My new mix room (and a quasi tracking room for small things)...treatment opinions?

Myriad_Rocker

New member
Well, I think I've finally come to a point where I can begin to treat and prepare my new room. I don't have a desk yet. I plan on building one. I also don't have a recording computer or interface anymore. I sold my old ones with intentions to upgrade and that's next after I set a good plan for the treatment. My hope is to get my main areas of concern and then fine tune treatment when I can test it properly.

Attached is a Google SketchUp of my mix room. A couple of things of note...

- The small thing on the wall is the thermostat. That can't be moved or covered so I'll have to build any treatment around it.
- The door closest to the thermostat is a closet
- The second door is the door to the bathroom. I was thinking of building around it and making my treatment (wood slats if needed) on hinges to be able to get through it.
- I put a single simple light in the center of the room with the intent to build a cloud and put recessed lighting in the cloud

I welcome treatment suggestions or plans. I'm hoping to buy all my wood (for slats, treatment framing, etc) and OC703 soon. One particular point I'm wondering is if I should go with hanging bass traps in the corners or super chunks.

I've done quite a bit of research on the topic of building and some on actual treatment (I have Rod's book and have read it a few times). I've been out of the game a while (because I just moved into my new house that was built) so I'm needing some refreshing. Another point that I'd like some direction on is where and when it is appropriate to use wood slats, etc. I've looked at quite a few of John Sayers' Sketchup drawings and plenty of pictures.

I can take actual pictures of the room if necessary. I'm not really worried too much about sound proofing. I'll be tracking in the room across the way from the bathroom (it's a Jack & Jill bath). But I'm a hobby recorder and I don't really do it on a regular basis. My nearest neighbor is quite far away. Two of the walls of the room are outside walls, which are brick. The area of the house we sleep in is on the opposite end, but that doesn't really matter.

Hope I didn't miss anything! Would sure appreciate some help/direction to get me going. I'm itching to get in this room and start using it but I know I have a lot of work ahead of me first.

I started to have my builder double up on drywall and do a staggered stud system for the room but I was already 30k deep on having to put in my own money on the house. I don't record often enough to worry that much about sound proofing. So...I elected not to do that. Just FYI.

I have a SketchUp file available...I couldn't upload here.

Alright, here's my drawing. Forgive my lack of SketchUp skills.

On the side treatment, I'm thinking of making those to where they're not fixed...so I can move them around if I need to. On that one bass trap, I'm thinking of doing the same thing. It'll be obvious which one I'm talking about once you see it.

I'm also open to other suggestions. I'm thinking of more bass trapping where the wall meets the ceiling on the back wall. That's why it's shorter. Thoughts?

Also, I know the front wall is "missing". I'm going to mount a 42" LCD there and treat it exactly like the back wall.

I'm also putting in a cloud about as far back as the angled side treatments go.

I would REALLY REALLY appreciate some thoughts, input, or something from this. I've toiled and toiled and worked hard on this drawing.
 

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Good luck with the project. I'm also doing a room right now but I'm keeping it very simple - pretty much all DIY absorption on the cheap, 703 on flat strapping. I'm not doing any fancy woodwork at all and I've stayed away from the slot/slat resonator thing entirely - do they have any advantage in a small room? Just seems expensive and time-consuming to me. I'm using 12" square floor to ceiling "superchunks" in all four corners; 4" bass traps on front and rear walls; a 4" cloud and several 2" absorbers on the side walls. My room is 10X20. I expect it will be much better after phase 1 and then I'll try to figure out the measurement programs for fine tuning problems. I bought enough 703 to build some gobos and/or a second cloud as well.

I've never messed with treatment before so this is all new. I figure I may not get it "right" but it would be pretty hard to make it worse.


lou
 
Nothing worth posting yet - I'm slow. ;)

I am taking photos as I go and will post a few as I move along but the 703 just arrived yesterday (3 days late) and I haven't done anything with it yet. I've blocked the windows with sheetrock, built most of my frames; put the nailers for the superchunks in; blocked off an electrical outlet; bought my canvas and felt and sat around drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and second guessing myself. I have to run speaker wires in the attic to 3 of the 4 corners yet (they will come down behind the superchunks) and then I can get going on the tedious stuff.

