How to removed echo from a concrete room

[@FStoppers]

Trust me everyone, I've watched all the videos by the sound treatment experts. I realize sound blankets don't absorb low frequencies. I built out thicker sound panels and they did nothing to combat the 100hz resonance. In this video, I showed you about 5% of everything I did to try to get this room sounding good including swapping the mic for one that is made for indoor use. Of course I could put a mic by my mouth in the shot, or use a lav mic, but I wanted to build a setup where I could sit down, and instantly start filming without fiddling with anything. I am certainly no expert, but after a month of daily testing I got it to a sound I'm happy with.

[@360MIX]

And it sounds good too

[@erikpeers1]

I have a solution for you. I bet that the dimensions of the room are not prime numbers eg the wall lengths could be 4 metres by 4 metres. The one divides onto the other and you get echoes. Make the dimensions of the room prime numbers eg 3m x 5m then your acoustics will be better. Obviously easier before the house was built. But what you could do now is add an additional dry wall on one side of the room to change the dimensions.

[@eattofuholmes]

The problem is that you are trying to treat the resonant frequency with absorption rather than diffusion. It is likely a standing mode between your floor and ceiling.

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

If I do this I would get divorced...No wonder. I've tried shotgun mics. They are a mess.

[@Darko0089]

the thing is that all those blankets and panels only work for higher frequencies, not for the low frequency resonance you found; you need what's called a Bass Trap to trully deal with that, which you can stick on the corners of the room, or if the problem turns out to be between floor and ceiling, a "cloud", which is one you hung from the ceiling like you did the blanket, but built with material that will actually absorb some lower frequencies.

[@TheJohnLyons]

The issue is bass build up in the room. Everything you tried to kill it is meant for treble and midrange. You need some low end absorbtion. So now you are nuking the high end and mid reflections but doing nothing to kill the low end.

[@FStoppers]

I tried thicker sound panels that should have been able to absorb 100htz and they did nothing for that one note. I just didn’t put all of my failures in the video or it would have been hours long.

[@soundknight]

This is immediately what I thought when I heard the first samples

[@soundknight]

@@FStoppers the wolf tone could be in your gear. Musical instruments sometimes have them too.

[@HartenDylan]

​@Fstoppers Hey Lee! Bit late but thought I'd offer some advice. As I'm sure you've researched different thicknesses block different wavelengths of sound, and in this case you're trying to hit the low end. There's also an added effect that bass, due to reflections, typically build up in corners like the one you're facing. Larger flat panels like the ones you've described using are great, but bass traps in a corner (4"-8" thick) really knock out the sub 100hz ranges. You could also try sound diffusers (instead of flat panels, they're peaked to scatter sound similar to light diffusion). I'm sure you saw most of this and tried much more than we saw, but I figured a few corner bass traps might help you out! Cheers, and love the content.

[@HandleDheez]

My favourite part of this video is the 2:30 descent to madness

[@leo_hoang]

lol! This part was hilarious lol

[@kashgohel]

Personal preference was at 'treatment in back hallway'. The final one with all the soundblankets felt a bit dead and muffled. Some amount of reverb makes it sound natural.

[@Trent-tr2nx]

I agree. He went too far.

[@UnderageBeerHere]

His EQ preferences are really, really bad. You can hear it in a lot of his videos. He's probably EQ'ing for his personal preference, but man is it unnatural as heck to listen to.

[@denisbellerose273]

Your sound problem is simply your desktop surface. A part of your voice arrives directly at the microphone but another part is reflected by the surface of the desk. That's why a newsreader has a lavalier mic in the studio and not a boom mic!

[@Slave-Of-Christ]

Exactly what I thought . . . or, at least, some dynamic with the desk/table itself.

[@benjhaisch]

I feel like the comments from sound “experts” on this video are going to be wild.

