Choosing a Room for a Control Room

ShragleDagle

New member
Hi,

I'm trying to determine which of two rooms to use for stereo mixing and mastering, so basically a control room. I don't intend to do any live recording. Any help in deciding which room better suits that purpose would be much appreciated. I would also like to know where to place my monitors and where to sit, once we determine which room to use.

Both rooms are located in the basement of a detached private dwelling, I have no concerns about noise or soundproofing. The exterior walls of both rooms are concrete foundation walls from the floor to the ceiling. All of the walls and ceiling, including the beam mentioned below, are covered in drywall (gypsum). The floor is laminate over concrete in both rooms. There is also a bathroom and a workroom/storage area in the basement.

I intend to use Adam A7x monitors with an Adam Sub8, I also already have some 9" 705 bass traps and will be building more to fit whichever room is chosen. The budget is not a concern at this point.

The larger of the two rooms, the dimensions of which are shown on the attached plan and is designated "Proposed Studio". The ceiling height is 7' 4". There is a steel beam running across the ceiling. The beam is covered in drywall and extends from one end of the room to the other, and a small part of the ceiling has been lowered, all as you can see in the attached photo. There are two windows along wall "A". There is a 4 inch ledge from the floor to about 1/2 way up the wall, running the length of walls "A" & "B". A portion of wall "B" has been built out to conceal an old brick chimney, no longer in use. There is an open ceiling directly above the staircase that leads upstairs. I've tried to show all of these details in the attached plan/screenshot.

The smaller room or "Alternate Studio" is rectangular and measures 10' 2" x 12' with a ceiling height of 7' 4". There are no windows, just a door as seen in the attached plan.

I would have also included a rough SketchUp file showing the entire basement had the forum rules permitted. Instead I've attached a screenshot of the SketchUp layout.
The white room is the "Proposed Studio"
The blue room is the bathroom
The pink room is the "Alternate Studio"
The green room is the "Workroom/Storage"

Which of the two rooms would make a better control room? Are the beam, lowered ceiling and/or irregular shape of the "Proposed Studio" problematic? I'm also concerned with the small size of the "Alternate Studio". Is the room too small to use for a control room focused on mixing bass heavy music?

If my best choice is the "Proposed Studio", which wall should I be facing when I'm sitting at my desk? Should I be facing wall "A", "B" or the wall opposite "B"? If I'm facing the wall opposite "B" will there be enough room to place absorbers at first reflection points?

If you have any questions or need more info please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

ShragleDagle
 

Attachments

  • Basement Plans and Dimensions.png
    Basement Plans and Dimensions.png
    146.4 KB · Views: 14
  • Proposed Studio Photo.jpg
    Proposed Studio Photo.jpg
    403.3 KB · Views: 15
  • SketchUp Screenshot.png
    SketchUp Screenshot.png
    21.2 KB · Views: 16
Without any hesitation...the larger room. :)

Put your mix position either at the A, window side...or at either of the B sides.
I think they all are good, though one might be a bit better sound-wise, and also aesthetic-wise...your call.

The cool thing about using the A side is you would be firing the speaker back toward the stairs...so that extends the distance and that area at the stairs can be used for natural trapping....but you will also need to add a good deal of treatment in the room.

That said...the work/storage space is probably the best...but I say that without knowing how it's currently finished and whatever issues it may have.
I assume it's not a consideration since you didn't even mention it as a possibility...?
 
Back
Top