Recording at home is often challenging because you may not have appropriate space like a vocal booth. Isolating the microphone to reduce unwanted frequencies within the room is important and might not be possible in a home environment.
It is really critical that you let the microphone capture only the direct signal and not the noises bouncing within the room. This is where a tool like the SE Reflexion Filter proves useful. When space is not acoustically perfect for recording, the best idea is to treat the area around your microphone instead of changing the room.
SE Electronics is a well-known brand popular for its competitive, extensive range of microphone models. The company introduced the Reflexion Filter as a portable device that mounts over a mic stand, serving as an effective acoustic absorber for the mic surrounding. In this post, we take a closer look at the SE Reflexion Filter and learn more about its features and uses.
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SE Reflexion Filter Review
The Reflexion Filter from SE Electronics is a portable, compact acoustic absorber and vocal booth. It is designed to reduce the number of room artifacts captured by a microphone during home recording. It also assists in isolating the mic from other sounds in the room like the noise of computer fans and spills from other performers.
It can be easily fitted behind any microphone using the stand clamp assembly it comes with. A single mic stand will hold the microphone as well as the Reflexion Filter.
The Reflexion Filter consists of six primary layers encapsulated in a punched-aluminum frame which allows the passing of sound waves while adding useful diffusion. This structure allows it to achieve a desirable amount of absorption within minimum thickness.
There is also a layer of acoustic grade wool on its back covered by high-grade aluminum foil featuring strengthening ribs which you can tension.
On the inside, there is a framework of rods separating the air gap to form an acoustic barrier. Then there is another layer of acoustic grade wool and a layer of punched plastic. Finally, there is another layer of air gaps with four acoustic fiberboards of high density. These provide an effective filter.
Pros
· Compact frame ideal for home studio
· Stand and dual pop filter included
· Isolates the microphone from unwanted reflections
Cons
· Somewhat heavy and unstable for cheaper mic stands
· Difficulty securing mounting on the stand
SE Electronics Reflexion Filter Pro – What You Should Know?
The Reflexion Filter Pro from SE Electronics absorbs energy effectively. You just need to bring the mouth close to it and speak. It helps improve recordings by reducing the number of reflected sounds getting into the microphone. Reflexion Filter can be used in different ways to reduce room ambiance and improve isolation.
The best position for Reflexion Filter is behind the microphone with cardioid mic within its curve to keep the room reflections from reaching the mic from the side.
The exact amount of difference the Reflexion Filter makes to the recording depends on the quality of the room. If there is a lot of furnishing or you already have some acoustic treatment, you may not find the difference you expect. However, the difference becomes effective in less friendly spaces like a village hall or an untreated room.
SE Reflexion Filter Setup
While it is fairly easy to set up the SE Reflexion Filter, you may need the manual to get started without any problem. The instruction manual details how you can set it up in just five steps. The first step is to make sure you have all the parts which make the filter – the spanner, support rod, and the stand assembly.
You can put together the parts by fitting the assembly to the mic stand, fitting the support rod to the filter and inserting the rod into the stand assembly. After tightening the assembly, you can adjust the horizontal and vertical positioning and you are done.
The manual also tells you how you can achieve the perfect positioning. One should position the mic towards the center within the filter and it should be at level with the front edges of the filter towards the end of the curved wall. You can use different positions to create varying effects.
SE Reflexion Filter Parts
The SE Reflexion Filter includes the filter, mic stand thread adapter, screw wrench, and a mounting bracket to help you assemble the system easily. You can easily find the spare and replacement parts for the SE Reflexion Filter. Moreover, there are some useful accessories you can add to the filter to get the most out of its features.
RF Pro Mounting Bracket Upgrade Kit – This hardware kit for Reflexion Filter helps increase the stability and ease of use while updating the level of durability, aesthetics, and performance of the filter. It enhances flexibility by easy panning and tilting. The additional stability lets you position the filter at any angle to get a dry sound when recording instruments, acoustic or vocals.
RF Music Stand – A sturdy support for tablature sheets and music books, this RF Filter accessory allows clipping music or lyrics in place while recording. The stand clamps easily on the top of the filter and offers clips to attach music books or tablatures and notes on the top bar.
Reflexion Filter Vs Vocal Booth
A vocal booth is a room built inside another room of a recording studio. It has specially treated walls using a material like isolation foam to make it non-reflecting to acoustic waves. Vocal booths are made to reduce the amount of diffused reflections coming from the walls to be able to record with less reverberation.
They also keep the external sound outside and come handy when recording an entire band at once. Vocal booths were invented when high-quality headphones did not exist. Reflexion Filter is a way to build a vocal booth around a microphone. It reduces the number of other signals entering the mic and isolates it from other sounds when recording in a room.
Those who want to record a single person at a time, don’t have additional space to create a vocal booth and have a pair of headphones can consider using a Reflexion Filter. While a vocal booth takes up a lot of space, is expensive, not portable and needs air conditioning and electricity, a Reflexion Filter need not be built, is portable and affordable.
So, if you are interested in improving the sound of your vocal recordings, you should go for a Reflexion Filter rather than building a vocal booth. SE Reflexion Filter can really make a difference to your work as a singer or vocal recorder. In terms of the cost of the Reflexion Filter compared to how much it can improve the vocal recordings, it offers an excellent value.
