PLEASE Help me make my control room sound better.

[the_riff]

So here is the layout of my control room. The only thing I have up right now to help out with the sound is some Auralex 3" wedge foam pieces on the back wall right above the couch. What else would you guys suggest? I now I'm probably going to need some bass traps and such in the corners, but thought I would ask the question here first before I go out and buy anything. Thanks in advance!

[giles117]

If auralex is your choice follow the guidelines outlined in their online catalog and acoustics 101 course.

If you desire real (RTA) treatments check out Eric Winers Realtraps

Yet still further if you want the best solution, read around the forum and study the recording Manual....

The Question you ask is not a ABC, 123 question.

FInally, shrink your pic and read the stickies at the top of these forums....

[cfegela]

Sorry for chicken-scratch mockup...

Basically, build a wall to create an 11'x17' control room. The front walls and corners have reflective 4" thick acoustic panels (use a dense weave fabric like canvas). The back walls and corners are absorptive 4" thick panels (use an open weave fabric like burlap). The side walls and the ceiling above the mix position are 2" absorptive panels to control direct reflections. Use your existing foam on the remaining areas of walls.

Plans for the panels are easy to find in this forum.

[giles117]

Nice inexpensive direction if foam is your choice.

Personally my experience with foam is it gives you false sense of accuracy...

And what he has shown you is right out of the auralex playbook.

[Ethan Winer]

Riff,

> I'm probably going to need some bass traps and such in the corners <

Not probably. Definitely. So move your racks away from the corners so you'll have room to put bass traps there.

--Ethan

[cfegela]

It's actually lifted more from Ethan than from Auralex...

[giles117]

It's actually lifted more from Ethan than from Auralex...

Who knows Auralex might have lifted theirs from Ethan.

I can say this though. LENRDS are abig wast of money. 4 panels of semi rigid AFB outperform 16 pcs of LENRD at 1/10 the cost

[the_riff]

Thanks guys. Going to look into building some bass traps. Lots of info on here about that . Is there a way I could get around "not" doing the wall on the far right creating the 11'x17' room? I don't think I can quite afford that at this time.

[cfegela]

The 6' deep alcove created by the existing booth would provide symmetry at the mix position, so you could get away not building the wall in the short term. But keep it in your plans...

[giles117]

The goal to make the wall not a necessity is to properly trap that area so sound that goes in there doesnt roll back into you mix position smearing what you are hearing.....

[the_riff]

So if were not going to to the wall on the far right that lines up with the iso booth would I still place a panel in the far bottom right corner where the office desk is?


When you say use my existing foam on the walls, that means just place as much as I have and try to cover the complete area?

Also, one problem with 2" absorptive panels on the right side of the desk. There happens to be a window there where the iso booth is. Should I place one below the window or perhaps to the right side of it?


One more. When you say 4" and 2" you mean when I build them, that is what the thickness should be. So I would buy 8' x 1" x 2" and 8' x 1" x 4" pine boards?

I've found some great plans on here so making them shouldn't be a problem and a hell of a lot cheaper than buying them. My only problem in Los Angeles has been finding Owens 703. I know I ran into this recently when building my drum room. I picked up some Roxul instead. Would that be sufficient for this as well?

[knightfly]

So if were not going to to the wall on the far right that lines up with the iso booth would I still place a panel in the far bottom right corner where the office desk is?

Yes; you'll need broadband trapping in all possible corners.

When you say use my existing foam on the walls, that means just place as much as I have and try to cover the complete area?

No; use the "mirror trick" - absorbent goes anywhere you can see either speaker in a mirror placed flat against the surface. This takes care of early reflections that will smear the stereo image due to phase cancellations. If you're using foam, space it off the wall by at least 2-3", and double the thickness (use two layers) - 3M's spray-on contact adhesive works OK for doing this.

Also, one problem with 2" absorptive panels on the right side of the desk. There happens to be a window there where the iso booth is. Should I place one below the window or perhaps to the right side of it?

The sound doesn't care if the window is in the wrong place; you still need absorption if it's in a mirror point. If necessary, you might build a portable panel (gobo) to place in front of the window while mixing.

One more. When you say 4" and 2" you mean when I build them, that is what the thickness should be. So I would buy 8' x 1" x 2" and 8' x 1" x 4" pine boards?


Actually in almost all cases thicker is better; you can get most of the effect of 4" material by using a 4" (or even 6") frame depth, placing the absorbent at the FRONT and letting the frame provide a "stand-off" away from the wall. This makes the effective thickness greater, and lowers the frequency where the absorber stops working.

My only problem in Los Angeles has been finding Owens 703. I know I ran into this recently when building my drum room. I picked up some Roxul instead. Would that be sufficient for this as well?

Acoustically the same density will provide nearly identical results, so go for the cheapest that's available... Steve

[the_riff]

Steve,

Thanks so much. That was a huge help.

Cheers.

[knightfly]