studio overhaul - two room treatment questions

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by zenpicker

Thanks. I may go with something like that just for aesthetics, maybe on the wall behind the mixing station, and not count on the acoustic impact. Or I could look at more irregular stone products - there are a million flavors.

Do a google image search for "diffuser sound treatment". Quite a variety out there.

[zenpicker]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Do a google image search for "diffuser sound treatment". Quite a variety out there.

Yeah, wow, you could spend a bundle. $628 for less than a wall's Auralex coverage with their bamboo Wave Prism. Think I'll roll my own!

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by zenpicker

Yeah, wow, you could spend a bundle. $628 for less than a wall's Auralex coverage with their bamboo Wave Prism. Think I'll roll my own!

A couple of diffusers is usually enough. The bookcase method is what I use. Broadband absorbers and/or bass traps, and their quantity and placement, will be more important. They will be important for two things: (i) your control room/monitoring, and (ii) tracking solo acoustic guitar.

Your monitors will be in a different location than the location of your mics when you record. The frequency response graph tested at both locations should ideally be flat for both locations. That's virtually impossible, but that is the goal.

[Steev]

Just chipping in for the Six Six Digital SPL meter app. It works really well and tested side by side with the Radio Shack unit it seems to behave the same.

Edward, you can download a zipped CD of test tones. I can't remember where from but I can Dropbox it to you if you can't find it.

Also, the deer outside looks suspiciously like a Scottish Black Faced sheep.
I think you'll find that the sheep will absorb about 3db more at 2.5kHz than a deer. You'll need more than one though and they should probably be inside and mounted in a staggered pattern on the back wall. You can feed them I/V.

[rick-slo]

Probably the more sound absorbing material the better, especially with wooden floors. Regarding the ceiling, I hung panels on the ceiling. I still have the problem with large glass doors on a closet and glass panel french doors.

[zenpicker]

Steev - you are correct, those are sheep. I thought the silkier the better, which is why I ruled out the large dinosaur option. Hadn't thought about wall-mounting them, though - good tip.

Rick - lovely space and a good guide for what I might do with the ceiling. Thanks for that.

[zenpicker]

I enhanced the model with some proposed acoustic treatment, based on feedback here. I haven't handled the low wall that runs along under the windows - not sure what to do there as yet. But do the ceiling and wall treatments look about right? Acoustic treatment modules are in navy.

The green unit out in front of the player's chair is a self-contained waterfall unit, to provide humification; to be switched off for recordings, obviously. The racks to the side of it are upright built-in slots for guitar case storage. Need more.

[sdelsolray]

Edward,

The monitoring area looks OK, but it may need a bit more tweaking:

1) Full bass traps in the RH closet against its back corner. Another perhaps in the middle of that closet's back wall. Consider partially opening the closet doors when listening/mixing.

2) Add a trap on the LH wall next to the workstation.

Dunno about the mic location. You'll need to test that location. Seems like it might need more treatment. Then again, it may work great. The problem with that location is that the mic capsules are near the center of the room space. Both standing waves and room reflections are usually more pronounced at the center of a room.

Overall, the ceiling clouds look good.

What do you have for diffusion?

[runamuck]

If you have an iphone there are free SPL meters available.

[zenpicker]

Thanks - definitely hadn't considered the interior of the closet! I'm thinking bifold louver doors with the thought that the louvers may help break things up a bit, but obviously not bass. Hear ya about leaving them slightly open - easy experiment to do once it's all set up.

For diffusion I'm still a little stumped. Right now I do have books, but part of this plan is to de-clutter the room, starting with moving the books elsewhere. So I still need a plan there.

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Edward,

The monitoring area looks OK, but it may need a bit more tweaking:

1) Full bass traps in the RH closet against its back corner. Another perhaps in the middle of that closet's back wall. Consider partially opening the closet doors when listening/mixing.

2) Add a trap on the LH wall next to the workstation.

Dunno about the mic location. You'll need to test that location. Seems like it might need more treatment. Then again, it may work great. The problem with that location is that the mic capsules are near the center of the room space. Both standing waves and room reflections are usually more pronounced at the center of a room.

Overall, the ceiling clouds look good.

What do you have for diffusion?

[zenpicker]

Originally Posted by runamuck

If you have an iphone there are free SPL meters available.

Yep - turns out I had one on my phone but had forgotten about it! Thanks.

[anton]

Man, learning alot reading this thread. Ill be attempting a similar thing in our new space.

Edward, what program did you use to draw those diagrams of your room?


thanks


Anton

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by zenpicker

Thanks - definitely hadn't considered the interior of the closet! I'm thinking bifold louver doors with the thought that the louvers may help break things up a bit, but obviously not bass. Hear ya about leaving them slightly open - easy experiment to do once it's all set up.

For diffusion I'm still a little stumped. Right now I do have books, but part of this plan is to de-clutter the room, starting with moving the books elsewhere. So I still need a plan there.

The overall shape of the room will diffuse things a bit (when recording), as will opening the closet doors a bit (when monitoring).

I'm still concerned about the mic location and source location. Any reflectivity tests depend in large part on the physical source of the initial sound, and the location of your listening position (if listening live). The way you have it designed puts the source of sound (the guitar) basically in the middle of the room. Test for standing waves at that location, particularly for each pitch of the lower notes of a guitar (include dropped tunings down to low C). Moreover, the areas behind and to the left and right of the mic locations are basically untreated. Finally, the far reach of the mics on axis is different (depending on the mic placement involved), although the size and shape of those spaces are about the same. Perhaps six 4' x 2' x 4" DC 703 gobos would mostly solve all of this - four for behind and to the rear sides of the mics and two to be placed back towards the entry door when recording. That gobo you already have might serve this later purpose.

Also, just a nitpick, but can you pull the worktable and monitors out away from the back wall about two or three feet?

[Doug Young]

Nice designs, Edward. I think every studio should have a big friendly dog in the middle (probably adds some good bass absorption), but I'm less sure about the sheep!

[zenpicker]

Hi Anton - using a free Chrome plug-in called Floorplanner. If you use Chrome, just search the Chrome store and install it that way. This search should bring it up (along with the Virtual Quran plug-in, huh??): Floorplanner. They may have it for other browser platforms as well.

Originally Posted by anton

Man, learning alot reading this thread. Ill be attempting a similar thing in our new space.

Edward, what program did you use to draw those diagrams of your room?


thanks


Anton