Big bare empty room...how to tame this beast??

[jhadbaisley]

I work at a project lyric writing studio based in New York. Our main objective is simply penning song lyrics to tracks sent to us by producers. I work as the mixing engineer for the demos which we then send to labels, producers, managers for sale for their artists. The room that the songwriters are recording in is a big empty room inside of a house, no carpet, wood floors. I guess it's because the guy who put this all together doesn't really understand mixing, he just writes lyrics. So when I came in to the situation, I immediately told him we need acoustic treatment, which he initially scoffed at, citing that no one would hear the mixes but those closest to the artists' projects. (ie managers, producers, singers) Basically, as if the only want the idea, not the full song. But that's what I DO! I'm not gonna KINDA MIX, and when they come back sounding horrible and no one purchases them, it looks like its my fault for not turning crap into sugar. He finally broke down in this and decided to treat the room. Now here's the thing, I've never done this before (treated a room) So he tells me send him a list of what we need and he'll buy it...So...what do I need again??

 

[Astralfeedbackm]

I'd start with a book!

 

[RAMI]

I'd start with a book!

Where would you place it?

 

[jerome_oneil]

If you have a big empty room, I'd start with a basic acoustic analysis of the space, and then adjust from there. There's some really rich, useful and (best part!) free software available that can help you do this with nothing but a cheap decibel meter from Radio Shack and your laptop.

Interpreting the results may require a book, though.

 

[Ethan Winer]

So...what do I need again??

This short article explains the basics in plain English: Acoustic Basics

--Ethan

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

If the guy has a budget I'm sure RealTraps and GIK would be happy to quote you a solution. Ethan - just above here - runs RealTraps and another member is working with GIK. They are both good companies with good products and a history of working with the audio community. Can't go wrong with either.


lou

 

[jhadbaisley]

very interesting article, I see I have many changes to make to our current setup. thanks for the helpful info and the non-gimmicky replies...

 

[jhadbaisley]

This short article explains the basics in plain English:

--Ethan

thanks Ethan, I read that and a few other articles on the site. A little intimidating, given that it's not my own studio and seems to take a bit of technical know-how and/or consultation. I'll tackle this subject the best way I can and will report back with results

 

[RAMI]

Interpreting the results may require a book, though.

Again with the book.

 

[cobaltaudio]

If he does have a budget, get a professional to look at the room and go down the acoustic treatment route.
If he doesn't have much of a budget, then get as many soft furnishings in there are you can. Sofas, chairs, rugs, wall-hangings, anything. The thicker, softer and heavier the better. It will all help to soak up audible reflections. BUT it will of course be a lot less precise than acoustic treatment.

 

[kennyboy37]

Carpet on the floor,burlap curtains on the wall and it's cheap.Some of my friends have even used egg cartons glued to the wall then painted them....hey the mans on a budget so go the cheap way thats been proven!!!!!! You should be able to fix this room up for maybe a thousand bucks or less.

 

[RAMI]

Carpet on the floor,burlap curtains on the wall and it's cheap.Some of my friends have even used egg cartons glued to the wall then painted them....hey the mans on a budget so go the cheap way thats been proven!!!!!! You should be able to fix this room up for maybe a thousand bucks or less.

You're joking, right? I'm assuming you are, because carpet, curtain and egg cartons are the 3 worst things you can do to a room for treatment. But since you didn't put any smileys, I'm not 100% sure you're joking. But you must be.

 

[kennyboy37]

Nope not joking Rami.....and to go one step further...if the burlap curtains are placed on draw rods,you can open and close them to make the room as live or as dead as you want...some of the best recordings I have heard have come out of garage studios that use the burlap curtains in front of sheetrock...here in the south most closed in garages that have been turned into studios use some of these methods.If you think thats crazy,then I won't tell you how my buddy out in Nashville has treated the walls in his home studio.

 

[kennyboy37]

Sorry...forgot one thing....I have a bedroom studio that I record in with nothing but sheetrock on the walls though there is carpeting on the floor.Got some pretty good sounds out of that bedroom studio check it out at Ken Karns | Kostnadsfri musik, turnédatum, foton, videos

 

[RAMI]

Dude, no offense, but you might want to educate yourself a little before you go recommending something as useless as egg cartons and carpets for "treatment". You want reflective floors, not carpeting. Egg cartons are completely useless.Adding curtains to all that, you've now killed all the high end from the room and made it one big bass-y box.

Ridiculous.

 

[RAMI]

Sorry...forgot one thing....I have a bedroom studio that I record in with nothing but sheetrock on the walls though there is carpeting on the floor.Got some pretty good sounds out of that bedroom studio check it out at Ken Karns | Kostnadsfri musik, turnédatum, foton, videos

No curtains or egg cartons? Well, it's nice to know that even you don't take your own ridiculous advice. "Some" carpeting is OK, but not a fully carpeted floor.

 

[kennyboy37]

The idea I would think from what you typed is the room is so live it makes your recordings sound bad.The idea of furniture in the room is one way to deaden an otherwise live room.And as I stated in an earlier post,curtains on the walls preferably on rods so they can be opened partially or all the way will help tune the room to however you want it.I have used this in my studio and it works.Burlap is both cheap and because of it's makeup with holes in the weave,a very inexspensive way to tune the room.
I've recorded everything from horns to bluegrass groups and it works for me.
You ask for some help on a budget and thats what I gave you.It's certainly not the only way to go.

 

[Sky Blue Lou]

Hey Kenny - Did you do the mixes on your stuff in that same room? How many of the instruments were real/miced? Live amps?

I rather like Big Boss Man.

 

[witzendoz]

Carpet on the floor,burlap curtains on the wall and it's cheap.Some of my friends have even used egg cartons glued to the wall then painted them....hey the mans on a budget so go the cheap way thats been proven!!!!!! You should be able to fix this room up for maybe a thousand bucks or less.

My standard reply to egg cartons.

 

[Berserk539]

I'd start with a book!

Where would you place it?

On the bookshelf in the back of the room acting like a diffuser.