"Parabolic Reverb" fix?

Hawk Teflon

Hawk Teflon

Veteran
Greetings all. Long time, no post.

We recently were allowed to finally have a studio built at work. It's small, but it's something we needed. We put up a white cyc in a U shape ... though it's really more of a J. We're using this for instructional videos (of martial artists) with a camera that isn't locked to a tripod. We have sound panels around the room to absorb bounce (above, to the sides, on the back wall, etc), but can't very well have any inside the cyc. Here's the part I had no idea would happen: When speaking while looking at either of the side walls, there's a strange ... robotic ... lasery ... electronic sound that bounces back. It's super weird. We were told this is a parabolic reverb.

Is there a particular mic set up we could use to make this better? Please note that the talent will be moving around and changing elevations (standing and addressing the camera to on the ground on top of another person showing how to engage in an attack / defense). So I don't think a shotgun would be the best bet, but you guys are the experts.

Currently we have the Sennheiser G3 mics and an NTG3. I looked at the AT 803 per another thread, but that looks wired and we need there to not be cables running off.

Thank you!
 
You've just not got enough absorption. Is your cycling cloth or a wall with solid curves? These produce very odd reflection patterns, so realistically you have to treat the walls opposite properly.Heavy velvet drapes might be enough to tame it if you want something nicer to look at.
 
First thing to do with a solid curve is to find the problem zone where the curve converges. In my studio , which is an audio room with good acoustics that had a curve fitted for a single project and I never removed it again, it's just a mark on the floor that denotes a cylinder floor to ceiling wher I simply don't put mics because if I do, they misbehave. Its about a foot in diameter. If you stand there even in almost silence it sound very very odd! In my case, extra treatment does nothing at all to be honest. It's just a place to be avoided. I do theatre work normally and there is a theatre near me that has the reverse situation. There is a place on stage that sucks everything out. If you say one two live, or into a mic, you don't hear anything, and believe the mic is dead. The audience think you're daft because it sounds to them perfectly normal. On stage you see the person panic and really think the PA has died. If you've tried the quick duvets hung on mic stands idea and it doesn't work, then you just need to avoid that location ideally, or get mics in really close, or make sure their back is to the curve.
 
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