Basic acoustic treatment help?

I don't think so. As long as the back wall is left largely diffused, and the ceiling only partially treated, I think it should be okay. You gotta keep in mind that I also can't do much with the window. The largest danger zones, as the guys have pointed out, will be the two hard, blank parallel walls and the corners. Now all I have to do is find an Insulation retailer that sells quality rockwool, and somewhere else to work up some wooden frames.

PS. I just have one more large question when it comes to constructing the panels of rockwool (my biggest ??? point, since I'm not a good craftsman). Should I create the panels so that the rockwool is sandwiched in between two layers of wood? Pine, ply, MDF? Or does the rockwool openly face the inside of the room (with say a thin covering of cloth over it)? I just figure that being the foamy shit it is it'd start falling out or whatnot.

you dont have to build the frames. if you can just rest them on some type of mounting scheme, you may not need the frames. i dont personally feel the need for the frames. some people think they work better without the frames. if you do build the frames, you will want to cut them out so the sides will still absorb well. and yes definetly dont have wood on the front face, just cloth. good luck dude.
 
Thanks Pauly. My main concern about not getting frames is that I'm in a rental property... so I need these things to be transportable to a degree. I wouldn't know how to mount just plain rockwool either. Would you recommend any particular type of rockwool either? There seem to be quite a few versions out there, some more rigid than others.
 
Thanks Pauly. My main concern about not getting frames is that I'm in a rental property... so I need these things to be transportable to a degree. I wouldn't know how to mount just plain rockwool either. Would you recommend any particular type of rockwool either? There seem to be quite a few versions out there, some more rigid than others.

the kind i have is mineral wool fiber 8lbs density. owens 703 or 705 rigid fiberglass will work as well. i think rockwool is a brand of mineral wool fiber.
the four inch thick usually comes 3/pack and the two inch comes 6/pack all should be 2'x4' in size(8sq feet). as far as mounting them goes, all you need is something for them to lean against. i have gotten these "hooks" that are kind of square shaped and they are a screw on the other end. the flat side of the hook is about four or five inches long and the panels rest in them great. go to the hardware store and see what they have. even if you just prop them up on something like a foot or two a high then they will be in the middle of the wall basically since you dont have high ceilings.
 
Good info so far.

I'll be emphasizing a bit of what has been mentioned so far, but will add a few things to the discussion that I hope you will find useful.

Build your own bass traps and install them in your room as shown below:

SVstudio.jpg



Here is an Over Head image of the same thing:


OHStudio.jpg



Make your own bass traps. It's easy, and this will be the single best thing you can ever do to create a great sounding recording, mixing environment. It will have the single greatest impact on how your music sounds in your car, boom box or any other medium on which you might play your music. No amp, preamp, converter or anything else can make this big of a difference in how you hear your music. I guarantee it.

Build: When building your own bass traps, use rock wool, OC703, or another 3lb pcf acoustic insulation. Use a fabric you like and that fits your style. Make sure when you hold the raw fabric up to your lips and blow, that it offers a modest amount of resistance (at least). This will ensure that insulation fibers will not creep out of your panel and into your room.

Here is a DIY Bass Trap tutorial that utilizes materials you can find locally. This is based on a design created by the folks at http://forum.StudioTips.com.





Here is some additional, useful information to consider when setting your space:

4 Rules for Broadband Acoustical Treatment for Critical Listening Environments


1. Lay your system and listening position out symmetrically – Acoustically render the left half of the room as an exact mirror image of the right half of the room, especially the part of the room and system components in front of the listener – asymmetries behind the listener are less of a problem than asymmetries in front of the listener.

2. Use broadband absorbers [minimum 4” / 100 mm thick] so that your treatments work on all frequencies [lows, mids, and highs] in a linear fashion [evenly / smoothly].

3. Smooth out the non-linearity of very low frequency resonances which exists in all small rooms by installing 4” thick corner mounted treatments. As a standard guide for optimal treatment, add a pair of vertically stacked 4” thick corner panels in each of 4 room corners [total = 8 corner mounted bass traps]. If vertical corners are not available, then use any available horizontal corners [ceiling/wall or floor/wall corners]. If you cannot install 8 corner panels of 4” thickness, then use thicker panels in the corners you do have available.

4. Treat Early Reflection Points with additional broadband absorbers. As a standard guide for optimal treatment, hang a pair of panels on the front wall, 1 panel each on the side and rear walls, and 3 panels on the ceiling – each located so as to mask the first reflection points [total = 8 reflection point panels].

I hope this information is useful to any interested in a great sounding room, mix, etc. It truly is the best upgrade you can make to your space, and may be one of the least expensive when you consider DIY options.


Joel DuBay
www.readyacoustics.com

www.basstraps.net
 
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Another question, I'm sorry! Would the Owens Corning 703 stuff be good for the broadband traps as well as the corner ones? Is there a general fiberglass vs rockwool consensus in both applications? All I can find so far is that fiberglass is potentially more expensive.
 
i live in a rented house aswell, and didnt want to permanently attach the bass absorbers, so i cut peices of 2-4 and hammered them under the traps like a shim, which keeps them secure. i also put up a vocal booth using the same method with only one screw attaching the wall/ absorber to the ceiling.
it`s hard for me to explain i`ll post pics if your interested:Smokin:
 
4. Treat Early Reflection Points with additional broadband absorbers. As a standard guide for optimal treatment, hang a pair of panels on the front wall, 1 panel each on the side and rear walls, and 3 panels on the ceiling – each located so as to mask the first reflection points [total = 8 reflection point panels].


How do we find the early reflection points on the 5 wall points and 3 ceiling points? I'm very interested in this aspect as everything else is fairly easy to understand. Any elaboration you could give would be greatly appreciated.
 
Not quite. Sorry, I just wanted to clarify it for Ilicit.

Sit in your mix position and get a friend to move a mirror around your walls, and whenever you see a speaker, that's a point you should treat.
 
Not quite. Sorry, I just wanted to clarify it for Ilicit.

Sit in your mix position and get a friend to move a mirror around your walls, and whenever you see a speaker, that's a point you should treat.

How do you see the mirror if your sitting in your mix position? or are you supposed to spin around in chair and follow the mirror?

Just a little confused. Ive never heard this...
 
i think really that if you can see the cone of the speaker in the mirror standing anywhere in the room, then there is some reflection going on in that area.
anyone else feel like a mental patient in a treated room???
 
I havent actually Dan. Been mixing day in and out, finished Daryl's EP and about to start the Malice thing. It's really unfortunate coz I just don't have the time to do it atm. Still thinking about paying someone to put em together coz of the lack of time.
 
i just changed the fabric two of my 4" mineral wool traps were wrapped in. total time, about 5 min. skip the frames(for now) wrap them in fabric and put them in the corners and maybe a couple on the walls(first reflection points). it will take less time than you think and they will work just as good. the mixes you are working on will be better. i get the feeling you dont fully appreciate what type of improvement it will make for you. even just the corners and sides of the mix position will make a huge difference(like getting new monitors almost). get busy man, :kickass:
 
the mixes you are working on will be better. i get the feeling you dont fully appreciate what type of improvement it will make for you. even just the corners and sides of the mix position will make a huge difference(like getting new monitors almost). get busy man, :kickass:

I totally agree. Instead of delivering decent mixes now, you could more quickly deliver better mixes and you'd only lose 3-4h ...