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I have the opportunity to move my studio equipment out of a small basement room into a "dedicated" second floor room in our oast house - if you don't know what one looks like, here's a link to a picture of a similar house!
http://www.mcgowan85.fsnet.co.uk/kent_oast1.htm

The room is essentially the converted attic inside one of the oasts, and hence is shaped like an inverted cone. The floor space is circular, approx 21 feet diameter, the wall is vertical for the first 4 feet or so, then comes inwards in a cone shape. The top of the cone is approx 20 feet above floor level. The floor is currently just wood boarded, the cone shape is
timber framed, plasterboard panelled on the inside.

The room isn't finished yet, so I don't know what the acoustics are like, and in any case I don't think I have adequate experience in really good
studio rooms to make a reliable judgement. I realise the sensible thing to do would be to hire an acoustics engineer, but they are few and far between in this area, and are also rather expensive, especially considering this is
only a fairly short/medium term solution.

Based on the admittedly limited information I have given, I wonder if anyone could give their opinions as to whether the acoustics in a room like this could be tolerable, and indeed if it would be worthwhile spending a fairly modest amount on improving them (e.g. absorbers, diffusers etc).

I looked at the Auralex stuff and some links for DIY absorbers based on compressed fibreglass - does anyone know if these are readily available in the UK (Jules?)

Thanks

Tom

Comments

Mike Simmons Wed, 01/30/2002 - 05:59

Consult with a pro! Best money you'll ever spend! Be upfront about your budget and maybe you can get a plan drawn up that will allow you to do it yourself on the cheap. There are lots of resources on line for bass traps, diffusors and absorbers. "The Master Handbook of Acoustics" by Alton Everet is a good place to learn more.
By the way, nice Oast house! I'd love a space with serious ceiling height!