control room design

I'm working on a control design I'd love some opinions about. Its a big room, 15'6" w x 24'4" d with 9'6" ceilings. I've got some cash and some energy to try to make bass traps/ absorption for the walls. I've been reading up. I made a rough sketch of the room with some ideas...... Everything is a bit rough on measurements, but I'm thinking general right now. A quik description... Black lines are doorways. Bottom left is entering from outside. Left side middle is door to band room. the white square is a tiled entry way. The bottom blue line is a window. The tan room is the control room. The green rectangle is a couch. The wierd brown thing is the desk. All of the red triangles are super chunk bass traps, the rectangles on the wall are 2'x4'x4" wall absorbers(i gueass thats right) The two fatter ones behind the couch are like a movable 4'x6'x8" gobo partitions. Will hang some clouds too, haven't gotton there yet. Yellow room is small kitchen with open doorway. Thinking of hanging a heavy curtain there. The blue room is a big closet for an iso booth. I Will install a door there. The Gray room is a bathroom, already has a door . My main questions are... Am I facing in the best direction? I think it works best for the room. Hows my overall concept? Super chunks the way to go? Are the big gobos behind the couch the right idea? I'm trying to make all my bass traps/ absorption removable if need be.

Looks good to me Mike. Only thing I would work on might be having a wheel around bass trap at the entry door. So you can get it placed into the corner to do it's job like the opposite side trap is. Good luck, Brien

cool and thanx for the response. I was hoping that the offset bass trap I "built" in front of the entry way would do it. I was under the impression that you can kinda put bass traps anywhere, corners are obviously good, but put them where you can. As well is the size of the room pretty good in taming some of that. That room is 25' long. Anyway I'm open to that....

Aloha Mike, In Rod Gervais’ book “Build it Like the Pros,” viewtopic.php?t=5670 he points out both L.W.Sepmeyer’s & M.M. Louden’s formulas most widely used in professional studios worldwide. He also notes that the orders listed are (top to bottom) the first to third best ratios in both cases. L.W. Sepmeyer Height Width Length 1.00 1.14 1.39 9’6” x 10’8” x 13’2” M.M. Louden Height Width Length 1.00 1.40 1.90 9’6” x 13’3” x 18’ Eric Desart on Louden’s Ratios viewtopic.php?p=64490&highlight=#64490 1.00, 1.35, 1.85 9’6” x 12’8” x 17’6” Perhaps something like then, based on Eric Desart's study of Louden's Ratios. Hope this helps, Aloha 8)

well thats some interesting stuff. for me doing complex construction like that isn't practicle. This is the room I've got, and i'm realy hoping anything i build can be taken somewhere else. I also wouldn't know what to do about all the doors. 5 in total. thanx for posting

Does anyone know if doing super chunk bass trap with 4' x 2' triangles of 703 instead of 2' x 2' triangles be effective or just a waste of material?

Does anyone know if doing super chunk bass trap with 4' x 2' triangles of 703 instead of 2' x 2' triangles be effective or just a waste of material?

I'm certainly no expert, but my guess is they'll be MORE effective than 2'x2' triangles. At least in terms of total Sabins of absorption. Simply by virtue of more Square footage on the face as well as Cubic footage within the whole. Remember, superchunks are placed in corners where Modes terminate. What the real question is how MUCH more effective will they be ie...how much MORE absorption are you really gaining in any given frequency band. And then...do you really need it vs the extra cost.

yup i think corners will be ok. if i need more absorption i plan on doing superchunks horizontaly between ceiling and wall. I have 9.5' ceiling. does anyone know if i have to go ALL the way up, or could i go lets sat 7 or 8 feet. Planning to get roxul mineral wool tomorrow. trying to know how much to get. thinking of using roxul for superchunks but splurging on 703 for wall panels. good idea or should i save my cash?

I'm about to insulate and dry wall a room. the dry wall will cover the vent slats, although the attic still has some ventilation. should i use unfaced insulation? or does it matter?

