What if the closet is treated?

[@BetterMixes]

If the closet is large enough (like a walk in closet for instance), you could probably make it work with some treatment, but in a more normal or small sized closet, you'd need sooooo much treatment to fix all the issues in there, that you probably wouldn't have room for a singer and a mic stand anymore.

[@jamesthomas3729]

I disagree. The average size of a recording booth is 6' x 4'. My closet is walk-in 6'x 8', and sounds awesome treated.

[@BetterMixes]

I don't remember if I said anything about walk-in closets in the video or not, but I know I've discussed it with a few people here in the comments, but yeah, a walk-in closet should be big enough to turn into a booth! This was more referring to a "normal" closet. I mean, some people have "closets" the size of my living room!

[@djbon2648]

I would have to disagree with this. When they say closet, they mean walk-in closet. What you have is a like a reach-in closet that probably have sliding doors. A normal sized walk in closet surrounded with clothes would work better than room

[@BetterMixes]

Well, if they mean walk-in closet, word hasn't gotten around enough, cause I see people recording in normal (often smaller than my house's closets) all the time (probably because most people don't have massive walk in closets?). But yes, if you have a giant 10x10' or larger closet, than you could make that into a good booth. Anything much smaller than that, and you'd be a hundred times better off recording in a room with more space.

[@AdamSmith-zq5sr]

Great video. Would something like the SnapStudio vocal booth be something to consider once I find a decent spot in a room without horrible resonance/echo? At this point, I know it's basically the poor man's way but I thought I'd ask. I feel like the blankets would do a better job rather than other companys "panels" that are selling these days. Cheers

[@BetterMixes]

That would probably do a pretty decent job! It looks more or less like a more sophisticated version of the packing blankets over mic stands thing I suggested in this video, so yeah, as long as you find a decent spot for it, that should dry things up a good bit!

[@Kidd_SS313]

Well now i dont know what to do... Youutube "experts" give very contradictory advise. I tried opting for an isolation shield but there was a video about how ineffective it was and that it makes it muddy. The closet idea seemed like the best one until this vid. Even the eyeball thingy is frowned up. I just wanna record good vocals here😸😭 the obvious "best solution" is accoustic panels but they are expensive af. So im outa ideas.

[@BetterMixes]

If you happen to own a couple power tools or have a friend who does, search DIY acoustic panels. They can be pretty reasonable price wise if you're able to build them yourself. My experience with isolation shields (I've only used the sE brand ones for the record) is that they do help, but only to an extent. They won't solve major issues, they'll just make things a little bit better. I'm planning on making a video demonstrating this (I really should have put into this video, but...too late), but I think the best thing you can do on a budget is start by finding the best sounding spot in your room; it probably won't be perfect, but just the best starting point. Try away from walls, and definitely away from corners. Once you find a spot that sounds ok-ish, get yourself some packing blankets. You can usually find them pretty darn cheap at someplace like harbor freight if you have one in your area. Hang them over something (like a mic stand for instance, although the taller the better), double up on them if you need to, and you should end up with something pretty good.

[@Kidd_SS313]

@@BetterMixes Thank you! I just saw a couple of videos with demonstrations, they work perfectly (as far as I can tell). Just hope I don't find another video of someone debunking it😭 I was planning on saving up for the DIY panels on the following year since it's the best option. Right now I'm focused on the equipment.

[@BetterMixes]

@@Kidd_SS313 Haha yeah, I know it can be frustrating since for literally anything you hear about recording or mixing, you can find someone else saying the opposite. But yeah, that sounds like a good place to start until you get around to building some panels!

[@maltliruoqs-stonelock682]

if you record in a closet.. you at least need to line the walls... but the low end is going to build up soo ooo fucking bad. So... still fucked.. depends on what you're doing i guess.....It's easier to eq a boomy low end on a vocal than deal with reverb and echo in the highend... But, this guy totally forgot about the top... if you only surround yourself.. you still have sound from the top being captured. That cardoid pickup pattern applies upward and downards as well.. So leaving off the floor and ceiling is forgetting half the signals..

[@vinceisproducing2002]

Man, i dont got shit or soace to prop up a pillow fort in the middle of my room, n what, i do this everyday when i wanna record?

