Acoustics problem

[Hoss]

Maybe u guys can help me out. I built a home studio out of a 26x30 polebarn on a concrete slab. The room I do most of my recording in is 13x16 5/8 drywall with industrial grade carpet on the floor. For wall treatment I have 10 2'x4' frames filled with insulation and covered in light fabric. 4 on the the ceiling the rest on the walls. I use this room for rehersal as well so there is a drum kit, 3 half stacks, bass rig and a PA system in there also. I have a small 10 x 12 control room and the rest of the building (Basically the other half) is a workshop/hangout area. I used to race motorcycles but quit a few years back due to injuries. I plan on using this area in the future for recording when I have the funds and time. Anyways my drum recordings sound very harsh around the 1-2k range (The snare sounds like a screen door being slamed shut) I'm always cutting 3-6 db in that range but this seems to make the drums sound hollow.
I usually use 2 overheads and a kick mic. The kit and drummer are both quality and the balance between the drums are good with this set up. I think the main problem is the size of the room and the thin carpet over concrete, but I was hoping I might be able to help the problem with acoustical treatments. I was thinking of some kind of wood paneling that would look nice as well help the acoustics. Any comments.
Oh . . . for recording equipment I'm using a 1/4" 8-track reel to reel and a computer with 4 ins/outs Sonar 2 and Soundforge. I use the knobs more than the mouse. Thanks guys.

 

[DDev]

I'm not sure I know the answer to your questions but this will at least bump your post up to the top.

How high is the ceiling where the drums are setup? Is it only the snare that has issues? How close to nearby walls is the kit, also? Have you tried close miking the snare and blending that with the overheads to see how it sounds?

Darryl.....

 

[Hoss]

Hey D. The ceiling is 8'. The drummers back almost touches one of the 16' walls. Like I said the room is about 12'6' x 16. The drum throne is in the middle of that wall. I've been jammin on the other side of the building over the last week. It's got over twice the square footage and it sounds alot better. Way less ear fatigue. It's around 450 sq. ft. shaped like an L compared to 200 sq. ft. in a rectangle. The ceiling is at an angle in the bigger room too. Goes from 12' to 7'6". I need to post a diagram to show everybody what I have to work with, with some pics. I've gotten good results when I track the instruments individually (Demo quality in the smaller room), but crap when I try to do live stuff. Honestly, I think the room is too small to be dual purpose (recording/rehersal) considering I mostly do heavy rock shit. The bass is real bad I don't think there's enough room for the waves to form. The guy standing next to it can't hear it while that's all the rest of the band hears. Too much noise too little space. Been playing with the thought of knocking the wall out between the two rooms and matching the ceiling up. Look for my post over the next few weeks I'll try to get some visuals up. I'd like to get a few opinions before break out the sweat and the cash. If some of you vets could check it out that would be great. Don't want anymore mistakes. On a budget. I'm married need I say more. Later Pavel.

 

[Hoss]

Alright Hear is a rough diagram of the building. The measurements aren't perfect but they're close. I built the place over 3 years ago. I used doublewall constuction on some of the outside walls to it throws the measurements off a bit. Also there's alot more junk than shown. Mostly shelving and gear.

 

[knightfly]

Hoss, is there any place in the room you can stand, sit, lay down, etc, where the drums sound good (no screen door snare)?

What height are your overheads, and are they and the kick mic the only mics open in the room?

What mics are you using for overheads? What's their position, relative to the kit and to each other? How far apart are the capsule faces? Need dimensions from the face of each capsule to the other, to ceiling, to floor, to each wall -

Are your wall treatments opposite each other, or staggered?

Can you clap your hands and hear any "rain barrel" effect in the room? (If not, this still doesn't mean you don't have flutter echo, just not as much)

Please take all the Q's one at a time, and answer as fully as you have info... Steve