Please help me with gear/bass trap placement (drawing included)

[Maverick87]

The room we currently use to track and mix is 9'2'' long, and 6'10'' wide, and 7'11'' tall according to my friend who I had take the measurements, since its in his apartment. So its definitely more rectangular than sqaure and a pretty small room. Never tried to attach an image in these forums so Ill try, but bear with me.

We currently have two soundproof blankets that he purchased separating the long(9'2'') part of the room in half so that the tracking and mixing are a little isolated. Since the room is small, should I just take these down and create more open space? And if so can these soundproof blankets be used for making any kind of bass trapping or treatment if theyre not hung up for separation?

Before I arrange the room after gear comes in, I want to make sure we have the mic, and monitors and all that set up where they should be for ideal tracking and mixing, keeping in mind that they are done in this same room.

I also need to know where in the rooms I should place the homemade bass traps that we'll be making. I will only be able to afford around 4 4x2x4 inch bass trap panels, MAYBE 5 for now, and we will add more later. Since the room is so short, I need to know if they should be positioned at the top where the corners n ceiling meet? Or towards the middles in the corner?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Smithcok]

Originally Posted by Maverick87

We currently have two soundproof blankets

Unless they are made of 8" of concrete and are permanently attached and sealed to your building structure, it's marketing hype. "Soundproof" and "blanket" never belong in the same sentence. Take them down - they are doing nothing for isolation.

Is there absorption coefficient data available for the blankets? If I were you, I'd want to see that before I modified them into other acoustic treatment.

For the bass traps in the corners, your best bet is traditional glass fiber insulation (whether rigid/fluffy/etc will depend on your needs, design, space, etc...)

[Glenn Kuras]

We currently have two soundproof blankets that he purchased separating the long(9'2'') part of the room in half so that the tracking and mixing are a little isolated. Since the room is small, should I just take these down and create more open space?

Yes those will not sound proof in anyway.

And if so can these soundproof blankets be used for making any kind of bass trapping or treatment if theyre not hung up for separation?

No the best they will do is knock down a some of the higher frequencies like carpet and that is not the problem in room like yours. The problem is low end frequencies building up in the room which you need proper bass trapping. You said you where building some and that is a nice start but plan on building a lot more. BTW you want the mix to face the short wall at the top and record behind where you sit. You can use the following as a guide for set up.
GIK Acoustics: Room Setup

[Maverick87]

Thanks guys. I had my doubts about those blankets in the first place, I was using them more for separation of the areas rather than relying on it for the sound. We also have ProSoundFoam and plenty of it, but Ive already explined to my partner in music that the bass traps are more important and that we are just making the room sound flatter and making the muddiness stand out even more.

It sounds like I can have some success finding a cheap superchunk triangular style of trapping for the corners and hang up a few panels of OC 703 or other insulation for reflection points to the sides and above me, does that sound about right? Excuse my noob-ness Im trying to cover all bases and get everything planned accurately before I spend anything and regret it.

Glenn, I also had another question for you. In another thread I know you mentioned I can get the insulation, and leave it in the wrapping. I was under the impression that the insulation should be covered with some kind of breathable fabric or it would affect the absorbing ability of the insulation. Does leaving the plastic on reflect back the higher frequencies so that the room wont sound as dead? Or is there another purpose Im missing. With the plastic on will they still absorb as effectively?