2" Rockwool on the ceiling

[Rossome]

I'm thinking of covering my whole ceiling with 2" rockwool in my basement studio. Would this produce an undesired effect? I'll be putting bass traps in the corners and broadbands on the walls. The ceiling is pretty low (6'6")

Here's the floor plan. Thanks a lot for all the help guys. I'm learning a lot on here!

[Glenn Kuras]

I would start with the bass trapping and 2" above the mix spot as a cloud and on the side walls in the reflection point. What kind of flooring do you have? Carpet or concrete/wood?
If you do want to cover the whole ceiling I would use bass trapping that absorbs more of the lows then highs. You can buy these (something like ours or real traps) or build them with using FRK on the face of the trap.

Glenn

[Rossome]

I'm putting wood floors in. Wouldn't it be good to have the whole ceiling dead and have the floor to liven up the room?

I just though up an idea! I could hang 2' wide 4" deep traps off the ceiling around the perimeter of the control room in the front section with a 1" air gap on top. I would have all my gear under where these would be anyways so it's not like I would lose headspace there. Then I could have the 2" stuff running down the middle all the way back on the ceiling. I'm thinking I wanna make the whole back wall a 12" thick broadband absorber and in the wall to wall corners build the biggest bass traps I can possible fit in them. Then put 2" traps at the early reflection points for the mix position and beside the couch.

Instead of frk can I use thick plastic like vapor barrier? Should I use it on all the bass traps? Would I would benefit from diffusion on the back wall of the control room or any parts of the tracking room?

I'm also toying with the idea of stuffing the floor joists of the tracking room with about 6" of rockwool so the whole ceiling is a bass /broadband absorber covered with fabric. I already have a layer of 1/2" drywall attached to the subfloor between the joists. Would I get noticeable isolation doing this compared to what it would be like without anything in there and having the joists exposed?

Thanks a lot for the help!

[Glenn Kuras]

I just though up an idea! I could hang 2' wide 4" deep traps off the ceiling around the perimeter of the control room in the front section with a 1" air gap on top. I would have all my gear under where these would be anyways so it's not like I would lose headspace there.

I would straddle 4" panels in the corners around the room. That would absorb A LOT more low end.

Then I could have the 2" stuff running down the middle all the way back on the ceiling.

That would work.

I'm thinking I wanna make the whole back wall a 12" thick broadband absorber and in the wall to wall corners build the biggest bass traps I can possible fit in them. Then put 2" traps at the early reflection points for the mix position and beside the couch.

Instead of frk can I use thick plastic like vapor barrier?

I have zero experience with that product so I can't help you there.

Should I use it on all the bass traps?

Yes anything in the corners

I'm also toying with the idea of stuffing the floor joists of the tracking room with about 6" of rockwool so the whole ceiling is a bass /broadband absorber covered with fabric. I already have a layer of 1/2" drywall attached to the subfloor between the joists. Would I get noticeable isolation doing this compared to what it would be like without anything in there and having the joists exposed?

I am not a iso guy, but if you put rockwool in the joists and cover that will fabric that will work well as a bass trap.

Would I would benefit from diffusion on the back wall of the control room or any parts of the tracking room?

Sure but you still would want 1 or 2 6" (or deeper) panels back there with the diffusion around it. As far as other places, it would work well anywhere behind the mix spot (ceiling, side walls, and back wall).

Glenn

[Rossome]

I would straddle 4" panels in the corners around the room. That would absorb A LOT more low end.

I can't on the ceiling to wall corners unfortunately since I have windows and lights on the sidewalls. The iso room window and the tracking room window are angled outside of the wall about 1-2' each kinda making a shelf ontop so I'm gonna just build a bass trap into the tops of them. I should be able to manage the floor to wall corners near the mix position as well. Think I'll also put a 6" trap on the wall beside the door and on the door itself in the control room since I won't be able to put a corner trap there.

Can you buy FRK by itself or does it only come with rigid fiberglass? Is it pretty much shinny thin cardboard? Maybe I could just put a layer of thin cardboard covered with something like tinfoil or plastic bags? Should I have a bass trap reflective if it's to the left behind the mix position aimed towards me?

Sweet I'll throw some skylines on the back wall infont of the 12" thick bass trap!

Think for the tracking room I might put some velcro on the reflection points so I could switch between diffusion and absorption. So I can experiment and have some options. Gonna put some 3' wide floor to ceiling bass traps in the corners. Be sweet if the whole ceiling was a giant broadband absorber depending on how much isolation I would get out of it.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Glenn Kuras]

Can you buy FRK by itself or does it only come with rigid fiberglass?

sure you buy it.

Maybe I could just put a layer of thin cardboard covered with something like tinfoil or plastic bags?

That would work also

Should I have a bass trap reflective if it's to the left behind the mix position aimed towards me?

It should be fine there. Mostly what you have in the front of the room is low end.

Glenn

[Rossome]

It should be fine there. Mostly what you have in the front of the room is low end.

I mean the corner to the left of where the keyboard is situated. Should I have that absorptive?

Thanks again. I'll have to make a studio photo diary thread when I get the time!

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Rossome

I mean the corner to the left of where the keyboard is situated. Should I have that absorptive?

Thanks again. I'll have to make a studio photo diary thread when I get the time!

Yes put bass traps there if possible.

Glenn

[Rossome]

Absorptive in the high frequencies I mean since it's angled towards the mix position?

[Glenn Kuras]

In this case since the corner is pretty close to the seating spot, you could play it safe and not use any facing there. Hard to say what kind of effect you would have with the facing though.

Glenn