Non-Environment Control Room?

[laptoppop]

I'm trying to put together a control room design that will have two primary priorities:
1) accurate monitoring of the music
2) a comfortable environment for long work sessions

I see various articles and designs using a "live end / dead end" type of design on the control room. Some folks seem to put the "live" end in the back of the room, and others, such as Phillip Newell, seem to advocate a "live" front wall and floor, with everything else deadened.

There's an interesting technical article on non-environment control rooms at http://www.zainea.com/percept.htm

Any thoughts on the matter? Mr. Sayer? Has anyone worked in a non-environment room and other styles for comparison?

Thanks,
-lee-

 

[John Sayers]

Lee - I've worked in some LEDE rooms and I don't like them - most studios who put them in during the 80s have taken them out eventually.

The main thing is to keep the rear section dead but not too dead so the room loses it's life.

Even flat reverb time is the main aim so the lows must be taken down with the highs EVENLY.

The enviromental room (I did not read the whole article cos those Uni guys really know how to waffle on and on) appears to me to be toooo dead. I prefer to use some reflective surfaces in the rear of the room (check out Left Bank

You will see I still have reflective (yet diffuse) surfaces at the rear. So does Joe Egan's Control room as he has a large diffuser as well as low-mid slots. If you didn't have that the rear of the room would sound really dead and boxy. In the left bank control room you can walk around the room and the highs remain even and there are no low frequency humps and holes. The imaging at the console is really tight and clear which is another important factor. i.e. the centre phantom speaker is really defined.

my two cents

Cheers
John

 

[laptoppop]

Thanks for the info, John!

I appreciate the real-world info and perspective. Looks like non-environment is a non-starter for me -- I really want a "comfortable" room to work in. I think it makes a big difference in the final project quality if everyone can relax and work hard. I think I was attracted by my laziness - I mean, if all I have to do is supress the heck out of everthing, its a lot easier!

Two quick questions, if you don't mind :>)

Have the splayed slot resonators worked well for you? They certainly look great, but are they effective acoustically?

I notice you put in adjustable acoustic panels in the studio - would you do that again? How often in real-world recording do you find yourself changing their position?

Thanks again,
-lee-

 

[John Sayers]

Yes the slots are very effective. I remember when we put them in. Amirel and I had listened to ourselves talking in the room before they went in and I pointed out to him how our voices had a low-mid boominess. As soon as the slots were put in it went. You can actually put your hand over them and feel the air resonating in the gaps.

I put the variable panels in because the room was primarily designed for Amirel's beautiful piano yet I really wanted to record live drums in the room as well, hence the wide doors so the piano could easily be wheeled out. So I use the dead side for the piano and the live side for drums.

cheers
John