Making the best of my music room

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school

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Hello forum readers.
This is my first post here and I'm wondering if someone can advise me on how to make the best of my new music room.
We'll be moving house soon. My future music room will accommodate my upright piano, acoustic and electric guitars, amps and speakers, mics, saxes and clarinet, possibly a drum kit (but defintely some percussion instruments), a desk with computer (for mixing) and probably a sofa.
From my reading of other threads, especially concerning ceiling height, the dimensions are less than ideal. My new music room measures approx. 7.5 metres by 4.5 metres with a ceiling height of only 2.35 metres (24'7" x 14'9" x 7'8").
I plan to use the room for practising with our three-piece band and for small concerts (where typically we can expect an audience of 30 to 50).
My goal is not to achieve top-quality recording but to get the best sound for practices and concerts i.e. to minimise unwanted sound distortions and interferences.
I don't have any scope for either raising the ceiling or for lowering the floor.
Attached are two photos of the room. All the furniture will go when the current occupier moves out. I have the option of keeping the carpet and the large cupboard/shelving unit against the end wall.
I have no strong feelings either way regarding the carpet (although I'd prefer a wooden or laminate floor for practical and aesthetic reasons). The wall unit would be handy for storing stuff but it's not essential.
So, some questions:
1. would removing the carpet create too much echo?
2. would it make sense to build a room divider to shorten the room? However, for a concert I'd want to remove it for more seating space.
In short, how can I make the best use of my new music room?
Many thanks for any advice or tips. Cheers!
 

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Other than ceiling height, it looks pretty good.
Rectangle rooms are waay better than square. So you're good there.

If it were me, I'd start with some superchunks (do a search, they're easy to make ;) )
in AT LEAST the 4 wall corners. Go from floor to ceiling. I'd use the 4" thick OC 703 or the Roxul (I forget the one I used) insulation, make a bunch of triangles and stack em up. Cover em with fabric and add some trim.

Also, I'd set up my mixing desk facing the wall where you have the dresser with the lamp on it. Bring it out into the room a third of the way (if you can) and put some gobo's on that wall behind where your monitors are gonna sit.
Put the monitors where the tweeters are at ear level with the woofers hittin ya in the jaw (or roundabout there).

There's more but I ran outta time. :)
 
Many thanks, Dogbreath. I'm glad to know the length is not a downside. And if I get you right, having such a low ceiling isn't tragic.

Apart from the beer fridge, would you advise having a hard flooring or leaving the carpet?

Cheers.
 
Capt Hair said:
off-topic but what is the deal with everyone having a lava lamp? Seems like almost everyone has one and makes references to it every so often.
Click to expand...

Dude......... No studio is complete without a lava lamp. YOU KNOW THIS!
 
school said:
Apart from the beer fridge, would you advise having a hard flooring or leaving the carpet?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

If I had my druthers....I druther have a hardwood floor and then treat the ceiling. Like an acoustic cloud above your mixing station or spot gobo's where needed.
And yeah, the rectangle room is def a good thing. ;)



Oh....
And Capt Hair....
"more senior members" ?
I'll hitcha wit mah cane boy. :mad:


:D
 
30-50 people PLUS a band? No one better tell the local fire marshal!
 
Dogbreath: I druther have a hardwood floor and then treat the ceiling. Like an acoustic cloud above your mixing station or spot gobo's where needed.

Yes, I'd prefer a hardwood floor (mainly for hygienic and aesthetic reasons). You don't think it'd make for too much echo?
 
Thanks again to those who've commented so far.

As I look at the 2 photos posted above and try to imagine what it's going to be like when I'm sitting there playing in terms of acoustics, I wonder:

if I take out the carpet and put in a hardwood floor (which would look great!), will there be too much echo or reverb?

But if I keep the wall unit which is already along one end wall and also put bookshelves across the whole of the other end wall, will that absorb some of the echo to compensate?

I'd grateful for any opinions.

On the other point: if 50 came to one of our home gigs, we'd be delighted - it'd probably be nearer to 30. But if they did and there was a fire, the room has two exits, leading to stairs or balconies.

I guess you were thinking we play some pretty hot stuff!
 
school said:
if I take out the carpet and put in a hardwood floor (which would look great!), will there be too much echo or reverb?

But if I keep the wall unit which is already along one end wall and also put bookshelves across the whole of the other end wall, will that absorb some of the echo to compensate?
Click to expand...

on the floors...
if you put an acoustic cloud hanging from the ceiling above your mix desk and one above your drums (or even some gobos), along with superchunks in the corners and spot gobos on the walls, you'll be good to go.
On my ceiling, I hung bass traps across the peak, a cloud above my desk and superchunks in the corners. It's sounds pretty good but I wish I'd gone with wood instead of carpet.
Some day maybe...

And yeah, book shelf, a sofa...stuff like that...will take care of some of the flutter and echo.

peace dude...:drunk:
 
Hi there Dogbreath: thanks for your comment. I'm going to try with a wooden floor and bookshelves to soak up some of the echo and see how it sounds.

I'll let y'all know how it works out.

Cheers.
 
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