Hi all. Been reading for a while now and picking up loads of ideas; what a great forum :) Anyway, first post here so before I go into detail of what I will be trying to achieve, just a simple question - can a control room be too small? Basically what I will be doing is building a new outbuilding in the confines of my garden, but will be restricted by fences, boundaries etc. The space I will have to work in will be approx 12' long x 10' wide (height will be about 8' internal dimension). I figure that with the correct double thickness wall construction as the standard STC63 detail, the walls themselves will be about 6" thick, so the internal available space will be about 11' long x 9' wide. Small huh?! Anyhow, all I produce is electronic instrumentals (no vocals or acoustic instruments) just me, Cubase, Mackie HR624 monitors, Plug ins and my imagination! The room is designed in my head and on scraps of paper, with countless revisions coming about from reading stuff on here. By the way I'm just outside of London, UK. I've read all the 'before you post' topics, just wanted some initial thoughts first; not expecting anyone to do my design for me :wink:
Hopefully I'll get some positves out of this and commit my ideas to sketch-up (once mastered!)
Thanks in advance.
Control Room Size
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 10408.
Yes. Size do matter. A smaller room will be more difficult to treat and sound worse than a large. It’s hard to have a too big room, and if you do, that’s a pleasant problem.Hi all. Been reading for a while now and picking up loads of ideas; what a great forum :) Anyway, first post here so before I go into detail of what I will be trying to achieve, just a simple question - can a control room be too small?
Hey dahnielson...uh hey :) On the link that points off site, Your page header reads "Misleading the public since 1979" . Really ;) ?Yes. Size do matter. A smaller room will be more difficult to treat and sound worse than a large. It’s hard to have a too big room, and if you do, that’s a pleasant problem.Hi all. Been reading for a while now and picking up loads of ideas; what a great forum :) Anyway, first post here so before I go into detail of what I will be trying to achieve, just a simple question - can a control room be too small?
Yes. Size do matter.
A smaller room will be more difficult to treat and sound worse than a large. It’s hard to have a too big room, and if you do, that’s a pleasant problem.[/quote]
Thanks for reply. I understand that a smaller room will be harder to treat, but the size I quoted is what I'm stuck with unfortunately. So with the right treatment, broadband, bass trapping etc, I should get a usable space?
The tagline on my Swedish site (a humorous pun on Descartes "cogito ergo sum") was untranslatable. ;-)On the link that points off site, Your page header reads "Misleading the public since 1979" . Really ;) ?
Yes. Of course you can treat it. I just tried to answer your question that, yes a CR can be to small. But you are like me, stuck with whatever we got or can get our hands on (in my case not a size problem per se just an near 1:2:2 ratio :cry: ), so unless we can choose another room (in my case not, because I ironically live in a so called "studio apartment") we have to deal with what we got. So, yes, a lot of bass entrapment need to be performed. :wink: And since the room will not have as a flat response as a bigger one, there need to be some care to setting up monitors and listening spot. There's no real magic to the treatment: a bass trap at the rear end wall and SuperChunks in the corners for bass absorption, cloud in the ceiling and panels on the side wall between your listening spot and the monitors for RFZ. Or something like that. Your axial fundamental room modes (for 8x10x12') will be 71:57:47 Hz with the ratio 1.0:1.25:1.5.Thanks for reply. I understand that a smaller room will be harder to treat, but the size I quoted is what I'm stuck with unfortunately. So with the right treatment, broadband, bass trapping etc, I should get a usable space?
Brilliant! Thanks for feedback; I think you're confirming what I assumed. Just a minor point - the internal dimensions will be 8' H x 9' W x 11' L, giving a ratio based on Sepmeyer of 1 x 1.13 x 1.38, which ain't too bad by my reckoning! I've got a good idea on the trapping I will require, so just need to get it all down on paper now..... Right then, now for some research on axial fundamentals.... Thanks for your help mate.Yes. Of course you can treat it. I just tried to answer your question that, yes a CR can be to small. But you are like me, stuck with whatever we got or can get our hands on (in my case not a size problem per se just an near 1:2:2 ratio :cry: ), so unless we can choose another room (in my case not, because I ironically live in a so called "studio apartment") we have to deal with what we got. So, yes, a lot of bass entrapment need to be performed. :wink: And since the room will not have as a flat response as a bigger one, there need to be some care to setting up monitors and listening spot. There's no real magic to the treatment: a bass trap at the rear end wall and SuperChunks in the corners for bass absorption, cloud in the ceiling and panels on the side wall between your listening spot and the monitors for RFZ. Or something like that. Your axial fundamental room modes (for 8x10x12') will be 71:57:47 Hz with the ratio 1.0:1.25:1.5.Thanks for reply. I understand that a smaller room will be harder to treat, but the size I quoted is what I'm stuck with unfortunately. So with the right treatment, broadband, bass trapping etc, I should get a usable space?
If you use a preferred and well developed ratio like Sepmeyer then you have the best average between axial, tangential and oblique modes. All you have to care about is that there will be some funny business in the bass octave (65 Hz and up) due to the size. Errata: "side wall" should read "side walls"Brilliant! Thanks for feedback; I think you're confirming what I assumed. Just a minor point - the internal dimensions will be 8' H x 9' W x 11' L, giving a ratio based on Sepmeyer of 1 x 1.13 x 1.38, which ain't too bad by my reckoning! I've got a good idea on the trapping I will require, so just need to get it all down on paper now..... Right then, now for some research on axial fundamentals.... Thanks for your help mate.
That one kills me!!!![ The tagline on my Swedish site (a humorous pun on Descartes "cogito ergo sum") was untranslatable. ;-)