I need some advice if it's out there. I'm in the process of building rockwool panels for my control room. I have already made superchunks in the corners. My general plan is to use 4" panels around the room with some 2" panels for clouds. I could use some advice for placement. I get the idea of the reflective points to the sides. I plan on putting them on the wall behind the speakers as well. In many studios that is a highly reflective window so how effective or necessary are they on that wall? My other question is.... I found some thick (4" or so) eggshell foam at a thrift store for cheap. I've read that eggshell is not as effective as rockwool panels, so I planning to do the control room with panels but am thinking of getting egg foam to treat a vocal booth. is this a sound idea? if not where could i use egg foam effectively?

My general plan is to use 4" panels around the room with some 2" panels for clouds. I could use some advice for placement. I get the idea of the reflective points to the sides.

Yup. Treating first reflection points is important. There's an easy way to find them: sit at the mix position, and get someone else to hold a mirror up against the walls, and move it around. Any place where you can see either of the speakers reflected in the mirror is a first reflection point, and needs to be treated. You also have first reflection points on the ceiling, which is why you need a cloud up there. - Stuart -

ok I've finally got 10 4" rockwool panels done. Now I'm getting scared about placement. These 4" panels mounted to the wall where they are off the wall a few inches seems to be the plan. First question... should I use the 4" panels as bass traps straddling corners between wall and ceiling and use 2" panels right on the wall for first reflection points. second question.... what height to I place first reflection point panels? speaker height? third question... i think the side reflection points are on the vocal booth door on the right side. does this mean keeping that door open kills the reflection point? maybe just put some absorption material directly on door...

It looks like no one has answered you yet so I'll tell you what I know in regards to your issues. I have recently treated a very small room using similar materials and got very very good results. If I were you I would start by reading as much as you can in the acoustics forum. There is a wealth of knowledge in regards to all of these issues. 1) The more the better in the corners. Your earlier post talked about going only 7 feet or so. The most important areas are the corners, where all 3 walls intersect (two walls and the ceiling meet). Superchunks work, very well, everyone on here can attest to it. That is what I would shoot for. 2) Speaker height! The center of the panel should be an average between your ear heighth and the speaker height (these should be roughly the same as it is). 3) Opening the door in my opinion is actually worse than not treating that area. Sure it kills the "reflection point" but in turn you make your control room asymetrical, you only get reflections off of one side, and you will smear your stereo imaging heavily. Whatever sound comes back out of that room is going to be delayed just enough to make it even more difficult to mix. I would hang the panel directly on the door. Lastly, don't be scared about any of this. Hang them based on the answers I gave you and what you find on the acoustics forum and then adjust based on what your ears are telling you. Hope this helps a bit.

yes it does. I've made some progress since that last post. I have 8 4" panels now straddling the ceiling/wall edges of all four walls. that and the superchunks help alot. I've hung 2 2" panels over head as clouds as well. I have a temporary 4" panel on my side sittin on my wurli and i have yet to deal with the door thing. Now that I have considerable bass trapping i'm thinking of using only 2" panels on my sides as well as other parts of the walls. I'm thinking they should be off the wall some, but that won't work on the door. should i just attach to the door but leat any other wall panels be off the wall some?

Sorry, been on a much needed vacation. You are definitely getting there. The 2" panels should do well on the walls. I am curious to know what density the rockwool is that you purchased. That is what is going to make the difference, not necessarily the thickness but the density. As far as hanging them on the sidewalls, I've seen people use "french cleats" running the length of the room and that way they are adjustable side to side depending on what activity is going on in the room (recording vs. mixing). I used eye hooks and open hooks mounted in the walls to hang mine approximately 2" off the wall. That way whatever sound that makes it through the 2" then hits the wall and then has the chance of being absorbed by the back of the panel. That's my understanding at least. Something of note, based on your pictures, you really need to hang a few of those traps in front of you computer monitor. That is also a large reflection point that should not be missed. I see a few on the floor that I am assuming are going to be hung there.

yes will be treating wall behind computer. It doesn't show well in picture but there is two sheets of this stuff called tectum on that wall as well. I'll check density of rock wool , but it was the same as I've read to use. i also need to get pictures of the clouds up here. thanx