Hi Kev, and Welcome!
:)
my studio space isn't symmetrical.
And that is the fundamental source of all your problem!
The most basic issue have is symmetry. Or rather lack of symmetry. Without having a symmetric acoustic space around your head, it will be impossible, as in, well, umm... IMPOSSIBLE to set up a critical listening area. Right now you have a highly reflective wall just inches from your left ear, and many meters of empty open space next to your right ear. There simply is no treatment that can fix such a badly asymmetrical mix position. No electronic plug-in, no magical incantations.. nothing.
So the first order of business is for you to find a different spot in the room where you can set up your desk symmetrically with the walls You need to find a place where you can set up your chair so that it is the same distance from the left wall as it is from the right wall.
The most logical place appears to be facing the wall at the right hand end of your diagram. That would be the best possible location in the room. Of course, it means re-arranging furniture and things, but if you are serious about getting usable sound out of your system, and being able to do mixes that actually translate, then it is time to bit the bullet and shove you bed over to the other side of the room. So first you have to decide: does your studio take priority in your life, or does your bed take priority?
:)
When you have that location picked out, you then need to ditch the speaker stands shown on your desk, and either buy or build some proper speaker stands that sit in the floor BEHIND your desk, not touching it. It is a really bad idea to have your speakers sitting on the desk.
The stands must be massive (very heavy). Some people on a tight budget just stack up a couple of cheap concrete blocks, wrap pretty cloth around them, and have great stands for a few dollars. Others build stands from large diameter hollow PVC pipe, filled with dry sand. Others buy or make hollow metal stands, and also fill them with dry sand. But whatever you do, the stands need to rest on the floor only, not touch the walls or desk, and be very massive.
The also need to be just high enough so that the acoustic axis of your speakers ends up 1.2m above the floor. NOTE! "Acoustic axis". That's not the top or bottom of the speaker box, and not the middle of the woofer or the tweeter: it is the point that sound appears to emanate from on the front panel, and is different for every speaker. The manufacturer of your speakers can probably tell you where that point is, or if not then we can show you how to estimate it.
So your speakers are now on stands between the desk and the front wall, 1.2m off the ground. Now you have to figure out how far apart to place them: that depends on the distance between the wall on your left and the wall on your right: Each speaker should be roughly 28% of that distance away from the side wall: So let's say your walls are 5m apart (just an example): in that case, the left speaker would be set up 1.4 m from the left wall, and the right speaker would be set up 1.4 m from the right wall, leaving a distance of about 2.2m between them (once again, I'm talking about distances to the acoustic axis).
Finally, your head needs to be about the same distance from the front wall as the speakers are from each other, so in this fictitious example, you would set up your chair so that your ears end up roughly 2.2m from the front wall. Now angle the speakers inwards at about 30°, and they should be pointing right at your ears, or a bit further outside your ears. The imaginary acoustic axes should then be intersecting at an angle of 60°, roughly 15 to 30cm behind your head.
If this doesn't work out, then you can adjust the positions and angles slightly, as needed.
With that done, you now have optimal listening geometry, and it is time to add treatment.
First, put two thick panels of absorption, such as 10cm OC-703, directly between the speakers and the front wall, then one more panel of OC-703 on each side wall at the first reflection point, and another panel on the ceiling overhead, also at the first reflection point. Finally, cover the entire rear wall behind you with more panels of 703, spaced about 10 to 20cm away from the wall (or more, if you have the space).
Now for bass trapping: Build large floor-to-ceiling "superchunk" bass traps in the front and rear corners of the room, floor to ceiling.
That should get you a pretty decent sounding space. If you wanted to improve the acoustics even more, you could then run the REW acoustic analysis program on your room, and post the results here for analysis. But doing the second round of treatment would probably take you way beyond your budget, and most likely will not be necessary.
I just want to know what would be the best way to tackle my room in getting it treated. I have been researching videos on DIY soundproof absorbers and corner absorbers.
Careful where you search! There is real, solid, sound scientific information on acoustics, how sound works, and how treatment works. And there there is YouTube. The two are exact opposites. There are an awful lot of "experts" posting videos on YouTube, but wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between a Haas Kicker and getting their Asses Kicked, if their lives depended on it!
In other words, there's a huge amount of myth, misinformation, snake-oil, hype and just plain garbage out there. So beware where you look! On the other hand, if you want the truth, based on physics and the science of acoustics, then you are in the right place here. Nobody here want's to sell you a product, or demonstrate their skills at filming videos and posting them on YouTube: Folks here have learned how to do it right, and want to share that with others. That's all.
I can pretty much guarantee that if you follow the above steps correctly, the sound you get from your system will blow you away: you would have never imagined that you could get such clarity, depth, tightness, sound-stage, and stereo imaging. It will be streets ahead of the way it sounds now. Still not world-class, of course, but way, way better.
IMHO
- Stuart -
