Basement Studio Make Over

[WhiskeyJack]

Hey Gang,

Getting ready to also kick this off this week. probably going to tackel a little bit each night, but before i start it i wanted to do a before and after. This is the question i posted on twitter:




Is there anything else that might be of interest i should consider that might be helpful? I was debating a video walk through before and after and stuff? But i am not sure that will have any benefit other than like "oh hey that shitty garbage room looks half decent now"

Looking for thoughts.

My initial thought was to set up my two condenser mics in the middle of the room back to back and facing away from each other and just capture some voice, acoustic, talking, monitor playback, and some hand claps.

Any other thoughts are welcome!

[JD01]

Stick a distant mic on a raging amp in there. Should sound fucking awful when untreated.

hand claps are a good one 'cos they have such a clear transient and really echo in an untreated space.

[Greg_L]

I think drums would be the best source to show the difference a room makes, or even just a snare drums, but if you don't have that, something toneful with transients would be good. A hard played acoustic guitar maybe.

[WhiskeyJack]

I think drums would be the best source to show the difference a room makes, or even just a snare drums, but if you don't have that, something toneful with transients would be good. A hard played acoustic guitar maybe.

I have no drums, but i play an acoustic as though i were milling it down to sawdust and finer planks. no problem there.

[rayc]

I can't see the image as the host doesn't like ad block and tracking block.

[Bubba]

Hi WJ - I would agree with the other suggestions made - something with a percussive sound like an acoustic or claps and done using a condenser at a bit of a distance. I would talk to camera, too - the random frequency boosts and cuts of the untreated room plus the flutter echo would really show up how they affect the intelligibility of a human voice.

[WhiskeyJack]

Hi WJ - I would agree with the other suggestions made - something with a percussive sound like an acoustic or claps and done using a condenser at a bit of a distance. I would talk to camera, too - the random frequency boosts and cuts of the untreated room plus the flutter echo would really show up how they affect the intelligibility of a human voice.

Awesome. Thanks bubs. And when you say talk to camera you mean like something as simple as a camera on a phone right? like no need to go investing in or borrowing a gopro eh?

[Bubba]

Hi WJ - I would agree with the other suggestions made - something with a percussive sound like an acoustic or claps and done using a condenser at a bit of a distance. I would talk to camera, too - the random frequency boosts and cuts of the untreated room plus the flutter echo would really show up how they affect the intelligibility of a human voice.

Awesome. Thanks bubs. And when you say talk to camera you mean like something as simple as a camera on a phone right? like no need to go investing in or borrowing a gopro eh?

Absolutely. Modern phone video is more than adequate. You'll replace the audio, though - right?

JD is your man - I thought his before and after video worked really well.

[WhiskeyJack]

Awesome. Thanks bubs. And when you say talk to camera you mean like something as simple as a camera on a phone right? like no need to go investing in or borrowing a gopro eh?

You'll replace the audio, though - right?

now were treading into murky waters.

I may rattle JD's chain on it if i want to take it that far. might be a good exercise to learn something new.

[WhiskeyJack]

Ok,

I can hear the groans already but i did actually start this project and i have very strict order's from the Minister of Household Infrastructure that this get carried out in a timely manner as the master bedroom needs to get done before Christmas and her mom is going to be visting us in two weeks!!!! So, i really have a fire lit under my ass for this. Though, if this turns out the way i want it to i am going to live in the basement and the master bedroom may have to wait until holidays / after Christmas

I need some feed back on how best to lay this out. I am going to DIY the rest of the room treatment stuff and also build myself a new desk. nothing fancy really nothing to get too excited about. Previously i had my desk and stuff right under the window but i am open to suggestions on placement of all that.

This is what i have to work with:


Sorry mericah, this is in rest of the world units as it would take too long to reformat my CAD templates to Imperial for you.


For my bass traps i have a few questions? Do i size them to best fit? Or is there some sort of golden rule for now big to make them based on room size? If i am to be totally honest i am going to say it doesn't REALLY matter as something of any size is a far cry better than the nothing i had prior)

And for the absorption panels would you say 4 inch thick or 6 inch ? Or both? I was thinking 2'x4'x4"

I am torn on a cloud for over the mixing desk The headroom is really low! I was half thinking of trying to utilize different types of rigid tiles for in the drop ceiling, like maybe stack two or three panels on top of each other inside the grid and have the cloud technically above the grid rather than hanging below the grid? Does that make sense what i am trying to say? Is there anything fundamentally wrong with trying it that way? Or does the cloud perform it's role because it is draped from the ceiling?

Current treatments i have made already are two oddly sized (24"x33") first reflection point panels and 2 -2"x2" wooden diffusors that i suspect will be best utilized on the opposite wall from my monitors.

I did in fact take some before audio and video and will try to put it all together with the after as a final chapter for this thread. I downloaded some software and will have a go at it. though, i am not so sure i approached it the right way but who cares, it is what it is. A learning experience.

Any help and feed back and thoughts are appreciated.

[WhiskeyJack]

Here are a few photos thus far.

BEFORE:


Not hard to see why my desire to spend any amount of time in there was quelled. It was just a very unpleasant atmosphere that i let get away from me. My own doing. But at the same time it just sucked to be in there. Maybe i am a Diva?

