Room Layout Advice

8

88fingers

Member
I'm looking for some advice on how I should layout my meager "studio" room. I have a spare bedroom that I use for my recording. The room is 11'4" by 13'2". I only do recording for myself, and record drums, keyboard, and bass guitar for my personal projects. There are 3 main components I need to be able to fit into the room in any sort of reasonable fashion: the drum kit, the keyboard, and the desk (which houses my computer, monitors, & various tools. I have attached 2 layouts below I'm thinking of, and would love some advice on what is going to be the most conducive to quality recording (in terms of sound wave direction, etc). All items in picture are drawn to scale.

Thanks!
 

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Thanks! I have been assuming for awhile now that it would soon be time for me to do some of the first ever treatments in the room (once I get the shape set up properly) - what's a good dummy guide for people who've never done that before?
 
Singomakers said:
but anyway you need lot of auralex
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No, nobody ever 'needs' Auralex period, unless they are spot treating a room that has already been treated with appropriate rockwool or 703 type bass traps. Especially in a small room like this, it is likely not possible to have the low end completely under control. At best, through introduction of 'true' bass traps, and then testing the acoustics of the room, you can control the nastiest of frequencies. Using foam acoustic treatment as first order, is absolutely the worst advice that could be given. It only creates more issues.

Auralex/foam is not capable of reducing the low end buildup that small rooms need the most. And it is an expensive/worthless product for small rooms.
 
88fingers said:
Thanks! I have been assuming for awhile now that it would soon be time for me to do some of the first ever treatments in the room (once I get the shape set up properly) - what's a good dummy guide for people who've never done that before?
Click to expand...

You can find info on basic room treatment from Ethan's site as well. HERE.

Whether you build them yourself, or purchase from a reputable company, the basics are given.

I will repeat, even if foam treatment companies advertise products as being 'bass traps', they are not effective, and will not help you to treat your room properly. This has been scientifically proven over and over. Do not listen to anyone who tells you foam is what you need. It is not, and will never be...
 
jimmys69 said:
I will repeat, even if foam treatment companies advertise products as being 'bass traps', they are not effective, and will not help you to treat your room properly. This has been scientifically proven over and over. Do not listen to anyone who tells you foam is what you need. It is not, and will never be...
Click to expand...

I agree absolutely! You can see our test we did with foam vs our bass traps here: gikacoustics.com/news_020912.html - it confirms Ethan's findings as well.

For the basics on treatment of your room, the first things I would hit would be the corners and your first reflection points..those are pretty much the minimum places to hit in a room, and from there you can add on to the room.
 
jimmys69 said:
You can find info on basic room treatment from Ethan's site as well. HERE.

Whether you build them yourself, or purchase from a reputable company, the basics are given.

I will repeat, even if foam treatment companies advertise products as being 'bass traps', they are not effective, and will not help you to treat your room properly. This has been scientifically proven over and over. Do not listen to anyone who tells you foam is what you need. It is not, and will never be...
Click to expand...

Right-o! The main thing I wanted to do was install some bass traps, as I've known for awhile I needed to do that. Also, according to Ethan's page, the other necessary components would be:
*Mid and high frequency absorption at the first reflection points on the side walls and ceiling.
AND
*Some additional amount of mid-high absorption and/or diffusion on any large areas of bare parallel surfaces, such as opposing walls or the ceiling if the floor is reflective. Diffusion on the rear wall behind you is also useful in larger rooms.

I don't see in that article how you find the first reflection points. I found this page: AudiogoN Forums: How U determine first and second reflection points - is that a legitimate answer? I don't know why, but it seems to read somewhat tongue-and-cheeky.
 
That is actually correct. Sound travels much the same as light, so using a mirror on the wall and ceiling, will tell you where the ideal spot to place treatment is. The closest hard walls, are where your first reflections will likely cause problems. Controlling the reflections there (not necessarily a bass trap, some use 2" thick panels there), will help to keep your stereo image, and clarity from your monitors.
 
88fingers said:
I don't see in that article how you find the first reflection points.
Click to expand...

The mirror trick is pretty useful to use. There are a bit more accurate ways of doing it, but when you're placing a 2' x 4' panel centered on where the mirror was, you'll still nail the first reflection. We have done a video showing how to find your first reflection points using the mirror method, you can find it here: gikacoustics.com/video_reflection.html

Also, mid/high frequency absorption should only be used after bass trapping. Chances are, if you use enough bass traps to even out the bass in your room - you might not end up needing mid/high frequency traps. However, if you do need a little more taiming on the high end, even 2" thin panels will do a great job at evenly absorbing most of the frequency spectrum above ~250 Hz.
 
I don't see in that article how you find the first reflection points. I found this page: AudiogoN Forums: How U determine first and second reflection points - is that a legitimate answer? I don't know why, but it seems to read somewhat tongue-and-cheeky.
Click to expand...

Here is a video we did on finding the first reflection point.
Video: First Reflection Points



Glenn
 
For bass traps (straddling corners), I would suggest going with at least 4" thick panels. I used a basic frame of 1x2" pine to sandwich the Roxul. I wish I would have documented the build...

Basically, it was two 2' wide, by 49.5" frames layed flat, with 4" legs. The ends keep the edges sharp for the fabric wrap, and the fabic itself holds the centers solid against the Roxul, so no bracing in the middle was necessary. Wood glue, electric stapler and finish nailer and hook eyes were the only other things I used. These panels are very light, and easily moved around if necessary. I hang them from the ceiling with ease via toggle bolt and chain. The corner panels are 7'11", but I used the 4' ones as example here for frame sizing.

The open form of the frame will allow a bit more absorption, than a solid wood sided design.
 
jimmys69 said:
For bass traps (straddling corners), I would suggest going with at least 4" thick panels.
(...)
The open form of the frame will allow a bit more absorption, than a solid wood sided design.
Click to expand...

I agree on both accounts.

At least 4" thick for bass traps - but 6" or 8" never hurt anyone. Also, including an air gap behind the panel will allow for a deeper working frequency of the traps.

An open side frame on an absorber only 4" thick yields 50% more absorptive surface area. This is why our broadband traps are all open on the sides, and have air gaps built in. That extra 50% can make quite the difference!
 
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