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[elshhhtud]

Hi all! First time posting here and, I hope I'm not sounding like a burden already but, I'm in a dilemma: I need to know which problem to solve first.

A.) Currently using M-Audio BX5a Deluxe monitors (terribly colored and innacurate). Was thinking of replacing them with a pair of Yamaha HS8's to match my HS8S.

B.) My space is a small live/control room with ALL sorts of obstacles.  It's roughly 12'x17' with a 7' ceiling ("yikes" already, I know).  It has exposed drywall for every wall, drop-ceiling tiles, a thin entrance door that makes placing bass traps in that corner impossible, another thin entrance door into an almost-soundproof isolation booth and, to top it all off, two (covered) 1' ceiling ducts that jut down about 8-10" and run about 8' and 11' along the middle of the ceiling.  I'm in the middle of making a 3D model of it and will upload it when it's finished.

My take is this: $20,000 monitors would sound like garbage in this room in its current state, never mind $700, yet treating the room is a whole hell of a lot more expensive (guesstimate puts it around $2,000?) and may just end up showing me that the room is hopeless.

Any salty dogs want to help a pup out?  What's your take on my situation?

[DarinK]

Not sure on the monitor vs. room question - the main thing is how well your mixes translate to other spaces and it's difficult to know if new monitors will help without trying them out.
One thing you don't have to worry about is the thin door vs. bass trap situation - a thin door will let the bass out of the room, so it functions kind of like a bass trap as far as preventing bass build-up.  As long as the bass leaking out is not a problem for whatever's on the other side of the door(s), that's a good thing.  You may need to use headphones when someone's in the iso booth to prevent bass getting into those recordings, though.
Maybe a first step acoustically would be a homemade cloud - not too expensive and should help a bit to overcome the low ceiling problems.  Insulation above the drop-ceiling tiles would largely serve the same purpose.  How high is the ceiling above the drop tiles?  That's your real ceiling height.  Do what you can to take the ceiling out of the equation and a 12' x 17' foot room can be totally usable.

[elshhhtud]

So this is what I'm dealing with. Official measurements being 126" W x 196" L x 87.5" H

The wall the image faces (with the inward-opening door) is where I have my workstation now, and the area of your vantage point is where I track the drum kits.

The ceiling in this model is the drop-ceiling height.  There's 12" of space above it, so insulation to fill that for the whole room would be about $360.  With ~360 sq ft of exposed drywall, I could expect to spend about $1500 covering that up with pyramids, wedges, and bass traps.

So first, is having the workstation where it is an issue/how far away from the wall is a safe distance for rear-ported nearfields?

Second, after such an investment on treatment and the proper placement of said treatments, is it safe to expect my tracking to come out cleaner and my mixes to translate to other speakers more accurately, or would this $2,000 bill just be a hail mary with no guarantees?  If that's the case, I assume the same would apply with new monitors?

[Jerome Malsack]

Once inside and starting you can first focus on the first reflection points. 

Also calculate room modes. 

Run a Home theater  site program  for Room EQ wizard ( REW )

These will give you a start.    RTA program on your smart phone.  Is the response even or have peaks and dips.   Room modes. 

[Akash]

This is such a pleasant and average post...You shook posting it...Thanks a considerable measure for posting it....!!

[Jim Williams]

Almost as much pleasure reading it!

Consider great cans as a gut check. Those remove your room variables. Mixes should be checked with cans or even tailored to them as most of the youngin's listen on ear buds, not speakers.

[Jerome Malsack]

Room modes will be very hard on 132, 232, 365 and so on.   

Placing you monitors along the long wall in the center will help to remove the first reflection points from being a problem. 
If you sit and work with the short wall 12 you will need to work on the first reflection points. 

keep the chair and the speakers 2 ft or 3 ft is better, from the front and back wall. 

Bass traps will help also 

True audio  RTA program is nice also with greater detail.