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I just moved into a house where I would really like to be able to mix. I have 7 24x24 acoustic foam tiles. I know ill need other treatments. See the picture for my room dimensions. I'm not sure what else I need, or where to place what. I would like to be able to record in the room as well… if that makes a difference. Thanks!

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DonnyThompson Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:51

edaub1, post: 434779, member: 37285 wrote: I have 7 24x24 acoustic foam tiles

I don't know what this means... "acoustic foam tiles"... meaning Auralex? Or mattress padding? 1" thick? 2"? What?

If they are the "typical" 1" or 2" thick auralex tiles, they won't do a thing to treat frequencies at any measure below 1k.

Here's where you should start:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/143545717X/?tag=r06fa-20

DonnyThompson Wed, 01/06/2016 - 04:00

Auralex 2" will help some with the upper range flutter echo... but that might not be the only problem to your room, and accordingly, it might not be the only solution required, either.

Have you measured the RT60 of the room?

If you have, please provide the RT60 values.

Without knowing anything more than just the dimensions you've shown in your drawing, these measurements suggest that you could also have some issues in and around the 250hz range; and those 2" Auralex tiles won't correct that.

But, more info is needed...

If you were to provide some details as to the materials used to construct the room (how thick are the walls, and are they plaster, lath or drywall; is there any insulation in the walls; are the floors carpet, linoleum, marble, stone, or wood; is the ceiling plaster, drywall, drop; the dimensions of your windows, the dimensions of your closet), along with your geographic location ( which helps determine what acoustical correction materials might be available to you ) then we might be able to coax Brien - RO's resident acoustics expert - or Kyle, another RO cat who is knowledgeable in the science, to weigh in on this... room dimensions are a start, but dimensions alone aren't enough, if you really want a space you can accurately mix in.

( @Brien Holcombe ) ( kmetal )

And again, I would strongly urge you to pick up Rod's book; I gave you a link in my first reply; I'll post it again below. It's a wealth of info - accurate info - and is the bible around here for acoustics correction and isolation, for both pro's and home recording enthusiasts alike:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/143545717X/?tag=r06fa-20

-d.

pcrecord Wed, 01/06/2016 - 09:11

edaub1, post: 434779, member: 37285 wrote: I just moved into a house where I would really like to be able to mix. I have 7 24x24 acoustic foam tiles. I know ill need other treatments. See the picture for my room dimensions. I'm not sure what else I need, or where to place what. I would like to be able to record in the room as well… if that makes a difference. Thanks!

If it's not a mastering room you are about to build but just a small home studio for demos, I'd say, start with what you already have and see if other problems arise.
Many people make the mistake of building a room with a ton of threatment without having even made 1 recording in it first. Too much absorbtion could be worst than not enough, specially when dealing with near fields monitors...
Take care of the first reflexions first and listen/record and you can even mix a bit in it and bring the result to other location to hear how it translate. If you tend to mix too much bass or you can't make good decisions, then you can fix it

kmetal Wed, 01/06/2016 - 20:43

Aurelex does a decent job with flutter. It leaves off at crucial low mid/low frequencies. So if you use 2" foam only, you will make bass response worse, proportionally.

For the same or less money you can use 'rigid fiberglass' most commonly Owen and cornings 703. It comes in various thickness 6" or more approaches the ideal thickness range in general, but even the 2" will outperform studio foam, a fair amount, in the extremely critical low mid/low frequency range. This company http://www.atsacoustics.com/cat--Fiberglass-and-Mineral-Wool-Batts-and-Boards--106.html is reputable, and has a wide selection of this stuff. 3lbs per square foot, pretty much outperforms 6lbs stuff across the board.

Keep in mind that as long as the density is the same the generic Ridgid, and Ridgid rockwool, can be expected to perform similar to the famed 703. Also keep in mind that shipping is generally the same as the cost of each panel, so the sticker price is a bit deceiving.

As far as speaker orientation goes you will want to experiment. Having the speakers 'fire the long way' in the room is generally going to give you more accurate bass response. So I would try placing them where the bed is, aiming at the closet. The closet is a bass trap. Not sure if ya filled w clothes but if it isn't fill it with the fluffy typical insulation you put in wall bays. You can experiment with how much/little to leave the doors open or closed, to get optimal bass response.

You may find that the way you have the speakers now is best. You may also find that having them on the wall near the door is better. The door is a bass trap too. Anything that lets bass out, where it doesn't come back in at all, or for a very long time, is a bass trap. What frequencies you are attacking depend very basically on the opening size, how much stuff is in it, and the stuffs density

Any corner in the room is an opportune spot to place Ridgid insulation, or a combination of rigid/fluffy insulation. Corners are where bass builds up most.

In essence mids/high frequencies are relatively easy to manage. The challenge in most studio designs, especially small rooms is the low end response. Bass response makes or breaks most rooms.

OBrien Wed, 01/06/2016 - 20:52

When I see a topic like this "Strange room setup. Need advice!"
My first reply is typically to suggest that you get another room. But the fact is it isn't a strange room, it is simply a bed room. The inherent issues that come with a bedroom are many and they all work against an audio environment.

A mixing room needs balance and symmetry! You have no balance and no symmetry. You can install treatments but that will only serve to deaden the environment and in no way helps in the issue of being able to mix.

Your best bet is to use headphones. You may also try a few other things. Take the carpet off of the floor, it is hurting more than helping for an acoustic evaluation area. Then move your mixing desk to the area where the bed is. In your current configuration you have a low frequency trap to your left(the cloths closet) and this alone is enough to unbalance the sweet spot.

Center the mix position, you want balance and symmetry. An accurate listening position is typically "flipped." That means the floor is hard and the ceiling is soft. This will change what you are used to hearing due to the interaction with this flipped environment. In a real mix room the soft overhead is called a cloud. If you Q=mixing%20room%20overhead%20cloud'" rel="nofollow">Google it (mixing room overhead cloud) it is no accident that two of the images you see are mine and will lead you to a document that goes into greater detail about what needs to be done.

In any event, if you take out the carpet on the floor, move the mix position to the end wall to the right of the entry door, place your head and your speakers into an equilateral triangle with your head situated 4 feet and 2 inch's from that back wall and stick ALL of the absorbent foam you have onto the ceiling directly over your head, you will have a good start.

Then research RFZ (reflection free zone) and get updated on how to locate and treat first reflection points.


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