Where in the room should I mix?

[OpusOfTrolls]

The best location I can see is to face the windows. It might not be ideal, but it will offer good balance of specular reflection, at the loss of reinforcement from the front wall. There will be some bass problems, mainly from the corners of the wall/ceiling and wall/floor all around. If you can live with the bed close to the closet doors, you should have some room.

Or if you want to keep the desk where it is, I suggest near field monitors like the RP6. They need to be placed about .8 meters or less from the ears. Then heavy bass trapping on the ceiling above the desk and acoustic foam on the right side of the room. Some rockwool in the alcove itself will get rid of any SBIR in the midrange, placed at first reflection points.

[ChocolateThunder]

Originally Posted by OpusOfTrolls

The best location I can see is to face the windows. It might not be ideal, but it will offer good balance of specular reflection, at the loss of reinforcement from the front wall. There will be some bass problems, mainly from the corners of the wall/ceiling and wall/floor all around. If you can live with the bed close to the closet doors, you should have some room.

Or if you want to keep the desk where it is, I suggest near field monitors like the RP6. They need to be placed about .8 meters or less from the ears. Then heavy bass trapping on the ceiling above the desk and acoustic foam on the right side of the room. Some rockwool in the alcove itself will get rid of any SBIR in the midrange, placed at first reflection points.

Are the RP8's not near field? Also one problem with the location it is now is the left wall disappears before it gets to the reflection point and the right side has windows where the reflection point should be.

[OpusOfTrolls]

Can you do anything to get the listening position inside both reflection points? Maybe mount the monitor on the wall, and slide the desk up to the wall, or get a smaller desk? OR, stick the monitors flush in the corner, as that will move the reflection point in more. Make sure to use some panels in between the monitor and wall, on both sides.

The RP8 are nearfield as well as midfield. They can work as nearfield but they are rather large compared to RP6. Also, the bass output is toned down a bit with the smaller version, and is usually suggested as the nearfield option, giving good bass extension at that range. The RP6 also have a flatter frequency response as a result of the better matched drivers.

If you already have the RP8 bought, you can use them also, but make sure to EQ the bass down a bit if used nearfield. As sitting in the alcove will elevate LF pressure, the smaller monitor is usually preferred.

[ChocolateThunder]

Originally Posted by OpusOfTrolls

Can you do anything to get the listening position inside both reflection points? Maybe mount the monitor on the wall, and slide the desk up to the wall, or get a smaller desk? OR, stick the monitors flush in the corner, as that will move the reflection point in more. Make sure to use some panels in between the monitor and wall, on both sides.

The RP8 are nearfield as well as midfield. They can work as nearfield but they are rather large compared to RP6. Also, the bass output is toned down a bit with the smaller version, and is usually suggested as the nearfield option, giving good bass extension at that range. The RP6 also have a flatter frequency response as a result of the better matched drivers.

If you already have the RP8 bought, you can use them also, but make sure to EQ the bass down a bit if used nearfield. As sitting in the alcove will elevate LF pressure, the smaller monitor is usually preferred.

I have not bought the RP8's yet. If I do get RP6's will I be able to work on mixing low frequencies just as well as I would have with RP8's?

I can definitely attach foam to the walls and slap them in the corners and if I need to I can get a smaller desk. That will at least allow the left side reflection point to be covered. As for the right side, there is not much I can do about the window.

[OpusOfTrolls]

The RP6 doesn't have the bass extension the RP8 has. If I recall correctly, the difference is about 5-7hz lower for the RP8. But, because of the proximity to the wall, there will be a boost comparible to the RP8. And if you hang on to them, you could always match them with a subwoofer in future. You can use some EQ to drop around 100hz or so, because with the wall proximity, that range will most likely be over exaggerated.

Do what you can with the alcove. With the nearfield setup, the symmetry is less of an issue, but you want it to be as best as possible. You might also be able to stick a trap in front of the window, to compensate for the lack of wall on the other side.

[ChocolateThunder]

Originally Posted by OpusOfTrolls

The RP6 doesn't have the bass extension the RP8 has. If I recall correctly, the difference is about 5-7hz lower for the RP8. But, because of the proximity to the wall, there will be a boost comparible to the RP8. And if you hang on to them, you could always match them with a subwoofer in future. You can use some EQ to drop around 100hz or so, because with the wall proximity, that range will most likely be over exaggerated.

Do what you can with the alcove. With the nearfield setup, the symmetry is less of an issue, but you want it to be as best as possible. You might also be able to stick a trap in front of the window, to compensate for the lack of wall on the other side.

Sounds good! I guess I will be getting a pair of RP6's soon instead and work on learning and mixing with them until I decide to compliment with a subwoofer. And I guess I will just have to make an extra trap for those windows.

Also, I'm just doing this for the first time and to be honest, I don't know much about working with EQ except for the fact that you are balancing frequencies (lows, mids, and highs). So one of my last questions to you is:

Are you suggesting I get an external EQ unit?

[OpusOfTrolls]

Not necessarily. The EQ in any modern DAW put on the master output should be enough. It's a bit of a compromise, but you save money and get a better midrange (knowing RP8s). They are just better for nearfield.

You might want to read around, like how to take an acoustic measurement and all that. This will help you to use the EQ empirically, rather than subjectively. It can be important while mixing.

Remember, the elevated bass comes from the speaker close to the wall(s). You want it as close as possible, with a absorber panel behind it. Without the absorber, the mid range gets too elevated, and the bass lift isn't as powerful in contrast,

[ChocolateThunder]

Sounds good. Thanks so much for all your help Opus. I'll be slamming those RP6's up against the wall (absorber panels and all) in no time. Real excited now that I have an idea of what to do with this alcove.

[OpusOfTrolls]

4 inch mineral wool should be enough for the panels directly against the monitors. Make sure to cover them with something to keep the dust out. You can use something like this:
Spunbond 2 oz Landscape and Weed Fabric - 4’ x 300’ | Spunbond Landscaping Fabric | Geotextiles, Soil Stabilization | Agricultural Fabrics | Agriculture Solutions LLC
It is porous enough for water, with a slightly high resistance to airflow. But it is strong and thin, easy to work with. You can find similar products in smaller quantities online.
Or you can use polyester batting, with a fabric cover. Look around for some DIY projects, or just buy some already made. You don't want huge bass absorption, but strong midrange absorption down to 100hz - 200hz.
Where you want the strong bass absorption is on the alcove ceiling. Needs to be effective down to 70hz.

[AwwDeOhh]

If you like the KRK sound, i might suggest getting the VXT4's instead.
Don't cost much more than the RP8's, but are a better class of speaker.

Just throwing it out there.

[ChocolateThunder]

Opus, here is the alcove. Let me know if you need more angles.

[doulos30]

37.542% from the longest wall give or take .05%

[OpusOfTrolls]

One thing you might need to consider is the desk. As it is now, the seating is off center from the front wall. Since the space is just narrow enough for the desk and monitors, you will need to be on center for accurate L-R monitoring. But one hidden effect of the seating bias towards the larger volume of the room is a more beneficial low frequency response. As long wavelength soundwaves find volumes, the node/antinode mapping becomes skewed towards them. This may or may not be beneficial to the listening position frequency response, but just something to think about. It does affect the performance of any particular acoustic treatment. This is another argument for treating all surfaces inside a room.

[ChocolateThunder]