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Steve Knight
Contributore Level V
Joined: 26 Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Location: Somewhere between Baltimore & DC
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 Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:27 am Post subject: A recording space decision.. |
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Hello all...
As we're nearing completion of the new house (about a month away) I need to make a decision about which way to go with my recording space..
Bedroom 1 measures 14 x 11 and has 2 windows and 2 doors plus an adjoining 4 x 6 walk-in closet with a rounded corner..
Bedroom 2 measures 12 x 11 and has 2 windows and 2 doors...
My concern about doing the walk-in closet is getting a "boxy" sound, - doing the 12 x 11 bedroom would mean spending more on sound absorbtion ( I have 6 ecosorb panels & some aurelex) plus dealing with the windows..
FWIW my main mic is a Neumann TLM-103
Any thoughts? |
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FinMac
Lucky 700
Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Posts: 707
Location: In a really cool place...Finland!
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 9:12 am Post subject: Hei Steve |
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Hello Steve,
Personally I would lean towards a larger space, but the closet has a better length to width ratio than the other options. Of course, the larger space might cost you more if you need more panels. Check out Lance Blair's blog about his office/studio recording space.
Here is an interesting link to some videos where a guy builds out a space for his audio needs.
http://gikacoustics.co.uk/ian-shepherd-builds-home-studio/
Hope this might be of help.
_________________
www.scottsvoiceover.com - An American voice in Finland
"If you want to get to the top, you have to get off your bottom". (Unknown) |
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vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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| Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 10:30 am Post subject: Re: A recording space decision.. |
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| Steve Knight wrote: |
As we're nearing completion of the new house (about a month away) I need to make a decision about which way to go with my recording space..
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Our younger friends living in rented spaces or in homes they are outgrowing probably cannot appreciate some of the mental tension you are under. I wish you well as you work your way through some decisions.
This may well be what people in the home building business used to call a "production built home". (It's been 20 years since I "hung out" with those folks.) To ask your builder to make major modifications in their standard plan can get expensive, and in a few years when it is time to dispose of the home, modifications could leave you with a floor plan that does not market well as you pull your money out for total retirement or your move to truly senior living facilities.
(I am preparing to relocate into a house that I will modify some to accommodate recording. After I am gone, I can only imagine the conversation the week of the funeral: "What was Dad thinking when he ripped out that wall??? And Sis, what the hell were you thinking when you didn't stop him?" I did raise a VERBAL family, after all.)
For a voice over person to have full freedom to change the design before construction would be the ultimate LUXURY!
My vote, Steve: Take the smaller of the two rooms, but not the closet. I know studios that look like REAL studios make great pictures on websites, but DON'T insist that the entire room must ONLY be occupied by studio stuff. Put in some antique furniture with rounded corners for storage of household goods. Put it shelves and racks where you can store boxes of family photos and other non-studio items. They have to be somewhere, and they will contribute to improving the acoustics of the room, and if you don't then you have to spend more money on acoustical materials. Go organic! |
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Steve Knight
Contributore Level V
Joined: 26 Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Location: Somewhere between Baltimore & DC
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:16 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for your input! at the moment, I'm leaning toward the smaller bedroom...what I've learned is that even with the closet scenario, I'd be spending $$ on bass traps to fight the boxiness,..I see a call to George Whittam in my future |
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Monk
King's Row
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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I would use the larger room IMHO. The smaller room is to close to square and can introduce some unwanted modes.
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Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...
www.monksvoice.com |
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vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Monk wrote: | | I would use the larger room IMHO. The smaller room is to close to square and can introduce some unwanted modes. |
It is not unusual to have 9 foot ceilings in new construction these days. That would give you all three dimensions tightly bunched. But which ever of the two rooms you decide you would like to use, let me share with you The Magic Beans.
I lived all these years with the most delightful interior decorator. And just this past week, after looking at probably 1,500 homes on the internet in the past year, most of the displays giving me 20 interior pictures of each home, I realized MY Country Boy vision of what a recording space should look like, and what good decorators strive to do (and what my lady did) was to NOT pile the furniture up against the walls and leave big empty spaces in the middle of the room
Take the room you want to record in and divide it up into two spaces, one with about 40% of the space. Put an Armoire and a bookshelf out in the middle of the room if you like. Build a partition wall to divide the room... it doesn't have to go to the top of the room and connect with the ceiling. And it should not connect to a wall at either end. Let it be free standing. Give it a little L-turn at one end just for variety if you like.
Just like dropping your favorite pice of china on the floor and breaking it, you have just dropped the acoustical problem of an almost square room on the floor and broken it into pieces.
Is there going to be furnace noise or laundry noise trying to come through a wall into your chosen room? Hide your mic space on the far side of your fake-wall. Yes, some of the noise will come on around but it may be reduced in making the trip until it no longer is significant in your recordings. If you think one of the two windows is going to let more noise in than the other, see if your fake wall can be oriented so the window is on the opposite side of the wall from where your mic will be.
Sound waves can be stubborn and obnoxious... but they are dumb. They won't realize that your one big overall room is a playground where they could raise havoc. They will likely wimper, lay down and say... "I don't know how to mess up this strange looking room!" |
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Steve Knight
Contributore Level V
Joined: 26 Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Location: Somewhere between Baltimore & DC
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Monk
King's Row
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 8:06 am Post subject: |
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a model train addiction. That sir, I can not help you with. Seek professional help ASAP.
so the 12'8"x11 room passes muster
Room Dimensions: Length=12.67 ft, Width=11 ft, Height=8 ft
Room Ratio: 1 : 1.37 : 1.58
R. Walker BBC 1996:
- 1.1w / h < l / h < ((4.5w / h) - 4): Pass
as does the 14x11
Room Dimensions: Length=14 ft, Width=11 ft, Height=8 ft
Room Ratio: 1 : 1.37 : 1.75
R. Walker BBC 1996:
- 1.1w / h < l / h < ((4.5w / h) - 4): Pass
- l < 3h & w < 3h: Pass
- no integer multiple within 5%: Pass
The larger room is closer to the Louden frequency I prefer, but both are fine. I would choose something away from the street, and go from there. You have options.
_________________
Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...
www.monksvoice.com |
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georgethetech
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 1878
Location: Topanga, CA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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Larger rooms do indeed almost always sound better than smaller rooms. The challenge ends up being isolation and quiet climate control. Those are easier challenges to meet in smaller rooms, in many cases.
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If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
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Lance Blair
M&M
Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2281
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:06 am Post subject: |
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What room do you like to be in better? They'll both be fine - I'm sure you'll do a great job treating either...but pick the room that you'll enjoy working in the most.
I just spun my room around so that I can see out the window. Raised my noise floor 2-3 dB. But I'm so much happier with the space. 
This is why I'm against home studio booths - I'm sure some people work just fine in them, but I can't be in one all day.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too! |
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