My band/studio room, and sound question.

T

toadies

New member
Here are pics of my studio/band room, I think I got a pretty good setup now. Only thing I do not like about my room is that fact the high E sounds like shit on the guitar. Any recommendations on what I should do? I know the egg crate does jack shit to my studio but i had nothing better to do with the egg crate so i nailed it to the wall. :)

studio1.jpg

XP2800 computer
Digi001
SoundTrac Topaz 12-4
Korg ES-1 Sampler/Drum Machine


studio2.jpg

M-Audio 49-key midi controller
SWR LA-15 bass amp
Fender 1978 Musicmaster 3/4 scale
Fender Reissue 65' Twin Reverb (best amp i heard!)
2 JBL Eon Actives

Not shown I got a Fender Reissue 62' Jaguar (american) and a Jazzmaster (Japanesse).

My layout, does this seem like a good layout?
studio3.jpg
 
Toadies, I am a total newbie to this site and home recording in general. I also have a project similar to yours by using one of my spare rooms (similar size to yours) as a general recording/mixing room.

With respect to the high E string issue - one of the first things I try and do is work out what frequency am I dealing with. From there, I can work out the wavelength and determine if the size of the room, walls etc, etc have an influance at this frequency (e.g. high reflections from flat wall surfaces, distance between walls, floor to ceiling etc) and cause phase relation issues. Does the high E string sound crap in all places of the room, or just in one area? suggesting that there is a standing wave issue.

With respect to your layout (which may also be a reason for the high E string issue), I noticed that you have two speakers directly opposite each other in the corners of the room. I'm thinking that those particular speakers (i.e. power output speakers) in that position would create two main problems:- 1. Bass frequency response would increase (especially in that size room) by placing them in a corner (may also mask the higher frequencies such as the high E string frequency?) and 2. directly facing each other would cause them to oppose each other acoustically creating cancellation of certain frequencies and enhancing others. Does the high E string sound crap on the monitor speakers in the near field? Have you tried the speakers in a different position and if so, does the high E string issue remain?

Just some thoughts. As I said, I'm a total newbie to this stuff also and may be well off course in my thinking. I'm sure there are more experienced people and engineers on this site that could offer more solutions and guidance which I can learn from.

Good luck. I'll watch this posting with great interest.

Allan
 
yea that makes since of what your saying. The high E i'm talking about is coming out of the guitar amp, even with an acustic guitar is doesn't sound good, If I were to go in to my den the acustic sounds alot better.

The reason the PA is back in the courner across from each other is so the singer would be able to hear himself. other wise it used to be on the same wall, which I perfered but the singer keeps complaining, oh well. But I might be putting it back in the other courner so they are on same wall. I no longer have a singer anyway, PA just for parties now.

How can i figure out which freq i am dealing with?
 
Toadies, sorry for the late response, work load is very high at the moment and it is the first chance I have had to reply.

I think it will probably be trial and error on the speaker placement to see which sounds the best as it will also depend upon what is directly opposite the speakers and the distance. I would think that the speakers on the short wall might work, but again, it may be trial and error to get the best spot. You may have to look at some bass traps, diffusers/absorbers to help resolve the issue. The best way forward I would think would be to do one thing at a time and note down the affect it is having, get the best set up, then re-evaluate what issues remain and tackle it.

As for the frequency, I think the high E string on a guitar is around 329kHz which is a wavelength of approx. 1.04metre (1/4 wavelength 26cm). I suggest measuring the dimensions of your room (i.e. side to side, end to end, floor to ceiling) and working out what standing waves may dominate that particular room. This is obviously starting to get very theoretical and gets more in depth as you get further into it. Generally speaking, speed of sound is approx. 344m/s at sea level without going into too much theory and is close enough for most of us. Wavelength = Speed of sound / frequency. Hence, 344 / 329 = 1.04metres.

There are a multitude of web sites you could search on acoustic theory if you want to get more involved in the theory.

Let me know how you get on with trying different speaker positions etc. I’d certainly start off by moving stuff around before spending money on other forms of treatment.

Allan
 
While play the keyboard today I notice the E under the middle C I think, was sound terrible on my near field monitors. I also notice it sounded great on headphones.

I do not really have a choice on moving speakers around the room, because the desk is set the way I perfer, mainly so no one can see if when they first walk to our house. Only option i got is to try the piano on my PA speaker and see what i get. Which I will try later. But the E sounds very dead, has a like really bad reverb sound to it. the D and F around it is smooth, and the E has like a harsh high sound to it, instead of ringing out smoothly.

One thing i need to meantion is the door is just a open space that leads to a hallway thats about 3 to 4' wide I persume. Should I make a temporary door/cover for the open gap thats about 4' wide.

When you just play the guitar with out the amp that terrible E sounding is still there, even with an acoustic guitar.

Is there a calculator to find out which standing waves there are in my room?
The demision of the room are approx. LxWxH - 15'3" x 10' x 7' 9"

Thanks for the help.
 
Toad,

> Is there a calculator to find out which standing waves there are in my room? <

Yes, but that's not as useful as you might think. All rooms have problems at all low frequencies, not just those frequencies related to the room dimensions. If you're serious about getting your room in shape, spend a few hours reading through the Acoustics FAQ, second in the list on my Articles page:

www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan
 
i started reading it, but i have no clue what half of it means, Just looking for ideas on making it sound better? should i just get 703 and 705 fiberglass and put it all over the walls?
 
lanterns said:
sell your gear and go back to school newb.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
That was SO uncalled for! :mad:
I suppose you were BORN knowing all there is to know about recording and room acoustics, and never once had to ask someone more knowledgeable for advice? :rolleyes:



Toadies:
You have a really workable space, you just need to "tweak" it a little.
Consider setting up your studio like this:

Bedroom.gif


Getting those speakers out of the corner will go a long way to wards improving your mixes.
 
You'll notice, in the diagram, there are slot resonators.
Those ar real easy to build, and here's a plan for them:

Resonator.gif
 
Last edited:
Acoustics 101

Michael Jones said:
Toadies:
You have a really workable space, you just need to "tweak" it a little.
Consider setting up your studio like this:

Bedroom.gif


Getting those speakers out of the corner will go a long way to wards improving your mixes.
Click to expand...

I think this looks like a great way to start by shifting your setup around.

I, personally, would forget about trying the insulation, egg crates, etc. Check out this link - it's an easy read:

http://soundproofing.org/infopages/myths.htm

Now you know more about treating a room than most musicians!

Whether you buy their stuff or not, the Auralex website give some great tips - most is a pretty easy read. Ignore what you don't understand for now.

http://www.acoustics101.com/

Then I would pick up some actual acoustic foam. These guys are great and cheap:

http://www.foambymail.com

I've used the stuff, it works well. Get some 3 inch pyramid foam and some 1 inch. Use the 3 inch in areas you want to almost completely stop the sound bouncing (like behind your speakers on the wall) and the 1 inch on other parts of your room - check out some of the diagrams they have at auralex. You may want to buy a couple bass traps too.

That should get you rolling....

- J
 
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