| Tame your room |
-- Not consider a beautiful acoustic design is a failure of design
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The plain fact is that most studios, whether in the home or in a commercial building, tend to have a rectangular shape because this is the most cost effective method of building a room.
Unfortunately, this makes the room ineffective for creating music. Parallel walls introduce flutter echo and standing waves while also introducing resonant frequencies and harmonics, which detract from the performance.
Furthermore, when trying to 'fix the room in the mix', the resulting recording is usually found to be lacking when played back on another sound system. A room with too many reflective surfaces will sound "bright" and recordings will tend to sound dull as the engineer reduces high frequencies while mixing. A room with too much absorbing surfaces will sound "dark" and recordings will tend to sound shrill as the engineer adds high frequencies to compensate for the room's lack of ambiance. And this is just for the high frequencies.More room issues await you in the mid and bass bands.
Acoustictop ‘high density open cell acoustic foam is very effective at combating general room mode problems and is indispensable for creating a neutral ambience. The trick is knowing where to put the foam to be the most effective. Too much treatment can be a problem as well.
We have assembled acoustic treatment room kits for recording and mixing rooms that help you place the right amount of acoustic foam in the right places. Already have some heavy drapes or a big soft couch in your studio? Then look to the wall systems to find a solution for those untreated walls and ceiling.
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A guide To typical room problems: |
- Primary & secondary reflections
- Flutter echo & room chatter
- Standing waves
- Listening fatigue
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Front Wall:
Front-to-back room chatter and standing waves are created by the monitors firing at the rear wall and creating an endless echo as they reflect back to the front wall. All monitors, and especially those with rear firing ports, stream bass directly to the front wall creating a comb-filtered effect. This is resolved using the Front Wall System.
Side Walls:
Side-to-side flutter and primary reflections from the monitors reduce imaging and cause listening fatigue. The ear tries to selectively listen to the direct source that is competing with powerful side wall reflections. Our Side Walls system absorb these reflections while also reducing side-to-side standing waves and flutter echo.
Rear Wall-LEDE system:
Rear wall reflections require a balanced solution. If completely deadened, the room becomes listless and dark ,The resulting mix tends to be overly bright. The solution is to introduce the LEDE concept, or live-end dead-end.
In the LEDE room, the back end of the room is made brighter or more "live" with reflective surfaces, and the front made quieter or "dead" with more absorptive materials. This 'soft-diffusion' creates a more natural listening environment as in the LEDE room. The Rear Wall system also works with the Front Wall system to reduce front-to-back standing waves and room chatter.
Bass Management:
Finally, bass control is essential in any room. Without a bass trap, bass tends to boom and get muddy. You cannot solve room problems in a mix without affecting the final recording and this is especially true for bass frequencies.The bass management? are effective from 65 Hz and up to smooth out low and low-mid frequency response.
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1 Typical reflections in an untreated room |
2 Standing waves and flutter echo |
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Green: Direct sound from loudspeakers.
Red: Primary reflections from close walls can be equal in volume to the direct sound causing ear fatigue. Slight time delays from traveling a longer path create comb filtering effects in the sweet spot.
Blue: Secondary reflections can create distinctive echoes. Flutter echoes are reflections between parallel walls. Chatter echoes are reflections that bounce around in corners before being returned to the listening area. Secondary reflections seem to ring on after sound from the loudspeakers has stopped.
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Green: Fundamental resonant standing wave.
Red: Harmonic of fundamental standing wave.
Blue: Side to side flutter echo.
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3 LEDE system-The Live End Dead End room |
4 Same room with front, side, rear wall treatments, and bass traps |
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Green: Front end of room is heavily treated or "dead" to absorb nearly all reflections.
Red: This is the "sweet spot" or main listening area.
Blue: Rear end of room is partially reflective or "live". Acoustic energy is returned back into the room for ambiance.
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Green: Front Wall system &Rear Wall system reduce standing waves.
Red: Side Walls system absorb flutter echoes.
Blue: Side Walls system and Rear Wall system absorb reflections.
Orange: Front Wall system and Bass Management control bass.
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