#1

Continuing the discussion from Speaker Preferences:

following up on great post from @Tyelr

i stumbled across this DIY diffusor article on tapeop.

would be curious to hear more tactics regarding studio setup.

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Building Sound Absorption Panels
#2

I made four of these following that article some years ago, they turned out pretty neat, it can also be worth while to think one more step and tailor for frequencies and wall space (and time to spare!) with something like this: http://www.oliverprime.com/prd/?show=calculator

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#3

I have some acoustic foam in a few places.
But the thing I noticed the most impact from were packing blankets!
Someone suggested this to me years ago as an effective treatment, and it really worked like a charm in my circumstances. I got a few online somewhere, and treated the big wall behind my main desk and speakers. Have a large fabric piece I made covering the blankets, so don’t have to look at them… :wink:

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Building Sound Absorption Panels
#4

I forgot about that site. It does most every calculation you would need.

#5

NECROBUMP.

Have a new spot, very happy circumstances, but the room is INSANELY echoey/muddy/cavernous. It’s not a huge space, either. ~140 sqft, 10.75ft x 13ft. Two windows cover 50% of one long wall, right behind the speakers.

Nothing sounds good; that Huerco S. album is a mess in there. Did the ratio stuff, everything is placed and angled well, but the room is essentially empty except for the desk-based gear.

Got some bass traps for the top corners, but the expense:benefit ratio isn’t sustainable. Definitely going to try the diffuser article linked above and @madeofoak’s rockwool suggestion.

The bulk of what I want to do is accurately mix and shape sounds. Not recording acoustic sources, all in the box or electronic. Sadly simple, but it’s really bumming me out that I can’t do this in the new space.

Do you have a source? Cheap ones on Amazon seem thin, but the reviews are mixed.

Will document anything that works for the benefit of all!

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#6

if you still have corners available, try the “superchunk” “bass trap” design. I found it to have a great cost-difficulty-results balance. I have used woodfiber insulation panels for that. If you can get hold of recycled denim / cloth fibers panels, go for it.
Reflective surfaces behind speakers is not so dramatic. I would deaden the wall behind listening position, so the sound coming from the speakers is not filtered by reflections there.
I also documented a bit on my own space here

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#7

Your blog post is great! Very reassuring. Thank you.

Found the denim insulation and going to go the bookshelf route and cover 'em with some of this in Charcoal (I guess? None of these colors are great.)

#8

Tagging along here… does anyone just have an overly crowded room they have treated or even opted to not treat?

My dilemma is that I want (and probably need) better studio monitors but could never justify spending the necessary amount because my room is shit. The dimensions aren’t bad: 11’ x 19’ and the ceilings are 9’ (in a basement, to boot). But the entire room is dedicated to my musical hobby/addiction and is wrapped in its entirety with Ikea shelving and guitar amps. Not to mention it has 4 doors and a window. The listening desk is positioned well but currently blocks two doors.

With all the stuff, I’m wondering if I’ve mitigated a lot of reflection issues. The short wall behind me has a very large shelf with boxes of stuff (pedals and eurorack modules) which probably does a fair amount of absorbing and reflecting on its own.

Anyone here with a cluttered space? Did you treat it? Did it matter? Should I just move on to nice monitors?

#9

Dan,
I got those blankets many years ago, and really do not remember where…
But in my experience, these made the biggest impact in my room. More so than some of the studio form absorbers. It will never be like a proper acoustic treatment, but it dried out my space enough.

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#10

Got some coming in on Monday – might as well give it a shot. Thanks so much for the feedback and idea!

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#11

I visited a mastering house recently, and when he was setting up his room, the engineer used a really cool method for locating and treating initial reflections:

• Sit in your listening position
• Have a buddy move a mirror along the wall until you can see the reflection of a speaker
• When you can see a speaker, that’s where you’re going to get a first-order reflection, put diffusion or absorption there

Does that make sense?

Also, bookshelves are great for diffusion, I like having them right behind my mix position if there’s room.

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#12

they came in during the weekend and holy moly, very dead space now. covered all the walls, doubling up. might’ve gone overboard

did you just cover everything in 'em? one layer or multiple?

#13

I just picked one (biggest) wall in my space, and I think I have two layers on that (plus the canvas that covers them)… yes, you can really feel the difference, once you start putting these up!

p.

#14

This blog post is killer. Thank you. That is a pretty sweet ikea hack, and one could even buy some fabric and cover it up for a cleaner finish.

Curious to hear your thoughts about the denim (http://www.isolantmetisse.com/) vs rockwool?

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#15

thanks. Since i took the pictures, i made simple frames with stapled fabric on them, to insert in front of the material.
Denim vs rockwool : the denim can be handled with bare hands. Rockwool is a pain because every fiber that gets loose will find its way to irritate one’s skin.

#16

Hello everyone,

just spotted this tread.
Being a professional acoustician, I hope I can help on the topic.

First of all, if you are starting from scratch there is a fantastic blog post from the Uni of salford that talks about room ratios:
http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/room_sizing/?content=index

Then, please make measurements in your rooms using the set-up you are going to work with and in the locations you would like to place everything.
Acoustic measurements shall be taken around the listening point and at constant interval distance from it in both directions (X and Y).
The variations in the measurements will help you understand the presence of room modes.
You can use: REW (http://www.roomeqwizard.com/) to perform measurements and analysis together.

I would suggest to always locate the desk parallel to the biggest dimension of the room as this will help to reduce first reflections.

A good strategy is to always eliminate first reflections from walls and not reduce the room to an anechoic chamber.

Also General purpose absorbers can help but can also highlight problems in the room if used in an inappropriate manner.

Every room is different and needs to be corrected differently.
I am not a fan of “all purpose” bass traps" or absorption.

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#17

Also regarding diffusers,

I tend to use them only on the back walls when specifically needed.

Many other designers use a different type of diffusive patterns on the side walls but I personally found it a bit detrimental to the frequencies they are tuned to.
While back wall only add a nice feeling of room presence without disrupting the freq balance in the listening spot.
But this is my personal preference, also based on some research on freq perception by diffusive patterns.

Studio room acoustics is a very wide topic and there isn’t much agreement on the final result, as far as I know.
Every designer has his/her own tricks

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#18

Wow - this is counter to almost everything I’ve read about desk location. Or maybe I’m misunderstanding the room ratios…

So in a room that is 11’ x 19’ with 9’ ceilings, I should put the desk along one of the 19’ walls?

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#19

@bradfromraleigh

Likewise. Although, I have to say I just did this in my pretty tiny room, and it’s worked pretty well. The walls are all very crisp and reflective, so I’ve got a bunch of panels (ATS - they do work nicely) up on the walls, a heavy curtain over my window when I mix, and it does the trick. Just missing bass traps in the corners, and still deciding on the best approach for those - and to keep my downstairs neighbor happy :confused:

#20

Thank you for clarifying - this is somewhat of a revelation but I guess it makes sense. The one downside is the wall behind the listening position is now that much closer, I guess. I’m constantly rearranging my room to try and get better results (and to make room for new gear :confused:

I don’t know if your recommendation is even possible in my room but I will keep it in mind next time I get the bug. My walls are lined with shelving that houses all sorts of stuff - natural diffusers I guess.