Books as diffusors?

[Don Shumai]

Hi everyone,
I just bought a house with a nice open (but square) basement that I was hoping to make into a studio. Before I got into recording, the main thing I blew all my money on was books, so I have loads of those. I was thinking of putting bookshelves all along one wall, the thinking being that books are of various heights, widths and thicknesses, and that would create an uneven surface that might aid in diffusion. Am I completely misunderstanding how this works? Or is this an o.k. idea? Or should I just use the books to build a fort?

Thanks,
Don Shumai

[norton]

totally build a fort.


books will work for diffusion. and some hifreq absorption too, i would think. but just about anything can work as a diffuser.


a fort would be cool.

[inverseroom]

That's a great idea. It would work even better, in terms of both absorption and diffusion, if you shelved them spine-in. Of course then their utility as books would be diminshed.

[jajjguy]

Sure, that'll work. The purpose of those specially-designed hi-tech diffusors is to diffuse all frequencies (within a certain range) equally. There's some complicated math involved that proves they work. But there hasn't been any serious research (that i know of) into how different diffusing surfaces actually sound and how much or what kind of diffusion is desired. Like, do you really want to diffuse all frequencies equally? Maybe, we don't really know. So yeah, your bookcase will work fine, and may even be better than the expensive stuff, for all we know.

[cgarges]

Q Division in Boston is set up like that. Bookeshelves of different depths. I think it's a great idea.

www.qdivision.com/new_studio/index.html

You can see it great in the "Who's Been In The Studio" section.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[comfortstarr]

My pal Tom Herbers' studio in Minneapolis has this. He's told me that a tangental benefit is that client enjoy perusing the offerings.

http://www.thirdearrecording.com/rooms.html

[wayne kerr]

There's a studio I was in in Minneapolis once that did that too... Third Ear I think?? Recorded Jayhawks and Semisonic in that room I think... maybe even Low?? I seem to remember thinking that was a very clever idea and the room sounded damn good.

CC
PP

[aurelialuz]

and you read all these sound tutorials and they say what really matters is mass. not a lot of things more dense than books, so i should think it would work really well. great idea.

alex

[wayne kerr]

Huh... looks like comfort beat me to the punch! Hey did he record Semisonic and The Jayhawks in there or am I thinking of someone else???

CC
PP

[joel hamilton]

The whole back wall of the control room at Studio G is books, books, books. (some CD's too, and a fax machine).

It works extremely well as a diffusor wall.

No slap.

[comfortstarr]

There's a studio I was in in Minneapolis once that did that too... Third Ear I think?? Recorded Jayhawks and Semisonic in that room I think... maybe even Low?? I seem to remember thinking that was a very clever idea and the room sounded damn good.

CC
PP

He's definately recorded Low there for parts of their last couple of records (he did the tracking for Trust, but that was in a Church in Duluth I believe--maybe I'm just loyal, but I was always a bit peeved that all the sonic discussion of that record centered on Tchad Blake's mixdown, when I believe that Tom and the dude from Low really put a ton of work into the tracking). He and Low seem to be pretty tight. He occasionally runs sound for them as well.

As to the Jayhawks, I don't know. I'm sure he's recorded the odd-jayhawk, but I don't know if he's done the band.

As to Semisonic, again, I don't know.

[G-Rat]

Yeah! That church in Duluth sounds great! My friend Amy Abts recorded her last album in there with some help from either a member of Low's or someone who worked with them, and it is great. I wish I could remember the name of the church, it is strictly for recording now, no services or anything. Maybe it is owned by someone in Low? Ugh, I should listen better when people talk to me.

[kayagum]

The church in Duluth is Sacred Heart Studios (profiled in the last Low article in TapeOp)

http://www.spinoutrecords.com/studio/home.html

[cassembler]

Anything is better than a flat, concrete wall. Go for some kind symmetry though, if you can.