John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hi,

I recorded a bunch of songs for my band about a year ago, and have not had the chance to mix them. I have finally decided that it is time for me to do so, even though I am not in the best of situations.

I have done a lot of research on my own, but feel that I need some answers on this question.

I will be mixing in a room that is attached to my bedroom (all of the specs are in the attached picture). The house is a rental, so I can not make any permanant changes to the room. I do not need to worry at all about the sound leaving the room. I would like to know what type of treatment I should add to the room to improve the sonic characteristics. I would prefer to be able to hang things from the ceiling or walls, and I would like to be able to somehow take advantage of the large opening at the rear of the room.

Here's the catch. I am a full-time volunteer right now, so I don't have a lot of money, but it is not a recording that will be heard by many people, so the room doesn't need to sound amazing, just better, I just want to practice mixing. I am fairly handy, so I can build what I need. And, yes, I have read and seen all of John's DIY plans. I just need help choosing the best and the placement, and tips for any simpler options I may have. I hope my question is not too newbie-ish for this forum, and I thank everyone in advance for any help.

The picture isn't quite to scale.

Well - first off I'd leave the doors open at the rear and I'd worry about the parallel side walls and treat the ceiling if necessary.

cheers
john

Thanks John,

I forgot to mention. The ceiling is about 8' and the floor is carpeted, the construction is standard 2x4 with drywall and no insulation except probably on the wall with the window. Here are some more specific questions:

I knew I would have to do something about the parallel walls, but what would be some options? Would I be best off building a sidewall absorber as on the DIY page, could I simply hang some rigid fiberglass from the ceiling at an appropriate angle (if so should I alternate with something reflective, or cover with something reflective?)

The large open doorway doesn't have doors so thats no problem to leave open, but the very rear door leads into the kitchen, which might cause some noise problems for my roomates (i guess i was only partially right about not worrying about escaping noise)

I've read a lot but am still confused about possible ceiling treatment, I'd like to save space by doing something there. Also, would one of the gobos you helped Sjoko build serve any purpose anywhere in a mixing environment? Should the wall with the window (the way I'll be facing) be dead? I know I need to do something there, especially with the offcenter window, but I don't know what.

I tend to focus on the details a lot, which is maybe why I am getting so confused, I hope I'm not being annoying, I just like to know all of my options.

Thanks,
josh

Where can I read and see John's DIY plans?

Optymusblu wrote:Where can I read and see John's DIY plans?

http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm