Need help with acoustic treatment

[JackDanielsatemyhomework]

Hi everybody, I'm new here but I've been reading a lot and have come to the conclusion that this place is awesome! SOOOO much helpful information...

on that note, I need some help treating my band's rehearsal space so we can do some decent recordings in it. My room is 13' wide by 19' long, with a stone tile floor and a massive river rock chimney at one end. There is a large (10'x40") bay window on one side with a 1' deep sill. The room is on the ground floor of our house. I have made a few bass traps out of rockwool (green stuff, not sure the weight exactly) framed in 1x6 pine and covered in black felt. There is one that is 2'x4', one that is 21"x21" and 2 that are 2'x2'. They have so far been placed across the corners of the room, and I think have helped some. I want to do this right though; I need the area around my desk treated so as to help attain decent mixing results (I do not have monitors right now, but I believe I have decided on the KRK RP6 G2's) as well as providing enough absorbption to track drums and other instruments.

I have taken a few pictures to give a better idea of what I have to deal with- if I should include any other information, let me know. The insulation I can get is the Roxul Safe'n'Sound variety that has an STC rating of 52 when used with steel studs. I don't have a lot of money to work with, so I will have to DIY although I would much rather purchase some RealTraps!

Thanks for your help guys,

-JD

ps sorry bout the mess!

[RicD]

I'm sure someone on here can help but I have issues I'm trying to resolve as well. With that being said, The rock fire place is probally a great diffuser. I assume by the looks of it, drywall?
Do you have anyting recorded so those who can help might be able to hear what your room is doing? Espicially something that is unprocessed and raw.
Just my uneducated opinion.
Good luck

[JackDanielsatemyhomework]

Good call on the samples, I have hacked out a few from a few different jam sessions. First, there is an acoustic guitar, mic'd fairly close with what I believe to be an MXL 4000 multi-pattern condensor, likely set on cardiod in the roughly middle of the room. Next, a sample of a live recording of drums with a Digital Reference DRSTX1 (cheap AT) clipped to the bottom of the snare, a DRKX-1 on the outside of the reso head of the kick approximately 2 inches away and 4 inches from the outside edge, a rode NT1a behind the shoulder and a MXL 603s above the snare (using the recorderman technique).

"metal jam" is just that, with the rode nt1a and the mxl 4000 set up in opposite sides of the room spaced roughly evenly from each other and the walls at shoulder height, if I recall correctly. This track is half-panned left and right, but I cannot remember which mic is which

Desert jam was recorded with (I believe) just the mxl 4000 sitting in the middle of the room.

They are all totally raw with no processing save the panning.

Thanks again guys!

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by JackDanielsatemyhomework

I have made a few bass traps out of rockwool (green stuff, not sure the weight exactly) framed in 1x6 pine and covered in black felt.

You're on the right track. All you need is a few more absorbers, flat on the walls behind the drums and other places. Maybe 4 to 8 more to get rid of the reflections from those nearby surfaces.

--Ethan

[JackDanielsatemyhomework]

Thanks Ethan- you are a legend by the way, every single google I've done regarding this subject has led me to you. I really wish I could buy my panels from you, but I am a poor university student and am pulling this all out of student loans, overtime, and budget cuts. So again, thank you, as your knowledge is second only to your generosity and I hope the karma comes back to you in a BIG way for making this possible for people like me.

Anyways, I just picked up the KRK's today and so far they sound pretty decent although my desk is dancing underneath them; going to try some DIY decouplers out of paving bricks and mousepads, since the locally available Mo-pad type products are $100... EACH!

I want to cover that big window with some curtains to cut some of the street noise as well- would this work, sewn up in some heavy fabric?

[Ethan Winer]

Curtains won't reduce street noise even a little. You need something with mass, like large pieces of sheet rock sealed into the window frame with caulk.

--Ethan

[garageband]

Just imagine 7 or 8 guys telling you what Ethan said over and over until you get it done.

[saivenkat]

you need is a few more absorbers, flat on the walls behind the drums and other places.