Oh what to do?

Hi John (or anyone else), I've been scouring all your associated sites GOOD JOB!! Having said that you have made me start thinking on doing something about the acoustics of my room (control room/ project studio vox, guitar...), usings some of your techniques. Iam also considering an upgrade from my Alesis monitor ones to some Event 20/20 monitors while utilizing my existing mosvalve power amp.Total upgrade cost $300.00.(any opinions? please!). I would also like to soffit mount these in a monitor shell. What I was hoping for was your opinions of what to do with my room! I have attached a layout of my bare room it is 9'1" wide x 17'1"long x 8'6" high it has a 3' wide x 6'8" high door 3' up from the rear wall. Centered on the rear wall from the ceiling 2' down is a 4' long split system air conditioner (indoor portion), it is mounted on the wall. My concerns are many, but when I lay it out it seams as though I run into a problem with the rooms width i.e. angleing the walls in only makes it narrower. This also becomes a problem due to the fact that I have an 80"wide x 42" deep x 40.5" tall homemade argosy type console with a 16" wide monitor shelf (if necessary I can remove a section to reduce its width to approx 62"). I am concerned about reflections off of it if I soffit mount speakers, but also would like to keep my console and keep the monitor ones available to check mixes on as well. I know that I have asked for alot and rambled alot as well. Please your opinion will be valued greatly and will most likely be refined & implemented. thanks Jeff

Jeff - your room sounds similar to chippy's in this thread http://www.homer.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=145 take a look at my reply to him. cheers john

Hey, howes everyone? I've been toying around with Smartdraw would like some feedback/ suggestions on my proposed plan!

you on the right track Jeff except I'd flip the control room vertically so that the absorption is behind you and the window/door is in front. you don't want a bright reflective sliding door behind your monitoring position. cheers john

Well my delema has been the location of the door into my 9 x 17 room, I'm a little limited in width to have a sliding glass door between my monitors. My thought was that if I angled the rear wall about 6 degrees from the front wall that would help direct some of the sound towards the side slot absorbers etc. I was also thinking (hoping) that when doing serious mixing (or except while tracking) that I could have the door open & that it would act as sort of a bass trap, that was the thought behind haveing the opening of the sliding glass door as close to center as possible. If I'm completely wrong with these Ideas I will abandon this. I am just trying to come up with a way to have a good control room in this narrow room (i.e. non paralel walls etc.) & I would also like to have a small vocal booth maybe enough for an acoustic guitar & vox if neccessary.If you think this would be better to leave as one room & to track vox etc. with headphone only so be it, either way I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Thanks again, Jeff :)

How about something like this?? cheers john

Yes, I've thought about that & my thoughts have been, that to be on a 60 degree triangle for monitoring, & due to the limited width between monitors. I should be fairly close to the front of the wall, which should be fine. Except that now I need to have the entrance to the control room come between my monitors which in turn forces my mixing desk back towards the rear wall. I've also wondered what your thoughts were towards my earlier post, are you dead set against my having the vocal booth behind me? what are your opinions concerning speaker placement? I believe that finding the "center" "60 degrees", or "sweet spot" of the room should dictate the layout of a room. I have moved around in front of speakers & haved heard the difference that finding that "sweet" spot can make . I therefore feel that due to the narrow width of my room (i.e. the speaker width) that I didn't feel as though people would be able to enter the control room from between the monitors.

well - it's really up to you - if you go with your system make sure you have some heavy curtains to pull over the door when you aren't using the booth. cheers john

John, thanks for your timely responses. I am attaching a variation of my earlier drawing. I have tried your layout & just can't seem to fit my console @ the sweet spot & ever see anyone getting around it very often. You can see what I mean on my attached layout if you look @ the monitor end of things. On my new drawing I've thought of useing a gobo to take the edge off all that glass, yet I could move it if I felt I would like to have full viewing of the booth. you also may notice that I have moved the door, It just seemed that I could get some more usable space & yet with the use of the gobo break up the back wall. I also didn't get a clear answer on your thoughts as to keeping the door open while not tracking & that the booth would act as a giant base trap, i.e. the proverbial open window theory. One last thing if you will - any ideas on gobos, and your veiws on wall sufaces (absorbers etc.). Thanks again, Jeff

