Bass Trap Placement 11.5'x10.5x8' Room

[gyms]

I'm going to be investing in the RealTraps Mondo Room Kit for a mixing room.

I was hoping to get some opinions on my proposed trap setup:

the Mondos in the corners
the Minis for the back wall
the Micros on the sides and ceiling for first order reflections.

Sorry for my crude diagram, but I'm really just hoping for some opinions on the back wall, which is my main concern here. RealTraps offer a higher frequency option for the MiniTraps to absorb more mid-highs at the expense of lows, as they are slightly reflective in mid to high frequencies on the base model. I don't have the money to load the back wall with diffusion and I've also heard varying opinions on the effectiveness of diffusion in a small room, most being opposed to it.

Should I go for this HF option or will that 'deaden' the room a bit?
And if not, would the slightly more reflective base model create comb filtering issues since I'll be using them to treat the rear wall reflections?
Is this even something to be concerned about at all?

Thanks a ton for any thoughts on this!

[Glenn Kuras]

The great part of buying a finished product is not only will they look great, there is testing on them, but you have a staff on hand to guide you with set up. I would recommend contacting real traps to have them analyze your room. BTW you can use the following program to test your room to find the best placement of your mix spot and monitor set up.
REW - Room EQ Wizard Home Page

[College_Records]

I am constructing a room right now with similar room dimensions and I have been studying acoustics for months. My traps are diy 703 and rockwool, but The have similar absorption properties to the ones you are buying. So considering so many people have helped me, here's what I've learned in the past few months...

Originally Posted by gyms

I don't have the money to load the back wall with diffusion and I've also heard varying opinions on the effectiveness of diffusion in a small room, most being opposed to it.

Diffusion takes alot of space (especially at lower frequencies). Some of the lower frequency waves (100hz and lower) take way over 10ft of space to develop. That being said, since it take would a large amount of space to install a diffuser, it's probably not practical for the size of your room.

Originally Posted by gyms

Should I go for this HF option or will that 'deaden' the room a bit?
And if not, would the slightly more reflective base model create comb filtering issues since I'll be using them to treat the rear wall reflections?
Is this even something to be concerned about at all?

Really your room is so small that the only thing that will really benifit it is absorption. Trust me; I'm in the same boat. Make it as dead as posible and add any reverbs or room sounds after digitally. You don't want the room to have an impack on your mixes and there isn't enough space/your walls aren't at optimal angles for optimal results. In fact, cube mixing rooms produce the WORST results. Get rid of the sound of the room and you won't suffer as much.

Probably the best video I've ever found on setting up a room is right here:
- Pensado's Place - #21 - The secrets behind tuning your room! - YouTube
There is a link to a thread discussing this show at: Pensados Place #21 - Bob Hodas

1) Follow Bob's guidlines. He designs rooms for a living. After speaker placement, be sure to place your traps in the areas of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, reflections etc.. Actually use a laser or a flashlight with smalls mirors on the wall where light hits for acurate measurements.

2) You've got the right idea of straddling your bass traps to increase surface space and absorption. These are just as important as taking care of your first and 2nd reflections.

3) For the best results, buy an accurate referance mic to your own tests and spot treat (AKA "tune your room"). The nady cm100 is very affordable ($50) and accurate within 1db from 50hz to 1k. your higher frequencies should be taken care of with minimal absorption.

4) Here's a link to the Nady:Amazon.com: Nady CM100 Reference Measurement Condenser Microphone: Computers & Accessories
REW is free. Get it here: REW - Room EQ Wizard Home Page
And a similar program called ETF... not sure if it's free though: ETF Acoustic Measurement Software

4.5) Run a few tests using room eq wizard (REW) or EFT and a clean preamp. I use the maudio dmp3 or a grace 101. Your microphone should be where your ears should be. If you want proper stereo imaging, get a stereo pair of mics and match their frequncy graphs and decay times.

5) Test & Treat until your room is perfect tackling problems as they arise. You will be aproaching perfection