[@TheRevWillNotBeTelevised]

I can also predict what I've already seen. I've added my own expertise already. :D

[@HumblyNeil]

Hi Lee, you could always make a bass trap. But your suggestion of fixing it in post probably is the most cost and time effective solution. 🙂

[@dominick253]

I still think about coronavirus journal. I was let go of my job during the pandemic. Everyday I'd walk through my backyard trail. And I'd listen to you guys give me the low down on what's happening. So many good times.

[@paolabueso]

Omg this is the video I needed! I’m trying to tackle a room with major echo. I understand your frustration in the video. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@twosheafilms]

Fantastic effort Lee, and I think the improvements are drastic! Well done!

[@SelfBio]

When I saw the drumkit in your room it reminds me on an sound issue we hat serveral years ago - after searching for hours we found it was the metal carpet of the snare and the body of the basedrum :D But thats presumably not a problem with your edrum-kit 😂😂😂

[@TheRevWillNotBeTelevised]

You need some bass traps in the corners of the room from what I hear. Hard to tell without being there myself but sound like you have standing waves in the 100-400 Hz range. Or just as I suggested last time use a lavier mic :p

[@Timothy-NH]

What about your desk top? One Of the things I’ve been doing for the past 25 years is phone systems, and echo on speakerphone is always a huge complaint. Well, putting a magazine, or an mousepad, under the often cleared it up, or at least reduced it to a much better level.

[@vincentpolisi]

Watching this whole video like......"IT'S THE FREAKING DESK!!!"........

[@Timothy-NH]

@@vincentpolisi Funny you come on this now, a year later, and bring this back up to me. Just this past week, I was finishing up some network drops at a customer's office, and they were telling me they've been trying to record a podcast and how crap the audio was. I listened, and asked, to see their recording setup. They were using a decent microphone, but it was almost 4' away from them. They also had a hard desk surface. The room had a drop ceiling and carpeting. The walls were sheetrock. I said I have thoughts. First, I went to the storage room where the network rack was, I had seen extra carpet tiles there (they are 2x2, commercial carpet tiles with a rubber backing). I brought 2 of those to their office, set them on the desk, and placed the microphone about a foot away from where they were speaking from and said try this. The difference was amazing. Perfect? No. Very presentable? Yes. I also suggested they try this: www.amazon.com/Moukey-Microphone-Isolation-Absorbing-Broadcasting/dp/B084VFYC6Z and this: www.amazon.com/Professional-Microphone-Stabilizing-Recordings-Broadcasting/dp/B01N21H9WY

[@brianstalter6569]

So this is what insanity looks like.

[@gabsriel]

The issue is the mic, not meant to be used ondoors. Try with a small condenser one with an supercardioid patern.

[@FStoppers]

I tested one of those mics as well and it sounded almost identical

[@gabsriel]

Ask to Gerald undone or the guy of camera conspiracies, a pencil mic would help.

[@aquaticaquatos4792]

2:30 is what madness or professionalism looks like

[@Slurkz]

Stellar video, thanks man. Incredible what you did, with great results! 💜

[@360MIX]

I hope you tried using a Dynamic Microphone close to you first... Using a Dynamic Microphone without increasing the mic gain (to much) would have fixed most of your problem... but only problem is that it would be in the frame..... like an EV RE-20 / EV RE-27 or any broadcast microphone and a Gate/Compressor strip... is all you need.... That is what I’m using in a non treated room. And I can keep the microphone 6 inches off frame..

[@HeathcliffBlair]

A VERY late suggestion: there's always a risk of getting weird resonances using a shotgun mic indoors, so try a hypercardioid condenser mic like the Sennheiser MKH-50, or an Audio-Technica AT4053B. They're designed for indoor use. Expensive though. A cheaper alternative is the Oktava MK-012-01 with a hypercardioid capsule, but beware the quality control on that mic. It sounds good, but in my experience it's not entirely reliable. Cheers.

[@timparker4160]

I can just see you walking around that room for days saying "hung, hung, hung, hung", driving yourself to the brink of insanity. Hell you even had me walking around my room doing it.

