Help Would Be Appreciated!

[tubbabubba22]

hello everyone, I am new to this forum but I thought I would ask you guys a question. I am looking at trying to set up a pretty decent "home studio" at my house and I would love your help. I have a very limited budget. My ideas are as follows, let me know what you think. I was going to use 3 different rooms. Each instrument will be tracking seperately. One room is a small closet where I am going to record the vocals. I was thinking I could buy enough sound absorbtion material to treat that whole room. I was also wondering If I should use any egg cartons on the walls as diffusers? The next room is the storage room where my control room was going to be. I have a very limited budget remember so I cant buy tons of sound treating material, but i can get some. I was thinking about hanging absorbtion material on the back wall behind the monitors, and a little bit in the back. On the side walls and cielings i was going to hang large blankets and a few egg cartons. is this a good way to do that part of it? And finally, I have a average sized rectangular living room where I wanted to do most of the tracking. I was thinking about maybe making walls out of blankets and absorbtion foam and egg cartons and make sort of a smaller room for the drums. I was also going to make sure that none of the "walls" are parallel and that i hung lots of absorbtion material and egg cartons in an attempt to make it more dead. Finally, i might buy a few bass traps and put them in the corners of both this room at the control room.
So what do you guys think? How can I improve on a smallll budget? how should I go about treating these rooms better? Is it a good idea to make a smaller room out fake walls, blanketsm absorbers, egg cartons and other items instruments such as drums and guitars? Any tips at all are welcomed. I am not totally new at recording but I am definatly not an expert. I cant wait to hear back from all of you. Thanks Alot.

[Supercreep]

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

hello everyone, I am new to this forum but I thought I would ask you guys a question. I am looking at trying to set up a pretty decent "home studio" at my house and I would love your help.

Welcome aboard, tubbabubba.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

I have a very limited budget. My ideas are as follows, let me know what you think. I was going to use 3 different rooms. Each instrument will be tracking seperately. One room is a small closet where I am going to record the vocals. I was thinking I could buy enough sound absorbtion material to treat that whole room.

So far so good... So long as that's the vocal sound you're looking for.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

I was also wondering If I should use any egg cartons on the walls as diffusers?

Definitely not. They have next to zero acoustic properties and are a fire hazard to boot. Scratch that idea categorically.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

The next room is the storage room where my control room was going to be. I have a very limited budget remember so I cant buy tons of sound treating material, but i can get some. I was thinking about hanging absorbtion material on the back wall behind the monitors, and a little bit in the back.

Well, so long as you are using traditionally accepted absorption materials, like rigid fiberglass or rockwool. Try to include some early reflection points above and to the sides of your mixing position.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

On the side walls and cielings i was going to hang large blankets and a few egg cartons. is this a good way to do that part of it? And finally, I have a average sized rectangular living room where I wanted to do most of the tracking. I was thinking about maybe making walls out of blankets and absorbtion foam and egg cartons and make sort of a smaller room for the drums.

..............Not going to do anything except kill a lot of HF. It will have zero effect on LF, which is what is going to give you the most trouble.

It's not going to work.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

I was also going to make sure that none of the "walls" are parallel and that i hung lots of absorbtion material and egg cartons in an attempt to make it more dead. Finally, i might buy a few bass traps and put them in the corners of both this room at the control room.

Make bass traps if you can't afford to buy them. Abandon the idea that egg cartons and heavy blankets will do anything but kill off HF. What you want to do is absorb as evenly as possible across the spectrum.

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

So what do you guys think? How can I improve on a smallll budget? how should I go about treating these rooms better? Is it a good idea to make a smaller room out fake walls, blanketsm absorbers, egg cartons and other items instruments such as drums and guitars? Any tips at all are welcomed. I am not totally new at recording but I am definatly not an expert. I cant wait to hear back from all of you. Thanks Alot.

You're in the right place. I am not an expert, but am a perpetual noob. What I have learned is that it's much less expensive to do something right the first time. Another thing I've learned is that people have no problem dropping 2500 bucks on a guitar or mic or preamp, and wouldn't dream of spending that same money on acoustic treatment.

It's just as important as any of the other items in the recording chain.

Here are some good places to start learning about acoustics:

http://www.realtraps.com/info.htm

http://www.johnlsayers.com/

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

[tubbabubba22]

ok well thanks alot so far. but if u dont recommend egg cartons and blankets, what do u recommend i do? Without that i just have drums in a carpeted basement. how can i improve from just the carpeted basement. use all absorbing material that i have and use no diffusers unless its from the store? any more suggestions would be awesome. But thanks alot so far.

