Question on Studio Setup - TranceAddict Forums

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Posted by supersonik on Apr-18-2007 04:26:

Question on Studio Setup

I am wondering where I should place my computer desk to get the best sound quality? The way I have it now is like the pic I made. I cant really hear any low low bass at all. Is that b/c theres to much room from my speakers to the wall behind me? I read that it was best to place your speakers in a rectangular room, the way I have it setup now. Where the speakers are facing the longest wall behind you. In my old setup, a room, 9 x 9, I could easly hear the low low bass but it was always to loud or messed up b/c I believe the walls were reflecting the sound badly. How far should I have my desk from the wall in front of me? Is 3 feet enough space between speaker and wall? I should also note that I do not have any sound padding or anything on my walls. Would that even help with a large room like that? It would probally cost a fortune to get all the padding I needed. I have been using this setup for about 2 months now and I can get my songs to sound pretty decent in the mid to high range but I have to use headphones to do anything with the low bass. Any help would be appreciated

Posted by Fledz on Apr-18-2007 04:31:

Might be good to add on the diagram where the windows are, and any other furniture in the room. Bookshelfs, sofas, tables, and also the door.

Posted by supersonik on Apr-18-2007 04:40:

Well, its actually just a room inside my dads shop next door. All they have is a tredmill in the back left corner. The door is in the bottom right corner. No windows. Oh and I have to the left of my computer desk, A desk about 7 feet long with my turntables and such. Its basically just a big empty room.

Posted by evo8 on Apr-18-2007 09:37:

I think if you place your computer desk and speakers on the long wall you "may" avoid bass cancellation/standing waves more, rather than where u have it now...maybe someone more experienced in studio acoustics can confirm this???

If you have a test tone generator and get it to play bass frequencies say from 30hz or so up to around 250hz maybe - do this with your speakers at one location and then move them to the long wall and repeat the test - what your looking for is an even enough volume from each frequency...not dips and peaks which are bad!
This might help you determine which location is better

Posted by Fledz on Apr-18-2007 10:45:

Posted by evo8 on Apr-18-2007 13:49:

I was using this free flash-based one that actually looks a like a little meter but cant remember the name of it, im not on my home pc at the moment, i will look it up
You could just make a quick thing in your sequencer starting at a low note and stepping up to higher notes with (C0 to C3 or higher)...but this wont tell you what actual frequency you are playing i dont think?????

Posted by Fledz on Apr-18-2007 14:11:

Well I have a spectrum analyzer but I can't get it to be as accurate as a program would be.

Posted by BOOsTER on Apr-18-2007 14:16:

you can do that in soundforge...click tools -> synthesis...I think audition has a similar feature...

Posted by Fledz on Apr-18-2007 14:22:

quote:
Originally posted by BOOsTER
you can do that in soundforge...click tools -> synthesis...I think audition has a similar feature...

Oh sweet, FM Synthesis has the required presets. Cheers!

EDIT - I may have just hurt my ears

Posted by supersonik on Apr-18-2007 17:20:

Cool, i'll try it out with sound forge tonight? Thanks.

Posted by echosystm on Apr-18-2007 23:18:

quote:
Originally posted by evo8
I think if you place your computer desk and speakers on the long wall you "may" avoid bass cancellation/standing waves more, rather than where u have it now...maybe someone more experienced in studio acoustics can confirm this???

If you have a test tone generator and get it to play bass frequencies say from 30hz or so up to around 250hz maybe - do this with your speakers at one location and then move them to the long wall and repeat the test - what your looking for is an even enough volume from each frequency...not dips and peaks which are bad!
This might help you determine which location is better

Close! Having the desk on the long wall will pretty much eliminate flutter echos + early reflections (waves bouncing off the side walls at your ears before you hear them) because the sound would have passed you before it even hits a wall. However, if you are too close to the rear wall, you will get mad standing waves (waves bouncing off the back wall).

It really depends on how far apart your speakers are and how angled in they are as to how bad the side reflections will be. Personally I'd go along the short wall since the room looks too thin to go the other way. Definately put two book cases either side of the listening position though. Due to the length of the room, you should be able to get away with some cheap DIY bass traps ($30 each) to straddle the corners.

About the lack of bass... What kind of speakers do you have? If theyre rear ported they may need to be put closer to the wall than you have them. Anyway, the larger a room is the less likely you are to get bass boosts. So, I would say in this case your previous room was artifically exaggerating the bass on your speakers - really not ideal!

Posted by supersonik on Apr-21-2007 00:13:

I am using the Alesis MkII active monitors with the ports in the front. I moved my setup along the long wall and it does actually sound better to me. I have been reading up on acoustic room treatment and I will be saving up for some bass traps and some squares so hopefully that will completly fix the problem. One more question. I got this link from here in another thread for mail order foam. http://www.foambymail.com

Is eggcrate foam the same as the wedge foam or even pyramid foam? Which is better to use? Also, is it necessary to have the squares spaced apart or do they have to be exactly lined up? I read the 3" foam was good. Should I use the 3" also for the ceiling? Or is it not necessary to even use the foam on the ceiling? Oh and the bass traps. So they just go into the corners? Is there a certain place? Like in the middle of the corner, the bottom by the floor, top by the ceiling? I was just gonna get 8 bass traps for all 4 corners, top and bottom but should I get 12 to put some in the middle of the corners?

Posted by echosystm on Apr-21-2007 01:14:

quote:
Originally posted by supersonik
I am using the Alesis MkII active monitors with the ports in the front. I moved my setup along the long wall and it does actually sound better to me. I have been reading up on acoustic room treatment and I will be saving up for some bass traps and some squares so hopefully that will completly fix the problem. One more question. I got this link from here in another thread for mail order foam. http://www.foambymail.com

Is eggcrate foam the same as the wedge foam or even pyramid foam? Which is better to use? Also, is it necessary to have the squares spaced apart or do they have to be exactly lined up? I read the 3" foam was good. Should I use the 3" also for the ceiling? Or is it not necessary to even use the foam on the ceiling? Oh and the bass traps. So they just go into the corners? Is there a certain place? Like in the middle of the corner, the bottom by the floor, top by the ceiling? I was just gonna get 8 bass traps for all 4 corners, top and bottom but should I get 12 to put some in the middle of the corners?

Foam is crap, dont ever use it.
You want to use rockwool/fibreglass of density between 60-100kg m^3 (higher density will absorb more bass, but less high freq).

If you can't be bothered banging together some DIY traps, buy Auralex. BUT, be aware that Auralex is completely inferior to a well made rockwool trap and will cost 5x as much.

Posted by Diginerd on Apr-24-2007 03:27:

Ok, some well intended but misguided comments in here.

1. How are the walls made? Sheet rock over studding? Concrete?
2. How's the floor made? Concrete slab? Carpet (With / without underlay, how think)? Wood?
3. Same for the ceiling, what's above it? air cavity to next floor? It's it shee rocked?
4. How High is the room? and what PRECISELY are the dimensions of the room.

Don't buy ANYTHING until you've posted all that here. I can run you up a model of your room in CaraCAD and see what comes out for your specific environment.

Posted by Existo22 on Apr-24-2007 11:13:

quote:
Originally posted by echosystm
Foam is crap, dont ever use it.
You want to use rockwool/fibreglass of density between 60-100kg m^3 (higher density will absorb more bass, but less high freq).

If you can't be bothered banging together some DIY traps, buy Auralex. BUT, be aware that Auralex is completely inferior to a well made rockwool trap and will cost 5x as much.

I use the foamy mail bass traps and they trully do a good job controlling the bass in my bedroom.