Is it True that Acoustic Foam is useless?

[Nola]

Nothing wrong with doing proper things to get your studio "perfect"...but man, I do feel that people get too worked up over it.
I mean, get some basic trapping, tweak a few things, and then....learn how to work in your space.

That's how I feel about it, too, but I just want to get rid of the flutter echo b/c it sounds really bad. I don't want to go down a rabbit hole tho.
What's the best way to figure out what the problem frequencies are? Like just put a mic and look at a spectrum graph while playing? I had to EQ out like 1k-2k range b/c the flutter was developing an actual pitch in there, so is that the problem range, and if so, would foam fix that? I read something online about placing foam where a mirror hits the first reflection but wasn't really sure. I'm not a pro studio and never will be so like i just need to tame this flutter and then i'd be content.

 

[miroslav]

If you have bare, sheetrock walls/ceiling...try some basic acoustic ceiling tile. You know, the shit that you see in drop ceilings.
You don't want it on the walls, since it will crumble, damage easily...but for the ceiling, you can attach it with some adhesive caulk, then trim it out. You don't need a lot of caulk, just like around the edges and a couple of stripes down the middle.
Then you hold the tiles in place for a bit...I used mic stands, with a small piece of wood.
It will stick right away, but could sag in the first 30 minutes or so until it sets if you use the 2' x 4' ones, but then after awhile it holds fine. If you use the 2' x 2' squares, they will probably stick easy with the caulk....get the better silicone adhesive caulk.

Just in some spots on the ceiling...not the whole thing.

Here's a pic of the ceiling cloud I did with some wood, trapping strips, and around that is some basic acoustic ceiling tile...all attached directly to the ceiling with silicone adhesive caulk. Adding he wood trim around/across the acoustic tiles after the tiles were up was a bit of extra work, and again, had to use mic stands to hold the longer wood molding in place for awhile until the caulk set...but it really finished off the tiles in a nice way.

Took the flutter echo right out.

Best way to check is to clap your hands and listen for the echo. Put up a few tiles (you can do some decorative pattern across areas of the ceiling...but just partial, not the whole ceiling)...then after you put a few, clap and listen...if you need more, add more to fill in the pattern or how ever you want it too look.

 

[LDS]

What's the best way to figure out what the problem frequencies are? Like just put a mic and look at a spectrum graph while playing?

There is a pice of software called Room EQ Wizard
that is fantastic. It's free and is orders of magnitude better than the expensive stuff we used for years for setting up rooms professionally. It, coupled with an inexpensive calibration mic will give you all the data you'll ever need and more.

 

[mixsit]

...Here's a pic of the ceiling cloud I did with some wood, trapping strips, and around that is some basic acoustic ceiling tile...all attached directly to the ceiling with silicone adhesive caulk. Adding he wood trim around/across the acoustic tiles after the tiles were up was a bit of extra work, and again, had to use mic stands to hold the longer wood molding in place for awhile until the caulk set...but it really finished off the tiles in a nice way.

Took the flutter echo right out.

View attachment 96255

Very nice.
At our local vet's lobby they have burlap wrapped 'beams like that added running along their ceiling. I figure it could just as likely have been done for appearance as acoustics though, hard to say.

+ 1 on the REW. I've run the room' in several ways (not pretty- but very helpful), mics, some amp/cab tests (did a series w/ my Mesa with the 'Mitchell donuts hole dispersion foam thing..
Very cool tools we have these days

 

[Nola]

There is a pice of software called Room EQ Wizard
that is fantastic. It's free and is orders of magnitude better than the expensive stuff we used for years for setting up rooms professionally. It, coupled with an inexpensive calibration mic will give you all the data you'll ever need and more.

that looks cool. i got an error when installing it that i'll try to figure out.

so when calibrating it, is it only from the mix position or can you calibrate it for a spot in the room where you record? i want to find the best location in a room for recording. would the software show that? i used my ears and found what i think is best, but i want to test that out.

 

[mixsit]

that looks cool. i got an error when installing it that i'll try to figure out.

so when calibrating it, is it only from the mix position or can you calibrate it for a spot in the room where you record? i want to find the best location in a room for recording. would the software show that? i used my ears and found what i think is best, but i want to test that out.

