I'm a room treatment newbie and getting overwhelmed with the technical information. For years, I've had my DAW setup in an open asymmetrical family room space roughly 12' w X 18' L X 8' h. There is no room treatment, and I've never done any measurements to evaluate how true my sound is at the listening position. I assume it's not great, and I generally check my mixes on headphones rather than rely on the room. Definitely there are dead spots in the bass when you walk around the room.
I am going to move to a new house. It has a large open tile floor family room / eating area / kitchen space 18' w X 40' L X 10h. I could throw my stuff in that large area similar to my current set up, but I will also have the option of using a 14 x 10 x 9 bedroom. The room is currently carpeted with a closet. I would like to have my studio separate from the main area, and I would also like to have the best possible acoustics for mixing and recording vocals.
Should I set up my mixing desk in the 14x10 room? Based on my research, it seems like the dimensions are a little small, but should work with treatment. My plan was to rip out the closet and replace the carpet with tile. Then, I would add a rug and room treatment and measure the results. Is this a good plan, or would I be better off just setting up my desk in the large main area of the home? I am single, so no restrictions on where I put my stuff. I could also set up my stuff in the master bedroom 14x14x10, but that's not preferable and is also a perfect square. It seems like going with the 14x10x9 room is my best option, but I wanted to get some opinions before I contract the work to rip out closet and carpet. (let me know if ripping out the carpet is a bad idea... my research said tile with a rug would probably be better for acoustics and ability to roll chairs around)
Also, I am getting a bit overwhelmed regarding the room response analysis. My plan is to use REW. I'm watching tutorials and getting confused. I'll continue watching them, but let me know if there are some simplified explanations / rules of thumb for interpreting the charts generated by REW. I won't be moving to my new home for a couple of months, but I was going to go ahead and start familiarizing myself with the measuring process using my current room. I've already ordered a measurement mic.
I'm also not really interested in doing DIY on the room treatment. Everyone on the forums says acoustic foam is crap and you need fiberglass or rock wool. Any suggestions on vendors, products, or approaches based on trying to treat a 14x10x9 room? My plan is to face the exterior wall that has windows. The 14' sidewalls and 10' back wall will be interior walls - just drywall. I'm thinking my first move will be panels on the sides and ceilings. I was looking at products from GIK Acoustics and Real Traps and getting confused on which products I would initially want to purchase.
Thanks in advance for any advice you're able to provide.