Time for some acoustic treatment... Help!

[sazb30]

Ok, so I,ve been making music for 20 years, but have never had any acoustic treatment in my rooms. I've actually been mixing on headphones for the past 5 yrs. I'm now in a position where I can use monitors again and have invested in a new pair (Neumann KH120) along with the Sonarworks reference 3 package. I've also persuaded my other half to agree to a bit of acoustic treatment in the spare room (which doubles as my music room).

I've been doing some research and the consensus seems to be that bass traps should be the first consideration, followed by acoustic panels or tiles.

I need som advice because I can only do this in a very limited way and I'm wondering if it's worth the time and effort (and money).

The room is quite big and has a double bed in it at one end and my gear at the other. There is also a fitted wardrobe on one of the side walls. Really I can only bass trap one corner, because of the fitted wardrobe and because I want to stay away from the bedroom end of the room. I am also able to stick a couple of large acoustic panels on the two walls closest to my gear (one behind the desk and one on the wall that doesn't have the fitted wardrobe). Will I get any benefit just from treating the area around my workspace? And only one corner? I also can't get the traps right up to the ceiling because there's coving up there. If I go from the floor up to just above the level of my desk will it help? I guess I'm asking if some is better than none? Or if really I'm wasting my time with such a token effort! I guess my thinking is that a bit of acoustic treatment plus the Sonarworks plus nice monitors will give me the best that I can hope for (given that I'm stuck in a spare room!)

I'd really appreciate any advice on this since I'm a total noob when it comes to acoustic treatment!

Thanks guys

[Winstontaneous]

I suggest looking checking out Sound on Sound's resources like this.

Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets book has a more in-depth exploration of best monitoring/treatment practices for the home studio.

What kind of music are you making and what volume do you like working at?

Some treatment is indeed better than none, if the treatment actually addresses the acoustic issues present in your room.

[lolilol1975]

I've been doing some research and the consensus seems to be that bass traps should be the first consideration, followed by acoustic panels or tiles.

I need som advice because I can only do this in a very limited way and I'm wondering if it's worth the time and effort (and money).

The room is quite big and has a double bed in it at one end and my gear at the other. There is also a fitted wardrobe on one of the side walls. Really I can only bass trap one corner, because of the fitted wardrobe and because I want to stay away from the bedroom end of the room. I am also able to stick a couple of large acoustic panels on the two walls closest to my gear (one behind the desk and one on the wall that doesn't have the fitted wardrobe). Will I get any benefit just from treating the area around my workspace? And only one corner? I also can't get the traps right up to the ceiling because there's coving up there. If I go from the floor up to just above the level of my desk will it help? I guess I'm asking if some is better than none? Or if really I'm wasting my time with such a token effort! I guess my thinking is that a bit of acoustic treatment plus the Sonarworks plus nice monitors will give me the best that I can hope for (given that I'm stuck in a spare room!)

I'd really appreciate any advice on this since I'm a total noob when it comes to acoustic treatment!

Thanks guys

Definitely bass traps in *all* the corners of the room, and a few panels and/or some heavy curtains on the walls around the work area. Curtains only make for a poor treatment (as they don't absorb low frequencies very well), but a few acoustic panels hidden behind curtains make for a very good treatment. As large panels are usually expensive, you can build a few of them by yourself, there are "recipes" on the web for that.
If the floor is hard and not wooden, a carpet on the floor is necessary.

A good primer here:
http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/acoustic-foam-panels/

[ImNotDedYet]

Contact the good folks at GIK Acoustics. They'll give you some free advice, and they have excellent products as well.

But yes, bass traps first!

[sazb30]

Thanks all, for your helpful advice.

I can only actually bass trap one corner. Is it still worth doing?

Also, is anyone using a room correction plugin (like Sonarworks) without any treatment at all?

[DodgingRain]

Keep in mind that you can use bass traps anywhere walls or walls/floors or walls/ceilings connect. For example you can put one between the floor and wall behind your desk. Doesn't have to be in one of the corners of the room although they work best there.

Also if your mixes come out ok right now I wouldn't bother. The whole point of room treatment is to either get a better signal into the DAW (better room acoustics when recording through a mic) or to make your mixes translate better. If you don't have issues with either one of those then don't bother.

[Bill]

I was a bit like you...in my case a smaller room, but still not having the luxury of exclusive use as a studio. I did a bit of acoustic treatment rather than all and it helps when mixing. In particular, tiles on the side walls where the monitors are pointing, but also just dumping a couple of loose tiles on my desk when mixing to stop reflections bouncing off the desk itself. Definitely a case of doing half the job making a worthwhile difference in my case.