How to set up recording in this space.. Need advice.

[JakeStone]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Things are shaping up nicely sounds quite good, well done

Hey Kev.. Thanks. Your guidance and info in the forums has been greatly appreciated.

[gwlee7]

I can make this iso booth out some of panels that are able to be moved. The side panels can be raised and lowered on the mic stands.

[jaz761]

This is a great thread! Thanks to everyone for the things to think about.

My bandmates and I have a rehearsal space that we also rent out to other bands to try to offset our costs. I can't recall the exact dimensions, but it's roughly a 30' X 14' space with a 10' high ceiling. We made about a dozen panels of rockwool and muslin and did our best to position them to control things in this sort of odd space. We made foam blocks for the corners also. In my experience treating this room and also a small space in my basement (7' sheetrock ceiling), the ceiling panels a make a HUGE difference...maybe the most bang for the buck. I hung our panels from picture wire at the corners so they sit about 4" below the ceiling.

I'm far from expert but didn't see much about this idea elsewhere in the thread so thought I'd bring it up.

[MikeBmusic]

Ceiling 'cloud' panels are a must if you have a drum kit. It's amazing how much both the snare and cymbal sound bounce off a hard (close) ceiling. For tracking acoustic guitar and vocals, not much effect, but for mixing, again they are a must.

[jaz761]

Definitely agree on drums etc. I found that having a panel overhead of the vocal mic made a big difference in quality also...mainly in the low ceiling room of my basement. Just my experience.

[stephenT]

Thanks gwlee7 for the garment rack solution, found one at Walmart that I'll pick up later today, Thanks!!

[gwlee7]

Originally Posted by stephenT

Thanks gwlee7 for the garment rack solution, found one at Walmart that I'll pick up later today, Thanks!!

Glad you like the suggestion!

[Optofonik]

Originally Posted by JakeStone

I know I may have asked about this before.

But I still need some assist... I have been experimenting and getting "OK" recordings.. But I am still learning and tryin'.

I realize room treatment in general is crucial. But I only have 1/2 a room and it is not permanent. The other half of the area is an office area and my wife's work out equipment.

I have 6 (4'x2') Acoustic panels that I made with Rockwool..
2 of them are 6 inch thick and other 4 units are 3" thick.

Is there any hope? It just seems like so many reflective surfaces.
Suggestions of best way to use the panels...
How should I set up in this room?

Just me playing Acoustic Guitar and singing .. Using an AT2035 LDC and I also have 2 SDC Oktava Mk-012.

Did you walk the room and listen to it? If you haven't you might want to give it a try. It's clearly not all right angles in there so see if you can work with the room and not against it, find a sweet spot if there is one. Strap on your guitar, walk the room, and listen. After you've done it yourself and have an idea of the room it helps to bring in a friend who also plays and have that person play in the spots you thought sounded good.

If you find a spot where it all comes together, then rearrange some things to make that sweet spot the recording area. After you re-arrange things double check and adjust accordingly.

Sometimes fighting a room ends up being counterproductive. There seems to be a common misconception home recordists have developed over the past 20 years that "treating the room" is first and foremost before ever critically listening to it. It's not a good foundation to build upon.

Best of luck in your endeavors.

EDIT:

Also, buy this book.

For what it's worth, for better or worse, these are some recordings over the years that were done under less then ideal circumstances. Way less. It's a mixed bag of mic'd cabs, instrumental, vocal, some acoustic, electronic.