brak
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Post by brak on Oct 27, 2020 17:17:47 GMT
I have been scouring the internet for an answer, and I am more confused than ever.
Since we rarely get guess (especially now with COVID), and when we do have guest I wouldn't be recording, I have decided to make our spare/guest bedroom into a studio for recording and mixing.
The bed in the room is a twin sized 9" thick spring mattress (one that came in a box from Wal-Mart) which is on a fold-able (easy to store) bed frame. So I was thinking an awesome solution would be to store/mount the mattress on one of the walls to hopefully function as acoustic treatment, instead of having to drag it to/from to our storage room (plus it taking up space in there also).
Is this a viable solution, or would it cause more harm than help?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2020 20:34:33 GMT
Maybe. What are the dimensions of the room? Width, Length and Height?
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Post by rock on Oct 27, 2020 21:25:10 GMT
I can't imagine it would hurt but it probably won't be as effective as the bass traps we talk about here...but it could be.
I don't know about the wal-mart type mattress but if it's like the regular old kind I'm familiar with, the covering does not seem to be open weave and won't work well for mid/hi absorption. Even if it does work, it's unlikely it will be the only piece of treatment you'll need or want.
You'll likely get a better idea of how it works if you take acoustic measurements. Measure with it both in and out of the room.
More importantly, if you take measurements with the room empty, that will also be the baseline for your room and you can compare it with all subsequent treatment you install.
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brak
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Post by brak on Oct 27, 2020 22:11:59 GMT
Maybe. What are the dimensions of the room? Width, Length and Height? The room is 9' x 13' and 7' high.
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brak
Junior Member
Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 27, 2020 22:16:47 GMT
I can't imagine it would hurt but it probably won't be as effective as the bass traps we talk about here...but it could be. I don't know about the wal-mart type mattress but if it's like the regular old kind I'm familiar with, the covering does not seem to be open weave and won't work well for mid/hi absorption. Even if it does work, it's unlikely it will be the only piece of treatment you'll need or want. You'll likely get a better idea of how it works if you take acoustic measurements. Measure with it both in and out of the room. More importantly, if you take measurements with the room empty, that will also be the baseline for your room and you can compare it with all subsequent treatment you install. I plan on using other treatments as well; regular acoustic panels, bass traps, etc. I'm just hoping to be able to use the mattress in addition to these - to help save on space (don't need to store the mattress elsewhere) and the hassle of moving it through the house.
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brak
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Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 27, 2020 22:32:50 GMT
Thank you all for the help thus far. Right now I'm trying to put together a diagram of the room, and where the drums are. As soon as I get it done I'll post it.
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Post by Hexspa on Oct 27, 2020 23:21:09 GMT
We all have to start somewhere. I imagine that, after awhile, you might seek more specialized approaches - as you are already considering. Like I previously mentioned, I started with produce apple spacers and spent a good long while adhering them to my old rehearsal space. Sadly, it was a doomed approach.
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brak
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 3:20:23 GMT
Here is the layout of the room. It is drawn to scale. The half-circle grid-lines by the door is the door's swing path. I would like to keep that as clear as possible. The drums can't be placed anywhere else in the room. The corner in front of them would have the drums block the ac/heat vent. The corner to the left of the drums is right above the bed and pillow of the room below. The corner opposite would block the door swing-path too much. I haven't figured out where to put the mixing desk at (other item in the layout). I'm thinking about trimming it down so its an actual square shape (I have no clue why anyone would design a desk like that), as a 2.5' x 1' area is being wasted by the shape. I was thinking about putting it at the center of the bottom wall, but I need as much room as possible to have room to record/rehearse other instruments - and that would waste the chunks of space that would be on the sides (4' x 6' total). Also, I only have one mattress (75" x 39" x 9") to mount, which would go on one of walls in that area -causing unsymmetrical acoustic treatment. So I just put it in the corner in the drawing for right now. Attachments:
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brak
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Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 4:03:43 GMT
Would having it in the corner like that be ok if I get a partition wall to go on the empty side of the desk - kind of like a cubical? The reason I ask is due to the outlet being on that wall where the desk is in the picture, and I can put the mattress on the wall by the door. Also where I would be sitting would actually be at the 38% point between those walls.
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brak
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 6:00:33 GMT
I did the desk trim in my layout. I show how its at the 38% point as well as at the corner of an equilateral triangle. Its just not symmetrical, and its on the long wall instead of the short. But I have seen other studios with such a set up. For example Van Halen's 5150 studio the monitors/mixer desk is on the long wall. So what did they do to allow for that? Attachments:
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Post by rock on Oct 28, 2020 13:38:25 GMT
The desk at the "bottom" wall in the center is the obvious choice. If you're concerned about the space for other musicians, try it both ways and see what the difference is. It's my guess it will be 6 of one, and 2x the cube root of 27 of the other ... +/-3db . The "bottom" wall set-up will allow left/right symmetry and allow you to place RFZ panels on the left and right walls. An RFZ cloud at the reflection area on the ceiling is usually a good choice too. Is that your mattress represented by the hash lines behind the drums? Maybe it will fit in the corner or wall across from the drums? Where were thinking of putting it?
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brak
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 17:27:02 GMT
Sorry, the hashlines around the drums represent the total footprint of the the drum area - where the solid teal is the drum rug. The solid baby-blue rectangle represents the mattress. Sorry I didn't point these things out. I'll post an updated layout with better labels.
The mattress couldn't go behind the drums due to it blocking part of the drum footprint area, which would require me to move the drums forward causing the drums to block the ac/heater vent. Also that is where the only window is.
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brak
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Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 19:15:34 GMT
I made an "blank" layout that shows the door, window, electrical outlets, and HVAC vents. Also added a compass for better location designations. Ok, let me ask my questions is a slightly different (and more organized)way: 1: Where would the mattress best be positioned in relation to the monitors/other sound source? I assume having it to the right or left of the speakers would be bad, as that would cause an imbalance since the opposite side wouldn't have a pairing mattress. 1a: Would putting the mattress behind the monitors be a good idea? 2: Would installing an extra wall be a viable option, to make a mixing cubical? I remember reading that the larger the room to mix in the better - so I am thinking that might be a bad idea. I'll post a layout showing the wall-idea, as well as the center-of-the-east-wall idea.
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brak
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Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 19:29:20 GMT
Here is with the desk in the center of the east wall. Here is with the desk in the center of the east wall with the mattress between it and the wall. The horizontal line going across the room n-s is the 38% line.
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brak
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Posts: 52
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Post by brak on Oct 28, 2020 20:01:08 GMT
Here is the "Desk Cubical" idea. I just chose a random size, so it can be lengthen or shortened. And, in case I didn't properly express it - I am more than fine purchasing a ton of acoustic foam panels and encasing the inner part of the cubical if need be. So please understand, my wanting to use the mattress isn't from a financial/budget concern - but that of practicality/logistics. So if I need to put some panels in between the wall and mattress to supplement the absorption - I am more than fine doing so.
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