The acoustical problems of a T-shaped room - any thoughts?

[ob]

I posted this at HomeRec and they suggested I come over here. Any help would be appreciated

I have converted a garage apartment into a project studio. It has two rooms; one was the old bathroom, and I will use it as an iso booth or control room, depending on what I am doing. I plan on using the large room for tracking and mixing. It has a T-shape, which, if I have posted the pictures properly, can be seen below.

The large room has two different ceiling heights; the arms of the T are 7 feet, and the center is 9 feet, with the slope from the 7 foot to the 9 foot height being around 40 degrees.

The shape of the room and the ceiling gives me all sorts or angles and corners which I assume are going to give me trouble. Any thoughts on how to treat this beast?
Attached Images

[ob]

This is a cutaway view from the east which shows the two ceiling heights

[dymaxian]

From looking at the plan you have there, I'd recommend you track and mix in the big t-shaped room. If that drawing is close to proportional, the control/iso room on the "top" there will be way too small to mix in.

How big are those closets? If there's no doors on that east wall (bottom of plan as we look at it here) I'd put the mixing station against that wall. This is also presuming those closets are symmetrical. You'd need to put up a bunch of absorption on the back wall of the T-shaped room (west wall) and you might want to build false walls or treatment at angles into the sides of the closets against that east wall, the side walls as you sit at the mix position. That way you won't get parallel wall flutter echoes when you sit there.

Hope this helps.

[ob]

Hey, that was helpful. I am goin to alter my drawing to show windows, doors, etc.

[ob]

Attached is a modified drawing showing the locations of doors, etc. I had planned on mixing in the big room because the old bathroom is far too small. However, I had not considered putting the mixing desk over the by east window. That might eliniate some of the problems of the T, although I will have a window behind me which will add to reflecttion. By the way, my whole rig is on wheels so I can roll it around to any part of the room that will work.

Thanks for the input.

[barefoot]

It has two rooms; one was the old bathroom, and I will use it as an iso booth or control room, depending on what I am doing. I plan on using the large room for tracking and mixing.

Maybe your terminology is off, because I'm a little confused. Which room will your mixer/workstation/monitor speakers be in and which room with the musicians be playing in?

The "Control Room" is where you mix and track. The "Live Room" or "Iso Booth" is where the mucisians play.

Thomas

[ob]

I will not be mixing in what I consider the control room. I will only use it as a control room if I am tracking somone in the large room. Otherwise, I will roll my rig into the large room for mixing.

[brandondrury]

Rolling your rig around seams like an unneeded hassle. Recording in the same room has worked fine for me for several years now without any major problems.

Some are afraid of computer noise, but with the right power supply and large CPU fans, this is not an issue in most cases.

As far as hearing what's going on when tracking, that little room will lie to you much worse than your t-shaped room. I couldn't imagine doing lots of work on tracking just to roll your rig into a more accurate room and find out that you have a boomy or even thin mess.

The only way I could see the need to roll your rig out would be if your physically can not fit every musician into your studio. Orchestras were never meant for home studios, though.

Brandon

[ob]

My plan is to stay in the big room unless there is some reason to be in the small room. However, I already have my first session lined up - my neighbor's string band - and I will probably put myself and gear in the small room so that they can play in a circle without me in the way.

Once I am finished bulding it, of course.[/url]

[brandondrury]

I'm curious how large your rig is. The fact that you can wheel it through a door means it must be fairly compact. I mean you are not moving an oak desk or SSL console obviously.

Whatever works, dude. I would rather sleep before the band gets there, but I'm pretty lazy. Then I would just force the musicians together very tightly to make them uncomfortable as I believe that musicians perform best when they are uncomfortable. Some disagree, but I find it hard to argue that it takes the musicians mind off of his playing when he's bitching about the temperature. I find that in the studio way too many people are self conscious and use "too many mind" to quote the Last Samauri.

Party On
Brandon