Help with Improving Room

xb2003

xb2003

New member
I'm into recording as well as listening to music and I would like to improve the sound in my basement some. I know that the bass response varies a lot depending on where you are in the room, and it would be nice to mellow that out a little. My basement has a lot of corners though, and a pole. So I imagine it will be difficult. Another issue is that most of my doors nearly meet the corners, so base traps MUST not be permanent. Freestanding would be best, but I've read that hanging can be better. I would like to make them, and I've read some tutorials on how to do that, but it seems like there are about a thousand different methods and materials, and it would be nice to have it narrowed down a little.

Below is a diagram of my basement floor plan, as well as a couple of pictures. I know its a mess, its not nearly as cluttered when I get it cleaned up. I'm just in the process of rearranging. The 200 speakers behind my desk will not be there, just my JBL LSR2328 monitors. I plan to build some monitor stands also. The stacks of old speakers have served their purpose though.

I know that the air ducts and the pole will require extra treatment.. Unfortunately I can't just remove them. The bass in my chair is rather weak. Usually when I mix something there I end up having way too much low end in the mix. But if i stand up and walk backwards about 2 ft (along the edge of that air duct) you get to the point where you are just hammered by bass. I assume that the bass is being canceled near my chair and that the bass traps will improve this.

Basically I just need some ideas. I really don't know how much I'm going to spend yet, but I'm not just made of money. It depends on how much it costs to do what compared to how much it will end up improving the sound. It would be nice if i could do something to make my drums not sound so harsh, but I know that's just a small room for you.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Basement Floorplan.PNGphoto 2 (1).JPGphoto 1 (1).JPG
 
looks nice except the low ceiling and the big alcove type of design.

Anyways, 4 inch or thicker stacked 4x2 traps made of frames with either Owens corning 705/703 or ROxul SafenSound in each corner. I made mine to be portable if I move. Corner traps great too, if ur permanent go for it.
Side wall 3 inch is fine 4x2 staggered offset on adjacent walls.

Next likely will want a few ceiling sound clouds specially with the uneven ceilings.

This is a good start and you can make all of this yourself.
 
Yes, make some 2' wide, 4" thick bass traps - tons of info here and on youtube how to do them. If your ceiling/corner height is less than 8 feet, make some traps less than 4' long. 2'x4' is standard size because thats what the insulation comes in. Put them in the two front corners, and the back corners, and you'll probalby want some trapping or diffusion on that back wall between the door and opening to the stairs.
First reflection point traps on side walls (you may need to hang one on the door to your left) and a cloud over your mixing desk/chair area - these can be 2" or 3" insulation, but 4" won't hurt.
 
It looks like Roxul is a bit cheaper and is available locally.. Actually a lot cheaper. But it is also 3 inches thick and only 1.5 feet wide. Would it be ok to go with that just for the simple fact I can treat a lot more area for my money?

The corner on the other side of the stairs(not visible in the pictures) has a door that opens to the inside. So how much will that little pocket effect that sound?

So if I make the corner traps 6ft tall will that be enough? My ceiling is just under 8ft on the tall side, and just under 7 on the other. So the most material efficient way would be 6 ft traps..

As for the side and ceiling ones, how big and what material?
 
3" is ok for your first reflection points and cloud. Double it for corner traps. The place where two walls join the ceiling is a corner! (so is wall to ceiling!) You definitely want to insulate up to the top. If you use 3", you could stuff the corner behind it with pink fiberglass (fluffy stuff)
 
Don't over anal-yze it man. Do the important treatments and make adjustments from there. It is that easy. Once you figure out what the basics did for your room, then bit-pick the hell out of it if needed. Just do the basic stuff and move on.

Seriously, no more questions until you have a solid plan. Just do it dood. :)
 
Ok, this is my last question. And it doesn't really pertain. Does the material of the fabric used to cover them matter? Because cant some reflect highs in a bad way?

Thank you guys for the help! I plan to start on this after this week. I have a busy 4th. Ill try and post some pictures and how it has worked out.
 
xb2003 said:
Ok, this is my last question. And it doesn't really pertain. Does the material of the fabric used to cover them matter? Because cant some reflect highs in a bad way?

Thank you guys for the help! I plan to start on this after this week. I have a busy 4th. Ill try and post some pictures and how it has worked out.
Click to expand...

It just needs to be breathable most cotton, polyester etc are breathable. If air can get through it then so can sound.
If you want something that has actually been acoustically tested then Maine of Guildford in the US or Camira Cara in the UK are the ones to go for
 
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