Need Studio Arrangment and Treatment Advice

M

MoBettaBlues

New member
Hello everyone,
I am ready to treat my bedroom studio in order to get a good room sound and mix. I'm not concerned with sound proofing. I am recording acoustic and electric guitar and some vocals in this room.

The wall with the window is a log wall. I am hoping to use Owens Corning 703 or similar to allow me to just hang the treatments on the walls and/or ceiling. I am open to building additional treatments but I hope to be able to use the 703 for simplicity and cost saves.

My workstation currently sits on the wall with the window. I've left it out so recommendations can be easily made. It will fit perfectly on the wall with the closet. I have my monitors (Samson Resolv 65a's) sitting on the upper shelf at ear level pointing at the mix position.

I am using a laptop, Protools -002R and 2 external hard drives.

For my guitar amp (Carvin Legacy Head and 2x12 Cabinet) I am going to set on milk crates stack 2 high (2 feet) and mic the cabinet with multiple mics. I plan to get some heavy moving blankets and enclose the entire setup.

For acoustic I may use the bathroom next door to record in to minimize computer noise in the condenser mic or experiment in the actual room and see how that works.

This is primarily for a progressive rock type of music. Primarily instrumental. All other instruments are created using "Reason".

I don't want to permanently block any doors or window and the closet is currently being used by my wife. :wink:

I hope this helps.

I would like to keep my budget low. $500 or less. But if I am really missing a chance to improve the results for a little more, please let me know. However, the lower the cost the better. I am considering buying 2 more mics to improve my electric guitar tone as that is the most important to me. I currently use an SM57 and a SPB1. I may purchase an MD421 and a Beyer 160 Ribbon.

Thanks.
 

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Anomaly Design said:
Uhhhhhhh I don't see a question mark anywhere. You need to be more specific, what EXACTLY do you need help with?
Click to expand...

I can't edit my original post.

I am looking for acoustic treatment type and placement advice and mix position location advice based on my room layout (see JPEG), needs and budget.
 
The general advice is to have your desk centered on the wall on the long axis of the room. In this case though the room is so nearly square that the 'long axis consideration is minor at best.

one thing you might do is to remove the doors of the closet. Generally the closthes hanging there makes a much better absorber than the doors.

Apart from that I would suggest my usual approach of getting a bale of two inch 703 panels and experiment with various combinations of two inch panels on th side and back walls and four inch panels across the corners, Then playing around until you think it sounds best.
 
Remove the carpet. It sucks the highs out of your sonic spectrum. Like cymbals.
I'll be back.............hmmmmmm, STUCCO on the ceiling???????? :confused: I don't think so.
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
Remove the carpet. It sucks the highs out of your sonic spectrum. Like cymbals.
I'll be back.............hmmmmmm, STUCCO on the ceiling???????? :confused: I don't think so.
Click to expand...

Please continue. I need all the help I can get!
 
Looks good to me for mixing. Some of the things will either need to come down or be reversable for recording or the room will be too dead.

I especially like the poly on the back wall.

Bryan
 
Some of the things will either need to come down or be reversable for recording or the room will be too dead.
Click to expand...

Hey Brian, this is why I drew it this way....

For my guitar amp (Carvin Legacy Head and 2x12 Cabinet) I am going to set on milk crates stack 2 high (2 feet) and mic the cabinet with multiple mics. I plan to get some heavy moving blankets and enclose the entire setup.
Click to expand...

All other instruments are created using "Reason".
Click to expand...
The only "live" instrument is the guitar amp, and he was planning on "isolating" it anyway.

:)
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
Hey Brian, this is why I drew it this way....


The only "live" instrument is the guitar amp, and he was planning on "isolating" it anyway.

:)
Click to expand...

Rick,
Thank you so much! :)

I will do some vocals and acoustic guitar. Looks like the treatments can be moved as you stated if need during those times.


2 questions on the plan you provided:

1) Are the treatments floor to cieling?
2) What about the cieling?

I'll dig around the site for explanations/designs of the treatments you have shown. i.e. "Poly on the back wall".
 
2 questions on the plan you provided:
Click to expand...
Thats all? :D
1) Are the treatments floor to cieling?
Click to expand...
The "superchunks" of 703 in the corners, and the 4" panel of 703 behind them are. That makes the superchunks REALLY deep. You'll notice I did this ONLY on the front wall behind them, not the side walls, although you could. I don't think you need to though. It was basically to bring the superchunk corner flush with the front wall broadband absorbers. They are only 1 panel each, 2'x4'.

The poly is full hieght, and so are the broadband absorbers beside them.

The side wall absorbers adjacent to the console are 2 panels each, 2'x4'(4'x4')

The rest of the wall absorbers are 4"x 2'x4' with a 1" airgap behind them, and are placed to break up standing waves, and also creates a kind of quasi diffusion, as there is an impedence difference between the absorber areas and reflective areas. When you use patchwork placement like this, you also get the benefit of the "edge effect", which adds to the over all absorption via diffraction at the edges and incident angle absorption in the edges themself. Although, the concept of "diffraction" adding absorption, is still kind of a "magical" by product of diffraction(at least to me :eek: :confused: :D ) as no one has been able to tell me what happens to the sound waves when they "bend", that actually causes absorption to occur, although every lab on the planet knows about it, and the "testing standards" account for this when quantifying the "absorption coefficients". This is why some products, at some frequencies, have absorption coefficients larger than 1. But don't quote me on this stuff as I am certainly NO EXPERT. :rolleyes: ;)

Then we have the JOHN SAYERS angled panels to also break up standing waves and disperse reflections toward the rear. At least from my understanding. Fill them with regular batt insulation. Make them from 1/2" ply.

In the doorway, those are 2" or 3" broadband absorbers.. Whatever fits. No airgap because of space. This was all dimensional guess work. Accurate dimensions of every detail will tell you. Put a piece of 4" on the ceiling in there too.

And then we have...lets see, oh yea. The "cloud" over the mixing area. 2 or 3 2'x4' 4" thick panels with about a 2-3" airgap between them and the ceiling. I'd build one big frame out of 1x4 with a divider between each panel, and staple some wire mesh across it to support the 703. I'll post some sections of this and elevations of each wall later. Theres quite a bit of work just in what is drawn though. But we'll take it step by step.

And finally, the "superchunk" above the poly. Like I said, I'll post a section of it later, and how to build the supports and the details to tie it all in correctly.
The poly is easy. I'd fill it with batt insulation as it will act like a membrane absorber somewhat as well as a diffuser. Although, the stiffness in the curve acts differently than a plain flat membrane absorber.

And please, some of this may be scrutinized by some experts here and disputed or alternates suggested. Which is why my DISCLAIMER is in full effect here as usual :D

Well, have fun building this. It WILL take a lot of 703, The chunks in the corners will take 8 panels each, alone. The rear chunk will take 5 or 6. Then you have all the others. Lots of absorption, which is what you need in a small room like this. As far as the diffusion is concerned..well, from what I've read, its impossible to get a diffuse sound field in a small room anyway. Oh well.
You'll need a couple of sheets of 1/2" ply(birch or A/C), a sheet of 1/8" Luan ply, a sheet of 3/4" MDF or
birch ply for ribs and things like the filler panels in the closet and over the window, some 1x4 and 1x2(whatever wood you want) for the cloud frame, some chicken wire, a solid core door with jamb and hardware, some 2x4 and drywall for the second door framing, some batt insulation,....and LOTS OF labor of love!! :D Later.
fitZ
 
Amazing. Simply incredible.

Thank you so much. I'll keep my eye's open for the rest. For some reason I don't get notified via e-mail and I have that selected.
 
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