Reflections off table, desk, rack etc

[Dr X]

I've read a lot recently about how important it is to reduce reflections that come up off the desk, off the keyboard, off the rack (ie very short reflections before the sound gets anywhere near walls etc) But no-one seems to have any solutions! Like most home recordists I have my gear on a table, with the nearfields at ear height on top of another pair of speakers sitting on the table top. Do people really worry about acoustic reflections off the rack and table surface? Why do I see so many pro studios with the nearfields on the meter bridge?Should I worry about this or concentrate on treating the walls, building bass traps etc first?

 

[Track Rat]

That's the whole purpose of nearfields vs other monitoring systems. They're so close to you that early reflections aren't AS critical. Not that you can ignore room acoustics but they lessen them a bit.