Making A Small Room Most Acoustically Appealing?

[Vikki]

I have a small empty room that i was hoping to try and turn into some sort of acoustic guitar recording room, i think the computer and other equipment will be in another room. The room is around 12 feet by 9 feet with a window at one end door at the other, 3 walls are plastered brick and one wall is plastered wallboard. If i wander around playing my acoustic guitar i seem to get the most response back from a solid wall or corner. I know i'm not going to get any real acoustic property out of the room but i was wondering if there is any way to enhance the room by placement of acoustic materials or some sort of sound reflecting boarding.
I don't have any mics yet but is it best to place them in the middle of the room or is there a way of capturing a bit of the room by other means. I know its difficult when you don't have the room at hand. The floor is just wooden floorboards at the moment, just trying to get a few ideas.
Thanks Again
Vikki (uk)

 

[eeldip]

how much treatment can you do? can you go nuts?

i would try the "take away the ceiling in a small room" ethan winer approach--- totally absorb the sound on the ceiling.

that will make your room sound bigger.

from there i would try just a hair of absorbing material here and there, to cut down a little on the reflections... a bass trap here and there. nothing excessive.

and let me tell ya 12x9 aint so bad for acoustic guitar.

 

[Marik]

Vikki,

I would ask this question at acoustics forum at RO or you might already find your answer just reading posts. Ethan Winner hangs there, and I think he would be the best person to talk about these kinds of things.

http://www.recording.org/forum34.html

 

[Vikki]

Thanks i'll give RO a try for the acoustics.
Vikki(uk)

 

[chessrock]

how much treatment can you do? can you go nuts?

i would try the "take away the ceiling in a small room" ethan winer approach--- totally absorb the sound on the ceiling.

that will make your room sound bigger.

from there i would try just a hair of absorbing material here and there, to cut down a little on the reflections... a bass trap here and there. nothing excessive.

and let me tell ya 12x9 aint so bad for acoustic guitar.

He's right. I actually prefer smaller rooms for accoustic guitar. If it doesn't create too much noise, you could open the window, which would allow for at least some of the bass to leak out. If you have a heavy futon, leather couch, etc. . . . that could help, also. I'd look at making some sort of make-shift diffusion on one of the walls -- maybe a homemade bookshelf type of thing.

 

[Han]

Vikki,

I would ask this question at acoustics forum at RO or you might already find your answer just reading posts. Ethan Winner hangs there, and I think he would be the best person to talk about these kinds of things.

http://www.recording.org/forum34.html

Ethan moved to musicplayer.com, where he runs his own forum.

http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=26&submit=Go

 

[Richard Monroe]

Eeldip gave you a pretty good description of what I did to my little room, except the opening a window part. My windows are packed with fiberglass and acoustic foam. I don't feel like recording lawn mowers. Here's a picture.-


http://bardwire.com/images/lgvbtrack.jpg

That ceiling is gone.-Richie

 

[darrin_h2000]

Sounds like the size of my room...perfect for the drums to fit in. Mine was down in the basement with concrete on 3 sides...door and window on the other. I covered the walls with corrigated foam from AMFoam.com and hung a fiberglass drop cieling the wall side is live with the equipment flush inside it...and acoustic guitar sounds super in it.