Advice needed

[GoneinUS]

Ok, I have a couple of questions:

1. The following link is photos of my studio. The problem is there is a wall behind one of the monitors and not the other. I have been told that this is not a good situation. Some have suggested that I move the desk into the corner (but out a little ways to give room behind the monitors), that way the monitors will both have walls behind them. However, this will create a situation where the back wall will not be symmetrical (as the sound will actually be hitting the side wall first). I thought of making a temporary wall with plywood to put behind the one monitor using the current setup. Would this work? Any other suggestions? Permanent construction ideas are not an option (it’s a downstairs apartment that my wife let me turn into a studio if I didn’t change anything permanently).

http://studentweb.stcloudstate.edu/fiaa0301/studio/

2. Does anyone know where I can find a steel plate like pictured below? I have been to the Home Depot type places, but no luck.

 

[Ronan]

I hope this reply is helpful and does not come off sounding snotty, but your studio looks like it will be an acoustical nightmare. Both the odd shape of the room and the volume of the room and the materials are a large collection of almost worst case scenarios.

The good news is that you have bigger problems than the speaker postion. I would concentrate on making the place a good comfortable work space and learn to deal with the problems, as the real fix for most of them would be insanely expensive and require construction.

Your biggest problems in this room will most likely be low end phase problems and image smearing regardless of where you put the speakers. Have fun in your space, and when it comes time to mix try to mix at modest to low volume. run your mixes up to another stereo to make sure the low end is not out of control or much lower than you expexted. Listen to albums that you know really well and get used to your room. Have Fun!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ronan]

The more I think about your room (kinda sad that I was thinking about your room as I fell asleep last night). You might want to think about putting a few panels of 703 (covered in porous fabric) in a few places around the room, this will help tone down some of the reflexions and look into putting in a few bass traps. Ethan, the maker of mini traps post on this board. I would be interested to hear from him if you could use that space behind the left speaker to place some bass treatments there that might ballance out the whole room?

Make sure you avoid the common mistake of covering the room with Auralex. that will just cut down the high end in the room and not deal with the low end. It will kill the vibe in your room and make the room even more out of whack sonicly.