VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Dayo]

I guess I've spent a small fortune over the years on studio equipment. Esoteric mic pre's, boutique mics, vintage compressors, you name it. But I've got to say the single best investement I've ever made cost less than £500 and a bit of time and sweat.

It doesn't have any cool retro knobs or funky looking meters. And I can't even resell it, but bass traps and effective absorbtion for the booth will give you more "bang for the buck" than anything else you can spend on.

And another big public thank you to Mike Sommer for helping me see that and make it happen.

[Rob Ellis]

I second the kudos to Mike for his generosity in that regard.

I haven't acted on his recommendations yet, but plan to.

Dayo, did you do the Owens Corning 703?

What I am wondering is if you have it right up against the walls of your booth, or if you are "floating" it a couple of inches from the wall. I have read that
doing so can even further reduce boxiness.

[Dayo]

Rob I am in the UK and Owens Corning is not easily available here. I used 4 inch Rockwool slabs with a density of 60 kg per cubic metre. I gather that performs roughly in the same ball park. In previous booths I've used a less dense material and it hasn't worked so well, and yes I did float it away from the wall (well, 3 of them anyway) - there's an air gap of about an inch and a half. On the ceilings I used 8 inches in cloud traps and 10 inches on the back wall.

Best money I've spent.

[Mike Sommer]

Thanks Colin.

You should post the audio clip you sent me of the before during and after treatment. The changes are heard immediately, and Colin and Emma sound clean and present on the mic.



Rockwool, Fiberwool, are often more accessible out of the US, 703 and other rigid fiberglass products -all of these should have a density of 3 pounds per cubic foot. Higher densities are more reflective and therefore perform better at lower frequencies. BUT, we generally want broadband absorption, so we stick with the 3 pound material.
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Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[georgethetech]

Hear, here! Proper acoustic treatment is OFTEN overlooked for drastic improvements in recorded sound. Mike provides us with very expensive advise for FREE. Another free improvement I recommend regularly? Proper mic placement! Just a small adjustment of a few inches or rotation of the capsule saves someone hundreds or thousands on a mis-directed mic or preamp purchase.
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