How big should my control room be?

Hi all, I would like to transform the space shown in the attached picture into a recording studio. The thing is: I can't figure out what is the best place to have the control room, what size and shape it should be, and if the ceiling should be lowered for this. The dimensions of the room are (roughly converted to feet) 24 door side x 22 door side x 16, and the ceiling is 16 feet high. Both of the doors already are heavy studio doors and I don't want to mess with them. I would appreciate some suggestions helping me get the best configuration for this space. Thank you very much.

Hi "tux", and welcome to the forum! :) Sao Paolo, Rio, or another place? I've only been to those two, and liked them both. But Rio is prettier! :) Anyway, you didn't give us much information to go on, but it seems to me that the best layout for that room, assuming you just want a control room, would be to set it up facing "down" the page, with the speakers on the wall labeled "5.00 m". That would be the front of the room, and the back would be the angled wall at the top of the page. That layout will give you the best geometry and symmetry for setting up your speakers and mix position, and provides good locations for installing your acoustic treatment. However, there is a problem: You have two identical dimensions. Both the width and height of the room are 5 m, and the length is related, at 7.5m. You will probably have to build another room inside that one, or at least some false walls, to fix that problem. If the dimensions are the same or related, then you will have major modal problems: you need a ratio between the dimensions that is favorable to the room acoustics. 5m x 5m x 7.5m is not favorable. In fact, it is really bad. - Stuart -

Hi Stuart, Actually, I am in São Paulo, though i like Rio a lot too. Regarding the studio, I would like to have both a control room and a recording room. I tried to come up with a simple design, considering the space I have. I am not really sure about the exact measures of the room yet, as I haven't moved in yet, which is going to happen next week, so I am just considering what to do now. Maybe the ceiling is 4.5 or 4.8 meters. Will small amounts like these (20 cm, 50 cm) solve the problem of having the same measures? I have sketched a design considering the what I need. I will probably remove the window and put concrete blocks in there. The door behind my monitors would rarely be open, as it will be just a deposit, so I think that would be a problem, or would it? Should I lower the control room ceiling? Are the dimensions I considered for the CR ok? Please let me know what you think. Thanks a lot!

Soundman2020 wrote:

Hi "tux", and welcome to the forum! :) Sao Paolo, Rio, or another place? I've only been to those two, and liked them both. But Rio is prettier! :) Anyway, you didn't give us much information to go on, but it seems to me that the best layout for that room, assuming you just want a control room, would be to set it up facing "down" the page, with the speakers on the wall labeled "5.00 m". That would be the front of the room, and the back would be the angled wall at the top of the page. That layout will give you the best geometry and symmetry for setting up your speakers and mix position, and provides good locations for installing your acoustic treatment. However, there is a problem: You have two identical dimensions. Both the width and height of the room are 5 m, and the length is related, at 7.5m. You will probably have to build another room inside that one, or at least some false walls, to fix that problem. If the dimensions are the same or related, then you will have major modal problems: you need a ratio between the dimensions that is favorable to the room acoustics. 5m x 5m x 7.5m is not favorable. In fact, it is really bad. - Stuart -

I am not really sure about the exact measures of the room yet, as I haven't moved in yet, which is going to happen next week

OK. When you have the exact measurements, please post them here so we can see how well they work.

Will small amounts like these (20 cm, 50 cm) solve the problem of having the same measures?

Possibly, but it depends on the actual measurements.

The door behind my monitors would rarely be open, as it will be just a deposit, so I think that would be a problem, or would it?

That's fine, but you should move that door to the middle of the front wall, as you will need the space in the corners for bass trapping.

Should I lower the control room ceiling?

You might need to, but once again, it depends on the actual numbers.

Are the dimensions I considered for the CR ok?

It looks like a reasonable size, but bigger is better, if you can. - Stuart -

Hi Soundman, I just put some pictures and info about the actual room in the "Construction" section. Would you mind taking a look and and giving me your opinion? Thanks a lot! viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17974

Soundman2020 wrote:

I am not really sure about the exact measures of the room yet, as I haven't moved in yet, which is going to happen next week

OK. When you have the exact measurements, please post them here so we can see how well they work.

Will small amounts like these (20 cm, 50 cm) solve the problem of having the same measures?

Possibly, but it depends on the actual measurements.

The door behind my monitors would rarely be open, as it will be just a deposit, so I think that would be a problem, or would it?

That's fine, but you should move that door to the middle of the front wall, as you will need the space in the corners for bass trapping.

Should I lower the control room ceiling?

You might need to, but once again, it depends on the actual numbers.

Are the dimensions I considered for the CR ok?

It looks like a reasonable size, but bigger is better, if you can. - Stuart -

I just put some pictures and info about the actual room in the "Construction" section. Would you mind taking a look and and giving me your opinion? Thanks a lot!

OK. Let's stick to just that thread from now on, to keep everything in one place. - Stuart -