I already knew my mix position was low bass shy, and I had another spot I had where I double check the bottom octave. In this case that was something easily confirmed. The thing just validates', quantifies ect what you have, and/or by how much and where.
Using it to 'predict where to put a mic', eh probably not. I.e, tracking a vocal or guitar (midrange and up) isn't as relevant to bottom octaves with the big trouble spots.
But another easy thing you could do that might be an eye opener, is run some low mid tones, and listen to how they can 'jump around just moving several inches in a room. To me that's the stuff that can really color' something like a vocal mic track, and they can be pretty nasty (tough) to go after with filters -there can be too many, and come and go with the pitch sung' in question- to go later for example.

 

[Nola]

But another easy thing you could do that might be an eye opener, is run some low mid tones, and listen to how they can 'jump around just moving several inches in a room.

When you say to run the tones, do you mean to generate a sine wave and then move the mic around? I never figured out how to do that. Like on youtube guys generate waves for their software oscilloscopes and to test their room, but I don't know how to do it.

It sounds useful if you can explain it. thanks

 

[mixsit]

When you say to run the tones, do you mean to generate a sine wave and then move the mic around? I never figured out how to do that. Like on youtube guys generate waves for their software oscilloscopes and to test their room, but I don't know how to do it.

It sounds useful if you can explain it. thanks

I bought a cheapie 'Rolls box that's come in handy over the years, but I think you could find little test tone apps on the web, but even steady pure'ish notes from a keyboard/synth would do.
You could move a mic around to look at the level humps on the meters, but I was just thinking hearing them change as you move your head -side to side between your monitors for example.

 

[mixsit]

Check this out-
hunecke.de | Room Eigenmodes Calculator
It only goes up to about 130, but plug your room declensions in, click on the various freq results and it'll give a good graphic of what we're up against. Up around 500 or 600 hundred the inference lines would be down below a foot or so in spacing.

 

[Nola]

Check this out-
hunecke.de | Room Eigenmodes Calculator
It only goes up to about 130, but plug your room declensions in, click on the various freq results and it'll give a good graphic of what we're up against. Up around 500 or 600 hundred the inference lines would be down below a foot or so in spacing.

That's neat but also depressing. My room is 15ft x 13.5ft x 8ft. The 15 part (length) I can make longer by going into this little irregular nook area, then it gets to like 20+ feet. It's a really bad room. The walls are like...drywall and hollow. The ceiling has a gross texture material on it, too. Ugh. I need to move, really. Hopefully soon.

 

[Tadpui]

All REW is going to tell you is what you already know: your room acoustics suck. Thats pretty much a given in a small home studio. If flutter echo is your biggest problem, that's easy to fix. Build or buy some acoustic panels, hang them like pictures on the walls. 2' X 4' X 4" panels with mineral wool or rigid fiberglass are pretty easy to build, or several companies sell them. Foam will help part of it, but nice 4" thick broadband absorbers will absorb much deeper.

 

[mixsit]

That's neat but also depressing. My room is 15ft x 13.5ft x 8ft. The 15 part (length) I can make longer by going into this little irregular nook area, then it gets to like 20+ feet. It's a really bad room. The walls are like...drywall and hollow. The ceiling has a gross texture material on it, too. Ugh. I need to move, really. Hopefully soon.

You can also get mileage out of making gobo sections/stands to go around you and your mic. Doesn't have to be 'solid all the way around, but enough to knock the room and it's tone effects down in level some. (a 'standing level voc mic can be pretty close to the reflection coming off the ceiling- a few above can be nice, but a bit trickier to do. Distance = reflection level) They can then be moved to help with playback' position duties.

 

[Tadpui]

You can also get mileage out of making gobo sections/stands to go around you and your mic. Doesn't have to be 'solid all the way around, but enough to knock the room and it's tone effects down in level some. (a 'standing level voc mic can be pretty close to the reflection coming off the ceiling- a few above can be nice, but a bit trickier to do. Distance = reflection level) They can then be moved to help with playback' position duties.

Gobos would be a great idea for his situation. They're versatile, portable, and great at taming miids and highs.