Measuring sound in small room on MAC

[Sweetbeak]

Hi there,

First post here I'm fairly new to room acoustic requirements. I currently want to do my recording at home due to cost issues, and the only place I can really do it is a bedroom due to space issues. My monitors are in the lounge room, so the bedroom is for recording only.

I have a decent mic and external Presonus Firestudio, working with Garageband and a Macbook Pro.

My first question before I try to improve acoustic quality is how to measure the existing awfulness. I've found a couple of articles with programs that sound too complicated to interpret the results and that seem to be for PC only.

So does anyone know of a fairly simple program that will work with my setup for a MAC?

Thanks

 

[ecc83]

Hi there,

First post here I'm fairly new to room acoustic requirements. I currently want to do my recording at home due to cost issues, and the only place I can really do it is a bedroom due to space issues. My monitors are in the lounge room, so the bedroom is for recording only.

I have a decent mic and external Presonus Firestudio, working with Garageband and a Macbook Pro.

My first question before I try to improve acoustic quality is how to measure the existing awfulness. I've found a couple of articles with programs that sound too complicated to interpret the results and that seem to be for PC only.

So does anyone know of a fairly simple program that will work with my setup for a MAC?

Thanks

Now I usually answer questions directly and deplore those that try to steer noobs onto a different path....But in this case I am gonna!

By "recording" do you mean vocals or/and acoustic instruments e.g. guitar? If so you would do far better to record in the larger (I assume) lounge. You might have to make some temporary acoustic screen arrangements using duvets and the like for vocal work but acoustic guitar should be fine if you get in close.

Bedrooms can usually be made tolerable for monitoring ('tis after all the basics of the nearfield monitoring principle!) with bass traps and absorbers at the "mirror" points. But there are acoustics Pros here and I shall leave things to them and I don't know macs AT ALL!

If electric guitar is on the recording agenda, not such a problem IMHO since you can close mic the cab or DI or both.

Dave.

 

[Sweetbeak]

Hey Dave, thanks for the reply

It will mostly be vocals, I'm not sure yet whether there will be some guitar and percussive instruments, that's a maybe.

The bedroom is 3.4m x 3m. I've currently also got an SE Reflexion Filter. This seems to have improved things a little bit. The mic I'm using is a Rode NTK tube / cardioid. I'm using a really long cable I think it's either 5 or 10 meters, and I suspect that might be helping to create a staticky like noise.

But before any technical measurements (just by listening) in the recordings I've done so far, it seems what is most noticeable to me is a specific room sound when the mic records, before there's even any singing.

There's a couple of reasons I wanted to record in the bedroom, one being there's a spot to store all the stuff - i.e. I don't have to move it all around the apartment every time I record, and also because there is less wall space to treat. Also, I'm trying to avoid the humming noise of appliances like the fridge and air conditioner, and a couple of noisy birds. I figured once I worked out what needed correcting, I could hang a couple of sound blankets against some of the offending surfaces in the bedroom, and maybe buy a bigger reflection filter like the Real Traps PVB, or possibly bass traps.

The other thing about the lounge I am unsure of is the shape is a little wierd. I've attached a drawing to this post of the shape and dimensions so you can see what I mean. Both rooms are of course full of furniture too, they're not empty. I'm open to better suggestions in the lounge room if it's going to be a better option, but hanging blankets all over the lounge room I don't think is really an option.

Aside from this with the listening, I plan on alternating between a combination of good AKG headphones and 2 x 6 inch KRK rokets and 1 10 inch KRK rokets subwoofer, although the monitors themselves are in the loungeroom which is not acoustically treated, hence the extra perspective with the headphones.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks!

Now I usually answer questions directly and deplore those that try to steer noobs onto a different path....But in this case I am gonna!

By "recording" do you mean vocals or/and acoustic instruments e.g. guitar? If so you would do far better to record in the larger (I assume) lounge. You might have to make some temporary acoustic screen arrangements using duvets and the like for vocal work but acoustic guitar should be fine if you get in close.

Bedrooms can usually be made tolerable for monitoring ('tis after all the basics of the nearfield monitoring principle!) with bass traps and absorbers at the "mirror" points. But there are acoustics Pros here and I shall leave things to them and I don't know macs AT ALL!

If electric guitar is on the recording agenda, not such a problem IMHO since you can close mic the cab or DI or both.

Dave.

 

[mjbphotos]

Packing blankets/duvets behind you until you get some bass traps in the room. Get closer to the mic (turn down the gain).

 

[ecc83]

Ooo! Not a lot of room is there? But are you sure all your measurements are correct? For instance, is that kitchen really only 43 inches wide?
I would definitely think about using the lounge for vocals. You don't have to shift all the gear into there! Basically just the mic. 10mtrs is NOT a long cable on a mic. 100mtrs is starting to be!

Dave.

 

[mdainsd]

*39 inches

 

[ecc83]

*39 inches

?????! One point one mtrs is 43 and a quarter inches according to my Rolson steel tape!

Dave.

 

[mdainsd]

LOL, My Bad. I can tell the difference between the words "hall" and "kitchen"

 

[Sweetbeak]

Thanks for the replies. Yes it's only a one bedroom apartment.

I could try bringing the mic into the lounge, I was just kind of worried about all the odd angles and that I am less able to soundproof that room.

I guess the way to know the best spot is to test the acoustics with a sound program to know for sure at least which is better. Does anyone know a good one for mac?

Thanks