Any Takers

[I-AM]

Back Again with a little more guidance

Hello Forum,

I-AM in the process of getting my mixing environment and vocal room together within the next few weeks and while I know the way they are now is quite disfunctional, I hope to at least make them...not perfect but less disfunctional.
I have all the measurments for both rooms and have them drawn out in google's sketchup. I am also considering repositioning some things in the mixing room in order to make the best out of my situation. I plan and know that I will be building my own bass traps and also doing some aesthetic things with both rooms.
All in All, I was wondering if I could collaborate with someone via private message or email so that I can make the best decisions available. I know everyone is busy, and again, I know that there is tons of information on this site, but I feel like my rooms are kinda odd. In closing, if anyone has time - it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pandamonk]

Hello Forum,

I-AM in the process of getting my mixing environment and vocal room together within the next few weeks and while I know the way they are now is quite disfunctional, I hope to at least make them...not perfect but less disfunctional.
I have all the measurments for both rooms and have them drawn out in google's sketchup. I am also considering repositioning some things in the mixing room in order to make the best out of my situation. I plan and know that I will be building my own bass traps and also doing some aesthetic things with both rooms.
All in All, I was wondering if I could collaborate with someone via private message or email so that I can make the best decisions available. I know everyone is busy, and again, I know that there is tons of information on this site, but I feel like my rooms are kinda odd. In closing, if anyone has time - it would be greatly appreciated.

Why resort to PM?

 

[RAMI]

Why resort to PM?

He might be CIA.

 

[I-AM]

Hey Panda,

I have been on these boards for quite some time, and the recording intelligence in this community is breathtaking on one hand and also intimidating on the other. I simply wanted to try and engage one or two competent members on a more one to one exchange instead of starting a "How Should I treat this Room" thread, which not always, but sometimes becomes a battle of who knows what, or who knows more.
Nothing personal - just didn't want to take up that much space on this server with that.
Wish I was C.I.A. cuz I would track all of you all's purchases regarding studio construction and use it to my benefit!

 

[I-AM]

Odd Room and Treatment

Hello Again All,

And thank you to all who helped guide me a little more with my room treatment concerns. I think that I have a better handle and understanding on the various avenues that I want to explore in treating two rooms: Mixing Room and Vocal room.
I have somewhat odd room dimensions for both places so I have posted sketchup pics at the bottom. So here goes...
The mix room now is my current layout and setup, and I have also included two mix room change pics which are possible alternative placement pics. Before I can go any further with this project I really wanted to get some advice and thoughts on the best possible placement of my desk and monitors. The monitors are 8” Event 20/20 passives. I will also be adding a small subwoofer in the near future.
In all honesty, it doesn't sound extremely bad in the room now as far as reflections go, but the bass buildup is as expected in this setup and layout. I do notice that it seems as if a lot of the reflections end up dispersing through the open door on the right or bouncing off and staying in the area where the wall ac/heater is.
By reading through many threads on this site, I know that I should try to take advantage of as much space behind me as possible, so I wanted to get some other opinions on my placement of monitors and desk.
Both rooms are in the basement, and the mixing room has drop down ceilings. The vocal/instrument booth/room is extremely awkward since it is underneath the stairwell to the basement. It was supposed to be a bathroom and pantry, but there is just drywall up and you can see closed off plumbing pipes if I ever wanted to put a bathroom there. The ceiling is unfinished, as it supposed to be a drop down ceiling but the tiles are not there, so I can see the joists when I look up.
As far as treatment goes, I am pretty sure that I am going to be making broadband and bass traps for both spaces. For the mix room, I am thinking that the most direct wall and corners adjacent to it and the monitors will have at minimum 4 in flat and corner bass traps. Depending on the setup, I will also place flat 2 in broadband traps along the side and directly behind the listening position. As far as in the far left mix area where the wall heater/AC is, I am wondering if I should do a corner trap or just broadband traps there as well.
The vocal room treatment considered is primarily 2 in broadband absorbers on the majority of walls, but only to cover around 70 to 80% of each wall. The ceiling is another issue, as I am considering doing a just enclosing it with either 2 inch or 4 inch traps/absorbers. In the slanted pantry part of the vocal room, I thought it would be a good place to put the guitar amp and possibly do a superchunk in one of the corners, and then place a few panels in there as well.
Well, I hope that I have covered most of the details, but I am sure that I may have left something out. I was hoping to get some feedback on the best console and monitor placement within the mixing room, and some thoughts on proposed treatment options for both rooms.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Weasel9992]

