Advice for new room
Moderator: Moderators
Advice for new room
Hi
I currently work in an untreated room that sounds horrible (basically the right hand side of the proposed one here). I'm about to knock a wall through to give myself more space, and would like to use the opportunity to give some more attention to the acoustics.
It's mostly for rehearsing, jamming etc, and I have no pretensions to pro level recording, but I do need to record and mix from time to time, mostly recording one voice or instrument at a time. I'm also a pianist/keyboardist and have a grand piano that I would like to record.
If you were setting up a room with these dimensions and wanted to put a PC-based station and monitors somewhere, where would you do it? And where would you be looking at consequent acoustic treatment? Any ideas gratefully received. Obviously the little boxy bit at the right is weird, but I can't block it off because it's a thoroughfare to outside and a source of natural light.
Thanks!
Edited to fix image - JP
I currently work in an untreated room that sounds horrible (basically the right hand side of the proposed one here). I'm about to knock a wall through to give myself more space, and would like to use the opportunity to give some more attention to the acoustics.
It's mostly for rehearsing, jamming etc, and I have no pretensions to pro level recording, but I do need to record and mix from time to time, mostly recording one voice or instrument at a time. I'm also a pianist/keyboardist and have a grand piano that I would like to record.
If you were setting up a room with these dimensions and wanted to put a PC-based station and monitors somewhere, where would you do it? And where would you be looking at consequent acoustic treatment? Any ideas gratefully received. Obviously the little boxy bit at the right is weird, but I can't block it off because it's a thoroughfare to outside and a source of natural light.
Thanks!
Edited to fix image - JP
Re: Advice for new room
Hopefully fixed - this site needs the actual image address. The previous link was to a page containing the image which would have worked if it was posted as a plain link.
- James Perrett
Moderator -
Posts: 14250 Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2001 12:00 am
Location: The wilds of Hampshire
Contact:
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration. JRP Music Facebook Page
Re: Advice for new room
Others with more expertise will no doubt be along shortly but I'd put the computer workstation/monitor in the bay at the left with the speakers either side of the bay as it's the place which gets you closest to a symmetrical layout. Then I'd treat the mirror points on the walls and ceiling with broad band absorbers, big, floor to ceiling bass traps in the corners alongside, the bottom right corner and anywhere else you can fit them and probably a few more panels on the walls and ceiling elsewhere around the room. The piano may benefit from a hard floor underneath but you'll almost certainly need some broad band absorbers on the walls and ceiling where sound might be reflected back into the mics.
The little boxy bit shouldn't do any harm to the acoustics as the walls are all off square.
The little boxy bit shouldn't do any harm to the acoustics as the walls are all off square.
- Sam Spoons
Jedi Poster - Posts: 19591 Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2003 12:00 am Location: Manchester UK
People often mistake me for a grown-up because of my age.
Re: Advice for new room
Is all the space available for music or is it also doubling up as a lounge/bedroom?
- Drew Stephenson
Jedi Poster -
Posts: 24450 Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:00 am
Location: York
Contact:
(The forumuser formerly known as Blinddrew)
Ignore the post count, I still have no idea what I'm doing...
https://drewstephenson.bandcamp.com/
Ignore the post count, I still have no idea what I'm doing...
https://drewstephenson.bandcamp.com/
Re: Advice for new room
My thoughts pretty much agree with Sam's.
- James Perrett
Moderator -
Posts: 14250 Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2001 12:00 am
Location: The wilds of Hampshire
Contact:
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration. JRP Music Facebook Page
Re: Advice for new room
Mine too.
My knowledge of acoustics is limited to what I’ve learned with my own studio and some reading around the subject, so take this with a pinch of salt - but something you could look at is a ‘live end dead end’ set up, which I’ve used quite successfully. This means treating the monitor end with a lot of broadband trapping, and leaving the other end less treated, perhaps with the treatment including some diffusion.
Of course, the fact that you want to record instruments means that the end away from the monitors must also be designed around that. People often say that a more reverberant space with a reflective floor is better for recording, and that fits in with an LEDE kind of setup.
I can say from experience is that playing a grand piano in a medium size wooden-floored space without treatment can result in a ‘clangy’ sound when you come to record it. So you will definitely need some kind of treatment for the recording space even if it’s less than around the monitors.
My knowledge of acoustics is limited to what I’ve learned with my own studio and some reading around the subject, so take this with a pinch of salt - but something you could look at is a ‘live end dead end’ set up, which I’ve used quite successfully. This means treating the monitor end with a lot of broadband trapping, and leaving the other end less treated, perhaps with the treatment including some diffusion.
Of course, the fact that you want to record instruments means that the end away from the monitors must also be designed around that. People often say that a more reverberant space with a reflective floor is better for recording, and that fits in with an LEDE kind of setup.
I can say from experience is that playing a grand piano in a medium size wooden-floored space without treatment can result in a ‘clangy’ sound when you come to record it. So you will definitely need some kind of treatment for the recording space even if it’s less than around the monitors.
Re: Advice for new room
I concur with the above. Dead end to the left, desk at the bay end down the centre line. Live (ish) end to the right with broadband absorption as required to tame the piano.
Unless you want the desk to be looking into the room? Which is possible but you will probably need to experiment with position a fair bit.
Unless you want the desk to be looking into the room? Which is possible but you will probably need to experiment with position a fair bit.
- Drew Stephenson
Jedi Poster -
Posts: 24450 Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:00 am
Location: York
Contact:
(The forumuser formerly known as Blinddrew)
Ignore the post count, I still have no idea what I'm doing...
https://drewstephenson.bandcamp.com/
Ignore the post count, I still have no idea what I'm doing...
https://drewstephenson.bandcamp.com/
Re: Advice for new room
As do mine - always strive for a symmetrical layout, and aim the loudspeakers down the longer dimension of the room.
Martin
- Martin Walker
Moderator -
Posts: 20599 Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:44 am
Location: Cornwall, UK
Contact:
Re: Advice for new room
Actually looks like very promising dimensions too. None are the same, or even multiples of each other. You won't be surprised that my first thought was also to have the desk in the bay.
I'm quite jealous
I'm quite jealous
- Folderol
Jedi Poster -
Posts: 18066 Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2008 12:00 am
Location: The Mudway Towns, UK
Contact:
Yes. I am that Linux nut {apparently now an 'elderly'}
Onwards and... err... sideways!
Onwards and... err... sideways!