What kind of traps, etc do I really need starting out?

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

How do I know what kind of traps and stuff I would need in putting together a home studio? I read some dude's guide but it looked like it was going to take thousands of dollars worth of shit to make a room sound good... I know that maybe eventually I might want to put that kind of time, money, and effort in, but just getting started out - what do I need or how do I test a room to see what I need?

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

I'm not sure whether we're going to set up the control room and tracking room in the same room or separate. I'd prefer separate, but it's going to come down to budget. Will be recording everything from super loud live band tracks to vocals, acoustic instruments, etc. Budget is limited at the moment, but we're still trying to assess what we're going to need in the long run and how to get started on it. We're building a studio from scratch in a house and we don't want to expend all our money and then still get shitty results.

[stompforfuzz]

the cheapest way, imo, to treat a room is to use what you already have. Like furniture, etc - and just get some mass in the rooms. Put couches, chairs in the corners of the room etc. Put carpet down if you don't already have some. If you have a relective floor and don't want to change that, put some absorption on the ceiling.

check out www.realtraps.com for the basics.

Also, a couple rolls of fiberglass insulation stacked up in the corners makes good cheap bass traps... Just please, please, please don't start covering the walls completely with carpet, egg crate, etc until you know what your room is doing to the sound and WHERE. It'll have less relections, but will sound like the inside of a carboard box. Get the scoop on evaluating your space and take your time doing it. It's possible you have a good room that may only need some traps and a lava lamp.

Other than that, I wouldn't know what to say - how about posting the size of your area? Maybe some folks that know more than me can make a better suggestion based on your room size - rooms of different shapes and sizes come with very different problems.

[iC]

Good for the NYHC screamers ($150):


and for whiney emo singers ($1/pack of 4):


VERY Handy Stuff. and reasonably cheap too!

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Okay. We don't have our space yet. I guess may I should have asked FIRST was...

When we're looking at spaces, what should we look for to know if the room is going to need minimal treatment or huge amounts of treatment? I have never treated a room for acoustics before nor do I know anyone around here who could help me. Once I get the room, how do I know what I need to do to it?

[terryb]

watch the realtraps video he posted and start educating yourself.

[iC]

Okay. We don't have our space yet. I guess may I should have asked FIRST was...

When we're looking at spaces, what should we look for to know if the room is going to need minimal treatment or huge amounts of treatment? I have never treated a room for acoustics before nor do I know anyone around here who could help me. Once I get the room, how do I know what I need to do to it?

There is something to the "folk who clap/whistle/bark into a room" action.... but i prefer to stomp on the floor. Its a good first place to start, considering drums, amps, mic stands will all be supported by it.
Then you just gotta know how to interpret what you hear and apply that info to things like high/low ceilings, small closet/open loft, archiecture and lack there-of... There can be a lot of science to apply and investment to make, but clever minds seem to find means to keep expenses down.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

God, there's so many factors to this shit and every time someone answers one of my question I have way less of an idea of what I should actually do to solve my problem. This is so confusing. I mean, it's simple enough to clap or stomp a floor... but having any idea what to listen for or what that means... I wish I could get some kind of clear answers.

[terryb]

The only clear thing in recording music is that you must learn by doing.

If you want to spend a lot of dough on buying a great room, hire someone who knows what to listen for.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

So basically I should just get a room, not taking into any account what the acoustic situation might be and then just try to figure out how to make it sound good?

[JWL]

I wrote an article a while back on this: Three First Steps Toward A Good-Sounding Room.

Also, we do have a bunch of videos up on our site at RealTraps: http://realtraps.com/videos.htm

For someone just starting with acoustic treatment, I recommend some moveable acoustic panels on stands (either commercial stands or DIY). This will help give you an idea of how acoustic treatments will affect your room and recordings, and it increases your flexibility while tracking.

There is a TON of info on the web. If you get through the above, then I recommend starting with Ethan's acoustics article: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

have fun

[terryb]

Not just any room.
Large room, high ceilings, wood flooring and wood walls.
Then acoustically treat it as needed.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

I've read the Three Steps article... I'll have to wait until I'm on another connection to watch the videos. But thank you.

[fossiltooth]

I recently posted this in a thread that had nothing to do with bass trapping. I'll repost here for posterity:

It's over-mystified! Sure, you can tune plywood boards to deal with certain frequencies, or create Hemholtz resonators to target specific modes, but at the end of the day, the most simple and effective route is broadband absorption:

1)Take some really absorptive material, (owens corning 703 is good)
2) Pack it real thick (6" is good)
3) Cover it with acoustically transparent material (burlap is good) so it doesn't look like sh*t and so that little bits of fiberglass doesn't get in your eyes and on your skin.
4) If you want to get really fancy, find a way to mount it, so it doesn't come crashing down on your head.


Simple! No "tuning" required. Just taste, ears and elbow grease. Enough of the stuff will do the trick in almost any room.

That's how you make decent bass traps on a budget.

If you aren't that handy, and need things cheap, buy some Ready Traps bags from Ready Acoustics. They also sell a mounting system. It's framatically less expensive, and equally effective when compared to buying premade traps. To control flutter echo, you can strategically place thinner panels. 2" and 4" thicknes instead of 6".

I don't really like foam. It tends to be more expensive than building panels, less effective, and kind of ugly.

Good luck!

The only clear thing in recording music is that you must learn by doing.

If you want to spend a lot of dough on buying a great room, hire someone who knows what to listen for.

^What he said.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Thank you muchly. I think that information will be infinitely helpful. I've also read a couple more of those articles on acoustics now. I appreciate everyone's patience and assistance with my newb acoustics conundrum. I'm the type of person who had rather ask 8 million questions to anyone who will listen and learn to do things right for myself so I don't have to hire other people whose incompetance I will later gripe about. If something gets screwed up, I want to be the one responsible and I don't want it to have cost me much money. So thanks everyone... if anybody thinks of anything else useful I'll continue checking this thread.