Setting up studio monitors in barracks room HELP

J

JustinCurtis

New member
So I'm in the army in living in a barracks room. Its basically a dorm. I dont have the exact demintions due to the fact I'm currently deployed. (Have a shitty paint exapmle of room layout. Its just a guess but keep in mind the room is tall and long) My question is were should I put and set up my mixing station and were to put some accoustic treatment foam that I will be doing myself. Also the acoustic foam cannot be stuck to the wall since we cannot full alter the rooms. Im aloud to use thumb taks and maybe drywall nails. Any pro advise?? MERICA!Untitled.png
 
First: forget the acoustic foam. The best its going to do is abosrb some of the highs that cause a 'flutter echo'. You need broadband abosrbant panels (bass traps) in all the corners. You can buy or make these, make them free standing, or hanging from hooks and can move them out when you move.
The mix desk should be set up in the center of the short walls, if possible.
 
Since your in a dorm, and probably wont be staying too long, I'd suggest that you do your mixing on headphones, not the most ideal method, but in your situation, practical.

Also, what instruments are you recording? and out of curiosity, interface & monitors? (not that it matters much, yet)

Good luck on your deployment......
 
I mostly use everything direct. I just want a good mixing room. I use AXE FX II usb in, Ezdrummer 2, and for monitors KRK Rokit Powered 5" Generation 3. Recording mostly metal.

I will be in that room for two more years once Im back from deployment. So I got some time to work in here.

Thanks mjbphotos. Looked up how to make some bass traps. Only problem that Im having with the desk placement is that it would have to be either on the long wall or near the window. Thats were my internet port/cable is.

Would the window be a problem?
 
just some input.

You will want to center your mixing area desk, if that is what you mean by desk n your pic. Either centered on the wall it is on or well.... maybe only option. window is not great but first I would do as MJBphotos said, start with stacked 4x2xas deep as you can afford and fit. I built about 50 of these fabric covered Roxul filled 4x2 traps varying from 6 inches to 9 inches deep. vertically stacked in each corner. You can buy these relatively cheap too, at least compared to other acoustic treatments. I just made feet for them to stand and if I need to I anchor them with a wire thru a steel eyelet screwed into the wall to make sure they never tip. They can be taken if u need to move.

Next I would think about ceiling treatment perhaps with a few spot ceiling clouds. This should get you close, and then think about dealing with the window (if u don;t mind losing light won;t be difficult), adding diffusion, and doing some room response measurements. But the bass traps will for sure be a necessary and significantly impacting and audible improvement.

Best of luck in tracking and in your service!
 
Nope dont mind losing light at all. I could sit some absorbtion pannels or diffusion panels in the window ledge. They would fit perfectly if the right size the whole window could be covered.
 
How many pannels would anyone suggest. Im tracking 4 bass traps in cornners 2 big pannels in back of the mixing desk 2-4 for first reflections and maybe 2 on the back wall.

Also is it ok to keep my bed were it is? Or will it effect the balance of the sound through the monitors? Just trying to think how Im gonna rearange my room and keep it in military standards ......:(
 
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bed is not great but u need that, haha!

Your back wall if the point of first reflection, so maybe put it on the wall under your window? no perfect solution, but could help in one way while hurting your sides, but if u can move it then maybe it would help.

Traps plan sounds good, Honestly for playing loud music in a space like that, as deep as as much as u can trap would be good.

Window, yeah, tackled mine with a few layers of different materials. I was starting with 6 inch layer of rock wool and then a barrier layer and then rock wool again. My windows are on the street but also right behind my main front and center monitors, so I liked absorption on the room side.


I think what u said would work, I would put a layer or a panel of absorption behind a diffusion panel and put that in the window.

I have been using wood QRDs 2x2 and 4x2 size, I usual fill them with rock wool and I have also custom made back boxes that the diffusers slip into and then it is a dual diffuser on front and broad band absorption on the back.

sounds like a goo start u got going. Then think about some ceiling clouds, maybe mixed absorption, barrier, diffusion/scattering.
 
No advice.....Sorry......But Thanks for your service

BTW....I lived in one of those rooms when I was at Bragg....Had some good times there with my Eighty-Deuce brethren
 
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