Semi OT: Position of JBL LSR305's

[J. Dan]

I know this is more studio related, but I also know a number of you own these monitors. In the process of clearing out and reorganizing my office in light of my job loss/hunt, and new refurb computer needed to expedite my efforts, I'm wanting to remove a folding table I had added after previous computer failures/addtions not to mention addition of a large laser jet printer. Why does that matter?

 

The room is small - roughly 10x10 and my desk is in one corner of the room, but the table formed an "L" with the desk in the middle of the room, meaning in the middle of one wall, extended out to the middle of the room. My latest computer was on the table instead of the desk, along with the aforementioned JBL monitors. So I've been super happy with them but they have been basically in the middle of the room with me in front of them on one side and empty room behind them on the other side.

 

If I do what I want to do here and eliminate this table, they'll be on my desk in the corner of the wall with their backs up against the wall. This is my issue - ported speakers against a wall in the corner of the room. Was hoping some of you with some experience with these could let me know how detrimental this may or may not be, before I go through the trouble of reorganizing everything and tearing down furniture.

[Konnector]

At least 3 ft. from the rear wall for rear ported speakers for optimum results. Monitoring position should typically be about 1/3 of the distance from the rear to front wall. I have rear ported monitors positioned about 3 ft. from the rear wall, but my room is about 24 ft from front to back. You'll have to compromise. Bass build up will be an issue if they're close to the rear wall. The "cube" dimensions of your room is also an issue. Best bet would be some proper room treatment and something like "ARC" to give you the best chance of decent monitoring conditions if you're serious about it.

[ajstan]

I have the JBL 305p MKII monitors which I think are a minor updated version of the LSR305. FWIW, I have mine angled towards me with only 2.5" between the back corner of the monitor and the wall. The Boundary EQ is set to -1.5dB. No boominess and sounds very clear. My left speaker is 6' from a corner, so that probably helps. I'd expect that setting the LF Trim on yours to the -2dB setting could yield an acceptable result and would be worth a try.

[Konnector]

I have the JBL 305p MKII monitors which I think are a minor updated version of the LSR305. FWIW, I have mine angled towards me with only 2.5" between the back corner of the monitor and the wall. The Boundary EQ is set to -1.5dB. No boominess and sounds very clear. My left speaker is 6' from a corner, so that probably helps. I'd expect that setting the LF Trim on yours to the -2dB setting could yield an acceptable result and would be worth a try.

 

 

The -2dB LF cut will help and you'll need it if you're really close to the rear wall.. You normally want to position monitors far enough away from walls, corners, etc to prevent reflections. (I'd say about 12" minimum if possible) Corners are really bad for standing waves. Best to avoid them if you can.

 

The smaller the room, the more the resonance modes will color the bass response. A room with cube dimensions (10' x 10') will triple the resonance modes, which makes getting an accurate low end much more challenging. If you have hard surfaces on the walls, floor and ceiling, then you might have to tame flutter echo with some sort of room treatment.

 

Using something like "ARC" will at least give you a small sweet spot if you shoot your room at your monitoring position. (Not affiliated with "ARC" software in any way, but I do use it and it definitely helps.)

 

A small cube shaped room is one of the toughest to tame. You'll need to try some or all of these suggestions and experiment.

[KuruPrionz]

I get that this needs to be done on a budget. I am under that constraint.

 

And, we have to deal with what is possible - a 10x10 room is very sub-optimal.

Your best bet is to reduce or eliminate reflections.

 

Something is better than nothing. Moving blankets, heavy quilts etc, are not the best possible choice but they do reduce reflections.

Curtain rods, boom mic stands and orange hand clamps are not the best possible choices but they will support blankets and quilts without damage to your walls and can be easily reconfigured or removed.

 

Thrift stores are your friend, our Goodwill recently opened and there have been long lines of cars waiting to donate. I'll be visiting this afternoon.

The free section on craigslist is so random that you truly never know what somebody will offer. It is important during these times to maintain safety - wear a mask, gloves and bring large yard sized garbage bags to contain anything you may acquire. Quarantine it or launder it or both. Desanitizing metal is easy and fast, or let it sit in a corner untouched for a few days.

 

If you can pull your corner desk out 6" and hang blankets or quilts about 3 to 4" away from the walls, they will absorb reflective sound in both directions. Getting that corner improved would be the first step. Anywhere in the room that you can place objects that will randomize the reflections will help. More blankets and quilts anywhere you can hang them will help.

 

The essence of it is that a dead room will always sound less worse than a small, lively room.

 

No, it won't be perfect. It wasn't perfect when you had the speakers in the middle of one wall either. Better is progress.

Your other option is closed back headphones, everybody needs a set of those anyway.

I still use a pair of AKG K240 headphones - made in Austria - that I found at the thrift store for $2.50. There are better headphones but there certainly are worse.

 

Be flexible, think outside the box and much can be done.

[Polychrest]

Using something like "ARC" will at least give you a small sweet spot if you shoot your room at your monitoring position.

I used ARC System 2 in a similarly cramped partially-treated room and it helped, but not as much as the studio version of Sonarworks does. If you take the time to get your mic measurements right, it gives you a big flat sweet spot. It tamed some serious bass problems I'd long wrestled with. I tried the headphones edition first. It was impressive enough to sell me on the full studio version.

 

IK recently released ARC System 3.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

All good suggestions, but if you can spare even a few inches of space, fill as much of the back wall as you can with floor to ceiling bookshelves and fill them with books of all different sizes and depths. A poor man's diffusor on the rear wall will not only help prevent sound bashing back at you from behind but will also subtly change the effective dimensions of your room so it's not exactly 10 x 10 any more. Purists say this doesn't work; my own ears and experience, and that of a good friend who owned one of the best small studios in Nashville, say otherwise.

[J. Dan]

A few clarifications - I said the room was roughly 10 x 10, not exactly. It"s not a cube, but it is small. There is a closet that protrudes in one corner, one wall is offset on one side of a pocket door, there is a softer halfway along one wall for HVAC, and plenty of other irregular surfaces. If I rearrange as I"m thinking, the back wall IS a bookshelf and the side wall on the side joining the corner is a large window covered by an accordion style blind that breaks things up, room is carpeted. Not ideal but sounds great now despite its size. Alternative if it ends up not sounding good is I can just put the desk smack dab in the middle of the room which would position the speakers where they are currently. Oh, and I do have a nice set of headphones I use. This is not a serious studio. I mostly do rough mix downs after practice, and work on new sounds and parts to be recorded professionally later.