[Supercreep]

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

ok well thanks alot so far. but if u dont recommend egg cartons and blankets, what do u recommend i do? Without that i just have drums in a carpeted basement. how can i improve from just the carpeted basement. use all absorbing material that i have and use no diffusers unless its from the store? any more suggestions would be awesome. But thanks alot so far.

Go to the sites I posted above and learn from the pros - that is and was my recommendation to you.

Diffusion is not going to have an appreciable benefit to your situation; your room is probably too small.
Carpet, egg crates, foam and cardboard are not acceptable materials. Put a foam lined box of cardboard over your head. Play a CD. That's what your room is going to sound like if you use those materials.

You want fiberglass, and lots of it.

[zbert]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

You want fiberglass, and lots of it.

Make it rigid fiberglass. Use the search function here. Tons of info if you look. The links Supercreep gave you are a great start. Just spend a few (or many) hours reding throuugh the building form. Take notes along the way. You can do great things with the rooms you describe but you have to be willing to put the time in to do it right.
For me I spent about two months reding before I ever stared to to record anything. Five years later I'm still learning. Spend the money right the first time. (I've leared that the hard way) Good luck and have fun.

[tubbabubba22]

thanks alot supercreep for those links. they have helped alot already. Can i just use regular insulation like for walls/attics to trap some of the lower frequencies? I also can get some corner fillers, will that help with the bass problems? will they kinda work as bass traps? So in recap. THe vocal booth is good. As far as the control room goes, ive done lots of reading that should help me. I have a pretty good idea for that. But the tracking room is where i need the most help yet. So just put the drums in the room. Put corner fillers in all the corners and put as much absorbing material as i can on the walls and also make sure i have absorbing materials on the cieling above the overhead mics. Does that sound pretty good for what i can afford? This is also random, but since u guys are so helpful so far, i have one more question. If i have a couple of sm-81's and 57s which ones should i use on drum toms? Between those two... thanks alot so far. cant wait to hear from you guys.

[Supercreep]

You're off to a good start. Use the search function, all of these topics are well covered here.

[tubbabubba22]

sorry to keep bothering u. i am having a hard time finding the right "rigid fiberglass" stuff and where i can buy it. can somebody send me a link of where i can find exactly the right stuff and so i can see how much the stuff i need costs? thanks

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

Put a foam lined box of cardboard over your head. Play a CD. That's what your room is going to sound like if you use those materials.

LOL, that's a keeper!

--Ethan

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

LOL, that's a keeper!

Ditto! I don't know how many times I've said the same thing here.
fitzZ

btw, how ya been Ethan? Hope bidness is good.

[tubbabubba22]

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

sorry to keep bothering u. i am having a hard time finding the right "rigid fiberglass" stuff and where i can buy it. can somebody send me a link of where i can find exactly the right stuff and so i can see how much the stuff i need costs? thanks

any help with that?

[zbert]

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

any help with that?

Use the force Luke (or the search function)

[Phoneboy]

Originally Posted by tubbabubba22

any help with that?

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=179563

[zbert]

Originally Posted by Phoneboy

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=179563

Yep, just like that. (Thanks Phoneboy)

[Dani Pace]

If you are having trouble finding rigid fiber glass, consider using acoustic celing tiles, it's not exactly the same thing but is pretty similar, just peal off the vinyl and it will work about the same. Another source is to check with a heating (furnace) company, they often use "furnace wrap" which is basicaly 703 with foil on one side and the foil is fairly easy to peal off. Avoid using styrofoam, it's good insulation but has almost no value for acoustic purposes.

[tubbabubba22]

ok thanks so much. ive been reading things from those other links and finding alot of useful information. but i still was wondering. if i only have sm81s and sm 57s which one should i use to record both the rack and low toms? thanks

[Supercreep]

http://homerecording.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=27

[chugheshc]

tubbabubba - just a gentle note :
It's a lot easier on the rest of us if you start a new thread when you have a new question. It's also much more likely you will get an answer that will suit you. One post covering the basics that then changes to locating rigid fiberglass, then changes to which mic to use on toms?..... kind of a minefield here.
best of luck,
Chris

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by RICK FITZPATRICK

btw, how ya been Ethan? Hope bidness is good.

Good, and Yes.

--Ethan

[tubbabubba22]

sorry about that. im new here and im just trying so ill keep that in mind.

[Supercreep]

No worries - keep us posted!!