Help with room acoustics

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Honestly, I'm finding this part frustrating and draining. I just want something that works well enough that I can make decent decisions. I plan on checking mixes other places.
 
dmlandrum said:
I have no test or measurement equipment that I can afford. I'm stuck with whatever I have.

Download, install and learn REW (Room Equalization Wizard). It's free. Get either an ECM8000 from Behringer, or an EC999 from Superlux. Less than 50$. Or you can even use a mic you have. Doesn't matter much for comparative measurements.

No real need to buy anything.

You say I'm going to have bass troubles. Why do you say that? What would be the solution? I can try to install more traps, go double-wide in the vertical corners.

You can install all you want, without measuring before/after, you don't know if you are making matters worse or better.
 
dmlandrum said:
I have no test or measurement equipment that I can afford. I'm stuck with whatever I have.
You can do pretty accurate measurements with REW; it's free. In addition to a PC + souncard, you need a half-decent mic, preferrably omnidirectional, but I found that using a cardioid mic, although not as adequate in terms of spectrum, still allows pretty good identification of troublesome frequencies. Alternatively, a cardioid mic can be temporarily turned into an omni, by blocking the vents.
 
DerEber said:
Most things can be heard.

Get a frequency-generator (DAW) and make it switchable.
Tune to a booming frequency and switch off your signal.
Listen to the decay of your room.
It is so simple.
You do not need the +/- 0.1dB mic and the watherfall.
Educate yourselfe in hearing first before buying any test equipment.

I agree you don't need a 0.1dB mic but the waterfall is still useful, if you can get an omni mic, if not whatever is available. Waterfall will still show the problematic frequencies even if the mic is half decent. You might even get away even with a 50 cents electret and a few transistors as a mic, if you choose it wisely you can get pretty close to a cheap measurement mic.

JS
 
dmlandrum said:
I have no test or measurement equipment that I can afford. I'm stuck with whatever I have.

You say I'm going to have bass troubles. Why do you say that? What would be the solution? I can try to install more traps, go double-wide in the vertical corners.

Yes you have.

Do you have a computer and a soundcard?

download REW (Room EQ Wizard) free software

Get a cheap measurement mic:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_ecm_8000.htm?ref=search_prv_6


you're done

 
+1 for what's been said.  Measure room with freebie software and cheap test microphones suggested .  Also you can test speaker placement for bass nulls. Corner traps can help at vertical walls but also the ceiling to side wall corners. But measurements allow you to see the display and correlate with your ears.  I also use Sonorworks to eq and correct phase response of speakers.  ($220).  It's a plug in that test with a calibrated mic that comes with a file to load into the software.  The mic with cal file can be loaded into REW to test response  of your efforts.  Back in the last century that system would have been $20k and now a $50 mic gets you there.  It's a great learning experience.  Just use your ears with your eyes.  Also monitors are important.  In a room that's square you can have tuning ports in bass reflex speakers that create more problems than they solve.  If that resonance coincides with a room mode it's a hideous sound .  You would be better off blocking the port on the speaker.  Hook up what you've got and start one step at a time .
 
Why did I have to buy a square house?

I guess at this point, all I can do is finish my setup, move in all my gear, and then try to make some measurements and go from there.

Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if I should've just let me studio take over the lower floor. It's not like I have many visitors...
 
Relax.

Do your setup, follow the basic guidelines.

And then take some time to learn basic measurements and see where you are. Maybe it's fine and you just need to do some small tweaks.
All the control rooms have some identity I never been in a perfect room, it's a matter of taste and a matter of knowing your room and getting used to it.
In the last 10 years I've mixed mainly in a Dead end/Live end control room designed by Andy Munro, I like the sound and I got used to it. Then one time I had a job recording a band in Abbey Road studio 3, well it's the most famous studio complex in the world, the control room in studio 3 is Dry quite the opposite of the room I'm used to work in. I had to spend 3 days using my Sony headphones to record as I couldn't adapt to the control room and different monitors in such a short time period. I was having problems in making decisions.
Not that the control room is bad in any way, it's just that I don't know it, if I've spent more time there I would be able to know the room and be comfortable.
There's no perfect room.

Setup, listen, measure,tweak it, adapt and get used to it. You'll be fine once you know the room






 
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