all around perpetual newb

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cellardweller

cellardweller

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How do you experienced folks around here improve the acoustics in your rooms? (pretty wide open question, huh?)

I don't have a seperate control room, so what is the best compromise?

Would homemade membrane bass-traps suffice? How to determine their optimal placement?

I'm still reading the Ethan FAQ, and the SAE Tome... so forgive me if I am asking questions I already have the answers to, but don't know it yet...! I get impatient sometimes.

John Sayers site is down today... what gives?
 
I hope my double post here doens't seem pretentious. It seems one thing after another I notice...

Can bass traps be effectively built and used it they are not physically attached to the outer wall? My walls are old cinder block which is VERY uneven.

Eventually I plan to move into a larger house with more room, so not attaching the bass traps would benefit me in this also...

Finally found a supplier for rigid fiberglass (knauff) about 180 miles from here. Said they'd deliver up to 100 lbs for $22.00 + $1.38 a square ft., via third party small delivery service.

For every solution there seems another problem...
 
John's site is experiencing some server problems, not sure how soon it will be back. We're looking at stateside hosting which should drastically cut the problems.

Panel traps need to be as close to walls as possible, because they work on pressure and the sound pressure is greatest at antinodes, which ALWAYS terminate at walls. Corners are better, and 3-way corners (2 walls and ceiling or floor) are best.

This type of trap will even out your lower frequencies, but won't stop early reflections at the mix position. For that, you need either splayed walls or angled wall unit absorbers, or at the very least some of the knauff stuff on walls/ceilings anywhere you could place a mirror and see either speaker from your mix position.

There are a few other problems with single room studios, but they can be worked around - computer noise - build an iso box. Getting good mic placement when doing drums - get a good set of high isolation earphones. A vocal booth isn't mandatory, but really useful if there's space for one.

Hope that helps... Steve
 
Would there be any down side to using another piece of plywood for the back side of the membrane, as opposed to using an existing wall?

I could then place it against the wall, though it would not be entirely flush against it, due to the walls inconsistencies...

Thanx.
 
just as I posted another question pops in my head.

Is an angled unit (for early reflections) built along the same lines as the membrane bass traps on Ethans page?
 
For free standing units, you need a heavy back panel to avoid multiple resonances - a minimum of 3/4" MDF typically.

Slanted front panel traps can help with early reflections, but I would think that would cut down on their efficiency as bass traps a bit. Also, if you make them narrower than about 4 feet wide, they would be too small (relative to wavelengths of sound ) to work well as reflectors at lower mid frequencies... Steve
 
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