Odd room dimensions need guidance.

[AndrewClaycomb]

I'm building up my home studio which is sharing space with my home theater... sorta. They aren't actually in the same room but they are only separated by half a wall. My question is how would you treat this room? Also is my layout going to work for recording?

Here's my the layout:



My computer/interface is located in the "Game Room" right behind the wall separating the room from the stairs. Otherwise here's the layout so far.

The "Game Room"


Right side of the the "Family Room"


Left side of the "Family Room"


Bedroom #4 is essentially an empty room. There is a small padded chair and a bed (box spring and mattress) sitting directly on the floor without a frame. We call it the guest bedroom, but we don't have guests very often so it's free to use as a tracking room or whatever.

The storage room has 2 cement walls and a cement floor, so I may use it to isolate a guitar amp if a drummer can't play with a metronome.

Also below the stairs there is a small closet that you can walk in, I may turn that into an isolated amp room as well.

Am I in the right direction?

[AndrewClaycomb]

Would it be a better idea for me to use the spare bedroom as a control room? I recorded a guitar amp in the tracking room (bedroom #4) and it was so nice to be able to monitor the tracking session on my monitors instead of on headphones like when I tracked drums.

I would have to get an 8 channel microphone cable snake, a couple of long 1/4" to 1/4" cables for my headphone amp, and figure out some sort of way to do talk back.

Or I could do more recording (maybe drums) in that room, and leave my control desk where it is for less money. With the given room dimensions would it be better to record in the room or listen in the room? I have a feeling I'm better off tracking in the big room, but I just want to get some ideas.

[brandondrury]

Would it be a better idea for me to use the spare bedroom as a control room?

You've got 2 factors to think about. Sound and workflow.

I like a big, free control room. I'd rather have one big room to work in and have to track all my instruments in that room (assuming the small room sounds crappy) than have a clostrophobic control room.

Sometimes tracking in the control room has it's problems. Quiet voiceovers and fingerpicked acoustic guitars will require enough preamp gain to bring up every little noise in the room. Sometimes an isolated room is a huge plus.

Getting a small room to sound good is a big challenge.

I recommend you try both ways and see what happens.

Brandon