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EricIndecisive 7 March 2012

Hey everyone, I recently stripped all the old wallpaper and trim in my room and repainted it. I have a carpet coming in in a couple of weeks.

I know it's not an ideal situation at all, but my goal is to just reduce the amount of reflections around. The goal of the project is to get a 'better than nothing' kind of thing, both for monitoring and recording.

I have six 2x4 feet broadband panels that I am planning to hang on the wall, and was wondering the best place to put them. What I want to do is make a mount where I can remove the panels from the wall as well. I have made stands for them so I could use them behind the microphone when tracking (like those reflection filters you see for sale), so it would be awesome if I could have them on the wall the majority of the time, and then maybe pull a couple off when recording.

Anyways, here are my pictures. 1 main door, 1 closet door, 2 windows. My computer desk will remain around this spot, probably not perfectly centered. Can't hang anything from the ceiling. I was thinking two on the wall behind my computer, one on the wall to the left of the computer, and I could even put one on the inside of the door, so that when it's closed it would be sort of absorbing in that corner, but I don't know. Then I was thinking the remaining two possibly above my bed.

The wall behind the amp I was planning my instruments hung up on, but let me know what you think.

Thanks!

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Comments

audiokid Thu, 03/08/2012 - 16:39

I'm a painter and that is one vibe of a colour you have there! It must really give you energy! Nice wide trim painted Cloud White looks great.

You need base traps in the corners. It will do wonders for you and then a some foam or absorbers on the walls to help the reflections. You need a cloud on the ceiling.

Here are examples taken from RealTraps

 

 

 

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PS

I have 13 of these in my control room with [[url=http://[/URL]="http://prosoundfoam…"]Acoustic Foam | Studio Foam | Sound Foam | Bass Traps[/]="http://prosoundfoam…"]Acoustic Foam | Studio Foam | Sound Foam | Bass Traps[/] and its great. You can make your own traps and panels

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audiokid Thu, 03/08/2012 - 16:53

The idea is to hang the Bass Traps so there is room for the bass to get in behind them and stop it from continuing.The traps work opposite to foam. The part facing the (wall, corner or ceiling) is where it absorbs and traps the sound, not the part that you see. Follow?

You put them in the corners. Then put absorbers on the sides and above you. Hope that helps. Watch some of Ethans video's on RealTraps. You'll learn a lot!

hope this helps.

EricIndecisive Thu, 03/08/2012 - 22:52

Awesome, thanks for that lengthy response! It is a bright color but I do like it a lot - and once you are in the room you get used to it really quick! Next step is adding some ceiling lighting, the panels and some posters on the walls to spruce it up.

That makes a lot of sense with how the bass traps work. Couple more questions though - Do they have the bass traps on the opposite side of the room as well? Or do they only have them on the walls that the monitors are up against? Do all bass traps have to be 4" thick?

I just watched a realtraps video on bass traps, using a zoom H2 to capture the room sound. WOW, what a difference!

Not sure if the cloud is going to fly though (haha), since I still live at home... I doubt my mom will want me drilling into the ceiling to hang panels. Looks like I'll also have to do more construction, 6 panels is not enough! Anyways, these are what mine look like.. could you even use them as bass traps? 2" OC 703

And here you can see the wallpaper that used to be my room.. so boring!

audiokid Fri, 03/09/2012 - 10:29

Those will definitely help!

I am no expert but I actually have RealTraps so I can offer hands on experience.

I hear you on the ceiling. If your ceiling is textured, you can patch the tiny holes ( you should only make) with drywall mud later. Just a dab over the screws and you won't notice it. When you move out, your mom will remember this as your room :). If you sell the house, patch it like I say. The new owners will paint the house anyway. Try that on her :)

The ceiling a a big issue. If you treat your ceiling, its like making a bigger room with higher ceiling because you don't hear the reflection as fast, more treatment the better.. This creates a more spacious sound. We do hear the ceiling when you record something. Especially that low drone and middy honk sound that " sounds like a boxy room. Imagine writing a song, you do it all virtual, its sounds BIG and then you toss in a vocal track that was mic'd in a room that sounds all boxy. You hear the ceiling and walls are only 3 feet away in the recording. The treatment on the ceiling and corners stops the reflections so you get the sound of space, so you don't hear that distance. Follow. You don't want it dead but you do want to control the bass and kill the reflections so you cannot hear how small your room is.

Read more on the traps. there is so much information that you will pick up on over a few times reading. If you have to compromise, the back of the wall is more important than the facing wall for monitoring and of course all the corners all the way around plus, some sort of absorber where your monitors reflect beside your ears.

Its a big topic but this is it in a nut shell.

The traps need to be thicker than thinner. 4" at least. They need to stop the bass. Bass is your enemy. If you don't catch the bass, you will be hearing it in your room and therefore, compensating your mix by taking bass, mids and highs out of your mix. Your CD's will sound wimpy and inaccurate. Big topic.

Do what you can, we all are in the same boat.

Hope that helps a bit more.

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