Room Acoustics and other animals

[S.C.U.D]

I record all of my music in a converted loft/attic room. It has a pitched roof and wooden floor. What I’m wondering is how does this room affect what I am recording. For instance the wooden floor is a concern to me, whilst exhibiting a charming Scandinavian effect, what is all this wood doing to my recording. Would it be a good idea to use a rug or carpet under a mic stand.?? I’ve recently bought a large padded Curtain (for £1) which I will soon be mounting in semi circle fashion to provide isolation when recording. This may sound cheap to some of you… well I am. I would love to here from anyone with any tips or hints regarding getting good acoustics and isolation.

 

[chessrock]

There's nothing wrong with wood.

The type of floor won't have as much of an effect on things as the size and shape of your space.

Any type of surface can produce either good or bad echo, depending on the layout. If it's a small, enclosed area with low ceilings parallel to the floor and walls parallel to one another, then it probably isn't going to be a very ideal space for recording. You'll probably never be able to capture or hear things the way they were truly intended to sound.

The whole pitched roof thing, believe it or not, is good -- or at least a lot better than your typical flat, parallel ceiling deal that most of us are forced to work around. The problem you would likely encounter is an inherent lack of space for the sound to travel. In order to effectively work around this, you will need to use things much thicker than carpeting.

Couches are a good start -- the heavier and bulkier, the better. If you have the cash, then start investing in some bass traps. Packing blankets are also very effective, if you space them out and use them in multiple layers -- hard to describe without drawing diagrams, but it's a simple idea. Think thick, bulky, heavy, dense. Carpeting not thick or dense enough -- you get the picture.

 

[trickless]

What chessrock said..

Your setup seems better for recording than my boxy concrete basement. Having non-parallel surfaces can really work in your favor. The padded curtain you described sounds like a good idea. Packing blankets are cool if ya can get them on the cheap, but I would suggest experimenting with blankets and stuff you have lying around first.

"This may sound cheap to some of you… well I am. "

And so am I. The hardest thing about home recording is making do with what limited resources you have.

Good luck,
Pat