Which room to use for recording?

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Hunter944

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I'm pretty new to room acoustics. There are two rooms in my house I can feasibly use for recording tracks, which I need to do for a project I'm working on. We'll be doing mainly vocals but also some violin, cello, acoustic guitar and light percussion. I'd like some advice on which room to use, and also how to optimize for acoustics.

Room A is in a basement. 16' x 15' in its main space, with an 8' ceiling. It has Berber carpet and the walls and ceilings are sheet rock.

Room B is a rectangular box with a small closet built into one corner. 16' x 12', with a 9' ceiling. Two doors on opposing walls, and one window. Floor is hardwood. Walls and ceiling are sheet rock.

What would you do? I'd appreciate any help!
 
Are you recording the ensemble live or individually? Close micing or room mics?


lou
 
Hunter944 said:
I'm pretty new to room acoustics. There are two rooms in my house I can feasibly use for recording tracks, which I need to do for a project I'm working on. We'll be doing mainly vocals but also some violin, cello, acoustic guitar and light percussion. I'd like some advice on which room to use, and also how to optimize for acoustics.

Room A is in a basement. 16' x 15' in its main space, with an 8' ceiling. It has Berber carpet and the walls and ceilings are sheet rock.

Room B is a rectangular box with a small closet built into one corner. 16' x 12', with a 9' ceiling. Two doors on opposing walls, and one window. Floor is hardwood. Walls and ceiling are sheet rock.

What would you do? I'd appreciate any help!
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Lou is asking a pertinent question.

But if I were to just go on the information you provided, I'd go with room B. It's less of a square, has higher ceilings, and has hard-wood floors which are better than carpeting.
 
I'd probably lean B as well and open the doors.


lou
 
Room B - you may have problems if you do not open the doors. The dimensions 16' and 12' have 4 in common - and if the ceilings are 8' then things get strange real fast. - You might actually be better off the Room A.

This is something that you will have to check for yourself. Do a test in each room & A/B them. Pick the one YOU like the most. ;)

Cheers,
John
 
jhbrandt said:
Room B - you may have problems if you do not open the doors. The dimensions 16' and 12' have 4 in common - and if the ceilings are 8' then things get strange real fast. - You might actually be better off the Room A.
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Well, I'm glad someone that actually knows what they're talking about is here. :D

So, John, is the "common denominator" factor more important than the "less square, higher ceilings, and wooden floor" factor?
 
Yes, but only as a general rule... to be certain, testing should be done. The performance of a room in the modal region is greatly affected by the construction materials used.

But I missed that before.. so each room has a problem. Both rooms share common denominators; A with length & height. and B with length and width. - test & choose. :)

Cheers,
John
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. The basement room (A) actually has less in the way of parallel walls. The walls and ceiling are staggered here and there. Hard to explain. I'd attach pics but the system isn't letting me for some reason. I'll be recording individually, no ensembles, and with a combination of close and room micing. My sense is room B with the hardwood floor and higher ceiling is the way to go, but I'll do some trials to see which sounds better. Is it recommended to use bass traps even if I'm not recording any very bass-y instruments?
 
Hunter944 said:
Is it recommended to use bass traps even if I'm not recording any very bass-y instruments?
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I think bass traps are always important. But they're REALLY important when it comes to mixing, more than tracking. You might get away with an un-treated room when tracking, if you still get the sounds you want captured. But you can't mix in a room that lies to you.
 
I think if the instrument sounds good in the room additional absorption/diffusion (beyond furniture, bookcases, etc.) will not be necessary. Set each performer up with their instrument and walk around the room while they play. Where it sounds best is where you put the mic.


lou
 
No substitute for testing out the rooms in questions. You might be pleasantly surprised or at the minimum, you'll get to learn a bit about room acoustics. It's one thing to read about standing bass waves and another thing to experience it first hand.
 
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