Mixing in a trailer.

[bugbrain_04]

Thanks to KHR, I have realized that I am in no position to be mixing at home, in my 10x10 untreated bedroom with so much background noise that its hard for me to sleep when it's not there.

I live in a large 5 bedroom house with 4 roommates. The basement is huge, but it's not mine, so I can't justify taking up a big chunk of it as a mixing room.

The roomies would probably let me use some of the backyard and build a shed, but I'm not going to be living at this house forever, and once I move, I can't exactly take that with me.

My question, then, is if it would be possible to acoustically treat a trailer well enough to have an accurate monitoring system. That way I could just hook it up to a u-haul the next time I move and tow it to my new place.

My main concern would be the small size. I've learned that the less time it takes the sound to bounce off the walls and hit your ears, the higher the danger from comb filtering.

So is doing something like this even feasible, or is it just a pipe dream?

~Josh

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by bugbrain_04

My question, then, is if it would be possible to acoustically treat a trailer well enough to have an accurate monitoring system.

Yes! A trailer has the advantage of thin walls, so bass waves mostly pass through instead of reflecting to create peaks and nulls. The flip-side is you'll hear passing cars and trucks more. And being small, you'll still need to treat the space with absorbers and optionally diffusors. But the core idea of mixing in a trailer is "sound," if you'll forgive the pun.

--Ethan

[bugbrain_04]

That is because the walls vibrate, transferring some of that physical energy outside of the trailer? I suppose that makes enough sense. I really don't know much about acoustic treatment. Mainly how to figure out what I need to do. Like should I still bass trap it, or can I save myself that money? Would too much absorber lessen the amount of low end that leaves the trailer? How do i find the best place to put my monitors and the "sweet spot"? I know there's plenty of resources out there, (this is the freaking internet,) so I just need to do some research.

Well thank you so much for the info. I think I'll have to start looking on craigslist for a trailer.

Edit-- there's nothing to forgive. I'm a fan of puns.

[Ethan Winer]

You'll still need bass traps, but at least you're starting from a better point than in a room with more rigid walls.

--Ethan