Hey all,
I just have bought a new house and I’d like to treat my cellar to get a nice place to host my home studio ;) I discovered acoustic treatment few weeks ago so please forgive me if I speak like a rookie and ask stupid questions…
I’m both DJ and techno producer (playing mostly Detroit & Birmingham techno tunes). I live in northern France.
I’d like to build a new home studio in my cellar. This room is 6.6 * 3.3 meters (about 21 m²). & 1.78 m high (quite low but I can’t change it !). When I compare my room to other studios, I think it will be a real challenge to make that room sound correctly… I draw a simple plan (scale 1/10) of the room in Indesign (I should try to draw it with sketchup by the next days). One wall is common with the neighbour’s cellar... so I think (hope) he doesn’t hear what I play when he’s in his living room.
I divided the room in two elements : production side (with monitors, computer, midi keyboard, a desk, etc.) and the djing side (with vinyle desks, mixer, hifi speakers and a computer).
On the production side, I use Fostex PM1 monitors and only software synths. I don’t record anything out of my computer (I use no mic and no voices in my tracks).
On the Djing side, I use small hi-fi speakers. I play at low or mid volume, depends on how hot I’m when I’m at desk !
What I’m searching for : treating the room to make it sound as good as possible to mix my tracks properly. The reverb is very metallic when you clap your hands (maybe because of the low ceiling) and bass are quite muddy because the room is rather empty. I can’t set up stuff like sofa, etc. because the stairs to get down into the cellar is very narrow. In other words, when I’m at desk, it sounds a bit like an empty club !
The most important thing to keep in mind is the air circulation (to avoid moisture, humidity, etc.) because there’s no window and the fan in the corner of the production side is the only way to make the air move inside the room. So, I must admit that the bass trap corner has to be shaped ingeniously to let the fan keep on doing his job. The entrance is open (no door).
Ceiling & floor are in concrete. Side walls, front & back walls are all in plaster. On the left side, there’s a kind of block (in grey on the plan) which hides a pipe and supports few lights.
Here’s what I thought about after having read few articles and topics in this forum :
-floor : a 2 m² carpet of that kind : http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/00114011 in the production side.
-ceiling (above the production side listening area) : an anti-flutter foam panel of that kind above the production side and maybe above the djing side if it can improve the sound : http://www.nuloop.com/fr/home-studio/ar ... st415.html
- side and rear diffusors : bookshelves (full of books of different sizes & types of cover to maximize the effect) of that kind : http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/50081744
-corners : bass traps but I still do hesitate on their shape because of that bloody fan in the corner ! Shall I use the same kind of bass trap everywhere ? I thought about something like that :
External image, not preserved — original: http://www.helixrecording.com/Pics/Construction/Dsc01637_SM.jpg
Before going forward, I’d like to get your opinion and advices on the different absorbers I propose. If you need more infos about metric, I’ll post a better plan.
I can spend about 400 euros (ie about 600 US dollars) and I can do things myself…
Sorry for my bad english… and thanks for your help !