Too Dead

D

deejaytrixx

New member
I recently installed my "control room" in a spare bedroom in my house away from the studio.

So far installed:
*4 corner basstraps (ceiling to floor) - constructed of two layers 9-1/2" thick r-30 batt insulation compressed to 4" covered by a light cotton blend (similar to burlap)

* 2 sidewall absorbers (at rfz) made of r-19 batt (4" thick)
* 1 over head absorber at mix position (same construction as above)
* 1 over head absorber at mic position (r-11, 4" thick)
* 1 floor/ceiling absorbers at mic position at 45 degree angle on each opposing wall (r-11)
*1 absorber each opposing wall at mic position (mid way bet. floor and ceiling)r-11
*1 back wall diffuser above a bookshelf

Now, things sound very dead when I record..I mean, almost dreadful..It's like i am not recording any dynamics at all. But here's the kicker..when I listen to other material already recorded and mixed..it sounds great..

Taking measurements at the mic position, things seem in good shape. There are no flutter echo issues, and i have maybe a 17 db issue at 3 frequencies.

So in the professional opinion of my peers, collegues and esteemed gurus..Do you think its the room design, or just the mic has lost its luster?

I have uploaded some schematics here http://www.spinnazinc.com/STUDIO.pdf

Its a plan and section. Take into account that I have followed most advice to the letter of the law as far as placement of materials, mixing position and absorbers. As well as a couple from my experience as far as studio design. But I have never worked with a space this size.
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
So, your "new" control room is the same room you are recording in, no? If so, you must be monitoring in headphones, no?
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I do understand the nuisances of room acoustics on a general level for competency in my job. However, the issue here are the recordings, not the monitoring of the recording. My experience is completely contradictory to what I measure. I am getting a severely "suppressed" sound most of the times when recording as of late, which borderlines on sounding like distortion. Yet I'm getting no clipping, and using my mic's within well known working parameters. This particular set was recorded on a Rode NTA-1...So I figure maybe the meters on my DAW are off..Yet when measured with a calibrated SPL monitor, and running it through an EFT program everything "measures" correctly.

But I've been doing this long enough now to know to trust my ears before I trust the read out. So I come here to get several opinions to help me in my troubleshooting.

I do agree with you to a point that the "dead" room is aiding in the oppressive sound, and of course monitoring that of which is being recorded in the same room is altering the perception to some extent..but it cannot be to the extent of which I speak, because for all intents and purposes..this room is pretty damn flat for a home DIY project..so pretty much what is being performed in the room, is what you are recording...very little room ambiance or influence to speak of...and yes of course you do get that "boxy" sound, but I have compensated millions of times by pulling out a little mid range in a vocal performance. and adding verbs and delays myself for years has compensated for any work done in dead rooms..As a matter of fact, with some of these "lesser" talents, I prefer a dead recording where I can fix their voice completely. But none of that is working.

BTW..I never...ever...ever..mix in headphones..once in a while I use them to check stereo spread..but mixing...that's just plain crazy.


And my fault for not clarifying, but I do mean material recorded in the same room, with the same mic and same pre's into the same DAW mixed with the same plugins bundle.
 
No expert here by any means, but 17db dip/rise is in the pretty tight range (?) ..and as indicated by your good playback condition. :)
Could be you've butted up against 'enough trap to tackle the big tough stuff -the lows- but too much for any liveliness'. My take on this stuff is as the rooms get smaller, these options tend collide?
 
deejaytrixx said:
I.. I am getting a severely "suppressed" sound most of the times when recording as of late, which borderlines on sounding like distortion. Yet I'm getting no clipping, and using my mic's within well known working parameters. ..
Click to expand...
Oops. Came back and saw that. Same problem/question -connected to the 'too dead part?
 
mixsit said:
No expert here by any means, but 17db dip/rise is in the pretty tight range (?) ..and as indicated by your good playback condition. :)
Could be you've butted up against 'enough trap to tackle the big tough stuff -the lows- but too much for any liveliness'. My take on this stuff is as the rooms get smaller, these options tend collide?
Click to expand...

lol well lets put it like this..my computer fan goes at about 20db..and even though I hear it, its not a painfully dreadful clash when music is playing and Im mixing..so for my situation one or two 17db peaks or nulls is acceptable, and I compensate for it well

My apologizes for the use of misleading words :p
 
I'm lost. I thought it was -nice and flat=good, but lacking room/depth/ambiance fun factor, ..then distortion? (a separate thing?
 
mixsit said:
I'm lost. I thought it was -nice and flat=good, but lacking room/depth/ambiance fun factor, ..then distortion? (a separate thing?
Click to expand...

Now you are understanding my dilema..but the more I try to explain it is the more I think of other things to try to trouble shoot.

The issue is I love how the room sounds for mixing, but do not like how it sounds for recording..and I once used to like that sound..so something is either deteriorating the quality of what is being recorded, or there is something in the room that maybe has now been brought to the attention of my ears as a flaw in the room design..That's why I posted in so much detail how the room was constructed. But I haven't found my solution yet, hence I through it to the proverbial wolves for suggestions that I may not be thinking of.

I think FITZPATRICK got closest to my truism as he is an expert in the field of room acoustics, that me working in a studio with a live room all the time verses trying to do some recordings in a small control room is playing nasty tricks on my ears, and I just don't like the sound of some ppl who have recorded so far, because the room itself doesn't "make them sound any better".

I know you are trying to help and I must be just confusing you more..my apologize.
 
I think FITZPATRICK got closest to my truism as he is an expert in the field of room acoustics,
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:eek::eek::o I appreciate the compliment, but I think you've made a mistake:D I aint no "expert":p Only an interested enthusiast like yourself. In fact, recently I discovered I had made a gargantuan leap of assumption in regards to resistance absorbers. Only after asking the REAL experts did I realize my assumptions were totally false.:o:o Maybe you saw my post about EATING CROW!:D

However, I'v getting the feeling there is something happening in your DAW. Or maybe your A/D...something simple. You say things sound great when you playback old material, and new material is recorded in the same room, same equipment, but when played back in your newly treated room it sounds like shit. Well, something tells me there is something happening on the input side of the hardware. Only a guess though. Any thing with batterys..like a mic? I'd check your whole system. Even a bad cable or connection might do this too. Check for speaker cable phase reversals too. Allthough the old material says thats not it. Hard to troubleshoot from here:D
 
RICK FITZPATRICK said:
:eek::eek::o I appreciate the compliment, but I think you've made a mistake:D I aint no "expert":p Only an interested enthusiast like yourself. In fact, recently I discovered I had made a gargantuan leap of assumption in regards to resistance absorbers. Only after asking the REAL experts did I realize my assumptions were totally false.:o:o Maybe you saw my post about EATING CROW!:D
Click to expand...

well I sure did now lol..
 
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