Best mix position for a desk and monitors in a home studio?

[StrykeBack]

Hey guys, I didn't really worry too much about acoustics in the place I was mixing in but it looks like I'l be staying in the place I moved back home to to take care of family for atleast another year so I'm looking to do a little more work on the room.

The room I'm working out of was originally designed as a garage, last minute before the house was built was switched to an office model. dimensions are 9'10" wide by 20'8" length. However a closet of 2'8" deep was built on one end of the room but its got 2 large wooden shutter swinging doors so I don't know how much that can play into figuring out room modes or frequencies. (its in the room yet part of the room..not sure?)

For now I've had my desk in the middle of the room placed along one of the long walls but right behind me are 2 10 foot tall full glass french doors (which I took care of with double thick moving blankets that i sewed together for both high frequencies bouncing off from behind me and doubling as some privacy when the girlfriends are over since this is also my bedroom

What I'm wondering is is it better to have walls farther from the sides of you or farther back behind you? Because I was thinking of moving the desk to the shorter 9'10" side blocking out the only window in the room, but leaving no walls behind me for atleast 18 ft not counting the other 2'8" in the closet back behind me as well?

Basically, if the room model was setup inside a shoebox, would you want the desk in the middle against the longside with the backwall closer behind you or the desk on the shorter wall with the wall farther behind you?

I did some acoustics classes back at my recording school and am aware you'd ideally want the desk and monitors 1/3 distance in the room but thats ideal and my ideal wouldnt' be moving back home at 24 years old with the parents but lifes not perfect and neither is my project studio environment.

Note I'l be doing some of the diy basstraps that I've seen on here somewhere before for the corners.

[Kiwiburger]

Both are valid and have pro's and con's. Generally the hifi guys would aim the speakers towards the longest dimension. But with nearfields it's not that important. Your room won't be ideal, regardless.

I think trying to maintain as much symmetry in the listening position as possible is desirable. That's what I would design around. If your left ear has a highly reflective wall facing it, and you right ear has a highly absorbant wall, that's going to mess with your sense of balance. If these walls are front and back, at least both ears are equal.

[pkautzsch]

In both cases you'll need to consider what ITD gap you have between the direct sound from the speakers and the first reflections from wall either on the side or at the rear. Facing the long side will mean that sound from the side walls will reach you later than when you're facing the short wall. In case you're facing the short wall (which might have some benefits when it's also a bedroom/living room: you could have a curtain right across the room to separate things) you will definitely need to get rid of the first reflections - either by directing them away from your listening position or by absorbing them. The latter being easier.