Room Acoustics for cheap

[yellow warrior]

Hello All,

Before I begin, let me just say a big Hi to all as I am new to this forum. SO, HI!

I have a room at home which I would like to use for music making.

I have a set of KRK Rokit 5" monitors, Tascam US-122 Soundcard, which goes through a Dell laptop and a 2 octave midi keyboard. The music is make is mostly electronic that ranges from ambient to dance tracks.

Please note I am by no means a pro and only do this as a hobby.

Now, I am looking at treating my room for acoustics but I don't have a lot of money.

I read somewhere that i can make my own Bass Traps, Absorbers and Diffusers? Once I make them where do i need to place them in the room? How far should the speakers be from the wall/ corners? How many will i need? Do i need all three i.e Bass traps, Absorbers and Diffusers? So many questions...

If someone can help or can direct me to a link with all the info I would be most grateful!

Thank you!

YW

 

[santhosh]

Hi YW,
Welcome to HFV

Since you have posted in the Acoustics section, I am assuming you have read the various threads here already. While, we have some threads on Home Theater build and Sound Absorption, we do not have anything specifically for a Listening Room/Recording Studio.

I would recommend you read at below mentioned link as this will clarify a lot of your initial doubts as Ethan has explained it in a very clear to understand language.

Acoustic Treatment and Design for Recording Studios and Listening Rooms

Also, checkout the thread where member 1000w has made his own bass traps.

 

[moktan]

How far should the speakers be from the wall/ corners?

If someone can help or can direct me to a link with all the info I would be most grateful!

Thank you!

YW

even i was on the look out for some enlightenment on room designs, speaker placements etc and found a wealth of info here in this cardas audio site..
http://www.cardas.com/pdf/roomsetup.pdf

me i have decided to settle for a room design imaginatively titled the golden trapagon...
of course more experienced denizens of hifivision will be able to enlighten you further..

 

[redd]

Hi moktan,
what are your room dimensions for the golden trapagon.Do you want to use the room just to listen to audio or for a HT setup.How are you going to treat the room acoustics for such a huge room.Will it not prove too costly to treat such a room[assuming the room's ht to be at 10 feet].

venkatcr suggested this cardas site to me when i asked him about the golden rule of room dimensions.As i am planning to build a house and i am still undecided about whether to go for a trapogon or a cuboid[for HT],i am just interested to know your opinion,thank you.

 

[moktan]

redd,
i plan to use the room just for listening though i am not quite clear as to what you mean when you say the room will be huge..
the dimensions that i have is that for a 20feet length the two walls would be 12ft36' X 7ft64' and 15ft72' X 9ft7'..which means the room will not have a constant height but will kind of taper as the dimensions suggest..
as for the treatment ..the pointers that i plan to follow are..
(i) soften surfaces as much as possible
(ii)thick padded carpet and linen over cotton batting on the wall
(iv) have softer wall behind listener
(v) pad speakers little more in the space between speaker and listener
3/8' foam pad under carpet
1/8' foam on the walls....

lest anyone mistakes me for an over indulgent audiophile i have to admit that my compulsion was to build an outhouse for certain practical considerations and so i thought why just make a room, why not a listening room..though i have to admit that i have been warned to expect only incremental benefits..

 

[redd]

moktan,

sorry,i foolishly assumed that your room height to be 10feet.Pardon my ignorance if i ask you what you meant by "softening the wall",and how you would place or stick cotton batting with carpet to the wall,and what kind of foam will you use, and how do you place it on the wall and underneth the carpet.what room dimensions will you advice to me if i want a 10 foot[width] anamorphic screen.

Please give your feedback,thankyou.

 

[santhosh]

as for the treatment ..the pointers that i plan to follow are..
(i) soften surfaces as much as possible
(ii)thick padded carpet and linen over cotton batting on the wall
(iv) have softer wall behind listener
(v) pad speakers little more in the space between speaker and listener
3/8' foam pad under carpet
1/8' foam on the walls....

Thanks for sharing that Cardas thread, was very informative. Even I am interested to know how you would soften surfaces and what padding means? Did you mean dampening or absorption?

From what I have understood, the treatment mentioned by you will only take care of high frequencies and Mid frequencies (that too depends on materials used, normal foam available in India does very little) and will do nothing for bass.

lest anyone mistakes me for an over indulgent audiophile i have to admit that my compulsion was to build an outhouse for certain practical considerations and so i thought why just make a room, why not a listening room..though i have to admit that i have been warned to expect only incremental benefits..

Wow, seperate dedicated listening room out house:licklips:. I envy you mate.

