Does dry or humid air have a big effect on sound?

[ReedRecordingCo]

I remodeled my basement and have been running a dehumidifier a lot to keep it dry. Also, by insulating the whole room, my air circulation isnt the best. I have a lot of sound treatments all around the room to get rid of the ring from the drywall. The room is nice and dead but Ive noticed a "thinning" in what Ive been tracking. Before I remodeled, it sounded nice down there. Well, it sounded as good as a basement can sound.

[john1056]

I have read that some mics are sensitive to humidity, but it was excessive humidity not lack of...

Could you be hearing the deadness in a negative way? Hearing no reverb will sound wrong to your ears. Maybe the new dimensions are creating some undesirable nodes or nulls that you are hearing?

[Scodiddly]

So you've changed the wall composition, but you're thinking humidity might be the issue?

In a small room, almost certainly not. Maybe it's affecting acoustic guitars you keep down there, but that's as far as I'd go. If you were talking about the sound 100 feet away from the stage in a big venue then it would be plausible.

[Brett Siler]

Humidity could detune your drums, or piano or guitar but I wouldn't say make it sound thin. Your room probably has some nulls it that is affecting the recording.

[jmpace]

From the Sound Reinforcement Handbook:

"...The air absorbs energy from the sound wave, weakening it. The effect is significant only at frequencies above 2kHz , and increases with frequency. ... The attenuation of sound in air is affected by the relative humidity. Dry air absorbs far more acoustical energy than does moist air. This is because moist air is less dense than dry air (water vapor weighs less than air)."

Hope that helps somewhat.

[Rod Gervais]

So you've changed the wall composition, but you're thinking humidity might be the issue?

In a small room, almost certainly not. Maybe it's affecting acoustic guitars you keep down there, but that's as far as I'd go. If you were talking about the sound 100 feet away from the stage in a big venue then it would be plausible.

When it comes to humidity it can (and will) definitely affect even small rooms drastically - which is why the test procedures for acoustic treatments require an accurate measurement of humidity to be a part of the test procedure.

A good goal for humidity levels would be around 45% - but this is more an issue of keeping things stable from a tuning perspective - avoiding mold, etc.

But I do not believe that is the problem here..........

My best guess would be that the room is just what the poster said - the room is dead - which is never comfortable to work in - sounds unnatural
(as mentioned by John).

You would have to explain in a lot more depth exactly how you treated the room for anyone to suggest a solution.

Pics would help.......

Rod