Christmas is just a project interruption. :mad:

We'll get there. :D


lou
 
Good luck with the project. I'm also doing a room right now but I'm keeping it very simple - pretty much all DIY absorption on the cheap, 703 on flat strapping. I'm not doing any fancy woodwork at all and I've stayed away from the slot/slat resonator thing entirely - do they have any advantage in a small room? Just seems expensive and time-consuming to me. I'm using 12" square floor to ceiling "superchunks" in all four corners; 4" bass traps on front and rear walls; a 4" cloud and several 2" absorbers on the side walls. My room is 10X20. I expect it will be much better after phase 1 and then I'll try to figure out the measurement programs for fine tuning problems. I bought enough 703 to build some gobos and/or a second cloud as well.

I've never messed with treatment before so this is all new. I figure I may not get it "right" but it would be pretty hard to make it worse.


lou
I'm going the slot resonator route by suggestion of some drawings that John Sayers did. I figure it will really help to redirect some of those reflections away from my sweet spot. They'll do broadband absorption and look cool while doing it, too. Everything I'm doing is DIY as well. Nothing really all that fancy. I just want to make it nice.

One of the topics I'm debating right now is superchucks vs slot resonator bass trapping. I'm not sold on the idea of having slot resonator bass trapping. Also, that rear wall (and the front wall) will have a 4" trap...2" of OC703 with a 2" air gap at the rear.

The rug, well, that's just for aesthetics. I don't figure it has very many acoustic properties anyway....not enough to damage or help, anyway.
 
I'm going the slot resonator route by suggestion of some drawings that John Sayers did.
Drawings John did for that room or his generic resonator drawings?
I figure it will really help to redirect some of those reflections away from my sweet spot.
And put them somewhere else to be dealt with. Although diffused reflections should have a lower amount of strength I still wonder. Do you have any info on resonators vs. absorption by room size?
They'll do broadband absorption and look cool while doing it, too.
They will look cool I'll grant you that.
Everything I'm doing is DIY as well. Nothing really all that fancy. I just want to make it nice.
My version of DIY is much simpler than yours. It will be very nice if you have those skills. I know I do not. I just hope it serves the purpose as well as it will look.

The rug, well, that's just for aesthetics. I don't figure it has very many acoustic properties anyway....not enough to damage or help, anyway.
The rug will take some harshness out of the floor and still preserve some room sound.

You are certainly ambitious. Keep us posted.


lou
 
I'm no expert on acoustics, but this looks like a very smart design. The wall on the left where it says 2' 6 1/2" is slanted (bottom being out that far), right? That's a great idea.
 
Drawings John did for that room or his generic resonator drawings?
His generic resonator drawings, I suppose. But practical application is just that, right?
http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm
And put them somewhere else to be dealt with. Although diffused reflections should have a lower amount of strength I still wonder. Do you have any info on resonators vs. absorption by room size?
Well, I'm dealing with stuff on the back wall. So they are getting re-directed to a place where they will be further absorbed. I do not have stats on resonators vs absorption by room size and I certainly can't pretend to understand what those stats would mean if I had them. I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I've read and what I've seen. I know that every room is different but I'm trying to accommodate what I have with what people are suggesting. I mean, this room is going to have panels EVERYWHERE...traps in the corners, resonators on the sides, traps on the front and back wall...a cloud...I'm really trying to be pretty thorough. :D

My version of DIY is much simpler than yours. It will be very nice if you have those skills. I know I do not. I just hope it serves the purpose as well as it will look.
Are you saying that these things are more difficult to build than I'm anticipating? These things seem like pretty simple construction skills. Given some known variables...build a box with some insulation in it. I mean, I know I'm over-simplifying it but, these things aren't hard to make. Makes me wonder if I'm missing something here...

You are certainly ambitious.
You should have seen what I was trying to do before this. This whole situation has been a series of compromises since I moved into my new place.

I'm no expert on acoustics, but this looks like a very smart design. The wall on the left where it says 2' 6 1/2" is slanted (bottom being out that far), right? That's a great idea.
You're looking at a 3D drawing in 2D form. That wall is not slanted or splayed at all. It's just an entrance into and out of the room. That measurement you see is just how long it is on that particular wall.
 
You have a very round head. :cool:




:laughings:

Just kiddin man.
That's actually a cool place ya got in mind there.
When it all becomes a pain in the ass with all the building and planning, just remember ya only have to do this once. ;)

(or 3 times in my case. :D )
 
Are you saying that these things are more difficult to build than I'm anticipating?
They would be for me - I'm a wood butcher. You will probably be fine. I never considered resonators for the room I'm doing. At 10'X20' I thought it was too small. It's very likely that I am wrong but since I couldn't build the freaking things anyway it doesn't matter.


lou
 
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