hey y'all,
I have just moved from suburbia into an inner-city apartment in Brisbane. As a lifestyle choice it's superb, as a recording environment choice it is not so good. I have my own room which is good, but the room is a 10' by 10' by 10' cube, which is bad. Also, I'm renting so everything will have to be temporary.
Check the picture for the worst of the news. I have one non-parallel wall (which is good) but the room has a serious bass deficiency. Just last night I was listening to a rough mix, and as the bass line walked down from G, to G flat, to E, it just dissapeared. There is one little window in the corner which looks out to our lounge room (I don't care if I have to obscure it), and a uselessly small cupboard, which is holding mic stands, guitar cases and gear boxes.
I don't quite know where to begin. I'm suitably handy with tools and construction, so I'm ready to build whatever is needed. I don't even know which way I want to set things up. At the moment I am set up on the wall opposite the cupboard (top of the diagram) but I am ready to move it all around. What should I do????????
Sorry about the kiddie style diagram, I have absolutely NO graphics software. Kinda takes me back to my crayon days....
Thanks to all in advance,
sh.
I need help! Check out my cube!
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supaheef
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 6:57 pm
- Location: Brisbane, Australia
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knightfly
- Senior Member
- Posts: 6976
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:11 am
- Location: West Coast, USA
You on a Mac? if not, even the paint program in windoze can draw straight lines, and with a bit of fiddling can even do half-ass scale drawings.
Anyway, this is almost the only time I've ever considered recommending HEADPHONES to anyone...
Have you considered something similar to the MaxWall approach? Not perfect, but should help your cube a bit.
I've been drawing up plans for a set of temporary treatments along this line, they will be 4" rockwool batts inside 1x6 lumber frames, one side hard - then, a pair of rails that bridge across the top, and a "cloud" to rest on the top.
I won't know for sure how well this works til it's done (having it built by someone with more time who's in the biz of woodworking)
Here's an early concept drawing, maybe you can take it from there - it'll be several months before the one I'm doing will be anywhere -
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=15642
It's about to the bottom of the page... Steve
Anyway, this is almost the only time I've ever considered recommending HEADPHONES to anyone...
Have you considered something similar to the MaxWall approach? Not perfect, but should help your cube a bit.
I've been drawing up plans for a set of temporary treatments along this line, they will be 4" rockwool batts inside 1x6 lumber frames, one side hard - then, a pair of rails that bridge across the top, and a "cloud" to rest on the top.
I won't know for sure how well this works til it's done (having it built by someone with more time who's in the biz of woodworking)
Here's an early concept drawing, maybe you can take it from there - it'll be several months before the one I'm doing will be anywhere -
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=15642
It's about to the bottom of the page... Steve
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supaheef
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 6:57 pm
- Location: Brisbane, Australia
The drawing of walls is easy, I did it in Appleworks. It just wouldn't let me do text. It was late at night so I just used the quickest method - freehand! I quite like the kindergarden aesthetic though, suits the childish music I make...
I had thought of the post-mounted idea, but I hadn't thought of steel piping for legs, that's a great idea.
I was thinking of John's 8" deep panels for my back wall, built so I could stack them (kinda like lego!) where I needed them. Then maybe some 4" deep ones for sidewalls, etc. I was going to build them half the height of the ceiling, so that one on top of another will give me floor-to-ceiling cover. Also, I can use them for gobos for location recording too. Should I build backs on them (all/some) and how thick should it be? Does it need to be an airtight box? I will have cloth fronts, as the room is too small for diffusion/hard fronts.
I don't think I will be doing anything to the ceiling, unless I string some light cable from front to back, then hang some 703 (equivalent) from it. Ceiling is unfortunately last on the last, as the wall units would have to be quite secured to support panels being suspended between them. I can't mark the walls in anyway. Stick-On hooks are about as strong as I can use.
The slightly non parallel wall is the one that leads to the next unit, so that's the one that I want to cover in the 8" deep panels. If I set up my desk on the wall opposite (the wall with the door) do I HAVE to position myself dead centre for best imaging? Also, what should be on the walls behind my mintors? Isolation is less of an issue, purely for sound consideration.
Wow, what a list of questions for such a small room. Any help is greatly appreciated.
sh.
I had thought of the post-mounted idea, but I hadn't thought of steel piping for legs, that's a great idea.
I was thinking of John's 8" deep panels for my back wall, built so I could stack them (kinda like lego!) where I needed them. Then maybe some 4" deep ones for sidewalls, etc. I was going to build them half the height of the ceiling, so that one on top of another will give me floor-to-ceiling cover. Also, I can use them for gobos for location recording too. Should I build backs on them (all/some) and how thick should it be? Does it need to be an airtight box? I will have cloth fronts, as the room is too small for diffusion/hard fronts.
I don't think I will be doing anything to the ceiling, unless I string some light cable from front to back, then hang some 703 (equivalent) from it. Ceiling is unfortunately last on the last, as the wall units would have to be quite secured to support panels being suspended between them. I can't mark the walls in anyway. Stick-On hooks are about as strong as I can use.
The slightly non parallel wall is the one that leads to the next unit, so that's the one that I want to cover in the 8" deep panels. If I set up my desk on the wall opposite (the wall with the door) do I HAVE to position myself dead centre for best imaging? Also, what should be on the walls behind my mintors? Isolation is less of an issue, purely for sound consideration.