 

[moktan]

to tell you all the truth i am an absolute novice in this department...those suggestions that i mentioned are very much in the cardas site and since i plan to use wood (pine, teak etc for side walls, ceiling, floor ) softening by putting things on them may not be that much of an issue..
although friends the whole project is still very much at the conceptual stage and still some time away from execution...
in order not to waste money on a white elephant i am going by the suggestions of some very knowledgeable members and ordering:
Master Handbook Of Acoustics
By F Alton Everest , Ken C Pohlmann
this book i believe deals with issues such as:
-Determine how sound propagates in open and enclosed spaces
-Measure sound-pressure levels and work with decibels
-Analyze the characteristics of room modal resonances
-Treat rooms for optimal early reflections, reverberation, and diffusion
-Minimize acoustic distortion, comb-filter effects, and HVAC interference
-Construct high-quality stereo and surround-sound listening rooms
-Design personal and professional recording studios and control rooms
-Understand the acoustics of auditoriums and concert halls
-Optimize room designs using measurement, modeling, and auralization software...

not all suggestions will be practical but somehow i feel spending a few months (and about 2K) with the book (which i am assured is accessible to the non-technical reader) will help me understand the finer points of acoustics so that i will to an extent 'know' what i am doing...
i was also asked to go through the Linkwitz papers on room acoustics..

 

[GeorgeO]

Moktan

Greetings from a fellow inmate..By cheap, could you share your budget with us? If you havent worked out your budget, please think a bit about it. I am also in the process of creating a HT environment at low cost and carpeting and wall treatment is what I am looking at in the first stage.

George

 

[moktan]

thank very much for that voice of prudence...i haven't really planned things out in that sense...so can't really put out a number..but since it would be an outhouse, a kind of a garden shed i intend to go for that rustic look which hopefully would not require much 'finishing' (for example the wood would be just shaved and nailed/screwed and not really polished to a high degree of shine--they would be just left to air dry)...secondly i am planning to use vernacular material where possible..the idea is to work incrementally...collect wood, gather stones etc...also i will be taking the help of friends who are professionally involved with various aspects of housebuilding..such as architects, electricians, labor contractors etc..hopefully they would be as excited about the project as me and not charge me any fee for their services...
i begin building this winter in a small area that overlooks a few mandarin orange trees..

 

[GeorgeO]

The current rule of thumb that many architects employ( though they may not share it with clients when they meet them the very first time) is to prepare a rough budget , and then put a 50% cost escalation factor! So be warned, El Cheapo may finally not remain that way by the end of the project.

Doing it incrementally may not hurt the pocket too much, though. Making a rough budget, is , to my mind a good starting point.

 

[vinay]

I have used thermocal like item below the carpet which shall mean that it was pasted on the flooring and then wall to wall carpet was done.

In the room glass should be bare minimum or for that matter any hard items, there will be so many soft and related items available for the room decor.

Please be guided that linen and cotton batting will just not to do on the walls, linen is in-fact going to do more damage then good.

If one is using a huge recliner, that will do half the job of softer wall behind the listener and alternatively one can have brilliant show pieces which can play the role of acoustics too.

Please be assured that on the walls just foam will not do, there has to be glass wool, etc.

V.

redd,
the pointers that i plan to follow are..
(i) soften surfaces as much as possible
(ii)thick padded carpet and linen over cotton batting on the wall
(iv) have softer wall behind listener
(v) pad speakers little more in the space between speaker and listener
3/8' foam pad under carpet
1/8' foam on the walls....

 

[santhosh]

in order not to waste money on a white elephant i am going by the suggestions of some very knowledgeable members and ordering:
Master Handbook Of Acoustics
By F Alton Everest , Ken C Pohlmann
this book i believe deals with issues such as:
-Determine how sound propagates in open and enclosed spaces
-Measure sound-pressure levels and work with decibels
-Analyze the characteristics of room modal resonances
-Treat rooms for optimal early reflections, reverberation, and diffusion
-Minimize acoustic distortion, comb-filter effects, and HVAC interference
-Construct high-quality stereo and surround-sound listening rooms
-Design personal and professional recording studios and control rooms
-Understand the acoustics of auditoriums and concert halls
-Optimize room designs using measurement, modeling, and auralization software...

not all suggestions will be practical but somehow i feel spending a few months (and about 2K) with the book (which i am assured is accessible to the non-technical reader) will help me understand the finer points of acoustics so that i will to an extent 'know' what i am doing...
i was also asked to go through the Linkwitz papers on room acoustics..

This is a fantastic book and should really help in understanding the nuances of Room Acoustics before you start. I have read a few pages (on a need basis). Even I plan to buy the book someday soon. Currently, I have this as an ebook given to me by a fellow HFV member.

Can you please post a link or an ISBN number for the Linkwitz papers? Thanks in advance.

If anyone wants the "Master Book of Acoustics", please PM me your email id and I shall be happy to send you a copy. It is around 4Mb in size.

 

[moktan]

Can you please post a link or an ISBN number for the Linkwitz papers? Thanks in advance.

Linkwitz-Publications

 

[square_wave]

If the application is two channel music, try not to overdo the room treatment. It will make the sound very dull.

A good carpet, ceiling with uneven surface (some sort of acoustic tile), treatment of the primary reflection points on the side walls with some thick wall hanging drapes. A few thick sofas, plants, Shelves stacked with cds, books etcshould be good enough.

The primary reflection points can be found by sitting in the listening chair and having a friend slide a mirror on the side wall. Treat the location where you see the speakers drivers (mids and high) in the mirror.

Heres a manufacturer who makes acoustic treatment material.
Anutone - makes you feel good