[@BetterMixes]

You probably need like...4 feet by 4 feet of standing space in a room to do what I suggest in this video. That's not much. And it probably takes like...1 minute to set up; you just set up two or three mic stands and drape heavy duty packing blankets over them. If you can't commit literally one minute to set up each time you want to record...well...then I don't think I can help.

[@vinceisproducing2002]

@BetterMixes I think my room is like, 2 by 3ft, and thats without furniture. I don't have money for mic stands, it all went to the software and my mic. Can I not do things to improve my closet space? Like minimizing space the clothes take up and using blankets to round the corners? It may more then a minute to set up but I'm willing to commit.

[@BetterMixes]

2ft by 3ft is literally a closet. The average bedroom is like...10 by 12 or something. The problem with closets is all the low end buildup. It takes a LOT of treatment to fix low end; blankets aren't going to cut it there. That's why I suggest starting in a larger room like a bedroom or living room. Then you're less likely to have to deal with low end buildup and can just deal with mids and high end which things like blankets or normal sized panels will can help with. If you literally have zero money to invest, just start by walking around whatever space you have trying to find a spot that sounds natural to your ear. That'll probably be a much better starting point than a closet.

[@vinceisproducing2002]

@BetterMixes lmao my bad I'm Canadian I thought a foot was like a meter🤦‍♂️. N ya those low end lumps have been driving me crazy for weeks. I don't got no money but I still have an audio interface to save up for, but thinking about it now I def got the money for ceiling hooks. Gonna walk around the house doing ablibs n see where it'd be best to set up. Ty bro appreciate u taking time outta ur day to responding to another annoying comment 🙏🙏🙏

[@BetterMixes]

That makes sense! I was wondering if that was a metric/imperial issue there. But yeah, no problem! I hope you find a good sounding spot in your house to work with!

[@manmanman6956]

well, isn't the point of a closet a good place to hang stuff to make a vocal booth ? its small so you can afford to do this

[@BetterMixes]

In a room that small (especially a perfectly square/rectangular one with 90 degree corners and parallel walls), you'd probably need to stuff every square inch of it with rockwool to overcome the acoustic issues (which wouldn't leave much room for the singer!). The vocal booths I've seen in commercial studios are always a fair bit bigger than a closet, don't have parallel walls, and either have whisper walls built in, or have more acoustic panels on the wall than would comfortably fit in an average closet. And even than, at the commercial studio I used to work in, most engineers would use one of the larger iso booths (probably about the size of a bedroom) for vocals, if it wasn't needed for something else, as the vocals would usually sound better in the slightly larger space.

[@KitCatVivi]

Personally, I sounded much better than being in my closet than being in my room and even under a blanket. Plus, if you were to be outside my room, you could easily hear me sing. My closet however, when I close the door you can barely hear anything. This is just my experience though

[@boogaloojohnson2]

Your proximity to the mic during your closet test is insanely close compared to the rest of your video (you are holding the mic an inch or two from your face), that is why it sounds so muffled and bad. With an extra 5 min of setup effort and and a little post treatment you probably could of had a decent audio recording.

[@BetterMixes]

The distance is actually almost exactly the same. The camera angle makes the mic look farther away during the rest of the video, but in both recordings, the mic is about 6 or so inches away. I made sure to keep that as consistent as possible (yes, the angle is different, but that doesn't make TOO much of a difference), so it sounds muffled and bad because I was in a closet. I don't remember how much of this I went into in the video, but think about it, one of the first "rules" you learn about acoustics is not to record or place your speakers in corners if possible because you get a lot of low-end buildup in corners. Then why would we want to record in a closet that's basically all corners? And being low-end buildup, that's not something that's easily fixed with acoustic treatment. That's why closets typically sound weird and muffled. But yes, with a bunch of post processing, I probably could have made it sound decent, but why would I do that when I could record in a larger, more comfortable space, not have to do much post processing, and have it sound good or great instead of decent?

