non parallel walls (studio build)

[knapus]

So I'm planning on a room within a room construction of a live space inside my garage and I'm wondering if non parallel walls should be planned into the design given my dimensions.

The room will be roughly 16 x 19 with a pitched ceiling that peaks at about 12 or 13 feet.

Is this room too small to worry about maybe angling or tilting a wall or two? Or how much angle or tilt would be needed to make a difference? Should I just worry about absorption and diffusion instead?

[roscoenyc]

Save yourself a lot of money and trouble.
Get the Gervais book.

[Ethan Winer]

Is this room too small to worry about maybe angling or tilting a wall or two?

Yes, probably. A small angle can help reduce flutter echo, but that's more easily tamed using absorption. An angle large enough to avoid reflections at the mix position requires a much larger shell space. So if it were me I wouldn't bother with angles.

--Ethan

[knapus]

I've got Rod's book, but didn't find the particular answer to this question. Definitely a must have though, you're right.

And thanks, Ethan, kinda what I figured. I'll put in a plug for the many helpful videos you've made. Again, super helpful material.

[JWL]

Definitely don't angle the walls. You'll be reducing the size of the room, which will create larger problems than parallel walls.

[Aquaman]

Common wisdom these days among studio designers is that, except in very controlled circumstances, all angled walls do is change your room's standing wave node points from predictable spots to unpredictable ones.

(citation: Tape Op Con 2007 studio design panel)

[dubh dubh dubh]

I think AquaMan makes a good point here, for already-built structures for sure. For your live room, it'll be more about finding how much treatment is enough & what's too much for your desires. My own much smaller room isn't more than a temporary edit/mix space with parallel walls & flat ceiling, so not totally relevant to your own space. (10' L, 8'9" W, 8' ceiling= BIG built-in problems for mixing, if not treated)

But the parallel dimensions made the problem Frqs waaay easier to find/hear and deal with.. All with really simple CHEAP diy/green treatments & finding the best monitor placement and seating postition, the usual. Sure isn't perfect, took a bit of cursing and sweat but wow what easy, huge improvements can be made to just about any space. Seems simpler to kinda take parallel walls as a blessing-- more known variables to deal with & easier to treat... usually.

Gervais & Gallagher books incredible resources for real, I think one or the other has some stuff re: peaked ceilings, complex dimensions & fq behaviour etc... hmm, I think. Have loaned them both out dangit! Seems simplest answer being "shoot the room with pink noise into a super-flat mic into Room Eq Wizard(or similar...)"

places I've had with a structural peak in the live area have been fairly easily restrained with cheap diy trapping in the peak (maybe 45% treated, i think), as well as the corners. great results with different absorp/diffusor spreads too, good to make them movable/easy to mount in many diff. areas.