Low Ceiling

[anoopbal]

Does low ceiling has a big impact on low frequencies? Or how does it effect room acoustics?

My ceiling is like 8 feet. i have 6 bass traps. but nothing on the ceiling. Main problem is vocal tracking. it just sounds too bassy. I put some acoustic foam panels and I think it made it worse. it was absorbing all the mid and high end so the low end became all the more prominent.

Love to you know your thoughts.

 

[jimmys69]

How big are the traps? What size is your room? Where in the room are you recording vocals?

 

[anoopbal]

How big are the traps? What size is your room? Where in the room are you recording vocals?

24*48. 4 in thick. i have them on the corners standing on stand. So it is kind of the middle of the junction of two walls. So not really on the 2 ceiling-floor corners of the wall.

Length:20 feet, Width: 10 Feet. Height: 8 Feet. My speakers are on the shorter side of the rectangle.

vocal recording at a spot 3/4 of the length.

Thank you!

 

[jimmys69]

Sounds reasonable. I myself have a bit of a unique setup for recording vocals. My room is a bit larger than yours 13x35x8' high and only 2 full length bass traps behind monitors on vertical walls. 10 4'x2'x4" thick panels spaced on the walls and two on the ceiling above mix position.


This is an old pic but I still use these hanging panels for recording vocals. Seems to work great for me.

Your room has 'even' dimensions which I have heard are the worst for room modes. Maybe try moving around the room to find a sweeter spot.

 

[minerman]

Sorry to go off-topic here, but Jimmy you've gave me an idea about my vocals dude...I was thinking of making a reflection filter, but I can take a couple of the Roxul panels down, mount 'em on mic stands, & have a portable "gobo" for my vocals...Thanks dude!!!!

 

[anoopbal]

Where did you get those vocal panels from? And you don't have any ceiling cloud? Your ceiling height is same as mine.

All the previous places I lived i had much less of a problem with base, but they all had higher ceiling. So wondering if i should invest in clouds.

 

[jimmys69]

Sorry to go off-topic here, but Jimmy you've gave me an idea about my vocals dude...I was thinking of making a reflection filter, but I can take a couple of the Roxul panels down, mount 'em on mic stands, & have a portable "gobo" for my vocals...Thanks dude!!!!

That is exactly what I do. I pull two off the wall but have chains and hooks connected to the tops. 4 hooks in the ceiling joists that they hang from.

 

[jimmys69]

Where did you get those vocal panels from? And you don't have any ceiling cloud? Your ceiling height is same as mine.

All the previous places I lived i had much less of a problem with base, but they all had higher ceiling. So wondering if i should invest in clouds.

I built them. This batch was built using drywall corner bead as frames. Super lightweight. Roxul 80 4" slabs. LINK

Yes, I do have two panels above my listening position.

Above where I record vocals are leftover Auralex crap and two of their corner traps that someone gave me. They are just still there from before building my drum and guitar isolation rooms. Used to record drums in the control room. I am not even sure they do anything but they are purple and look interesting.

It all seems to work together just fine as I have not had any issues with low end buildup when recording vocals.


Oh, by the way if you were to use the build instructions in that link, ignore the addition of batting. Worthless and expensive. Just round the corners with a hammer before covering.

 

[anoopbal]

I see. Thank you!

I would like to see if you can take out the aurolex pads and how it sounds, I put Auroloex pads and it took out some of the mid and high end. i don't know why people recommend these, especially in home studio where it was always too much low end.

 

[Btyre2013]

I've treated my ceiling with some really basic cheap cotton material wrapped around some rockwool, not even in frames and they hang on hooks attacked the material, it's not pro but it does a good job and has good air gap. Like yours my ceiling is quite low.

 

[witzendoz]

We are stuck with low ceilings due to there being a floor above with office space (which I rent out and did not want to loose). Check out the ceiling treatment, link below, no problems at all and the ceilings are just over 8 feet high (2500 mm). Simple clouds with high density Polyester insulation above cloth. However most of the floor is wood laminate, hard surface, if it was carpet the room would be much different.

Alan.

 

[mjbphotos]

I don't think a ceiling cloud would make that much difference in vocal recording - but certainly in playback/mixing mode it will. 8' is plenty enough room to hang clouds.
If you odn't have your corner traps all the way to the ceiling, then you need to look at that right away - the upper wall-wall-ceiling corner is a bad bass amplifier. Like Jimmy suggests, hanging your traps with hooks, etc makes it easy to move them around as portable gobos.

 

[witzendoz]

I don't think a ceiling cloud would make that much difference in vocal recording

I certainly think it does. Have a think about it with a low ceiling the head is closer to the ceiling than the floor, so the ceiling will effect the sound more then the floor. My old studio had carpet on the floor with a low ceiling, the current studio has hard floors with ceiling clouds and it sounds much better. When people treat a room they always forget the ceiling, yet the ceiling area is the same as the floor area.

Alan.

 

[mjbphotos]

I certainly think it does. Have a think about it with a low ceiling the head is closer to the ceiling than the floor, so the ceiling will effect the sound more then the floor. My old studio had carpet on the floor with a low ceiling, the current studio has hard floors with ceiling clouds and it sounds much better. When people treat a room they always forget the ceiling, yet the ceiling area is the same as the floor area.

Alan.

Well, yeah, if you have no acoustic treatment or gobos in front of the singer, then the ceiling would make a difference, but I think its from the secondary reflections: voice > wall > ceiling. Unless the singer has their head stretched back and is pointing their mouth at the ceiling!

 

[witzendoz]

Well, yeah, if you have no acoustic treatment or gobos in front of the singer, then the ceiling would make a difference, but I think its from the secondary reflections: voice > wall > ceiling. Unless the singer has their head stretched back and is pointing their mouth at the ceiling!

Well, as they say, " The poof of the pudding is in the eating". All I can say is that I got a good result. Don't forget I also have a midband absorber, bass traps, convex defusers and a large theatre curtain with midband absorption behind. The fine tuning was the ceiling clouds, which means I can record vocals (or anything else) in almost any part of the room and it sounds good, without the singer having their heads stretched back and pointing their mouth at the ceiling. You need to read a bit more about reflections and acoustics.

Alan.