John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hi All,
I don't know if this is the right place for this , but here goes,
I have been wondering , (hypethically )we are always trying to tune a recording studio, room by controlling the acoustic properties of that space ,
either it is to small , not the right shape , not the right materials etc.

What would be the effect of mastering in a space that is totally open i.e setup the speakers out doors in an open field with nothing else around to restrict the free flow of the sound . would we get a more accurate sound?
I know all the environmental draw backs rain wind etc. but has anyone tried this as an experiment and with what result?

if my head is off the deep end please say so , I am a big boy.

Just wondering .

Well, theoretically that would be ideal for absolute clarity and precision ... assuming that you also raised it all fifty feet straight up off the ground, way up in the sky, to prevent SBIR issues and comb filtering from the ground!

But it would be rather unnatural, and probably a little tiring to listen like that for long hours (in addition to concentrating very much on not falling out of your chair....). It would probably be something like working in an anechoic chamber, or like the original LEDE rooms: it's actually not that pleasant to be in an environment where you cannot hear any environment! All your life, your brain expects to pick up auditory clues about where you are, and what is around you, so when it can't do that at all, it's a bit weird.

This is more about psycho-acoustics than it is about actual acoustics: it's about the way your ears and brain interpret the sounds that arrive at your head, rather than the actual measurable characteristics of that sound

So in theory a studio levitated fifty feet up in dead calm air with no sound around for miles would give you "perfect" acoustics, in reality you probably wouldn't want to mix there. That's why the original LEDE concept didn't work out to well, and why the later adaptations of that add some life back into the room. Your brain really does benefit form the diffuse reverberant field in the room.

o the trick is to find the best balance between that and crystal clear direct sound from the speakers. So far RFZ seems to be the best philosophy.


- Stuart -