Hi Guys,

I have SERIOUSLY ramped down my set up recently. Im now running a macbook based system which does most of the work with a few boutique pieces I strap across the mix bus.

My new home can no longer accommodate a fully treated studio considering the amount of music I am now making, but I still want to improve the acoustics a little bit. It will never be great as its not a million miles off a cube (approx 14l x 11w x 9h) and I ''am not allowed'' to stick superchunks in.

In fact, as the room has to occasionally function as a spare room, Ive not been given the blessing to use 100mm panels.

So basically, I plan to use 50mm panels at the reflection points, cloud (this could maybe be 100mm), and in the corners (although 2 panels flat against the wall, not straddling the corners for space reasons). i can maybe hang all these 50mm panels a small space out from the wall.

Im worries in that doing this I might end up with a worse sounding room. All the top gone and a wild uncontrollable bottom end.

I want to do something to control the ringing that I have as it is. Is this half hearted approach worth the effort?

Thanks a lot gurus.
jake

the panels in the corners will be relatively useless , certainly not effective as bass traps.... unless you hinge them so they can come out to 45 degrees across the corner.... it ought to be possible to arrange it so they come out, overlay each other, and clip together to create a "mostly" 100 mm corner panel trap, and fold back into the walls when not in use.... that would be worth the effort..... and ought to keep domestic peace.

the rest, well, do what you can, if you can mount a 50mm panel at least 25mm off the wall surface it would help.... a 50mm panel spaced 50mm from the wall is almost (but not quite) as effective as a 100mm panel directly on the wall.

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if you don't know who i am, i aint gonna tell you.

Can you straddle upper corners where the ceiling and wall meet?

Glenn

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www.GIKAcoustics.com
Now with offices in the USA and Europe

Jake,

You really need to trap the room. That's first - even before reflection points...

But in your case may I recommend some very, very good headphones??
Denon AH-D7000
or
Sennheiser HD 800

Cheers,
John

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Recording Studio Design/Consulting, Acoustics, & Electronics. - go to http://jhbrandt.net & sign up for my free newsletter "Studio Design News"

thanks guys, this is pretty much what i figured.

I think i will have to just do basic mix's in this room and finish them off elsewhere.

What if I were to forget about mixing and just make the room a bit nicer to track vox in? Would the 50mm panels help at all at softening the room up a bit?

Snip,

You would still need serious trapping in the room to produce good vocals. I'm sure that you have received projects from folks that did their vocals in a closet with a little foam on the walls..??

It was real 'boxy' sounding and very difficult to EQ that out. Those are room resonances and they will affect everything that is recorded in the room. So trap it out & it should make a nice vocal booth.

Cheers,
John

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Recording Studio Design/Consulting, Acoustics, & Electronics. - go to http://jhbrandt.net & sign up for my free newsletter "Studio Design News"