Garage/Control Room: Mixing with Garage Door Open?

Hey all, I am planning on converting my garage into my new mixing room. I may track occasionally, but mostly it will be for mixing. I was thinking that I could place my desk on the north wall in this image and have the speakers fire down the length of the room and then, if I just keep my garage door open, the sound should escape and never come back again, right? haha I live on 20 acres, so neighbors and traffic isnt much of an issue. Here are some real photos: The ceiling is 9'4" by the way, and the square in the upper corner of my drawing is the water heater on top of a 2'x2'8"x2' block. I imagine I'd need to build a wall around that and mirror that on the other side for symmetry, if I put my desk on that north wall. What are your thoughts?!

Anyone have any ideas??? What do you all think about trying to make that back garage wall acoustically transparent?

I think you need to read this: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4063

darkecho wrote:

Anyone have any ideas??? What do you all think about trying to make that back garage wall acoustically transparent?

While we wait for ya to read the stickies. It doesn't read like you are asking a question. More like you are looking for support for the open garage door. It isn't anything new under the sun. It is the poor mans bass trap.

Sorry guys- I'm in California- I'm on 20 acres in the country. I can be as loud as I want. I dont really have a budget for this room, I'm not sure I really need to spend any money, just need a little advice on whether this is a good idea or not. if its too cold to put the door up, can the bass still escape through the metal? lets say my budget is around 1000$ for anything I should do- I have about twelve 6# 4" bass traps that I can place around the room. Also, just to make sure my questions are obvious: A. Given my garage size and situation, I'd like help figuring out the best placement for my desk. B. I'm not sure what sort of treatment I should pursue to make this room great for mixing.

US$ 1000 won't go very far for acoustic treatment.

just need a little advice on whether this is a good idea or not.

Why don't you try it? Set up your speakers in the garage, and measure the response with door closed and door open.

Great point... I was planning on setting up the speakers and doing a slow sine wave sweep to see if anything in the room has any sympathetic vibrations that I should worry about. Ultimately, you are absolute right- I will only know through measurement! I'm a little confused still though, If symmetry is the most important, I would probably FACE the garage door, because there are bare walls on both sides (the opposite end has a water heater in one corner and a window on the other) But if bass control is more important, I would probably want the speakers firing towards the garage door. Thats sort of the dilemma i'm stuck with right now.

I'm a little confused still though, If symmetry is the most important, I would probably FACE the garage door,

That would be my plan too. Which kind of sinks your idea of using the garage door as a "sound sucker"! Another reason I'd go with the room facing the main door is because of your entry door at the rear. It seems to be more or less in the center, which would be good for symmetry and rear bass trapping in both corners (not sure how to work around that water heater, though: what does your local Code say about enclosing water heaters in closets?). If you had the room facing the water-heater end, you'd end up with your door right in between your speakers. That's not really bad, but it does mean you'd have to maneuver around the desk to to get in and out of your room, and I'm betting that your desk is going to take up more space than you have planned right now. (It must be one of Murphy's laws that sound equipment always expands and reproduces itself when you are not looking, and then you have to figure out where to put all the new stuff that appeared! :) ) So I'd say that the most logical layout for easy access is with the room facing the garage door. Seal that door, build bass traps in the corners, then test the room and see what other treatment you need. However, one grand is not going to get you very far at all. It might buy you enough rock wool to build some "Superchunk" bass traps, but that's all. What is the room made of? The floor looks like concrete, but what about the rest? Do you have a sound level meter?

I guess I'll have to measure the difference with the garage door open and closed, and with the speakers firing from both directions and see if there is a significant difference. Perhaps if its good enough, I can build the wall around the water heater and then erect an identical wall on the other side of the room to mirror it so that its symmetrical. I do have a sound meter, I have fourteen 4" thick bass traps using 705 rigid fiberglass, but yeah, my budget isnt so large, its mostly just about optimizing more than really reconstruction, I guess. Though I can do cheap things like tearing out the ceiling and adding fiberglass overhead. Also- the door at the top of the page is one entrance from outside, but I'll probably be entering from the left side of the room through the house more often so that door positioning wont be an issue. sorry for not mentioning that I wouldnt be using that top door. The floor IS concrete, the wall with the window is just drywall and wood I am assuming, there is a floor above the garage, but I can be as loud as I want to because I live in the foothills with basically no neighbors. the south end of the picture with the garage door is obviously just that and it opens up into a driveway, the other wall goes into an entry way that contains the staircase to the upper floor. I am really trying to give you all everything you need! I am going to go ahead and do some measuring tonight/tomorrow and I'll post those results for further analysis.