Cheapest(and quickest) way to improve acoustics in empty room(wood floor, brick walls

[eco_bach]

Hi
For an upcoming shoot I will be filiming a singer in an empty room with a minimum number of props to make it seem like an apt.
Can anyone suggest some quick and inexpensive ways to improve the acoustics and cut down on the echo?

 

[Alex H.]

1) Absorbent wall hangings, area rug, overstuffed furniture; furni pads hung on sides, just out of frame, and behind the camera.

2) Pre-record the music and have the singer lip-sync to playback.

 

[Rick R]

Two words:
'MOVING BLANKETS' (usually less than $10 each and re-usable.
However Alex's suggestion #2 is better.

 

[Alex H.]

'MOVING BLANKETS'

... aka "furni pads" or "furniture pads". :beer:

 

[John Willett]

Cardboard boxes - and duvets are superb for absorbing sound.

 

[morgan_moore]

Cardboard boxes - my kind of tech

Can you offer advice on the arrangement

for example I guess if they have no 'lid' and are tipped on the side, and the placed at an angle to the source sound to kind of 'catch' it?

S

 

[Crafters of Light]

People call me crazy but...
Moving blankets (the quilted kind) loosly streatched over a wood or PVC frame. They can be laid on floor, leaned against the wall, hung on the wall, suspended overhead, etc. When against the wall or floor, the gap helps it to capture sound that does bounce back fro the wall as well.

 

[Rippie]

Don't forget one of the best ways to knock down room acoustics is to place the mic as close to the talent as possible.
The closer you are the less room you will hear. Seems obvious but keep it in mind.

Also generally speaking.. in my opinion hearing a bit of the room isn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course if the room is acoustically a disaster try to knock down the reflections as much as you can
but hearing some of the room that you also see helps create the overall space in the viewers head.

 

[Hxd Ped]

Cardboard boxes - my kind of tech


for example I guess if they have no 'lid' and are tipped on the side, and the placed at an angle to the source sound to kind of 'catch' it?

S

No. One of the reasons a box works is because it's like a resonating absorber. Not a very good one, but still....
Put then in the corners and scatter them around to break up the 90 degree angles.

 

[morgan_moore]

Thanks
S

 

[Allan Black]

Getting a solo singer to stay in tune and look good during multiple takes on a shoot is a very tough ask .. and your mic will be in shot.

If you film while he/she sings chances are it'll take hours, and a boxed up room could look strange on the screen.

Set the boxes/curtains up and record the singer first, to get the best vocal take. Reset the room later and shoot to lip sync.

Cheers.