guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 18, 2020 20:22:42 GMT
I'm looking for the best placement of my 2 guitar cabs and a drum set in my bedroom. I'm looking for some suggestions on locations to put my studio equipment that would have the least harmful impact on my studio monitor mixing without having to do too many rounds of “musical chairs.”
My room is 16.7 x 13.4. My desk with my studio monitors is placed 7.4 feet within in the room. I sit between 9 and
10 feet within the room (6-7 feet from the back wall), which puts me a bit above the 38% rule.
Mock up pictures are below.
As far as my desk goes, I think this is the best seating position that I can get. I can't move the desk towards the front of the room because I start to
get some sort of interference that results in an irritating high pitched noise from my monitor.
I have two 1x12 guitar cabs. Ideally, I would stack them on top of each other and place it on the left side of my desk, directly next to the left side of my left monitor. I'm a bit worried because if I stack them, they're only 2 inches below my monitor and I'm worried it might cause some unwanted reflections.The next ideal position would be to place the guitar cabs slightly off the back wall behind my mixing position, but I read Ethan's book and he advised that you shouldn't put studio equipment directly behind your mixing position. So that position seems to be out?
And then there's the drums. I can't imagine a decent spot for these. I can fit them anywhere in the room, but I can't imagine near the side walls to be a good idea. I think the best option is either at the front or at the back? Which is the lesser of two evils for the drums?
Last thing, I have a small bookshelf up against the wall directly behind me, it's only 4 inches high though. I can't imagine that would be harmful to my mixing. That won't be an issue will it?
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Post by rock on Jul 20, 2020 14:05:38 GMT
One way to address your question is that if you have taken acoustic measurements of your room, you can find out how the placement of your gtr cabs and drums influence your measurements when you compare them to the graphs.
The cabs should be easy to move out of the way for mixing and back into place for recording but the drums obviously are not. Looks like the back of room has more space than the front so that's the most logical place. If you set them up near a wall, which is going to be the case, treat the wall(s) and ceiling above the drums with panels. 4" thick spaced 4" from the wall is good but you can go thicker or thinner depending on space and budget. This will help keep reflections from drum mics and reduce reflections for mixing too. When mixing, damp the drum heads with something (I cut foam circles for each drumhead) you can additionally cover the kit with a blanket. I believe Ethan's suggestion about no gear behind you refers to solid rack type gear that will cause reflections, drums damped and covered should be less of a problem. You might also use moveable absorbent panels as gobos between the drums and the mix position if you are still getting reflections from the drums behind you.
You may still have to do "musical chairs" but if you take acoustic measurements, it should help to minimize it.
Oh, and about your bookshelf, is it 4 inches or 4 feet? if you need room and can move it you can try it on the front wall. That's often (not always) the least troublesome surface, acoustically speaking.
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guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 20, 2020 18:54:23 GMT
Those are great tips, thank you very much!
Sorry, The bookshelf measurement is incorrect, but it's still inches not feet. The bookshelf is only actually 10 inches in height because I placed it flat on the floor instead of upright as they usually are.
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Post by Hexspa on Jul 20, 2020 20:17:52 GMT
Ethan's partner Doug has his drums near the wall - many studios do. The reflections can be tamed with 4" panels. Like rock said, take measurements. I hypothesize that you'll want to move your desk after all. If the speakers receive interference if you move the desk forward then flip your orientation around and put your bed on the reverse wall.
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guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 21, 2020 18:44:51 GMT
Is there a picture of Doug's studio with the drums? Which wall is it facing and how are the drums placed?
If I turn my desk around, my speakers will be facing the windows. Also, those windows are also asymmetrically placed from one another. One window is right next to a corner and the other is closer to the middle of the wall. Should I still turn my desk around?
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Post by Hexspa on Jul 23, 2020 21:34:14 GMT
It's a video actually. As you must know, nobody here can tell you definitively what's absolutely best in your room. We can only offer suggestions based on what's likely not worst. If you want to know if the layout will work, you'll have to try it, measure it, and compare to a baseline.
I remember Ethan saying that the acoustic contribution of windows is overstated. Take that for what you will.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2020 14:10:35 GMT
What is your room height? As important as width and length.
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Post by Hexspa on Jul 24, 2020 21:12:57 GMT
Probably 8'
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guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 25, 2020 6:07:35 GMT
CLose! The height of my room is 9 inches.