I appears to me that your room is sooo small maybe one room would be a better way to go and forget about the sliding door?? cheers john

Okay, so I guess you don't want to see this then? Seriously then in keeping it one room any ideas as far as layout or wall surfaces? Thanks again, Jeff

Yeah - that's a possibility. cheers john

Yeah, talk about mixing with your back against a wall. Which would you do? One room or two? Thanks, Jeff

In either two room design you end up with a small control room - how much recording are you intending to do?? cheers john

Well a fair amount like I said mainly vocals & acoustic guitar, drums or amps can be put elsewhere in the house. I guess I should just keep it as one room. I would still love some advice on absorbers, angleing walls, etc. I was thinking something like my first layout, just minus the divideing wall/door, what do you think? Thanks Jeff p.s. It's just a start didn't finish the rear wall yet.

well if you can record things like drums elsewhere why not shorten the control room just enough to allow for a small vox booth at the top of the drawing with a separate door entrance top right?? cheers john

Can't add or move the entrance to the room. Thanks again! Jeff

Well, I think that I will keep it as one room. I am just looking for some input as to treating it properly. I have attached yet more drawings, with this design being probably the easiest to construct. I was concerned that these designs do leave me with a small amount of parallel walls (the door & the opposing wall) would this be alright if treated properly (and what type?) or would I be better off going back to my earlier drawing where the front of the control room would be offset @ an angle. Please note that I have been studing everything I can on all the associated sites & if anything I think I'm getting more confused. I would like to hone this in so as to start construction as soon as possible. Thanks Again, Cheers! Jeff :)

OK - sorry can't read the small text. Here are a couple of thoughts regarding areas you could treat without loosing too much space. cheers john

Sorry, I was wondering if the small type would be a problem. Pretty much what I was thinking was to have the front of the room with cloth covered 703 with acoustic hangers behind that with the walls angled as shown. I could then add speaker soffits later if I chose to with out a lot of difficulty. The side walls would be slot resonators angled in at 6 degrees each thus giving me my 12 degree minimum. I am really looking to you for advice for the rear of the room. I do have (although the drawing doesn't show clearly) a split system air conditioning unit centered on the wall just down from the ceiling. this might pose a problem with your suggestion of slopeing the ceiling back the otherway, if I was to understand you correctly. I am going ahead an attaching my rear wall elevation that I had previously drawn up but was unable to attach to my last post. It shows one of my Ideas, but moreover it shows part of what I currently have on the wall, which is the a/c unit & just below that is a diffuser that I made using 1"x 6" frame that I routed grooves in, then placed approximately 2" wide strips of hard board (top in the front groove bottom in the back groove) so as to create a wave to the slats. The diffuser is painted & is sort a cool piece of art. I would like use it if possible, but if not oh well! I like your ideas for the back corners & opposite the door. What sort of treatment were you thinking of? The ceiling is also open to ideas. My drawing although hard to tell showed a false celing of cloth above the mix position followed by a slot resonator from that position slopeing back towards the rear of the room. Thanks Again, and Cheers! Jeff

Ah - I thought you had the slot ceiling from the front leaning up to above your chair, which would be the preferable place to have it. Can't read the last pic to understand it :) select all and increase the font size. cheers JOhn

John thanks for the speedy responses! I think I will have to do this in two post due to the limited number of attachments. I am sendind the previous drawings with the increased font & I will also send two that show out lines of what I think that you have in mind shape wise & maybe you could direct me as to what absorbers etc. to use where. Here they are! Look forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks Again, & Cheers! Jeff

Ok, lets try this again!

Well I think that should be better, and for the rest...

Hi John! Call me impatient, just anxiously awaiting your reply! Thanks Jeff