Take the third drawing and flip the mix position 180 degrees so that you're facing the AC unit. You want the room to get larger behind you, not smaller. DO NOT FACE THE CORNER.

From there 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.

 

[I-AM]

Hey Weasel,

Thanks so much for the thoughts, and thanks to everyone for their input.

Weasel, I have decided that I will have to keep the layout of the third drawing do to the entry doorway. Not only do I have room issues, but I have feng sui issues as well. I always feel uncomfortable with my back facing the entryway. Also I have had the living crap scared out of me while mixing some music, and then having someone come in without me seeing or notcing they were in the room - lol.
Quick question about 4" vs 6" panels in this room. After doing all of the drawups for the new layout, I originally planned to use 6" panels for the most part throughout this room, except maybe for the ceiling area and a few 2" absorbers. Should I even be bothered with anything other than 6" panels in this room?
As far as the vocal/mixing room, I am planning on using 6" panels on the back walls, and 4" in panels on the walls closest to where the vocalist will be located (where the female model is in the picture). Since there is no ceiling tiles, I am considering building a ceiling panel that will enclose the entire area of either 4" or 6" thickness. Question, should I primarily use 6" panels in this room as well?

 

[Weasel9992]

I'm not sure why, in a room where critical listening is the stated purpose, your sense of aesthetics would trump the acoustical viability of the space, but it's your room...

 

[I-AM]

Hey Weasel,

I understand the accoustic "soundness" of the layout proposed, and I do trust your insight (I know and trust your reputation in other forums as well). However, since this is no where near an ideal room to begin with I can't see how I could commit myself to making the best music and mixes in a position that goes against the grain of creativity - the ability to be and feel completely comfortable in the environment to let that creativity run free.

Also, the basement is not connected to the central HVAC system, so I usually have to turn that beast on to keep the temperature acceptable in the winter and summer. Ha!!!! Which brings me to another point of these non-ideal rooms...

Is it worth trying to install a small ventilation system in the basement? Whew...maybe I will search these forums for that info. and possibly start a different thread on it.

But I appreciate your comments because I will begin purchasing some of the materials within the next two weeks, and I believe that I have documented not only your posts in this section but also in other websites/forums.

 

[miroslav]

My back is to the door, it's not a big deal, though I do have windows to look out of, so it doesn't feel as odd as staring at a wall with a door behind you.

I have one of those small, convex mirrors up on one of my monitors so I can see behind me.

But you know, just close the door and put a "recording" light/sign on the outside. People should just respect that and NOT come barging/sneaking in on you.

I dig the whole feng shui thing, and believe that comfort/ergonomics are very important in the studio, but I would still go for the prime mixing position (what Weasel said)...if at all possible.

 

[dintymoore]

... I dig the whole feng shui thing...

The what?

Oh you mean "fun sway" - I LOVE doing that!

My room is semi-fucked but I'm comfortable. It's about 16'x7".

I've set up three ways - for the first few years I was facing the long way - that made the most sense...
Then I faced the short way across the short side of the room towards Mexico (east) ...
And for the last 15 years or so across the short side of the room towards Japan (west).

The last way sure feels and sounds the best but it's still against my common sense. All I can think is that there's probably more variables than are apparent at first.

I'd live with it for awhile, and go by the sound/feel. Be prepared to change. I wouldn't make anything too rigid or permanent, I'd assume there's a chance I might want to change things later.

 

[stevieb]

My God! There's a dead body right in the middle of his room! Quick, call the cops!