[@boogaloojohnson2]

1:31 You can zoom in on KZbin now... and if you do that, you can clearly see you are holding that mic directly to your mouth (it's not an illusion, or a weird angle, or video camera trickery). I get that you had to make the shot look and sound as terrible as possible to demonstrate your point and have a high contrast in differences, but it's not a fair comparison. You didn't even bother to put the mic on a mic stand... no recording artist in their right mind would try to get a usable take while holding, what I'm guessing, is a condenser mic. You didn't even bother to set up proper lighting like the other shots. Did you give the closet recording the same post treatment as the rest of your vid? It's not that the closet was terrible it was your technique.

[@BetterMixes]

I don't know what zooming in has to do with anything. The mic is like 6 inches in front of my face. My point about the camera angle was in reference to the rest of the video where the mic is off to the side; that shot kinda makes the mic look farther away. Again, yes, the mic was not at the same angle, being in front of my face in the closet and off to the side for the rest, so it's not a 100% perfect comparison, but the distance was the same. And yeah, I didn't drag my filming lights up stairs for the closet shot, just the lights in the room, but again, that doesn't change the sound (and honestly more accurately reflects the lighting in a closet anyway since most don't have lights, but again, I was comparing the sound). And same with the mic stand, that doesn't affect the tone of a recording. This was just meant to be a quick test to demonstrate all the low end buildup that's common in closets, not a demonstration of "how to make your closet look more like a professional booth". And yes, it had the same exact processing as the rest of the video (some light compression, a high pass filter and a small cut around 350ish, and some de-essing). The only difference was the room I was in, and the angle of the mic. If I were to make this video again, I would have done a clip of me speaking in the studio with the mic straight on instead of off to the side for a 100% accurate comparison, but that angle change doesn't even come close to accounting for the difference in sound. Probably 98% of that is from the room. I thought the difference was obvious enough that people wouldn't need a 1000% accurate scientific test down to having the same lighting in both examples, but I guess I was wrong. But hey, if you like recording in a closet, go for it! It doesn't bother me what you do. I'm just letting you know it'll sound a lot better, need a lot less work, and probably be a more enjoyable recording experience if you don't 🤷‍♂️

[@Brantdrangus8489]

Good ❤

[@kennedyd1842]

But my closet is comfy tho

[@BetterMixes]

Haha well that's one plus at least! Mine was not.

[@6teeth]

bla bla bla, i need examples, pictures. I get bla bla all day long.

[@BetterMixes]

I mean you got one example...but yeah, I probably could have done a couple more. I thought how bad it sounded in my closet was reason enough not to record there.

[@alena2love]

Ha - ha

[@thewomaninblack731]

💩

[@BetterMixes]

🤷‍♂️

[@BurningBushPedagogy]

Bro closet is fine, but the way you squeeze yourself between even things touching the mic. Omg u guys love views for the sake of getting attention

[@BetterMixes]

Nothing is touching the mic. Yeah, If I were actually recording in this closet, I'd probably make a little more room for myself and actually set up a mic stand instead of holding it, but it would still be cramped and uncomfortable, and it wouldn't change the fact that the acoustics in a normal-sized closet are quite bad and that you'll get much better sounding recordings if you record almost anywhere else.

[@crazymelomanka]

I don't get it either, you're like in a box. Why do people still praising closets for sound recording??

[@BetterMixes]

I know, it's crazy!

[@maribelaguilar4036]

I’m sorry. But I have the best, experiences coaches, sound engineers, and producers who have said nothing but great things about my recordings, done in a closet studio

[@BetterMixes]

Maybe your closet sounds great! Perhaps it's a very large, walk-in closet. Or perhaps there's just something about the exact dimensions of yours that works for your voice. That's certainly possible! I'm not saying in this video that literally every closet ever built sounds bad, but rather that the VAST majority do, so as a general piece of advice, it's a bad idea. I've had some people comment that their closet sounds amazing, but turns out their closets were the size of a bedroom 😆 OR maybe your voice just sounds lovely, so DESPITE the poor acoustics, your coaches and engineers are happy with it, yet maybe they'd be even happier if you recorded in a larger space 🤷‍♂️

[@eddiet.6779]

Garbage

[@BetterMixes]

Yup, recording in a closet is often garbage 😘

[@TheSpeedyr6]

He said walk around in the middle of the room look for best spot😅

[@BetterMixes]

... Yeah... Look for a spot that doesn't have any obvious issues like flutter echo or any weird resonances or anything like that. Then that's probably a pretty good place to start.