help acoustically setting up studio

[Kingofpain678]

i have a spare bedroom in my basement that im now using as a "studio" for the longest time i have just sat my gear wherever i thought it looked best but after being on this site for a while now ive learned that there is an optimum setup that i should be using.

such as which wall would be best to put my desk on, what needs bass traps, what needs treated. im not sure if you guys need to know what all stuff i have to put in the room or not but heres the the basics... i have a rta creation station, another desk that i keep my electric keyboard on (i also keep my cables in the drawers), a book shelf that i keep catalogs manuals spare parts and all that good stuff on, a 3/4 stack amp (i know... weird huh), and im gonna build a guitar rack soon too.

i have attached the dimensions of the room for anyone who wants to help. the rectangle in the bottom right corner of my room is a closet that i am using as a vocal booth.


i would REALLY appreciate it if someone would help me out with this cause im a complete idiot when it comes to acoustics. if someone does respond then thanks in advance.

if you need to know more just let me know. feel free to treat me like an idiot

 

[Weasel9992]

The difference between the length and the width isn't enough to influence which direction to face. I'd face the 15'7" wall so that the uneven wall with the closet is behind you. Then do the following:

• Make sure you setup so that you’re firing down the longest dimension of the room.
• Your head should be placed 38% of the way into the room, centered between the left and right walls
• Your head should also be located at the tip of an equilateral triangle with your speakers. Start at a 5’ width and go from there.
• Use at least 4” bass trapping in all the corners, floor to ceiling if possible.
• Use 4” or 6” bass traps on the back wall; the thicker the better basically.
• Use 4” panels behind the speakers on the front wall
• The reflection points to the right, left and above your head can be treated with either 2” or 4” panels. I prefer 4” panels personally; you can never really overdo bass trapping.


Frank

 

[Kingofpain678]

alright so other than that it doesnt really matter where i place the rest of my stuff in the room?
and when you were saying use 2 to 4 inch panels on the reflection points to the left, right, and above my head, what do you mean by "panels"?


and thank you for the input

 

[Weasel9992]

alright so other than that it doesnt really matter where i place the rest of my stuff in the room?

What stuff? If you mean racks, etc., then you'll have to put them where you can fit them. It's not a big room.

...and when you were saying use 2 to 4 inch panels on the reflection points to the left, right, and above my head, what do you mean by "panels"?

The best way to treat a room is with panels made from mineral wool or rigid fiberglass (Owens Corning 703, for example). The density of the panels should be at least 48kg/m3, but as high as 60kg/m3 is good too...or even higher in some place. The panels are usually 2'x4' because that's the native size of the insulation batts. You can DIY them or buy them. There's dozens of threads on making them...just do a search.

Frank

 

[Kingofpain678]

you said to face the 14'7" wall so that the wall with the closet is behind me and you also said to place acoustic panels on the left and right side of me but theres a problem with that, there is a door directly to the left of that wall (sorry for not putting doors in the pic) so would i just place the acoustic panel on the door?

and you said "What stuff? If you mean racks, etc..." well i have bigger stuff then that... another desk, a bookshelf, a guitar rack and im thinking of putting a small tv somewhere (for when i need a break )

not sure if it matters since all that stuff is much bigger than a rack but if so then its probably best if i knew what effect it might have on the acoustics and whether it could help or make things worse.

 

[Kingofpain678]

...nothing?

 

[Ethan Winer]

so would i just place the acoustic panel on the door?

Sure.

its probably best if i knew what effect it might have on the acoustics and whether it could help or make things worse.

Small things don't matter so much, and anything in the rear of the room behind you matters even less. But it's best to keep the front of the room symmetrical and free of clutter.

This may help further:

How to set up a room

--Ethan

 

[Weasel9992]

Small things don't matter so much, and anything in the rear of the room behind you matters even less. But it's best to keep the front of the room symmetrical and free of clutter.

Exactly.

Frank