Rearranging my studio (with floor plan)

[ChrisCummins]

Since I started recording & mixing in my amateur recording studio, I've been encountering the usual problems of an un-acoustically designed room being crammed full of gear: non-translateable mixes, boxy recordings etc etc. So I have decided to rearrange the studio and build acoustic treatments to help make the most of a small room.

I have drawn up a sketch of a new room design. It has full room dimensions (in millimeters) and the listener position has been set center, 38% in. I have also sketched in where I am planning on putting some DIY treatments that I am starting work on. One of the problems I have is that I will not be able to mount any acoustic panels to the walls. This is going to sound strange, but when my parents had gotten tired of hearing my racket away on the drum kit indoors, they decided to get the room 'soundproofed', and so builders came in, lined the walls with fiberglass and built a plasterboard false wall 6" inside. Thus, I have to deal with a smaller, crappier sounding room then if I could just get rid of the false wall and use the fiberglass they've already installed. But that's life, and for now I will have to work around this. Any thoughts on how to position panels without wall supports?

I have also attached a graph from the ModelCalc, but I'm not sure how to interpret these results.

All help much appreciated.
Regards

[PaulP]

Originally Posted by ChrisCummins

One of the problems I have is that I will not be able to mount any acoustic panels to the walls. This is going to sound strange, but when my parents had gotten tired of hearing my racket away on the drum kit indoors, they decided to get the room 'soundproofed', and so builders came in, lined the walls with fiberglass and built a plasterboard false wall 6" inside.

Why can't you hang panels on the inner walls ? Just like hanging a painting.
Otherwise, many people have built stands into their panels to make them
free-standing (which then also lets you move them around).

Don't forget the reflections coming from the ceiling, and you would benefit from
quite a bit of absorption on the rear wall behind you.

Paul P

[ChrisCummins]

Thanks for the comments.

Originally Posted by PaulP

Why can't you hang panels on the inner walls ? Just like hanging a painting.

The inner walls are made from very weak plasterboard, not strong enough for a book shelf, and so presumably not strong enough for panels (which I imagine will get very heavy at 90 kgm^3).

Otherwise, many people have built stands into their panels to make them
free-standing (which then also lets you move them around).

Yes, I assume that is the route I will have to go down. I'm a bit worried about losing extra floor space to floor supports though, as they would be unstable if just stood up in their ends?

Don't forget the reflections coming from the ceiling, and you would benefit from
quite a bit of absorption on the rear wall behind you.

Ah yes of course, ceiling first reflection points will be the main priority. I would love to build a completely treated roof as in Ethan Winer's videos, but I am not sure of how I would go about constructing this. Also, the floor is carpeted, so at the moment I think I have the inverse of the recommended hard floor, soft ceiling?

Regards

[takman]

i just finished building some panels. My 4' x 4' panel weighs 12 pounds, and i used 50kg rockwool..but i also used MDf for the frame, and its pretty dense compared to real wood.

The 2' x 4' panels were so light that my weight scale didnt give a reading..only does double digits apparently. So, im guessing since its half the size, its half the weight...that would make it 6 pounds...which is practically nothing.

[ChrisCummins]

Originally Posted by takman

i just finished building some panels. My 4' x 4' panel weighs 12 pounds, and i used 50kg rockwool..but i also used MDf for the frame, and its pretty dense compared to real wood.

The 2' x 4' panels were so light that my weight scale didnt give a reading..only does double digits apparently. So, im guessing since its half the size, its half the weight...that would make it 6 pounds...which is practically nothing.

Ah, brilliant. This should sort out weight problems then. I am planning on a pretty minimalist frame on the back just to add structure, so theirs the maximum surface area off the sides possible.

When it comes to corner bass traps, is it better to use a flat sheet facing into the corner (like in my diagram) or to fill the entire corner area solidly?

Regards

[takman]

you have two options with the corners for bass trapping....

first is like in your drawing, a panel across the corner....you can either mount it to the wall, or put it on a stand....

second is a superchunk...which is basically isulation cut into triangles then stacked on one another to reach whatever desired height you want....this is what i think you are refering to as "solid"...

if you decide to go with the panel across the corner, since you are worried about weight on the wall, putting it on a stand might be better..

The superchunk would be good in your situation since all the weight would be on the floor and not the wall...

[ChrisCummins]

Thanks for clarifying the terminology. The question now is, does the difference in performance of the superchunk vs. corner panel justify the cost of all the extra material? I am on a tight budget but have no problems with splashing out on enough material to stack the corners floor to cieling if it have a much better effect of just 4 panels.

Regards

[takman]

Originally Posted by ChrisCummins

Thanks for clarifying the terminology. The question now is, does the difference in performance of the superchunk vs. corner panel justify the cost of all the extra material? I am on a tight budget but have no problems with splashing out on enough material to stack the corners floor to cieling if it have a much better effect of just 4 panels.

Regards

yes, the superchunks do require alot of insulation to make....

i think you will find your answer here..

Corners - Superchunks or Panels?

[ChrisCummins]

Originally Posted by takman

yes, the superchunks do require alot of insulation to make....

i think you will find your answer here..

Corners - Superchunks or Panels?

Thanks for that, a very informative read. I will just use a corner panel for now, going by the 'quantity not quality' rule that seems to apply with surface area coverage of acoustic treatments.

For £120 on ebay I can get 16 100mm panels and 16 50mm panels of RWA (1.2m x .6m), at 45kg/m^3. At the weekend I will go to a local wood suppliers and pick up some 18mm MDF to start making frames. Here's a layout of where I intend to put panels. Please let me know if this seems ok or not. I've had to work around the room quite a lot (door frames and the window), plus I've still got to work out how to fit all my instruments and other gear in!

As you can see from the renders (hopefully...):

- first reflection panels on the sides and ceiling
- bass traps in 4 corners
- 2 bass traps along the front wall resting on the floor, 2 along the back
- corner traps on the ceiling

What do y'all think?
Regards

50mm panels are blue, 100mm panels are red. Image 2 is the view from the back facing forward (little floating head added at listening position). Image 3 is the view from the front facing towards the back.