control room acoustics - mix position

hi everyone, i´m still very unsure about what way to go in my mixing area, thinking about using simple open frame absorbers stuffed with rockwool or alternatively using slat resonators. first i think i´ll show you two sketches (measurements are not 100%, just roughly transfered to sketchup, this is no rectangular room at all, what is good i guess). This is the room shape: And a 3D Version with measurements: i plan to use the closet as a big open absorber with 200mm (8") thick rockwool covering the area where the doors of the closet would be. the closet actually is made of simple particle board and never had any doors... it is built right into the wall. with a varying distance from about 600 to 700 mm (24" to 28") this would make a big broadband absorber, absorbing quite low frequencies. the wall on the right side of the closet is fully covered with insulation, i think about 200mm thick. on the left side the wall is made of gypsum board. so my questions are: 1) should i place the insulation in the closet as i plan or should i build hangers ? or is there any other idea for the front wall ? 2) should i proceed and put some open frame absorber on the left wall to complement the already stuffed right wall or 3) should i build some slat resonators for the sides, placed in front of the gypsum board on the left and the insulation on the right to maintain some high frequency reflections / diffusion ? 4) is there any use to build a cloud as a slat resonator for the above reasons ? Any opinion would be very welcome. Thanks decode

this is no rectangular room at all, what is good i guess).

Not really. Rectangular is good for a control room. And symmetry is essential. But your room is not symmetrical, so it will be really hard to get any kind of stereo image, and your mixes will not translate well. I would suggest that your first priority, way before you think of treatment, os to make your room symmetrical. Build a wall on the left of the mix position that mirrors the wall on the right, and put a door in it for access to the other area. Only when you have made your room symmetrical should you start thinking about treatment. Treating what you have now does not make much sense, in my opinion, since a non-symmetrical control room does not make sense. Regarding the closet: If you fill it with rockwool, then that will deaden your entire front wall, basically, making your room more or less into a LEDE studio. But not too many people build LEDE these days. RFZ seems to be the fad today, as it provides better clarity and stereo image. Maybe you could use that closet space for soffits for your speakers. - Stuart -

Soundman2020 wrote:

Build a wall on the left of the mix position that mirrors the wall on the right

Easier is to simply reverse the room and face toward the bottom. An uneven rear wall like the top is actually a good thing, and the new front is mostly symmetrical. --Ethan

Easier is to simply reverse the room and face toward the bottom. An uneven rear wall like the top is actually a good thing, and the new front is mostly symmetrical.

Now why didn't I think of that!???!! :) Makes perfect sense.

Heck, push it into the left hand bottom corner, soften the obtuse angle and what do you have then?

Thank you all for your ideas. Unfortunately there is no option to move the mix position away from the top right / closet. My idea now would be to build a big big gobo to lengthen the left wall, would this be an thinkable option? As the drawing is not 100% appropriate, the trapezois area in below the closet is nearly symmetrical, the gobo would lengthen the "control room area" and leave the back open. Or even lengthen the left side by a concrete wall ? As correct soffit mounting is not an easy issue, i screwed this idea earlier allready... ... was i wrong with that? It still would be possible, though, the angle of the two wings of the closet is to obtuse so the mix position would reach far into the room.

decode wrote:

My idea now would be to build a big big gobo to lengthen the left wall

Okay, sure. --Ethan