Newb needs help re-designing studio.

[dwdrums801]

Little Background, I have my little home basement studio/ rehearsal space in my basement. Concrete walls with wood framing, pink insulation, sheetrock, wood paneling, wall paper and then very thin commercial carpet on top (this was all pre-done before I moved in). I came across 8 8x4 panels of some kind of acoustical treatment (looks like some kind of soft cushiony fiber with cloth around it for good looks with a metallic almost tinfoil backing) got them all for free so I took them home and threw em up on the walls to get them out of the way. The ceiling is a dropped ceiling 6 1/2 ft high jam packed with insulation (above it is a unused living room so not much noise coming from there) The floor is poured concrete connected to the foundation of the house with padding and carpet on-top. I don't have to worry about noise escaping and bothering neighbors or disturbing my family (they encourage it)

For some reference Ill upload some more pics in a little bit

This is a sketch of the room

The main reason why I want to redesign it is because My mixes dont translate well to other stereo systems which makes me believe the acoustics are messed up or my speaker placement is bad. I record alot of live practice sessions and then doctor them up to use as reference when were writing but also like to do some demo recordings for print to CDs to promote my band.

So I guess my 1st place to start would be placement of my soon to be built desk to hold my monitors and equipment. And then an ideal lay out for where to put PA speakers and amps. And finally wall treatment.

Any advice or criticism is much appreciated. Thanks

 

[BillyBo]

not sure if the insulation w/ foil backing is actually 703 or rockwool or not, but if the foil is facing the room, remove it. it's defeating the purpose. or place it against the wall if you're mounting the insulation flush w/ the wall.

place bass traps (4" 703 compressed fiberglass) straddling each corner. and hang a 4" cloud above the drums.

you'll also want to place your mixing desk facing the wall with the door.

those are basics that i've learned just from reading this section for a few years. it should get you started in the right direction.

oh... and is your 4" drum riser hollow? that might be creating some bad bass problems. i don't record drums, but i'm wondering if just putting them directly on the floor wouldn't be better.

 

[Weasel9992]

So, 13-1/2 by 14 with a 6-1/2' ceiling? That's going to be tough...nearly square with that low of a ceiling...you'll have MAJOR issues from 70Hz-250Hz especially. Do the following:

• Make sure you setup so that you’re firing down the longest dimension of the room.
• Your head should be placed 38% of the way into the room, centered between the left and right walls
• Your head should also be located at the tip of an equilateral triangle with your speakers. Start at a 5’ width and go from there.
• Use at least 4” bass trapping in all the corners, floor to ceiling if possible.
• Use 4” or 6” bass traps on the back wall; the thicker the better basically.
• Use 4” panels behind the speakers on the front wall
• The reflection points to the right, left and above your head can be treated with either 2” or 4” panels. I prefer 4” panels personally; you can never really overdo bass trapping.

Once you've ticked everything off that list, post back and let us know how it's coming along. We'll take a closer look at that point.

Frank

 

[dwdrums801]

not sure if the insulation w/ foil backing is actually 703 or rockwool or not, but if the foil is facing the room, remove it. it's defeating the purpose. or place it against the wall if you're mounting the insulation flush w/ the wall.

I just looked up 703 and rockwool and its deff. the 703 I have the foil side facing the wall and the pretty fabric facing out

you can see it in this pic( when I got them I just threw them up too look pretty I was in High school)

also thats where my speakers are now

place bass traps (4" 703 compressed fiberglass) straddling each corner. and hang a 4" cloud above the drums.

The 703 panels I have now are 1" thick can I double them up? should I take the foil on the back of the top one off before 'gluing?' them together? Can I make a frame out of thin wood to hold it all together or would wood be more harm then good? and by straddling each corner do you mean placing them across the corner so there is no 90 degree corner or flat against the wall on each side of the corner......if you mean across what should I put behind them?

You'll also want to place your mixing desk facing the wall with the door

So the desk should be directly in the middle of the wall with the A/C unit and window..... I don't have alot of room so it would have to be right up against the wall should I leave one of the 703 panels behind the desk/speakers?

oh... and is your 4" drum riser hollow? that might be creating some bad bass problems. i don't record drums, but i'm wondering if just putting them directly on the floor wouldn't be better.

The drum riser was just an Idea, I was going to make it out of wood filled with sand and carpet on top but im going to leave that project untill very last...if I can get the money maybe get the auralex panels

Thanks for help
- Billy

 

[Weasel9992]

The 703 panels I have now are 1" thick can I double them up? should I take the foil on the back of the top one off before 'gluing?' them together? Can I make a frame out of thin wood to hold it all together or would wood be more harm then good? and by straddling each corner do you mean placing them across the corner so there is no 90 degree corner or flat against the wall on each side of the corner......if you mean across what should I put behind them?

The traps across the corners should be at least 4" thick actually, so take the FRK off of three of them put them together and leave the FRK on the rear-most batt TO THE BACK. Yes, you can put them in a frame...people do it all the time. Put the panel across the corner...you don't *have* to put anything behind it. If you fill the corner with R13 or R19 you'll get better low frequency absorption though. Just pack it in there...no need to be subtle.

So the desk should be directly in the middle of the wall with the A/C unit and window..... I don't have alot of room so it would have to be right up against the wall should I leave one of the 703 panels behind the desk/speakers?

Your ears should be 38% of the way into the room as a starting point. The rest of your measurements (monitoring triangle, how far the monitors are from the wall) will depend on that 38% number. Get that right first, then the rest will fall into place.

Frank