Where to start with an asymmetrical room?

[kingtoad]

Hi,

I know I really need to provide more info, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling before I go out for the evening. Basically, I'm rearranging/treating my mixing room, which is also my bedroom. I've decided to treat it as a mixing room 1st and a bedroom 2nd, basically a control room with a bed in it.

Anyway, this room is rediculous. It has 8 walls, all of various sizes and some at stange angles. There is a smallish alcove type section where I previously had my mixing setup, but the bass response was a bit too crazy. The ceiling is about 8 and a half feet.

I've spent most of the day trying out various speaker positions and have found one where the bass response is more even, but the stereo imaging doesn't seem as good. The other problem is that to make the distance of the two speakers from the side wall identical in this position I either have to have them closer together than I'd like or have on of them dangerously close to the door in the corner!

I have some rockwool that I have been sticking in the corners as rudimentary bass traps, and the corner door obviously doesn't lend itself to that either.

I know I haven't really provided enough detailed info, and I will try and give some tomorrow, but does anyone have any experience of arranging/treating unorthodox shaped rooms?

Thanks,

Tom xxx

[Ethan Winer]

A drawing would really help, but I can offer this advice: If you can't make the room symmetrical, you can fake it by applying absorption symmetrically on both sides. Especially at the reflection points, which is the real issue. Then, what's behind the absorption doesn't matter much. This will require stands of some sort.

--Ethan

[kingtoad]

Here is a quick room plan I have just drawn up. I'm well aware (and very sorry) for the terrible lack of any sense of scale (hey, didn't you know that 87 inches is more than 115?) but with only MS paint and no degree in technical drawing it was the best I could do.

Any opinions? For the moment I am flat broke and only have three sacks of rockwool cuttings to work with. I would love advice for the long term obviously, but it would be great if you could give me any info on what I could do with what I have, given that I have to mix an EP that is going to pay for further improvements some time over the next couple of weeks!

If it helps or hinders in any way the floor is pretty thick carpet and the ceilings and walls are fairly annoyingly reflective (basically painted plaster which I'm sure is doing no good at all). There are pretty big peaks around 80hz and 130hz, a noticable dip around 150hz and then another peak around 157hz, but these are quite reduced at the new position I have tried. The stereo imaging was better in the old position though.

Thanks for your help Ethan,

Tom xxx

[Ethan Winer]

I already answered this in the other place you posted. I'd copy my reply here for the benefit of others, but I can't remember where that was.

--Ethan

[kingtoad]

This is what you said!

Yes, the new mix position is better. Once you get absorption at the reflection points that should fix your imaging.

--Ethan

I'm just trying to find the perfect position now. Goddamn door is ruining everything!

[roscoenyc]

On Ethan's site he gives some tips for a corner with a door like that. Since you can't put a panel there at a 45 degree angle you can put a panel on the back of the door and another one on the wall next to it. I've got a couple corners in my studio that had to be treated that way. Works fine.

[kingtoad]

On Ethan's site he gives some tips for a corner with a door like that. Since you can't put a panel there at a 45 degree angle you can put a panel on the back of the door and another one on the wall next to it. I've got a couple corners in my studio that had to be treated that way. Works fine.

Yeah, I think that was my vague plan. There's a light switch in the way as well but I should be able to work around it. Thanks for the tip...