Acoustic treatment, where to start?, what to do?

[Mslwte]

Just settling into my new studio space and a have some serious acoustic issues. My room is creating a lovely reverb at the moment so I need to get some treatment sorted.

Where do I start ? I've been looking at the auralex kits that they sell and feel that they could be a starting point? Are they any good or are there any cheaper alternatives I should look out for? What's your experience?

There some good sources on line that I have been reading but I'm unsure on how I'm supposed to know exactly where I need to place all the different items such as bass traps, diffusers and absorbers. How do I know I'm getting this right? Is it a case of just using my ears or is there are more scientific approach tat I need to use?

[Mslwte]

I think I'm going to get the bags that voidloss suggests here http://subsekt.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t= ... stic#p3963
And get some rockwool.

What is the correct placement method for bass traps?

[surface]

SOS mag has this article online with some extra diagrams for a starting point.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb06/a ... iosos.htm/

[ozias_leduc]

hah i just moved too and am going through this also!

previously i was just using acoustic foam i aquired for free (which is only good for high frequencies) and some foam basstraps that are use-fucking-less. don't ever buy them!

but exciting times : about 1 hour ago i got a delivery of 2 sheets of accoustisorb fiber cut into quarters (each quarter 1200mm x 600mm x 50mm) that i am going to frame and cover in fabric to make broadband absorbers. thinking i will double them up to make them 100mm thick.

in a few weeks i will report back with my experience of making absorbers.. i am a complete noob with building stuff, so this may be interesting.

[Roebin de Freitas]

SOS mag has this article online with some extra diagrams for a starting point.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb06/a ... iosos.htm/

I'm having some issues as well...
very useful! thanks!

[gavisthename]

I'll post a pick of what I've done in my room tonight if I can work out how to upload a pic to a thread!

[Wiu]

That diagram is all well and good, but how many people actually have a whole room for their studio? I only have a studio flat, so am rather fucked for any treatment. I guess I could do the stuff that goes behind the speakers, but is it worth doing only some? Or is it a case of all or nothing to get the benefits?

[ARiFF]

@ Mslwte : make sure you talk to Technoist on the forum here aswell, he's an architect and especially interested in accoustic treatment. He's going to help me aswell as soon as i start building the house & studio.

[Esh]

That diagram is all well and good, but how many people actually have a whole room for their studio? I only have a studio flat, so am rather fucked for any treatment. I guess I could do the stuff that goes behind the speakers, but is it worth doing only some? Or is it a case of all or nothing to get the benefits?

you would be surprised how handy having other stuff in the room can be. Obviously not everything will work as it will depend on size, material, build quality, but furniture etc can act as bass traps and methods of acoustic control. Sometimes it might be worth spending the money on a decent set of headphones rather than acoustic treatments, and used in combination with monitors can be more beneficial to a mix down than a load of acoustic foam.

[Wiu]

Cheers for the advice Technoist

[Mslwte]

think ill try giving this a go looks really simple..

youtu.be/HDxV0jbD9w8

but rockwool looks quite expensive fs lol

ive already got a few pictures that i can make use of, so will probably do that as well

[Faust]

Hi Mslwte, Rockwool is relatively inexpensive.

This stuff will do the job for acoustic panels>>

http://www.building-supplies-online.co. ... 3334-p.asp

A 12 pack of the 50mm shiz will do you 12 panels. Thats pretty good for around £40! The 50mm will cover absorption from around 250 - 4000 Hz pretty well.

For bass traps this would do>>>

http://www.building-supplies-online.co. ... 3842-p.asp

I would give the Auralex foam a wide birth personally in favour of DIY.

Now, where to place things and how many you will need is dependant on the room... What are your room dimensions? Also is it a room used only for a studio space?

[Faust]

Also, you can always double up the 50mm slabs (so 100mm) for bass traps.

Im not saying that there is anything wrong with Auralex by the way.. The Mo-pads are awesome.

[Faust]

If you're seriously considering the DIY route fella then I recommend reading through this thread over on gearslutz http://www.gearslutz.com/board/bass-tra ... traps.html
It's full of great info.

Be warned that room acoustics can become pretty addictive :]

[gavisthename]

WTF!!!

http://www.audioelevation.co.uk/CartV3/ ... oductID=69

[Mslwte]

Hi Mslwte, Rockwool is relatively inexpensive.

This stuff will do the job for acoustic panels>>

http://www.building-supplies-online.co. ... 3334-p.asp

A 12 pack of the 50mm shiz will do you 12 panels. Thats pretty good for around £40! The 50mm will cover absorption from around 250 - 4000 Hz pretty well.

For bass traps this would do>>>

http://www.building-supplies-online.co. ... 3842-p.asp

I would give the Auralex foam a wide birth personally in favour of DIY.

Now, where to place things and how many you will need is dependant on the room... What are your room dimensions? Also is it a room used only for a studio space?

Excellent this is what I'll get! I must of been looking at a large bulk of rockwool for the prices I saw.

[Mslwte]

Also, you can always double up the 50mm slabs (so 100mm) for bass traps.

Im not saying that there is anything wrong with Auralex by the way.. The Mo-pads are awesome.

Yeah I recently got the mopads but I have to be honest, I had almost no bass vibrating the floor boards before lol

[Mslwte]

WTF!!!

http://www.audioelevation.co.uk/CartV3/ ... oductID=69

Hmm £700 lol let me know how it all goes G

[gavisthename]

WTF!!!

http://www.audioelevation.co.uk/CartV3/ ... oductID=69

Hmm £700 lol let me know how it all goes G

Ha! I'll let someone else make the foolish purchase this time so that we can learn by their mistakes!

[melville]

Hi, I do acoustic treatment for a range of spaces on a regular basis. DIY absorbers utilising acoustic rock wool work very well in most smaller room applications, you'd be surprised at the difference only a few absorbers will make. The stuff I use most for the "filling" is this http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/sou ... ng/amw.htm the higher density stuff is best for bass absorption.They're a great source for most acoustic products. The trick, if you can't accurately measure the room response, is to add it bit by bit, that way you avoid going too far the other way, e.g.. a room thats too dead or absorbs too much bass. Start gently and add more as you see fit. Without proper analysis tools and calculations it really is trial and error. A good start is floor to ceiling bass traps in the corners, some panels on the side walls to absorb the flutter echoes and then see where you stand. They really are easy to make, especially since even B&Q will cut wood for you accurately. One quick way to get an idea of the ballpark problem frequencies is to measure the room then use a calculator, such as http://www.mcsquared.com/metricmodes.htm to find the room modes and standing waves. Once you've got these frequencies play a sine wave through your monitors, setup where you intend to place them in the room, tuned to the freqs you got from the calculations and walk around. You'll find the level goes up and down depending where in the room you are. This can help choose the best location for your mix position, as obviously you don't want to be sat slap bang in the middle of a huge lump of bass!

Also, as has already been said above, furniture can help a lot, for example,a sofa at the back of the room can tame a lot of bass. Can be a cheap and useful way to go if you've got the room.

There's so much more that can be said, but this'll give you a good starting point. If you have any questions etc. just bung me a message, I'm happy to help.