Ah, I have one more question. I have a pair of Yamaha HS8s and the manual says that they should be placed 4-5 feet off the wall. I've also seen it recommended to place your studio monitors as close to the wall as possible with absorption behind it. I'm not sure which would get the "better" result?
I was also considering putting some acoustic panels right behind my monitors as they're set up now, but I'm wondering if that would count as a "wall" and negate the whole 4-5 off the wall thing.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2020 9:57:25 GMT
9inches! LOL. You mean 9ft right? If you're from Europe just use metrics (imperial system is flawed and NA should learn also metric system).
In small rooms, usually the best place is right against the front wall. You get really bad SBIR if you move your speakers further from it.
Try this positioning: sit 1.50meters(4ft 11in) from the front wall. Speakers 0.81meters(2ft 8in) from side walls and as close as the front wall as possible, I see your speakers are back ported, so leave little gap between back port and a wall.
Take all unnecessary things off the room, and put your listening position like I mentioned.
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guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 25, 2020 18:31:38 GMT
Sorry, I wrote that late last night! I meant 9 ft! lol
I updated my first post and added a third photo that approximates where my windows are. That's what my room more or less looks like with nothing but my desk in it. If I push my desk forward towards the front wall with the windows, I get some sort of high pitched noised from my computer monitor. I don't know why or how to stop it. Granted, I wasn't pushed up snug against the wall. I'm willing to try it again, but if I push it up against the wall, one speaker monitor's rear port will fire at dry wall and the other speaker monitor's rear port will fire at a window. Is that asymmetry an issue?
If try facing the rear wall, then there's a problem with that gap in the "hallway". I assume that would be disastrous for left/right symmetry for my ears. So I never bothered. Am I incorrect in that presumption?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2020 19:15:02 GMT
It will have some effect on bass. But the good part is, now its behind your speakers. So if i understood correctly you have now symmetrical front end on your room if you position like I mentioned?
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guppy
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Post by guppy on Jul 25, 2020 19:22:59 GMT
If I understand what you're asking,
If I put my position the way you suggested "sit 1.50meters(4ft 11in) from the front wall. Speakers 0.81meters(2ft 8in) from side walls and as close as the front wall as possible", then everything is symmetrical except for the window/dry wall behind my speakers.
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guppy
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Posts: 13
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Post by guppy on Jul 25, 2020 23:09:28 GMT
Also, I found out that the buzzing isn't outside interference. It happens when my computer monitor switches to a different audio output that's not hdmi. Anyone here happen to know the fix?
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Post by rock on Jul 26, 2020 2:22:16 GMT
Pasim wrote "(imperial system is flawed and NA should learn also metric system)" You're right, the flaw is it's not easily scaleable since it's not all base 10. But the problem isn't the NA doesn't "know it", we just don't commonly "use" it for everything. Actually for machining, woodworking, piano technology etc. we can use both metric and US measurements interchangeably, especially when it comes to machine screws and nuts. (there are also some differences between Imperial and US systems and AFAIK, we don't use the Imperial volume or weight standards much at all.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_imperial_and_US_customary_measurement_systemsMany NA (English language) cooking recipes are in cups, teaspoons and ounces. We can convert to metric but there is usually no reason to. Most all kitchen measuring cups have both US and metric units, scales too. For building materials like sheet good like drywall and plywood, they come in standardized 4 foot by 8 foot sheets and wood studs come in 8 foot lengths. Residential and other construction typically have stud spacing 16" on center etc. so when it comes to room sizes, most Americans think in terms of feet. We all can convert to cm on paper but in my "minds eye" I can "see" a 20' by 30' room; whatever that is in metric, I have to get out my calculator and draw a picture. Sorry but we're just used to doing it that way. When I was a kid in school in the 60's, "they" told us that the whole world would be standardized to metric "soon" and we needed to know metric so we were taught it but "if you don't use it, you loose it". I like metric, it makes so much sense but I won't go out of my way to use it. If US measurements disappeared overnight, it would not bother me either. BTW, you also may know the definition of the meter has changed several times in the last 230 years. www.surveyhistory.org/the_standard_meter1.htm It's now 2020 and they are still cranking out many many products in feet and inches and we are still using them so don't worry, things are not about to change anytime soon.
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