[@LotharRadscheid]

Wow, you are same crazy as me , when it belongs to audio quality , good job

[@taylork9564]

You have a solid desk. Cover that with a blanket and I think you'll hear a difference.

[@FStoppers]

Tilting the desk made the sound go away. A sound blanket on top did nothing.

[@gregkrazanski]

wouldn't it make more sense to denoise before adding a compressor?

[@chrisklest1238]

What are the most cost effective methods for the most amount of noise reduction? 1. Sound blankets 2. Base Trap 3. Rugs 4. Area panels 5. Cloud 6. Changing room dimensions 7. Something else?

[@calvinrobb6410]

Is there a broadcast EQ sound in DaVinci Resolve or something close to it?....I don't have Premier Pro. Thanks

[@MarkVO]

You could add some bass traps to handle the bass resonances.

[@phynx2006]

At least your not too picky about clean sound, maybe a little rumination disorder. But I can totally understand wanting to get it right, as much as I may joke I could see myself doing the exact same thing. The room sounds great btw you've come a long way baby👍😎

[@Neopulse00]

1:10 - (Adorable Father and Baby Moment)

[@TheHumanSoundSystem]

Excellent production tips, thanks

[@BB..........]

You corner traps and several 2' x 4' x 4" panels made with something like Owens-Corning 703 or 705.

[@crestfx6435]

Awesome content sir

[@MattGarwood777]

Your editor, if they’re a “sound guy/girl,” should do something with that residual HIGH end zing in your narration in this video. It’s either overly boosted/excited and would benefit from a de-esser. Those sennheiser shotguns can bring out some spectacular spoken word stuff in the right use scenario. Maybe this room just isn’t it? If you’re not willing to do it perfectly right, you have to be willing to do more corrective work. Btw that high end boost, leading into that intense compression, is waaaay too heavy handed.

[@koo3144]

I think the room sounds too dead now. Also the EQ makes your voice a bit unnatural. You could get a 100$ UMIK-1 measurement mic and do some measurements with RoomEqWizard and look at the waterfall plot. All frequencies should hang around 300 ms for the most natural sound.

[@FStoppers]

The audio in this room has been a nightmare for the last month. I am DONE.

[@ryanwilson5936]

@@FStoppers I wholeheartedly feel your sentiment.

[@jegmeg5086]

Sounds like you have a room mode at 100hz caused by distance between you and a wall/floor/ceiling. Try moving your seating position or/and microphone.

[@mcbowler]

If sennheiser is going to send you mics, try the mkh50. It’s what is used on many movies and tv.

[@soundmixervegas]

You could have just used a microphone suited for indoors recording. You broke it with the 416 and then you had to fix it.

[@FStoppers]

I had an expensive indoor mic. Still sounded bad.

[@MarkVO]

The space is big enough that it doesn’t make a huge difference. The 416 is still excellent indoors with treatment and it’s not like an indoor mic will not require treatment to sound good.

[@soundmixervegas]

@@MarkVO it makes a huge difference. It’s physics. You interference tube renders reflected sound extremely unnatural.

[@soundmixervegas]

@@MarkVO physically not possible to be good. But I guess what is good for me might be different for others.

[@Humcrush]

Ouch. Still sounds boomy and like you're in a can. I think you still need something like bass traps and (lightly) use a reverb remover.

[@Hero_Roy113]

I wonder if the thing he’s hearing is from the rings of the blanket on the metal pull

[@sebastianciho]

Not bad ideas, but first, you should understand acoustics and wavelengths. For that low of a reverberation you will need a much thicker sound panel! Those blankets sort do something but just on mid to high register because are too thin. Start with corners, then right above the position you want to sound best. Also a nice, thick carpet or rug will defiantly help a lot. Also those cuts in Premiere are verryy extreme.

[@DaveKingMusic]

The Treatment in Back Hallway clip sounded best.

