Stereo image weirdness

[Mark1353]

Hi all,

Really, really weird problem here. Try to keep up with my explanation. I've been trying to pinpoint the problem why my stereo image shifts to the left. Changed cables and tried everything... But the image stays left.

Some random notes: The left side sounds way more boxy than the right side. I've changed the L speaker to R side and vice versa, and left side is still boxy, so it's not the speakers. Also, if I twiddle the L/R levels and get bass centered, the higs are on the right, if I get highs centered, the bass is on the left. Interestingly, the high frequencies has to have some wideness going on, in order for the high freqs to shift to the right.

Right side needs to be +6 to +10dB louder to make most of the sounds to appear to come from the middle. After that, If I hard pan sounds L/R, the left side is CLEARLY lower in volume, still when panpot is centered the image appears to come from the middle. If I use identical L/R levels, everything is at the left, but when I hard pan sounds L/R, the speakers seem to be at the same level in relation to each other. It has to be the acoustics because I've really troubleshooted every technical aspect already. Shouldn't the image shift to right side, because right side is much fatter sounding? Why the boxy left seems to draw sound like a magnet?

I moved my project studio's big rack, which has open top, really near to the right speaker. Maybe this rack somehow messes things up. Could this rack have changed the room symmetry so much, that my stereoimage is so screwed like it is now...

[DSD_Mastering]

Sounds like a room issue to me.. You wouldn't believe how much symetry plays a part in room acoustics.

Regards,
Bruce

[Mark1353]

Yeah, that seems to be the only possible explanation. The effect is amazingly drastic. Panning is also much more sensitive in left side. I hear even little changes, but from center to right, its almost like twiddling the panpot dont have much effect until its hard panned to right. Guess I have to start moving things around.

[Glenn Kuras]

Do you have some pictures you could post?

Glenn

[Mark1353]

Hi,

I made an approximate floorplan. If accurate dimensions are required for this to be of any use, I can take em. The tube traps are pillars from floor to ceiling. The left one is closer to the monitor, because I tried to move that if it would help the stereo image, but it didn't.

The worst peak in this room is at about 140Hz. But it's like the right side either have freqs under 100 boosted, or the 140Hz sucked out because of that open top, closed back -rack (???, highly suspectible I know), because the right side sounds better. Good sounding lows, no boxy lows. I don't know if the rack acts as some as some kind of a subwoofer or basstrap which sucks 140 Hz out.. because there are much better lows on the right side. In general, right side sounds better. Left side boxy, almost no low lows compared to right side. The monitors are normal nearfield monitors, just didn't want to model the speaker stands.

[Ethan Winer]

You need a lot more bass trapping.

[Mark1353]

Im gonna build more traps soon. And tomorrow I start building a proper studio desk. Hope these improvements fix the situation...