Managing studio acoustics

[nomos]

I'm wondering how other people have handled this without going overboard. Not soundproofing (i.e. stopping sounds flowing in and out) but treatment of the bass and reflections in the room to get an accurate enough picture when monitoring (no 'live' recording).

As of this week, I finally have some time to devote to music again and I'm trying to get my studio space (aka my office) set up properly. But I've realized that the acoustics in here are terrible. I ran a test using a chromatic scale mp3 that Sound on Sound gave away and realized how uneven it is. At one point the scale disappears almost completely before surging back in extra loud. Part of the problem is that I've kept my monitors on a mantle just out of convenience. So I'm dealing with that by building a pair of stands (http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html) which should improve their response and make it possible to position them properly.

The other problem is that the room is basically a cube which means sound bounces around in a lot of unhelpful ways. So now I'm considering some acoustic foam and bass traps but I absolutely don't want to get sucked into over-priced specialty products or just over doing it in general.

The plan right now is to start with 4-6 homemade rockwool traps in lightweight metal frames, like the one below. And maybe a bit of foam on the side reflection points. That's about all I have the money or stomach for. Is that too much? Too little?

(I know places like SOS and gearslutz have a lot of threads about this sort of thing but I want to hear what people here have done.)

 

[Grievous Angel]

1. Stands are crucial.

2. You really need to be in an equilateral triangle where the listening position is one point and the speakers are the other two. Most of the time you don't need complete accuracy so you can sit "too close" but you need to move back to the equilateral point for proper playbacks.

3. Cubes are bad. That's just the way it is.

4. Bass trapping can help. The rockwool arrangement you've shown will help midrange reflections. It won't have the mass or depth to affect low bass. For that you need a six inch deep frame ideally filled with rockwool either side of the speakers and / or in the room nodes. This is probably too much hassle. Focus on arrangements and editing and mixing. A good idea is worth more than any amount of decent mixing. Check out Congo Natty 12s for proof. Absolutely terrible, or at least terribly unsophisticated, bass sounds and awful balance but those records really work.

5. You can ignore most of this stuff when you figure out how your room affects the sound of your music and, equally importantly, what your music actually sounds like - especially what it will sound like after it's been mastered, i.e. when it doesn't sound over-cooked. Listening to mixes on other systems is more important than fixing your studio acoustics.

6. Cut everything below 30hz. Or even 40. Remember a lot of bass is at around 200hz so choose sounds that have some activity there. Better still layer bass sounds carefully, one with very low sub sound mixed very quiet, a main bass sound, and a copy of the main bass sound with some chorus on it and all the low end taken out that fills in the 200hz area. Or even better, two different sets of bass sounds that you switch between on the first and second four bar elements of your eight bar pattern. (It's called 8-bar for a reason.) Try avoiding eq and selecting sounds that work together (this is solid gold when it works) and get a balance by adjusting level.

7. Send rough mixes to people early so they can try them on their systems.

8. Again, ignore the acoustics, ignore the mixing and focus on the idea, the arrangement and above all the drum and bass rhythm programming. A good eight bar rhythm is worth everything. Get that right and everything else can be fixed easily. Simpler is harder but better - it is fairly easy to make complicated music. When you sit down and analyse music by mala, loefah, spmc, el-b etc it really is astoundingly simple but very, very hard to do.

 

[Gabba Flamenco Crossover]

WOOFAH MAN IN...

Cut everything below 30hz.

SHOCKER!!!

 

[secretagentgel]

bass tube traps are a good weekend project and did a word of good for my old studio.

http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/a1.htm

and wall paneling works well. as well as blankets, curtains and bookshelves.

computer music (computermusic.co.uk) had a free pdf about cheap easy home acoustic treatments. not pro, but good for getting started. can't find it now. PM if you can't find it online - i think i have it at home.

and mix quietly.

 

[nomos]

thanks guys. you're right paul that the ideas are the most important part but i have deal with this black hole in my room's lower midrange before i can tell what i'm really doing. to that end,
my speaker stands are a step closer to completion - just need a bit of sanding, painting and 5L of sand.

those tube traps sound like a decent idea. i'd been considering a couple of rockwool triangles for the corners near the monitors but i might give those a go instead. looks like a fun project too. i've read that opening a door can help a room too. i'm hoping the large adjacent closet full of clothes might do some work for me. should probably put my curtains up too. is there any good reason why foam is so expensive? can you get it cheaper if it doesn't say it's made for a studio?

btw, F. Alton Everest's Master Handbook of Acoustics is the business for sorting this stuff out. i've only just started though.

 

[Chef Napalm]

*bump*

We've just moved and our new place has a basement room for a den/man-cave. I'll be sharing the space with the hot water heater and the deep freeze, but IT'S MINE ALL MINE.

The room itself is an odd shape, with a space at one end probably designed for a closet, but never finished. It also relatively narrow. I'll post a sketch with measurements later, but for right now I'm mostly looking for resources. Google came up with a good one: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html Any others?

nomos, how did you make out with you treatments? Any suggestions? Pics?

 

[nomos]

unfortunately, i've done nothing towards this so far, mainly because i don't have a large enough workspace to do it. but i still plan on it, maybe before spring. i'll definitely post pics when i do.

(these http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html turned out, though lugging the sand home on my back was no fun)

 

[elgato]

some great links here, thanks everyone

whats the crack with speaker stands? how does one distinguish a good stand for monitoring as opposed to poor?

i have a smallish desk of usual height (maybe slightly on the low side), and my monitors will be sitting either side of me... what is the best solution? small (25-30cm or so tall) stands? are they a worthwhile investment rather than just standing them on my desk?

 

[reeltoreel]

Yeah, definitely. I kind of thought that stands were a bit snake-oily, until I got a pair.

Depending on how tall you are, you'll probably be OK with pads instead of stands. Have a look at the Auralex Mopad, then find some hard dense foam and make 'em yourself. Or you can buy them for US$40.

 

[elgato]

Yeah, definitely. I kind of thought that stands were a bit snake-oily, until I got a pair.

Depending on how tall you are, you'll probably be OK with pads instead of stands. Have a look at the Auralex Mopad, then find some hard dense foam and make 'em yourself. Or you can buy them for US$40.

thanks!

what would the situation be if i put these pads on some small boxes or blocks to raise the monitors to head height? if they were say solid wood, would the nature of the boxes matter if i had good thick pads on top?

sorry for the dunce-like questions

 

[reeltoreel]

I'd use bits of wood to lift them if necessary. Glue them to the desk with UK equiv. of No More Nails if you can!

The idea is to prevent the transmission of vibration from your monitors to your desk. You can do this a number of different ways. As long as your monitors are isolated, you can put whatever you want under them.

Check that TNT website for heaps of weirdo audiophile black magic....

 

[elgato]

wicked! thanks for the advice