Also this friggin nightmare operation

AFTER THUS FAR:


Already a much more welcoming room with nothing in it. I can't frickin wait to get moved in. Motivation is high currently.

[Armistice]

NIce - I hope you've shouted yourself a bigger desk - that teeny tiny thing in the top shot's a bit of a nightmare - or it would be for me!

[WhiskeyJack]

NIce - I hope you've shouted yourself a bigger desk - that teeny tiny thing in the top shot's a bit of a nightmare - or it would be for me!

It's dreadful and it hurts my head to do anything there. I have an idea of what i want as someone has offered to buy my monitor stands off me. So i am custom fitting a desk for me the room and my current assets and plan for future if i need it. I have a second monitor as well i want to make use of i honestly couldn't with that little POS.

[Armistice]

Good move - you can go the whole width. My studio is a "media desk" in a nook in my apartment - and when I was apartment shopping a decade ago I took one look and thought "I simply have to buy this place..." and did. It's 2.2m long - just about big enough for everything and a bit of space to get the monitors wide.

[Greg_L]

Keep the desk under the window.
Bass trap each corner and the wall/ceiling corner above your mixing position. 2' x 4' x 4" thick should be plenty. Suspend them halfway up the corner so they cover the middle.
Diffusers/first reflection panels adjacent to your ears on the side walls.
One or more traps on the long wall across from the door, and maybe hang one on the back of the door for mixing with the door closed.
You might need to trap the rear wall/closet area and the rear wall/ceiling corner. Maybe.

That basic stuff should get that room in pretty good order.

[JD01]

Morning mate, keep you desk in the middle of the wall under the window then start by working out where you monitors and ears are going to end up when you're sitting there mixing.

From what I remember you'll want to be forming an approximate equilateral triangle between your tweeters and your (probably hairy) ears. You'll probably have to roll your chair back from your normal sitting position to achieve this when listening to mixes unless your monitors are really close together.

Then like Greg said, stick panels on your first reflection points and do your corners.

If you want stick a cloud above your desk/sitting position. I know your ceiling is a bit low, but you'll be sitting there, not standing.

[WhiskeyJack]

Ok i am going to attempt to draw this out for clarification.

Bass trap each corner and the wall/ceiling corner above your mixing position. 2' x 4' x 4" thick should be plenty. Suspend them halfway up the corner so they cover the middle.

trap like this?



Or like this?



And only one panel halfway up the wall in each corner? Will that be enough ? or like from floor to ceiling ?

you'll want to be forming an approximate equilateral triangle between your tweeters and your (probably hairy) ears.

Hairy indeed. And yes the equilateral triangle thing i had set up already but my plan is to build the desk with the speakers positioned accordingly. +/- perfection based on my chair height distance from speaker placement obviously. I will for sure get it in the neighborhood.

If you want stick a cloud above your desk/sitting position. I know your ceiling is a bit low, but you'll be sitting there, not standing.

cloud as in one 2x4x4 or some other size?

I am still thinking i am exhausting time and resources on a cloud with a drop ceiling. I can't shake that feeling JD. The frame work is there to just pop a few extra panels above the ones that are there now to increase the thickness and provide more density / mass. That is why i asked does the hanging cloud fundamentally serve a purpose? Notably does the air gap between the cloud and ceiling serve as a function for this particular piece of treatment. Does having it separate from the ceiling increase it's role in the room? or will i / can i achieve the same affect from layering a bunch of rigid premade 2'x4' Armstrong Acoustic ceiling panels on top of each other in the grid above my listening position? It's not going to be OC703 or rockwool or whatever but it's unarguably more mass / density where more mass / density is required correct?

I am not opposed to making and hanging a cloud but I am a huge advocate of work smarter not harder. (and cheaper or free'er) And cheap damaged Armstrong tiles are readily available and a coworker of mine owns a few restaurants in town and has storage shed full of the things that i have been told i can help myself to any time. So therein lies my slight opposition.

[Greg_L]

Ok i am going to attempt to draw this out for clarification.

trap like this?



Or like this?



And only one panel halfway up the wall in each corner? Will that be enough ? or like from floor to ceiling ?

The top pic. Spanning the corner. It doesn't have to fill the corner.

And yeah, halfway up is enough. You don't have to go from floor to ceiling. Just those corner traps alone will make a massive difference.

[WhiskeyJack]

Ok i am going to attempt to draw this out for clarification.

trap like this?



Or like this?



And only one panel halfway up the wall in each corner? Will that be enough ? or like from floor to ceiling ?

The top pic. Spanning the corner. It doesn't have to fill the corner.

And yeah, halfway up is enough. You don't have to go from floor to ceiling. Just those corner traps alone will make a massive difference.

Interesting, awesome. Sort of a relief as well. I was brainstorming how to construct floor to ceiling 'fill in the corner' type traps. This seems easier / cheaper. I could probably easily make it on a stand as well so they are a little bit portable too i suspect? Or make some corner shelves for on the floor and put the trap on top of that. Huh. Possibilities are pretty wide open now.

thanks dude.

[WhiskeyJack]

Trying to work out a desk design. I wanted to work in some stands for the monitors to be on the desk but a little readng leads me to beleive that this may not be ideal because it may place the speaker too close to the wall?

How far from the wall do yall have your speakers? Should i consider something to place in behind the speakers on the wall? Should i plan to just keep my current monitor stands and plan around that??

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