[@genevievesmith90]

I like what the early treatments did, but the post processing is horrible, there was a nice natural medium in there, and perhaps some corner treatments for bass is all you need to round it out

[@rehanansari3581]

Why not acoustic coating in the form of painting applied.

[@Shaunmcdonogh-shaunsurfing]

Did any of it come from the table?

[@djtommykeys]

This was depressing. In three months I'll be moving back into my house after some major renovations. Then I will attempt to turn a 10 by 12 mostly concrete and windowed room into a studio environment. I'll be using Rode Procaster dynamic microphones and a shotgun overhead in the open space which should help. I'll have a separate sound booth for the condenser mics.

[@mcbowler]

The longer the barrel, the worse for indoors. Long barrels cancel noise from the sides, but when the same sound is coming from room reflections into both sides things get weird.

[@steveurmah]

Kudos for trying to fix all those resonances yourself. I would probably just hire a pro to do the treatment and save myself some headache.

[@kpeel1357]

Thsi was awesome!!!! I had the same 100hz ring UGGGG,,, . I used another person to hold a 4'x6' cubical seperator sheet. I found the spots and treated only that becuse I kept moving the "freq's" around :) lol. At the end I had reduced my 20'x56' square "recording" room down to a 4'x6' space.. LOL. It sound great. Any updates? Oh I padded the back of my mic also. :)

[@livinginweymouth]

What is your mic attached to? I'm thinking there is a frequency going up the arm that is holding it. Is it suspended or fixed to an arm/desk? I DJ online and had a fixed mic, it was bad, now I have changed things around, it's much better. It's just a thought. Subbed :-)

[@christophstoebich]

Wow. Cool Sound

[@javierpena6379]

Are you guys still in Palmas Del Mar?

[@Slave-Of-Christ]

Could need a bass trap as others suggest, but I think it's the desk/table. My desk setup is the worst part of my room as far as sound goes. Otherwise I'm alright.

[@SanFranciscoDiscovery]

Are you having trouble getting items shipped to the territory of Puerto Rico from Amazon? The sound panels you recommend are not available for a PR address but once I change it to a Virginia address, they are available and even with a discount?

[@curtiswindover4564]

sounds to me like resonance in your mic stand or however it is mounted.

[@HugoDenbyMann]

This channel is strange - you have nearly 1mil subs yet the videos (which seem to have slowed down) hardly get any views at all?

[@kameraelektronik24]

What happens if you remove all the sound blankets and just fix it in post since you ended up doing that anyway?

[@christinejohnson7304]

Why not carpet Floor to ceiling?

[@phirun7186]

How can I get Premiere on my window?

[@mcbowler]

Use an appropriate mic for indoors such as the audio technica AT4053B … it rejects more room noise than a shotgun.

[@mcbowler]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p17FkGSdhL6Ce7M

[@mcbowler]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGWqhWuYfqmjqZY

[@mcbowler]

This is funny. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn7SdYaIiqpko9k

[@v9318]

Nice job!

[@MichaelSeneschal]

Dude, I thought your channel stopped uploading. The KZbin algorithm must have ghosted you or something, I don’t even see your videos in my subscribed tab. What the heck. I’m just going to copy and paste this in the comments of a few of your new videos to tell the algorithm that YES I want to see your videos.

[@Maxi86inAction]

Sounds like a little too much compressor for me 😅 it’s like too much perfection makes it imperfect again

[@paulstone9755]

Dude.. You turned your home office in what.. Awful.. Is it worth it?

[@360MIX]

Thank god he got that sennheiser 416 microphone for free ($1000 mic) Add another $500+ in wall treatments.. I think just adding a Dynamic microphone inclose proximity with low gain would have worked fine.. however the microphone would be in the shot and I'm sure he did not want the mic in the shot.

[@pablogalvz]

obsessed… in a good way!

[@yayitze]

Rompiendo paralelismos con plantas y muebles

[@aov_james]

how would it sound for no treatment + sound EQed?