Wow, what a list of questions for such a small room. Any help is greatly appreciated.
sh.
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knightfly
- Senior Member
- Posts: 6976
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:11 am
- Location: West Coast, USA
Thinking of something like this - haven't worked out the support for the top cloud rails yet, unless you made the gobo's tall enough (like 5-6 feet of frame plus legs, so the cross pieces could be just under the ceiling height)
Possible Mac draw stuff -
http://www.download.com/3000-2187-63952 ... egacy=cnet
http://www.download.com/3150-2187-0.html?tag=stbc.gp
HTH... Steve
Possible Mac draw stuff -
http://www.download.com/3000-2187-63952 ... egacy=cnet
http://www.download.com/3150-2187-0.html?tag=stbc.gp
HTH... Steve
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supaheef
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 6:57 pm
- Location: Brisbane, Australia
Alright, I think I got it planned...
I'm gonna frame up some 4" semi-rigid in 1mt by 1.4mt panels, open-backed, then just stack them around the room (corners first) until I get what I need. I may have to cover every wall...
Will this work? I figure that I can use the panels as gobos for tracking sessions away from home, and stand them on top of each other at home to cover walls. With cloth in a choice of fashion colours, of course. Shouls some of them have hard backs/fronts?
What should I put behind my monitors? How much absorption should I need behind them? Do I need to be centred in the room? I need a little room to swing a mic stnad, and it's easier to get when I offset my equipment desk. Should I setup and fire into a corner? The room is a perfect square.
sh.
I'm gonna frame up some 4" semi-rigid in 1mt by 1.4mt panels, open-backed, then just stack them around the room (corners first) until I get what I need. I may have to cover every wall...
Will this work? I figure that I can use the panels as gobos for tracking sessions away from home, and stand them on top of each other at home to cover walls. With cloth in a choice of fashion colours, of course. Shouls some of them have hard backs/fronts?
What should I put behind my monitors? How much absorption should I need behind them? Do I need to be centred in the room? I need a little room to swing a mic stnad, and it's easier to get when I offset my equipment desk. Should I setup and fire into a corner? The room is a perfect square.
sh.
-
knightfly
- Senior Member
- Posts: 6976
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:11 am
- Location: West Coast, USA
I'm gonna frame up some 4" semi-rigid in 1mt by 1.4mt panels, open-backed, then just stack them around the room (corners first) until I get what I need. I may have to cover every wall...
Will this work? I figure that I can use the panels as gobos for tracking sessions away from home, and stand them on top of each other at home to cover walls. With cloth in a choice of fashion colours, of course. Should some of them have hard backs/fronts?
You should do them just as I show in the sketch; open backed for corners and front and rear wall, hard backed as shown for the splayed ones either side of the mix desk, open (and in your case, about 2 feet below the ceiling over the mix desk. The splayed, hard backed ones will help un-do some of the evil of your "perfect cube".
What should I put behind my monitors?
Same as the sketch.
How much absorption should I need behind them?
I would use 4" thick, at least 4" off the wall; once again, see the sketch.
Do I need to be centred in the room? I need a little room to swing a mic stnad, and it's easier to get when I offset my equipment desk.
If possible, find another way; setting up offcenter will mess with your stereo imaging.
Should I setup and fire into a corner? The room is a perfect square.
As much as this seems like a good idea, it's NOT - you would need to absorb nearly the entire room for this to work even marginally. Sound fired into a square corner gets reflected back out of that corner parallel to the incident sound, so there would be a LOT of reflection paths that need absorption; this would make the room so dead sounding as to be unnatural.
If you have Excel on your Mac, you may be able to use this plan to figure out a good "map" of where the speakers and your head should be in the room;
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=18029
for this, ignore your gobo's when entering room dimensions... Steve
Will this work? I figure that I can use the panels as gobos for tracking sessions away from home, and stand them on top of each other at home to cover walls. With cloth in a choice of fashion colours, of course. Should some of them have hard backs/fronts?
You should do them just as I show in the sketch; open backed for corners and front and rear wall, hard backed as shown for the splayed ones either side of the mix desk, open (and in your case, about 2 feet below the ceiling over the mix desk. The splayed, hard backed ones will help un-do some of the evil of your "perfect cube".
What should I put behind my monitors?
Same as the sketch.
How much absorption should I need behind them?
I would use 4" thick, at least 4" off the wall; once again, see the sketch.
Do I need to be centred in the room? I need a little room to swing a mic stnad, and it's easier to get when I offset my equipment desk.
If possible, find another way; setting up offcenter will mess with your stereo imaging.
Should I setup and fire into a corner? The room is a perfect square.
As much as this seems like a good idea, it's NOT - you would need to absorb nearly the entire room for this to work even marginally. Sound fired into a square corner gets reflected back out of that corner parallel to the incident sound, so there would be a LOT of reflection paths that need absorption; this would make the room so dead sounding as to be unnatural.
If you have Excel on your Mac, you may be able to use this plan to figure out a good "map" of where the speakers and your head should be in the room;
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=18029
for this, ignore your gobo's when entering room dimensions... Steve