Big Concrete, Little Drywall

[CaseyJames]

Hi,

Im planning on moving from my 25' x 12' x 8' rectangular bungalow house studio to some new digs. This is a home studio, and I compose for a living.

Given the trade off between a larger loft type environment, where the ceilings are much higher and the space is larger but everything is concrete (or perhaps just the floors and ceilings) v.s. another bungalow/guest house with similar dimensions to what I'm in now, what would be the better option for a mixing environment?

I have 18 4" 703 bass traps and am planning a methodical survey and measurement of speaker positions to find the ideal acoustic setup, but the the negative aspects of concrete and glass outweigh the larger space?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Gregg Juke]

It depends on what is most important to you, in the limited space you'll have available-- a nice, spacious tracking area, or a good mixing environment (??). I would think that if you're composing full-time, you're doing a lot of MIDI and software sample sets, and not a lot of live instruments? (I could be wrong, so which is it?)... My guess would be you'd want the smaller space that's easier to optimize for mixing, but, if you do a lot of live instruments or ensembles, it might be a trade-off. Plus, high ceilings can be amazing for overhead and ambient miking.

Also, concrete and glass are usually craptastic for us mortals, but Rudy Van Gelder did a lot of his later work in a studio (rather than a living room) with concrete walls and very little, if any, treatment, and I'd say "A Love Supreme" came out pretty good, so who knows. It's probably more about dimensions and less about material, because you can treat glass and concrete, but you can't change dimensions without major construction. Seek advice from the many gurus on this board, some of the design pros on-line, and/or look into some of the studio design and mode calculator software.

Also, be advised, no matter how much research you do on the "perfect" place, you're unlikely to find it out there (you'd have to build it), so if you're renting, you have to view the rooms you'll see through the eyes of faith and potential. My partner and I took three rooms at an old manufacturing facility, and with some money and a lot of work, have a real nice set-up now.

GJ

[CaseyJames]

I do some tracking but my main concern is mixing.

The impression that I've gotten is that larger spaces and highers ceilings are much better for mixing. I also hear that concrete emphasizes nodes.

I have 18 4" 703 bass traps. I would be willing to make some more, but I don't see my self covering the entire space or anything like that.

I know that it is a matter of getting into the space, but I can spend the very limited amount of time I have driving around town looking at lofts or looking at guesthouses. I'm trying to get a feel for what is the better bet.

When I do move in, it is my intention to apply a very methodical approach for measuring the nulls at radiating speaker and listening positions.

[Gregg Juke]

Sounds like you've got a good plan.

>>>>The impression that I've gotten is that larger spaces and highers ceilings are much better for mixing.<<<<

Hmmm. Think about the control rooms you've been in or seen. I suppose it depends on your definition of "larger" and "higher."

GJ

[CaseyJames]

Here are some that I'm looking at. I know that in many of these, the ceiling and often the walls aren't really where they appear to be in the photograph but are instead fabric covered hiding several feet of baffling.

It looks like 14+ foot ceilings, 25'x40' spaces. Not a spec of concrete in sight.

I don't think I'm going to find a space that large within my budget, but here in LA there are a ton of affordable converted loft spaces. These tend to be large and affordable and lousy with concrete and glass.

Thats the current dilemma. I'm not going to find an all drywall/wood place in my budget with those sizes. Some of the lofts have a few drywall walls though there my just be concrete directly behind it.

http://www.miloco.co.uk/new/studios/tim ... h=290&zc=1

http://www.miloco.co.uk/new/studios/tim ... h=290&zc=1

http://www.sonicranch.com/_images/adobe ... trol_1.jpg

http://www.hookendstudio.com/images/phL ... olRoom.jpg