Rafter Hugging Humpback Stocastibaiter DIY Diffuser

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:01 pm

In my thread Lowering Low freq RT-60 in a control room http://www.recording.org/ftopic-31197-days0-orderasc-45.html I add diffusion to my control room.

Looking at products like the "Space Coupler" and Space Array, I was a little perplexed. Why is it that when someone says they want to build a square or cubic listening room everyone cautions them of violating the golden ratio but when making these things squares and cubes are just fine?

Well I took the random part of diffusion more seriously when desiging my diffusers. Little measurement was done in calculating the distances between the spacers and the partitions. The height of the partitions is very random and the couplers are put up on a kilter so they are not parallel to the floor. A stocastic system optimized by the human eyeball condition.

Please see my RT60 thread for discussion on how this sounds in my room.

peace
Phil

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:55 am

Phil,

you ask:

Quote:

Looking at products like the "Space Coupler" and Space Array, I was a little perplexed. Why is it that when someone says they want to build a square or cubic listening room everyone cautions them of violating the golden ratio but when making these things squares and cubes are just fine?

It's really quite simple - it's called predictability.

First off - all things cubed or square are not evil..... rooms are because of the modal activity which takes place (also predictable) but in the case of a diffusor we aren't taslking the same issues here.

With a system like yours (which may well work just fine when all is said and done) the only way you could possibly know exactly how it works in the end (exactly what happens at each frequency) would be to test it in a lab.........

If it is truly random (as opposed to the quasi-random designs of QRD diffusors) then it becomes even more problematic for you if you were selling these things on the open market.

The square type well diffusors work quite well (no pun intended) and the results of the design can be duplicated easily time and time again....

Does that clear it up?

Sincerely,

Rod

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:46 am

I'm playing with a room in Atlanta as well (my living room/studio). I am more interested in a LIVE feel so little hi-freq absorbtion but a lot of diffussion. Room is 16' x 35' approx. Be curious to hear 'yer results...

I'll take some photos and include if there's interest.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:50 pm

Cathode Ray:

You near Duluth?

Phil

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:06 am

I'm in Austell (of I-20 W). But hey I'd travel anywhere to "talk shop"...
I'm having trouble importing pics(of diffuser), will persist.

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:33 pm

cathode_ray wrote:

I'm playing with a room in Atlanta as well (my living room/studio). I am more interested in a LIVE feel so little hi-freq absorbtion but a lot of diffussion. Room is 16' x 35' approx. Be curious to hear 'yer results...

I'll take some photos and include if there's interest.

My live room is 27x14 with a 7' ceiling in a basement.

I put 5 each 2'x4' OC703 panels and 5 one inch versions of "R-board" and the drums sound soooooooooo much better. Arranged as 2 each 4x4' clouds and the rest stuck to ceiling and walls it really helped the sound in there quite a bit. The drums especially, probably since a lot of the absorbers are aranged near the drums. They sound so much more natural.

Singing under one of the others is quite a noticlble difference too. The sound of your voice is much more absent of the room and audible it is incredible.

Recordings in the live room sound much better with the absorbers. We do rock music with small amps and live drums , percussion and vocals in there. I would do something different if it were for acoustic music.

I want to put three of those 4' "bass-traps" in the live room corners next. And one more 4' cloud/gobo would be nice too.

peace
phil

For diffusion I put the verticle blinds in the position where they look like one dimensional diffusers. Doh!

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:18 pm

I've got blinds all around - they're very effective. Made a pair of 4' tall bass traps from 6" fiberglass around a hogwire frame. Really helped the mixing environment. Probably 2 more comming...

I'm playing with "ambient mic" for guitar(in addition to 1 close) so I'll move that and/or the amp around a bit to see how it responds.

I have carpet on the floor(that's where it belongs ...LoL) and a hard ceiling. I hear a hardwood floor "enhances" vocal/acoustic guitar. So whats the difference if the early reflection come from above or below?

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 3:45 pm

cathode_ray wrote:

I've got blinds all around - they're very effective. Made a pair of 4' tall bass traps from 6" fiberglass around a hogwire frame. Really helped the mixing environment. Probably 2 more comming...

You may want to forgo the frame and just put solid rolls of fiberglass in the corners. Those big packages they sell at Home Depot with eight four foot by 16" wide blankets of R30 in one roll barely big enough to get your arms around for about $40.00 each. No need to unwrap the package just stick them in the corners. I did not notice so much untill I had packages in all five corners of my room. Once all of them were done man what a difference in the bass.

Absorption on the ceiling is easier to do since you can put a lot thicker layer on the ceiling and have a space behind it to get midrange absorption. Carpet on the floor only gives some HF absorption. I have a carpeted floor and ceiling clouds and panels on some parts of the ceiling.

When they talk about a wood floor usually "they" are talking a very high ceiling room. Low ceiling rooms need absorption on both, although I have a concrete floor in the control room and difussion and some HF absorption on the ceiling and lots of absorption on the walls in my basement control room.

peace

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