Acoustics for recording acoustics?

B

blazingstrings

dgatwood can **** himself
Hello all,
I hope this isnt an anoying overly asked question.

I am recording just a few things, mainly acoustic guitars as well as hand percusion, vocals and a bell kit.

Is there any special things I need to do in terms of sound treatments when recording specificaly acoustic guitars?

I have been searching but have a few questions.

1. How do I know were to place foam or home made absorbers (I am thinking of building frames with fiberglass and fabric)?

2. In terms of my mix position, I have a outside window. If I hang heavy curtains is that a bad thing if I have my monitor backed up to them?

3. the room is kind of "L" shaped is that a hard thing to over come when tuning the room.

4. I'm lost were do I begin.

I have also attached a couple of diagrams of the room to show layout.

Thanks for any help you can offer as I am very confused on were to begin.

-Blaze
 

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you could build another door so that you have a rectangular room, and it might isolate you from the rest of the building? im not expert just an idea :)
 
hey , little off topic question: what software are you using for drawing those pictures? i recently started working on accoustics too and would be nice if i could start designing stuff on the pc instead of on paper,
thanks in advance,

earworm,

ps, can't give real advice, my room sounds bad for recording vox or accoustic guitar, you can hear a dirty slapback delay in here, so now i started recording most stuff in my selfmade vocalbooth, and it sounds better, but now most stuff also needs some reverb , or "it all kinda sound the same"
 
Thanks for the links dreamer. The John L Sayers stuff looks nice but My room is a bit smallish for that type of setup. I am looking at the SAE stuff now.

guitarboi, Thanks for the idea but its a town home and I dont want to do any "odd mods" to it as we are going to sell in a coule of years.

earworm, DONT LAUGH! Go to ikea.com and go to the office section and there should be a link to a download for the software. Hey its free!
I figure if I do a few simple things the room will sound better for acoustic instruments.

-Blaze
 
Ethan! You the man!
Thanks for your help my good friend!

I just have one odd question that I havent derived from the artical but saw a picture that was simular to what I am wondering about.

Is it ok to place a couch behind the mix postion? on the back wall.......

Thanks again all!

-Blaze :)
 
Blaze,

> Is it ok to place a couch behind the mix postion? on the back wall. <

Listening in front of a wall that's close behind you skews the frequency response in a way that's difficult to fix. The basic problem is comb filtering, which is a series of peaks and deep nulls. All rooms have peaks and nulls at low frequencies, but the closer you get to the wall behind you, the worse the problem becomes.

Then again, if the couch is mostly for the band's girlfriends, who cares? :D

--Ethan
 
>Then again, if the couch is mostly for the band's girlfriends, who cares? :D <

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!!!!! I like that!

Acutualy what I meant was, Can I place a couch across the room behind my seating position? I was planning on building a huge difuser for the back wall(I think thats what its called), to put above the couch.

Also two more dumb questions if you dont mind my persistant nagging. :)

1. Am I suposed to place absorbant materials behind the desk(meaning when I am sitting looking at the monitors at my desk)? I ask as my desk is up against the wall with a window. and I was planning on hanging heavy (I mean thick and heavy heavy!) curtains. (Sorry I am sure your cringging right now)

2. Have you ever heard of a mirror being used for placement of absorbers?

Any links for further info on building difusers and absorbers?

Thanks and thanks again!

-Blaze
 
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Acutualy what I meant was, Can I place a couch across the room behind my seating position?
Click to expand...
Can you not do it? ;)
I was planning on building a huge difuser for the back wall(I think thats what its called), to put above the couch.
Click to expand...
How big is your room? Generally it is said, that a diffusor closer to the mixposition than about 3,5m is a no no!
1. Am I suposed to place absorbant materials behind the desk(meaning when I am sitting looking at the monitors at my desk)? I ask as my desk is up against the wall with a window. and I was planning on hanging heavy (I mean thick and heavy heavy!) curtains. (Sorry I am sure your cringging right now)
Click to expand...
I suppose you want some absorbtive panels between the speakers and the wall! (at least 10cm thick)
Can't you move away from the wall?
2. Have you ever heard of a mirror being used for placement of absorbers?
Click to expand...
You have a friend move the mirror around the room flat on any reflective walls and surfaces. Whenever you can see the one of the speakers in the mirror (you're sitting at the mixplace) then make this spot absorbtive. This kills early reflections.
Any links for further info on building difusers and absorbers?
Click to expand...
The links I gave you should tell you everything about absorbers you ever need.

Greetings
Florian
 
Blaze,

> Am I suposed to place absorbant materials behind the desk(meaning when I am sitting looking at the monitors at my desk)? <

See this article on my company's web site:

www.realtraps.com/art_front-wall.htm

> Have you ever heard of a mirror being used for placement of absorbers? <

That is explained in detail in my Acoustics FAQ I linked earlier in this thread. See the sidebar "Creating an RFZ."

--Ethan
 
Thanks guys your info is very helpfull!

Thanks for the links Ethan! the mirror trick is very very clever.
So if I have Heavy curtains or absorbers there it can cause to much deadining?

To dreamer.

>Can you not do it?<
Very funny!
Yeah I can move it I was just wondering if placing an absorbant couch there is a bad thing?

>How big is your room? Generally it is said, that a diffusor closer to the mixposition than about 3,5m is a no no!<

the room is 12ft deep(from mix position to back wall) by 9ft 1in. with the entry also at the back of the room.

>I suppose you want some absorbtive panels between the speakers and the wall! (at least 10cm thick)
Can't you move away from the wall?<

Sorry no I cant realy move away from the wall as the room is pretty small. and I am backed up to a window with curtains.

Thanks for the links again dreamer!

Another question considering the little square entry to the room.
Should I place any absorbtion or difusion there? and were?

Thanks guys! I will be doing all this stuff in a week or two so all this info is great and apreciated!

-Blaze
 
Well about you square entry way I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a wall/door there, Im not sure on the amount of space you would lose but it may be worth it. I was in the same situation as you are and the entry way and I settled on building a wall. My room was a "L" shaped room that opened up to a stair well that had horrible flutter echo, now that theres a wall there everything sounds so much better. I to will be using that room acoustic and vocals before I bring that band in. What ever is more convinent for you may work just fine.

About desk, how far up against the wall is it? It would be best to back it off the wall as much as possible.

matt
 
I cant do any permanent mods to our house as we are going to sell as I stated earlier.

And the desk is right against the wall cant do much as I dont have any room.

Thanks, hey what part of MN? Im from Burnsville originaly.

-Blaze
 
hate to say it but "Bump"! :eek:
I has hopping for a few more answers to the above questions if Ethan has the time? :)

Thanks
-Blaze
 
Blaze,

> Should I place any absorbtion or difusion there? and were? <

That room is too small to benefit from diffusion. You can put absorption pretty much anywhere, but especially on opposing parallel walls, and near live instruments and microphones. I'm not sure what else to tell you that isn't already explained better and in more detail in my FAQ.

--Ethan
 
Thanks Ethan! :)

Sorry If I am being a bit of a pain. :o

I guess the biggest question that I have that I am not finding the answer to is:
Do I need to build something to hang on the back wall (Behind me) to break up the waves or is my room small enough that all I need is to hang some absorbtion there? Cause I am reading far to many things that say one thing then another........ I'm confused on the back wall and that little elcove mosty, I am pretty clear on the front and side walls.

In the elcove is it best to put absorbtion there, is that what I am getting from this?

Thanks and sorry to be a nagg. :o

-Blaze
 
Blaze,

> Sorry If I am being a bit of a pain. :o <

Not at all. This is what I do! :D

> or is my room small enough that all I need is to hang some absorbtion there? <

Right, absorption is perfect there.

> I am reading far to many things that say one thing then another <

Diffusion is useful too, but not so much in small rooms.

--Ethan
 
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