More Small Studio Room questions

[CAGuy]

I have a small 10'x12' studio with 7' ceilings and hardwood floors.
I have good bass traping in the corners but am still not getting the sound I want when recording acoustic guitars.
I have read a lot about using packing blankets to hang behind when I record to stop sound from entering the mic twice. I am considering trying this. The idea is to hand the blankets behind and partly to the sides to stop all reflecting sound from entering the pickup pattern of the mic.

Will acoustic foam 3" thick on the rear wall and the side walls at the first reflection points do the same thing? Is this a good idea to get a good acoustic guitar sound when used in conjunction with good bass traps in a small room?

Also should I put down a floor rug to stop some of the room reflections since the room is small?

[Glenn Kuras]

String together egg cartons and hang them around yourself.




































BTW Happy April 1st

Blankets really are not the way to go. I would look into panels made from mineral wool or rigid fiberglass to put around you.



Better yet treat your room properly.

[CAGuy]

I still have some acoustic foam that is wedge foam 3" thick. If I treat the early reflection points on the side walls and the rear wall behind where I sit will that give me a good acoustic guitar sound?

Should I put a floor rug down to stop some of the reflection off the floor?

[pdlstl]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

Blankets really are not the way to go. I would look into panels made from mineral wool or rigid fiberglass to put around you.

Better yet treat your room properly.

Read the above again.

[jhbrandt]

Originally Posted by CAGuy

I have a small 10'x12' studio with 7' ceilings and hardwood floors.
I have good bass traping in the corners but am still not getting the sound I want when recording acoustic guitars.
I have read a lot about using packing blankets to hang behind when I record to stop sound from entering the mic twice. I am considering trying this. The idea is to hand the blankets behind and partly to the sides to stop all reflecting sound from entering the pickup pattern of the mic.

Will acoustic foam 3" thick on the rear wall and the side walls at the first reflection points do the same thing? Is this a good idea to get a good acoustic guitar sound when used in conjunction with good bass traps in a small room?

Also should I put down a floor rug to stop some of the room reflections since the room is small?

You will need enough treatment to make the room sound relatively 'dead' for acoustic guitar. Leave the floor reflective & treat the ceiling.

You micing technique may have a great impact on the sound as well. - What guitar are you using? What mic? where are you placing the mic?

I would recommend a checker board treatment in that room on all walls and ceiling so that no untreated surface faces another. I highly recommend fiberglass/rock wool traps over foam.

Cheers,
John

[CAGuy]

I have Auralex Minifusors on the ceiling and they are filled with foam to not only diffuse the sound hitting the ceiling but also absorb some more bass. The bass traps are all 4" think mineral wool panels in all the vertical corners with cotton insulation behind them filling the air gap. I have 4" thick mineral panels hanging in the wall/ceiling corners of 3 of the walls as well. The wall behind where I sit is treated with 3" thick wedge foam and the side walls have some 3" wedge foam on them sporadically as well.

So I should maybe just deaden the room a little more with some more wedge foam in the checkerboard style and that should help?

I'm using Beyerdynamic MC930's which sound very good but sometimes I have to notch out some bass and there still seems to be a little too much around 160 HZ. I have found this area in the bass region to be a problem with other mics as well such as the Earthworks QTC40 and SM81. So I'm thinking it is the guitar and room combination.