Need Sound/ Acoustic treatment advice.

powerjoe · Post by **powerjoe** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:24 am

Hello,

What a wonderful forum! I hope that by getting more involved here, I may be able to someday offer some good advice to others as well. Currently, I am in need of some good advice about acoustical treatment of my small studio/ mixing/ recording room. I would like to post some pictures of the room itself, but wondered what picture angles of this 9x12x8ft room would be most helpful to you. I can post any number of angles and photos (all very small files) so if you would comment on such, I would be very, very appreciative.

I can't wait to get started!

Any advice at all, please...

Joel

the dreamer · Post by **the dreamer** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:44 am

Hi and welcome!

A floorplan and detailed data, dimensions, etc. will be enough to start with.
When the discussion is developing you'll see if more is needed IMO.

Is there already some treatment in place? What kind of problems do have with the room? Where are your speakers / mixposition?
Are you going to soffit your speakers?

Generally said almost every room will need broadband/basstrapping:
Cornerabsorbers and panels to treat with flutter/early reflections.
If you got a rectangle room it's common here to build angled slat-helmhotz-absorbers left/right from the mixposition to deal with flutter and early reflections as well as absorb low-mids/mids.

read this:
http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2125
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewforum.p ... 226b7354d0
http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm

Come back with specific questions then.
I'm sure you'll get decent advice from the guys here.

Florian

powerjoe · Post by **powerjoe** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:27 am

Cheers dreamer!

I have absolutely NO acoustic treatment in this room at the moment.
I will certainly plow through the nice links you've provided and check back with more info. I will leave this info for the time being:

My room is 10.5 feet wide, 12.5 feet long and 8.0 feet high. The width and length of the room were measured on the floor from wall to wall. However, there is a "shelf" that goes all the way around the room that is 39.5 inches off the ground. This "shelf" (which is drywall covered brick) is 3.5 inches deep. So, above 39.5 inches the wall to wall dimmensions are 3.5 inches wider and longer. The desk faces a window that is 41 inches by 43 inches and is dead center in the room. See the included picture. mY "ear" position is 4ft from the floor. My Mackie 624 speakers are near the wall with the window (as can be seen in the photo and are 51 inches apart as measured at the cone center. The tweater height is 42.6 inches from the floor and the chair position is roughly 48 inches from the speakers. There is a big closet door directly behind the chair position that is approximately 9ft from the chair center. There is also a "soffit" that hides a load bearing beam that is 7ft from the chair position and hangs down 14 inches from the ceiling. The floor is carpet and is wall to wall.

I'll look through the generous amount of info you've provided and will touchbase here again today. Thank you so much!

Joel

Ethan Winer · Post by **Ethan Winer** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 3:40 am

Joel,

> Currently, I am in need of some good advice about acoustical treatment <

You got some good advice and links, and you'll find plenty of solid information in my Acoustics FAQ too:

www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

> See the included picture. <

Looks good. I see plenty of corners with room for bass traps, and that's exactly what you need. (Though you'll need to move a few of the trophies aside a little to make room.)

--Ethan

powerjoe · Post by **powerjoe** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:06 am

Ethan Winer wrote:Joel,

> Currently, I am in need of some good advice about acoustical treatment <

You got some good advice and links, and you'll find plenty of solid information in my Acoustics FAQ too:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

> See the included picture. <

Looks good. I see plenty of corners with room for bass traps, and that's exactly what you need. (Though you'll need to move a few of the trophies aside a little to make room.)

--Ethan

Holy crap Ethan,

That is a lot of material and information. Thank you! I wish my pin head could absorb as much as your trapping systems. But, I am trying. I certainly cannot afford your RealTraps, but do appreciate your willingness to offer the information you have. It is plain to see that you are quite an expert on this subject and your time must be incredibly valuable. Many, many thanks. Maybe, one day when I have more greenbacks, I'll be able to get some of your creations. Sincere thanks,

Joel

the dreamer · Post by **the dreamer** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:53 am

Hi Joel,
actually a decent DIY solution is superior compared to Realtraps!
Look at this:
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... ost8678867

Florian

powerjoe · Post by **powerjoe** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:47 am

the dreamer wrote:Hi Joel,
actually a decent DIY solution is superior compared to Realtraps!
Look at this:
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... ost8678867

Florian

Thanks very much. I didn't actually read anything about how to make DIY traps in that post, on that page. It is likely I missed it. I did read a bunch of arguing which is simply not my cup o' tea. I am just looking for positive ideas. Where on that page was the DIY info? Thanks in advance,

Joel

the dreamer · Post by **the dreamer** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:48 pm

The Studiotips Corner Absorber and the Studiotpis Superchunk are DIY solutions which are measured there in comparison to Auralex MegaLenrds and Minitraps.
It's not about how to build them, it's about how they perform. Look at the graphs!!!!!!

The studiotips link I gave you above has descriptions of how to build those!

I did read a bunch of arguing which is simply not my cup o' tea.

I do really understand that this is not you r cup of tea as it isn't mine, and it was not the reason I linked to this. But there is a long story behind this "arguing" which I follow for a long time now and I'm almost sure that in some month, after you read related posts in all the bigger forums (which are often informative as well!) you'll see "some" people in a different light!
But for now I can just advise you to stick to these forums and the moderators there:
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewforum.php?f=1
http://www.recording.org/forum-34.html

You can learn everything and more about all you'll ever need!

Florian

Ethan Winer · Post by **Ethan Winer** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:48 am

Florian,

> actually a decent DIY solution is superior compared to Realtraps! <

Well, okay, but the only way Auralex was able to surpass a MiniTrap was with four times as much rigid fiberglass or foam as is in a MiniTrap. Had they tested our newer MondoTraps, which are only a little larger than MiniTraps yet absorb twice again more below 100 Hz, the outcome would have been quite different.

Also, as I explained in great detail there, the data in the post you linked is totally bogus because it compares tests done in different labs and with different trap placements. What's especially sad is that Jeff Szymanski of Auralex has publicly disclaimed the practice of comparing bass traps in corners using different labs, yet one so-called "expert" (and good friend of Auralex) has not removed the comparison from his site even though he knows it's invalid.

Finally, those tests which Auralex sponsored used only one fourth the required amount of trap surface, further reducing their validity. It should be clear to anyone who bothers to read all ten pages (!) of the thread that the conclusions put forth by my "detractors" are bogus, and their motives are also quite clear. In fact, if you make it to the end you'll see the site administrator finally had to shut down the thread because of all the name calling and insults against me.

> [arguing] was not the reason I linked to this <

It's not my reason either. Maybe it's just me, but the way you presented it seemed a bit one-sided and unfair. I too hope very much not to see a recurrence of that kind of arguing here.

--Ethan

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:50 am

Ethan, it's unfortunate that Dreamer used "Realtraps" instead of "commercial treatments", which would have been more accurate when compared to DIY methods - it should be obvious to almost ANYONE that DIY almost HAS to be cheaper, since the DIY'er is providing the labor.

And don't worry; anything I consider abusive in EITHER direction won't make it for 10 pages, you already know me better than that... Steve

Ethan Winer · Post by **Ethan Winer** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:25 am

Steve,

> it should be obvious to almost ANYONE that DIY almost HAS to be cheaper, since the DIY'er is providing the labor. <

Of course, and you know I've been promoting DIY acoustic treatment for more than a decade now.

> anything I consider abusive in EITHER direction won't make it for 10 pages <

--Ethan

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