[@FStoppers]

horrible. You can't remove that echo

[@veganoMED]

I would foam board the whole room! Hahhaha

[@edulopezphoto]

Haaaam haaaam… 😂😂😂 Good work dude! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@gordonjohnston684]

What about the table top?

[@FStoppers]

Yes it was the problem. Without it the resonance went away. But I have to have it.

[@gordonjohnston684]

@@FStoppers Can’t you cover it with grey Alcantara material for example, (like a table cloth??)

[@philipwinkler4088]

Sounds like it's from the desk or table

[@HemantKumar-ot3er]

This video should be titled "How I made terrible audio sound OK-ish." This entire video is essentially a guy who knows very little about audio throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks. And it still sounds muddy and boomy at the end.

[@360MIX]

$31,379.99 Persian Rug? really?

[@FStoppers]

But it sounds good

[@360MIX]

@@FStoppers hehehe yes it does sound good ….

[@joei4ever]

one word: BASS! bass traps man, and use a mic to test the room frequency, why are you doing it by hit and miss.

[@TacticalCactusMedia]

Nice video, I've been wondering what is going on with this channel. My fiancee and I loved to watch the Critique the Community videos when we first started dating and it's been a bummer not seeing those get made anymore. Are you guys still in Puerto Rico? Would love an update on where FStoppers is at, you guys have been my jam for years.

[@FStoppers]

Thanks! Ya we each bought homes in bad shape down here and then moved back to the states while they were being renovated. We are back now and building out separate studios in each home. We will do CTC again soon.

[@FStoppers]

Yep, hope to be back on both channels soon! Renovation concrete homes isn’t the quickest process. -Patrick

[@nik4520]

Now you sound boomie as hell lol

[@BrendanEvan]

Lol how many of us also do audio/visual tests holding a baby ✋✋

[@lenzyruffin]

Be careful, man. You’re looking like Howard Hughes on his journey to insanity...especially when you went under the blanket.

[@pendaco]

Big chance it's the empty space below the what looks like concrete table you're sitting at 😌

[@tecno8335]

Dude your mental health is important. Dont get caught up in trying to completely dead your room thats actually a bad thing for audio 😊 you actually need a little openness to your room with some resonates. Getting rid of all of it makes your voice sound like AI LOL.

[@NiniRockX]

I m in the same place right now

[@shedluvphotography9006]

80-90% of the people watching this will be doing so using their phone speakers, laptop speakers, or crappy Bluetooth headphones - they're not going to notice the subtlety.

[@soundmixervegas]

This is not how sound works. Crappy sound is even crappier on bad devices.

[@shedluvphotography9006]

@@soundmixervegas But does it matter? If you take the sound from the beginning of the video, run it through his EQ and use that, is anyone going to say, "oh, that sounds bad, I don't think I'll watch this video" -- other than those who have experience with high end sound? Look at the number of videos that have millions of views just using a Rode wireless go clipped to their shirt. Sound quality (as long as it is audible and you're able to clearly understand the person speaking) does not matter for KZbin videos. The hum he was talking about was inaudible on my laptop or phone internal speakers - as others said below it is a bass frequency. Those aren't well reproduced by internal speakers or crappy earbuds. Certainly not with any nuance.

[@Darko0089]

they don't know why, only that it's hard to understand what they are saying, and stop watching

[@dajpyramidshow]

It's the desk

[@RalphyV]

2:31 hung hung hung hung hung hung hung hung...THIS HAD ME WEAK!!!!

[@Ibhenriksen]

I discovered If you're walls are plaster and not drywall, you will need curtains all around..

[@FStoppers]

Curtains and heavy blankets help no matter what the material. Sheetrock is nice but it still reflects a lot of sound too. -P

[@diuran1919]

Soon I put noise cancelling mask for my Wife and children and all pets like dogs, cat and even fish :)

[@JochenWeienberger]

a blanket on the ceiling. Man, please start to watch other people who really know about room acoustics, hahaha