Any reason not to use marble tile in a studio? I found a deal on some and it would look really hip in my studio, I'm just wondering about the acoustic properties of a smooth reflective surface like that.
Bryan, so even if the rest of the room is properly treated with plenty of absorbtion, Maybe some rugs over part of the floor- do you think the marble would still create unwanted reflections? How is it different from wood? Wood is highly reflective too isnt it?
We have a nasty carpet that we want to rip up... Another option we were looking at was staining the concrete. Th finished process looks like this: http://www.concretenetwork.com/stained-concrete/
Concrete is going to act just like Marble basically. The wood will have some 'give' to it and be a bit warmer sounding. Yes, it's still reflective but not nearly as much so as concrete or marble.
Concrete is going to act just like Marble basically. The wood will have some 'give' to it and be a bit warmer sounding. Yes, it's still reflective but not nearly as much so as concrete or marble.
I interned at a commercial studio that had concrete floors and the room sounded great. They did have a large rug in the middle of the room though. I would prefer wood but can't afford it. Marble deal didn't work out, anyone have any ideas for a cheap floor solution that would be aesthetically and acoustically pleasing? Thanks.
Concrete can work - IF you have a big room with very high ceilings.
If you can't swing for wood or laminate, then I guess your next cheapest option is to stain the concrete. Nothing wrong with hard floor and soft ceiling - many times that's preferable - just a matter of HOW hard.
Apply a 2'-3' wide carpet strip on the floor at the boundary(walls) and use small throw rugs in the center area. These will create "diffraction" zones at the boundarys between the carpets and the concrete, which will provide additional absorption AND diffusion to the floor.(this is called taking advantage of the "edge effect" ) However, there are many other factors involved, such as what you are trying to achieve overall, as far as recording is concerned. IF, the rest of your room is dead/live, what instruments are being recorded, mics, mic positioning, and many others. Remember, great recordings are a matter of art/skill/talent and thousands of records have been made in less than optimal environments. Bottom line...a perect floor won't do shit for crappy talent.
(this is only opinion and my disclaimer is in full force here. i.e...I ain't no expert)
fitZ