materials for walls of a reverberant studio

[Harpometer]

I'm building a studio from scratch. External building dimensions are 16 x 24 with a cathedral ceiling that is 12 feet at the highest point. (I'll make the internal dimensions uneven)

The purpose of the room is to record string instruments (mostly me playing the cello) and so I need the space to be reverberant. Any cellist will tell you it is disheartening to play in a dead room, the instrument doesn't sing.

My question is...what material should the walls be? I'm assuming wood paneling is the best material for strings, just because every studio I've recorded in has been wood. Any particular kind?

Any tips or links greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[mixsit]

Subscribing.

 

[mjbphotos]

Subscribing.

I would say recording strings/cello is a lot different than playing live and you don't want a super-reverb room unless you are trying to capture a 'live sound' (single take, no multi-tracking).

 

[sheggs]

If you are building from scratch have you read Build it like the Pros by Rod Gervais?

 

[Ethan Winer]

The purpose of the room is to record string instruments (mostly me playing the cello) and so I need the space to be reverberant. Any cellist will tell you it is disheartening to play in a dead room, the instrument doesn't sing.

I play the cello too, and record myself and others all the time. I agree that a live sounding room is more inspiring, and your room is large enough to achieve that. However, you can get plenty of inspiration by simply adding reverb to your headphones while recording, but without recording the reverb. Then when mixing you can pay closer attention to the amount and type of reverb you add.

Even if you aim for a live sound in the room, it's critical to avoid flutter echo and other resonances that color what the mic(s) capture. So that means at least some absorption, or if you have a decent budget a mix of absorption and diffusion. Simply adding wood is not a solution, and in fact wood and plain drywall reflect (sound) more or less the same.

What sort of music do you play? Is it part of an ensemble or just solo cello? Do you plan to overdub a bunch of cello parts? And so forth.

--Ethan

 

[jhbrandt]

+1 to Ethan's post.

For Tracking/Performance rooms: Never let untreated surfaces face each other.

Two points to consider in your Cello space; 1. Eliminate all Flutter echo by following the rule above. and 2. Add diffusors, polys, and other diffractive surfaces in the room to help create a diffuse field. Look up Volumetric Diffusors. -

In Laboratories, usually 125 cubic meters and up, they will use curved panels hanging at random to bolster the diffuse field for ASTM C-423 testing (absorption coefficients). But, like many 'live' rooms that we do, you will need some absorption to 'control' resonances as Ethan suggested. You can hide the absorption behind slatted panels or thin-faced poly-cylinders.

Cheers,
John