Unusual Room. Need Ideas please.

[GSQD]

Hi all,

I've just moved into a new place and I have a sizeable room in which to install my studio. The room is:

30ft 5 inches long
13ft 3 inches wide
7ft 3 inches high

It has 8x4ft windows equally spaced along the exterior wall which I intend to block off. It has french doors into the house exactly half way along the other long wall.

Sorry if that description sounds weird but it's a weird room!

The room will be used for recording and mixing projects in mainly the pop, folk and jazz areas. The system is almost entirely computer based and I have full-ish range KRK monitoring.

Any ideas on layout etc would be greatly appreciated as I usually work in bigger commercial facilities and have probably become spoilt a bit!

Many thanks in anticipation,

GM

[Ethan Winer]

GM,

> Any ideas on layout etc would be greatly appreciated <

You didn't really give us enough info, or ask anything, to offer much. Do you want advice on how to divide the room into two spaces? Are you willing to build new walls to improve the shape? What exactly are you asking?

--Ethan

[GSQD]

Ethan,

Thanks for the reply.

This 'is' the problem. I have this room and I can do virtually anything I want with it.

I'm really looking for ideas on which way to go. I 'could' make 2 rooms if need be but I'm very used to tracking most things in the control room and have been doing so for years. The 'mix' area could be set up just about anywhere in the room and a dedicated live room is not an absolute requirement as I intend to build a set of heavy duty screens.

I've run a few tests and, predictably, I have a 70-80hz bump in the sound. This is no doubt the result of the speakers sitting almost exactly equidistant between the foor and the ceiling!

So I appologise if the info seems a little vague but it litteraly is a blank canvas!

Many thanks once again.

GM

[Ethan Winer]

G,

> I have this room and I can do virtually anything I want with it. <

Okay, now I see. But it will help a lot if you'd let us know if you're willing to build new walls.

> I 'could' make 2 rooms if need be but I'm very used to tracking most things in the control room <

Me too. Keeping the room large is a good idea, though if you're willing to build a wall you could shorten the length a little to imrpove its modes, and use the leftover as a booth. If a booth would be useful to you.

--Ethan

[GSQD]

Ethan,

You're on the ball aren't you?

Good, quick, concise answers - thanks.

My obvious concern is that fact that I have the french doors into the house (which cannot be moved or closed of completely) halfway down one of the long walls. I would be quite happy to keep the room large and use screens if I should need any kind of vocal or amp isolation. So another room isn't needed.

Do you think it would be a big advantage to split the room then? If so where? And I still cannot find the right place for the mix station.

Cheers for the continued support. Gary (Brenner) told me this would be the place to ask!!

Glyn

[Ethan Winer]

Glyn,

> Do you think it would be a big advantage to split the room then? If so where? <

I have one large room and I love it. So I don't necessariy suggest you split the space. The main reason to consider that is to improve the room modes. Unfortunately there are no good dimensions that go with that low height. Maybe someone else has a suggestion, but it seems to me your best bet is to leave the room as is and just treat it well with bass traps etc.

As for where to put the mix position, the two most important goals are left/right symmetry, and having the loudspeakers face the long way into the room.

--Ethan

[GSQD]

Thanks once again Ethan,

So I should put the speakers on or near one of the short walls?!?

Yeah, I knew the ceiling height was gonna be a b..tard! As you say, it's desperately close to a division of the other 2 dimmensions.

I would rather leave the room as one big space and then play with screens depending on what I need to semi-isolate.

I'll be playing around with layouts with the monitors and a CD player today. I'll let you know what I find.

Many thanks once again,

Glyn

[Ethan Winer]

Glyn,

> I should put the speakers on or near one of the short walls?!? <

Yes, the loudspeakers should face the long way into the room.

--Ethan

[GSQD]

Ethan,

OK, after 3 days, and many differing layouts, I've decided on an approx' plan. As you said, I now have the the monitors firing down the room lengthways about 3 feet from the end wall. It sounds way better than it did!

I intend to put a large couch approx' half way down the room to visually break up the space whilst keeping the main room size.

I've got some hefty bass trapping in the front corners and my reference (Stephen Court) CD and SPL meter tell be I have a fairly flat response. I have some work to do on the side walls and all those damn 8x4ft windows to block off completely, but I think we're on the right track.

I'll keep you informed of the progress and once I'm done I'll post some pics.

Cheers,

Glyn

[dasbin]

Try putting the speakers on a 45 degree angle to the room just for kicks and see how it sounds.

I've heard of this fixing a lot of problems in "long and narrow" rooms. You may not have the absolute stereo symmetry but it can fix slapback and flutter echoes.