# Acoustic treatment in an attic(with fotos)



## dimtsak (Jan 19, 2014)

I am planning to do some acoustic treatment in my room.
My main goal is to improve the sound of my recordings.
It is a attic with slopping ceilings.
I already got an opinion from someone seeing these fotos, 
but i want to check his advice.

My budget is low.
I am thinking to buy some of these to cover the sloping ceilings:
Foam

And maybe 2 pieces of this, to put them behind the microphone when recording.
http://www.eqacoustics.com/products-page/acoustic-treatment/project-foam/freespace-universal%20acoustic-treatment-system (Freespace)

I attach some pictures of my place.
If anyone has an experienced eye, let me know what you see.

Thanks!

P.S. Sorry for the messy room


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## wst3 (Jan 19, 2014)

I hope this does not sound harsh, but if I were you I'd make my first priority a new layout. I fear your current mix position will cause you serious problems in terms of tonal balance and stereo image stability.

I think your loft can be made usable, but you really need to work on the layout first.


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## dimtsak (Jan 19, 2014)

*Re: Acoustic treatment in a loft (with fotos)*

Hi wst3, and thanks for writing.

Not harsh at all, i know that you are right.
I have tried a few more layouts, but i have to compromise because this is the place where i live.
If there was no kitchen or bed, it would be easier, but they are necessary!

But i f you have any suggestion for the layout, i 'll write it down.


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## markwind (Jan 19, 2014)

Definately set the monitors towards the most lengthily part. So probably where your bed is, would be the best mixing position.

Btw i have that same chair! it's so comfy isnt it? :D


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## dimtsak (Jan 19, 2014)

*Re: Acoustic treatment in a loft (with fotos)*

Yes, it was a relief when i first sat in that chair.
I hope it will last for some years.


Do you mean the monitors facing to the sofa, and myself sitting facing to where the bed is?


(Sorry for any grammar and syntax errors)


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## FriFlo (Jan 19, 2014)

The room looks like a drywalled attic. 
Some questions.
How much drywall is there? How thick is it? Do you know, if there is any mineral wool behind it? Just knock and hear how hollow it sounds.
Other than that, the only good mixing position is towards the window by the fireplace. The room is very tricky to work with! I wouldn't have to many hopes to make it decent. Don't put more than a few hundred dollars into making it great, because you won't get far with it! Of course, that doesn't mean you can't work there! Just wait with room acoustics until you can afford a better room (maybe a dedicated studio).


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## dimtsak (Jan 19, 2014)

*Re: Acoustic treatment in a loft (with fotos)*

Thanks a lot Friflo!

It is almost entirely made with drywall about 10 mm thick.
There are two layers of mineral wool above the drywall.


Actually my first mixing position was in that window, before i even had studio monitors.
But the space there is too narrow, and i can't fit my desk and monitors in there now.

My budget is really about 200 -250 dollars.
I will have to wait as you say for a better place.

I already work here, and i don't feel that the room is my restriction.
We should be better in what we do, regardless of our space and gear.

Thanks again for advices.


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## dryano (Jan 19, 2014)

Have a nice dinner with your girlfriend/wife. That way, your 250 bucks would be better spend than in acoustic treatment, especially in a room like this.

You should add at least another "0" to get a useful treatment. With that budget, you can only buy some raw material and build something on your own, but again, as other people said here... the room is not worth it.


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## germancomponist (Jan 19, 2014)

I would first evacuate the room. Then I would position the speakers on the floor, of course, aligned upwards, in the direction of the listener. Due to the geometry, it will be little standing waves, which is very good. 

Experiment!


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## dimtsak (Jan 20, 2014)

Yes, maybe you are right.

Do you think that at least one of this is worth an investment of 60-80 euros?


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## FriFlo (Jan 20, 2014)

Maybe the microphone shield is for recording voice. But over all, you cannot expect any real improvement with the room in combination with the money you can spend. The girl friend dinner might be the best advice you can get! 
With low cost room acoustics the best thing you could do is get a perfectly symmetrical listening position. Due to the restrictions of your room that is not really possible! Than you got a real low ceiling and lots of angled ceilings - also pretty bad. With foam products like you posted you cannot do anything to the bass frequencies, which are the bad ones and give your recordings the bath room charme. They also compromise your ability to mix properly in the LF area.
I will tell you my story: 5 years ago I rented my first studio room. Not having a lot of money and expririence I did the best I could at that time. I built cheap absorber panels with mineral wool and hung them with the mirror method (to decrease the ERs on the mixing position. The result was not good! I should have rather kept that money to do something else.
But at least I had a symmetrical listening position, so I went on like this. By the End of 2012, I had earned some money and decided it was the time to do a DIY studio upgrade. In the process of doing I learned a lot and my plans kept getting bigger and bigger and so did the budget. In the beginning I planned to spend about 3 - 5 k and take about 2 months to get there. But because I found out so many things while planning and working I had to add stuff on the go. It turns out, that I will be done with my studio in about 3 months. I will have spent about 15 k just for building (no equipment included!). And the time I put into this is 1 1/2 years of work (of course not constant work, as I have to earn money as well). After this investment I will probably get close to perfect, as much as is possible with my room. 
So, looking back, when I would have known the time and money spent, to tell you the truth, I would probably have gone on with the old studio design and waited until I could afford professionals for the job (also for the drywall work etc.). I would probably have spent at least three times the money, but it would be done in about 3 months. I hope you get something out of my experience! Now, that I am almost there, I really like it! don't get me wrong on that! A good studio built IS great! But with one view on the blueprints and some pictures of your room, I can tell you that the room won't be decent. rather live with the restrictions and spend your money on something that is worth it ...


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## FriFlo (Jan 21, 2014)

P.S.: I forget to mention your drywall: if it really is only about 10mm thick you got another problem! Your walls act as a drum. You can easily check this out, if you put a LF sine wave on your monitors and touch your walls. Step up the frequency of the sine in small steps between 50 and 150 Hz and see how your walls will begin to vibrate at certain frequencies. 
Usually, in studio builds the walls are made from dry wall, but much heavier material than the typical stuff and at least three layers on top of each other to get the resonance really low. If you detect these problems you may get a better idea why your investment would be without any meaning and what you should look for in a potential new room in the future. Hope this helps!


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## dimtsak (Jan 22, 2014)

You are right about the dry wall.
It resonates when i play a sine wave at about 100 HZ.

The truth is, i didn't know if my place had a potential to become a proper home-studio, depending on the type, the size and the materials it has.

It seems that i will keep my money for now.
I will propably invest them for harmony lessons.

The only thing that i am still thinking, is an affordable or diy reflection filter for vocal recordings.

Thanks again FriFlo for sharing your knowledge and experiences.


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