Hi,

I just bought a new house, that had a preexisting studio in it (not such a far stretch here in Nashville... )

Anyhow, the control room has some serious issues with reflections. The ceiling in both the studio and control room is 13' 4". There is a stairway off to the left of the mix position that undoubtedly contributes to a lot, if not most of those reflections, as well as the open walls and ceiling towards the top of the room.

Click on the link below to see a "rough" drawing.

http://home.comcast.net/~jim.frazier/Pictures/Studio.jpg

It's not exactly to scale, but it's close...

The area with the Xx's drawn in is the preexisting treatment that was on the walls. It appears to be 703 (or similar) insulation put in wood frames, and covered in fabric. That is the same material and build as the "cloud" that is hanging over the mix position.

I have also included pictures in the link below...

http://homepage.mac.com/frazierjim/studio/PhotoAlbum7.html

I'm quite confident that putting enough absorption on the walls/ceiling of the stairway will eliminate most of the reflectiveness there, but it's the treatment of the control room I'm a little hesitant to "guess" on. I'm sure the ceiling above the "cloud" should have something, as well as the back walls and corner, but what?

And as far as the studio room itself, It too is very "live", and I would like to keep some of that aspect, but control it somewhat. I'm thinking that some treatment on the ceiling in this room would also help, but again, what? And how much?

Any thoughts are most welcome... Thanks.

Jaimo,

> There is a stairway off to the left of the mix position that undoubtedly contributes to a lot, if not most of those reflections <

Damaging reflections are caused by large areas of reflecting surface. It's possible for a stairwell to resonate and create a pitched echo, but that's a different issue.

> it's the treatment of the control room I'm a little hesitant to "guess" on. <

All rooms that size benefit from bass trapping. That, and everything else you asked about, is explained in the forum FAQ. See the READ THIS FIRST post for a link. I know it may seem like a lot to read, but it's all useful. And cheaper than hiring a consultant at $100 per hour to explain the exact same stuff to you.

--Ethan

Thanks for taking the time to respond Ethan.

I actually have read the link from the "Read Me First" thread a few months back, but I re-read it just now, as, like you mentioned, it is a lot to digest.

The problem is, I seem to get semi-conflicting opinions on exactly where to place the treatment in the two rooms I took pictures of. I was hoping that another opinion from someone of your experience would help solidify what I'm already thinking, or at worst, send me back to the drawing board.

But based on your article, I'm thinking that diffusion on any wall where parallel surfaces face each other would be a good place to start. As far as bass traps, you'll notice in the pictures that there is a preexisting bass trap already in the control room, although how effective it actually is, I don't know. One thing that does concern me about it, is the fact that it starts about 3 feet up from the floor, and only goes up another 4 feet. But the control room has a 13', 4" ceiling. Surely all that empty wall/corner space, left untreated, can't be good...

And as far as that stairway is concerned, it definitely produces the classic flutter echo, complete with a fairly distinct pitch. My plan all along was to try and deaden that stairway completely, and try to eliminate it's presence from the equation of treating control room itself.

Would you agree with these general assessments, add to them, or disagree?

Thanks again.

Jaimo,

> Would you agree with these general assessments, add to them, or disagree? <

I agree completely.

--Ethan