Help me with my room(s)

[Herman Munster]

I'm looking for a little advice on how to best treat these room(s) without nailing or screwing anything to the walls or ceiling and without putting up more walls, etc(keeping my wife happy). You can see that my main room has a fairly large opening into this foyer which is hardwood and somewhat boomy. I'd like to track drums just outside this opening on the hardwood you see, but need suggestions on what type inexpensive and mobile treatment to use around the drums. I am willing to build bass traps, etc. I also realize I need to do something with my main room itself. I'm still at the point of learning to get really good tracks down, but hope to start learning to mix in the next year. The bookshelf helps my back corner (it's not pictured I don't think), but I'm thinking I likely need some traps in the other 2 corners and behind the computer as well. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks guys.....

[tINY]

You didn't say that removing walls was a problem.... I'd widen the opening between the rooms as far as I could.

Bigger spaces are better.




-tINY

[bpape]

Solid chunk style triangular absorbers can be constructed/purchased that are freestanding for the corners. You can also do panels on stands to avoid any mounting. The trick for tracking drums is going to be getting a cloud overhead for the drums without mounting anything.

Bryan

[Herman Munster]

Originally Posted by bpape

Solid chunk style triangular absorbers can be constructed/purchased that are freestanding for the corners. You can also do panels on stands to avoid any mounting. The trick for tracking drums is going to be getting a cloud overhead for the drums without mounting anything.

Bryan

Thanks guys. Bryan, help me out with the cloud if you don't mind. What exactly are you describing? Also, I've looked at your triangular absorbers and they look good. I may have to consider a DIY though...

[Herman Munster]

Bump.

I'm a serious newbie when it comes to tracking drums and acoustic treatment. I've read a lot on Ethan Winer's site, but was also wondering if anyone has pics of drums recorded in similar rooms and treatment around them. The overhead clouds sound rather important given my set up.

I'm also wondering if anyone else has built triangular traps. I've looked at the ones on the GIK site, but would prefer a DIY. Thanks for the help.

[Ethan Winer]

Mike,

would prefer a DIY.

That's the whole fun of DIY - figuring out what to do and how to do it.

--Ethan

[tommy pee]

im in the same position with needing DIY acoustic treatment for drums, but this is because i travel to the bands location to track them (usually a rehearsal room) and these generally have acoustics that are less then stellar.

ive been been thinking of maybe 3 mini gobos to surround the drums, and i know i need some kind of broadband cloud, but i cant for the life of me think of a way to temporarily fix it to a ceiling without damaging it.

anyone?!

[Herman Munster]

OK, one more question - do you think it would be of benefit for me to build something filled with fiberglass or rockwool and covered with acoustic foam that could cover the opening in my main room. My goal here would not be to deaden the room, but to give a little separation between my main room and where the drums will be on the hardwood outside. Any thoughts?

[lowfreq33]

you'd get more isolation with a double layer of plywood. Fiberglass / foam doesn't block sound, it prevents it from reflecting. The only thing that stops sound is dense material like concrete.

[Herman Munster]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

you'd get more isolation with a double layer of plywood. Fiberglass / foam doesn't block sound, it prevents it from reflecting. The only thing that stops sound is dense material like concrete.

Yeah, that sounds great, but I don't want it reflecting back through my "control room". So, I suppose one option would be a double layer of plywood on one side, then some space, then the rockwool and foam?

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Herman Munster

Yeah, that sounds great, but I don't want it reflecting back through my "control room". So, I suppose one option would be a double layer of plywood on one side, then some space, then the rockwool and foam?

Double plywood sounds fine, but just put a piece of 4"703 or mineral wool on the other side. I guess the foam would not hurt, but sounds like more work then what it is worth.

Glenn

[nest]

Hello,

I'm new here and figured I'd bump this thread rather than start my own because I have a question related to Herman's post...

Is it wrong to set up a mixing desk in a kitty-corner way (as he has it in his 2nd pic)? I have set up kitty-corner in order to deal with sloping ceilings/walls in my new home studio space but worry it will throw off my stereo imaging.

Thanks in advance.
(PS If you'd prefer I start a new thread, just let me know)

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by nest

Hello,

I'm new here and figured I'd bump this thread rather than start my own because I have a question related to Herman's post...

Is it wrong to set up a mixing desk in a kitty-corner way (as he has it in his 2nd pic)? I have set up kitty-corner in order to deal with sloping ceilings/walls in my new home studio space but worry it will throw off my stereo imaging.

Thanks in advance.
(PS If you'd prefer I start a new thread, just let me know)

Not that it is wrong, but facing the shortest wall with the mix spot 38% of room length is best.

Glenn

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by nest

Is it wrong to set up a mixing desk in a kitty-corner way

Yes, very wrong.

Okay, I'm kidding. But it's not great either. The upside is that's like having angled walls, which can be useful to send early reflections behind you away from your ears. The downside is this puts the opposite corner behind you which has a huge focusing effect. And that's bad. Focusing is the opposite of diffusion. Early reflections are easily handled with absorption anyway.

See this article on my company's web site:

RealTraps - How To Set Up a Room

Then follow up here with any questions.

--Ethan

[Herman Munster]

So, Ethan, in looking at my room would you move them from the caddy corner position to one of the walls and 38percent into the room? I think the walls are all equal.

[nest]

Thank you for the replys. In the end where I'm sitting is about 38% into the room. Although it's not to scale (the desk and chair are kind of small) this floor plan will give you an idea of how I'm set up:
studioplan01desk.gif - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Because the room is a rectangle I actually don't have the problem of my reference monitors facing directly into another corner. In fact, what would normally be the opposite corner of the room is where the door is, which is also kitty-corner.

One other thing to note is that the wall to the left of my desk is actually on a slant. You can see it on the right side of this model I created:
studio5.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

There is also a cupboard with folding doors sort of behind me. Oh yes... and the room is carpeted.

[Herman Munster]

Guys, thanks for reviving this post. I've rearranged my room today and things do sound markedly better. Now to the store for rockwool.....

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Herman Munster

Guys, thanks for reviving this post. I've rearranged my room today and things do sound markedly better. Now to the store for rockwool.....

Glad we could all help you out.

[Herman Munster]

Glenn (and whoever else will chime in),

Here's the real questions looming over my head - is it possible for me to do an adequate job treating this room with the opening, the fact it's square with 8/5ft. ceilings, and not "shooting" it?

1) I realize the opening is easy to fix and I plan on putting in doors soon.
2) I also realize square is not necessarily good and wonder what I can do to eliminate standing waves (I think from my reading this will be the main issue, but may be wrong)
3) Can I do an respectable job treating it without shooting the room? I don't know?

There's a lot I don't know here obviously. Thanks for any words of wisdom.

[bpape]

There are certain things that need to be done in every room like bass control, reflection control, etc. Also, one can calculate the approximate amount of absorbtion at various frequencies required based on the room volumne and usage.

Now, being able to do all those things without putting a lot of stuff on the walls like you said in your first post is going to be the challenge. That basically leaves stands which will take up even more room.

Bryan