I'm a bassist/vocalist looking to convert the loft in my new (rental) house into a place where I can record bass and vocals (nothing particularly loud), and a some amateur mixing. The house is newly built and very well-insulated - I've yet to hear any sound from the neighbours.
I'm not completely new to the world of recording music and music studios, but this is the first time I get to have one in my own house. Consequently, I'm at a loss as to where to start - right now it's very much a blank slate.
Here are the facts and figures. I've attached a larger Sketchup screenshot to this post.
- Loft on the second floor of a concrete house. Carpet on the floor right now (cheapo square carpet tiles)
- Room size: 6.75m long, 5.15m wide, 3.45m high. BUT! The roof slopes to 1.00m high in the corners.
- Washing machine will have to stay there, it's the only place I can put it.
- The big white block next to the washing machine is the combined HVAC/Solar panel installation. It's covered in plastic-wrapped acoustic blanket.
- There's an open staircase in the back.
- This is a rental property - I would prefer to not make any big permanent changes to the walls/floor/ceiling.
For those interested, I can PM the Sketchup model - it's too big to attach to this post.
As you can see the attic is oddly shaped due to build of the house – Not sure if this is a benefit (fewer parallel walls?) or drawback (angled roof creating two massive bass traps?!).
So these are my most pressing questions at the moment:
- Given the room dimensions and (odd) shape, what would be the best mixing position?
- If suitable for mixing at all, what acoustic treatment would I ideally tackle first? As in - what acoustics definitely need fixing first before I do anything else.
- What should be my second priority?
- How big of a problem is the staircase in the back? Is it a problem at all?
Nearfields on stands at the moment are cheapo JBL LSR305s - I thought it would be useless to upgrade until the room has been treated.
Any and all input is welcome!
Robin