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[Skullsessions]

I’m new to this particular forum, so let me introduce myself.  I’m James Hook out of Houston, TX.  I’m a singer and guitarist, but I love the other side of the microphone more.  Being single with no kids – and planning to stay that way – makes it pretty easy for me to do what I want with the house.

Attached is an overhead view of my current situation.  My living space is where I set up shop for mixing, and is currently/largely untreated.  Tracking room is the master bedroom down around the corner – which is not on this drawing.

As an extension of another thread over at Whatever Works – where I discussed my self-diagnosed weaknesses in my mixes – I’ve started buying materials and drawing up plans for getting my mixing room more under control.  Specifically, I have a hard time properly hearing low end without the aid of a sub.  Even then...still not accurate.

I’m looking for feedback and ideas to improve this room, so please chime in!

BTW.  Ceiling height is 8”, and the floors are hardwood.  Other

1:  Should I be using the OC 705 @ 4” for the corners in red, or will the 703 @ 4” be workable?

2:  On the wall/ceiling bass traps (bright green), should I be using 705...and if so, would 2” be acceptable?  What are your thoughts on the 2” 703 for this function?

3:  Below all of the bright green squares, I plan to put 2’x4’ wall panels made of 2” 703.  This will leave about 3’ of bare wall down to the floor.  There will be couches and comfy chairs spaced around the room that actually cover that portion of the walls.  Your thoughts?

4:  The wall panels.  Should they be flush, or out away from the wall a couple of inches?

5:  The ceiling panels.  Can I assume the 2” 703 panels will be fine?  Should they be flush with the ceiling, and if not, what would be the ideal distance to have the hanging from the ceiling?  Should they all be the same, or would it make sense to vary the distance from the ceiling?  Are this many ceiling panels overkill?

I’m not against the idea of moving the monitors to another wall if that seems to be the best solution.

Thanks in advance for your ideas.  Now...the drawing....

[Sigert]

Do you have any means of measuring the frequency response at mixing position? Left speaker, right speaker and both simultaneously.

[Skullsessions]

No, I do not.

[Ethan Winer]

Skullsessions wrote on Mon, 09 March 2009 10:05

Should I be using the OC 705 @ 4” for the corners in red, or will the 703 @ 4” be workable?

705 is a little better than 703, and a little nicer to work with (stiffer, nicer corners and edges), but both work well enough. Here's a direct comparison to the two densities:

Density Report

Quote:

On the wall/ceiling bass traps (bright green), should I be using 705...and if so, would 2” be acceptable?  What are your thoughts on the 2” 703 for this function?

This too is answered in my Density Report. The short answer is two inches thick is not enough for corner bass trapping.

Quote:

Below all of the bright green squares, I plan to put 2’x4’ wall panels made of 2” 703.  This will leave about 3’ of bare wall down to the floor.  There will be couches and comfy chairs spaced around the room that actually cover that portion of the walls.  Your thoughts?

That should be fine. If you clap your hands and don't hear the "boing" sound of flutter echo, you're okay.

Quote:

The wall panels.  Should they be flush, or out away from the wall a couple of inches?

An air gap always helps, and the ideal gap is equal to the panel thickness. More here:

Acoustics FAQ: Optimizing the Air Gap

Quote:

The ceiling panels.  Can I assume the 2” 703 panels will be fine?  Should they be flush with the ceiling, and if not, what would be the ideal distance to have the hanging from the ceiling?

Same answer. Note that using four inches thick is even better, because the absorption then extends an octave lower.

Quote:

Should they all be the same, or would it make sense to vary the distance from the ceiling?

No, just use the same 2-4 inch gap.

Quote:

Are this many ceiling panels overkill?

Probably not.

Quote:

I’m not against the idea of moving the monitors to another wall if that seems to be the best solution.

The main problem I see is lack of left-right symmetry. More here:

How to set up a room

As for measuring your room, it's not strictly needed, but more info never hurts. Here are some good options:

ETF, Windows, $150

FuzzMeasure, Mac, $150

Room EQ Wizard, Windows and Mac and Linux, Freeware

This article explains how I use ETF, but the principles apply to all such programs.

--Ethan

[Sigert]

I beg to differ on the statement of measurements not being necesary. There's only so much 'general' advice one can give.

[franman]

but if he has no means to measure.. should we not give him advice?? remember the target audience here please....(thanks)..

fm

[Sigert]

Being a singer/guitarist with a mix setup, I'm guessing Skull has access to a mic, a pre-amp, a speaker and a computer. Might aswell have a go at one of the tools Ethan listed.

I was trying to determine whether Skull, knowingly or unknowingly, has tools to take a measurement. A genuine and honest effort to help out a member of the forum.

[Skullsessions]

I'm not at all against getting these measurements if I can figure it out...but I'm sure I'm not the first guy who was confused by it all.

My budget IS limited, but I'm not afraid to purchase the things needed to get this right the first time.  If the measurements are needed, then I'll get them.

So, with that in mind, I'm reading more today about the software - how it works, etc.

[Ethan Winer]

Sigert wrote on Mon, 09 March 2009 16:31

I beg to differ on the statement of measurements not being necesary. There's only so much 'general' advice one can give.

As I see it, measuring is mostly 1) to confirm how skewed the response is before treatment, and 2) to confirm the improvement after adding bass traps etc. Most people have no idea how bad their room is. They obsess over a teensy roll-off at 20 KHz in an A/D/A converter, but ignore half a dozen 30 dB spans below 300 Hz. I'm not opposed to measuring! I do it all the time. But no matter what you measure, the basic solution is more or less the same. At least for "home studio" people with a typical home studio budget. Everyone else should definitely hire Fran or Thomas.

--Ethan

[Sigert]

Valid points. I stand corrected.

[Skullsessions]

Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge that Room EQ Wizard will run on Windows Server 2003?

Most programs that will run in XP will, but I've come across a select few that will not.

[franman]

Sigert wrote on Mon, 09 March 2009 21:47

Being a singer/guitarist with a mix setup, I'm guessing Skull has access to a mic, a pre-amp, a speaker and a computer. Might aswell have a go at one of the tools Ethan listed. I was trying to determine whether Skull, knowingly or unknowingly, has tools to take a measurement. A genuine and honest effort to help out a member of the forum.

Sigert... I wasn't trying to shut you down at all, and of course the data is always helpful... I also agree with Ethan's general comment that many times, the general advice about low end trapping and reflection control is the same...as stated so many times in so many posts...

Data=Good... Free advice=(often) the same....

FM...  

(it's all good)

[Sigert]

Quote:

Data=Good... Free advice=(often) the same....

Amen