Hi all,

In a few weeks I'll be moving to a new house, and I have to choose a
room for recording and mixing. I've been reading Ethan Winer's acoustic
FAQ, so I know some basics but I don't have enough knowledge and
practical experience to make a choice beforehand - especially because of
the odd shape of the attic. If it's not a clear cut case after all I'll
just try them both out by doing some simple evaluations using white
noise/sine wave sweep recordings. Which room will need the least
acoustical treatment?

The rooms I can choose between are a regular 'rectangular' room with
dimensions 4.05 x 2.97 x 2.6 meter (13 x 9.9 x 8.7 ft) (LWH) or the
'triangular' attic, having a rectangular floor of 8.25m x 2.35m (27.5 x
7.8 ft), and being 2.5 meters (8,3 ft) high, shown on the ascii-art
figure below, seen from the side:

/\
/ \
/ \
/ \
/--------\

The first room has 1 concrete wall and three plaster walls, the attic's
ceiling is covered with sawdust panels, its back wall is concrete, and
the front wall is a plaster wall.

I find it especially hard to evaluate the merits/problems of the attic.
At first subjective hearing it sounded quite natural. But I wonder if
there will be a problem mixing in the room because of the early
reflections since the room is not very deep and the ceiling is narrowing
quickly.

So would you advice to get proper treatment for the rectangular room
because its acoustic properties are much more predictable or does the
attic have some acoustic virtues that make it worthwhile? Also, how
would one approach bass trapping in such a room?

Thanks in advance for your reply,

Cheers,
Walco

Which room will need the least
acoustical treatment?

The question I'd be asking, unless I were on a very tight budget, is "which
room will sound best AFTER its been treated?"

Dave

Which room will need the least
acoustical treatment?

The question I'd be asking, unless I were on a very tight budget, is "which
room will sound best AFTER its been treated?"

Dave

Walco,

Which room will need the least acoustical treatment?

I agree with David that what really matters is which room will ultimately
give the best results.

When all else is equal you're better with the larger room. I think this
applies here too, meaning that you should use the attic. But those nearby
side walls are a problem. Then again, nearby side walls "go away" with rigid
fiberglass only a few inches thick, where the smaller room will need
substantial bass trapping. Not that the attic won't need plenty of bass
trapping too. But for me the deciding factor is that the first room is
simply too small.

--Ethan

Walco,

Which room will need the least acoustical treatment?

I agree with David that what really matters is which room will ultimately
give the best results.

When all else is equal you're better with the larger room. I think this
applies here too, meaning that you should use the attic. But those nearby
side walls are a problem. Then again, nearby side walls "go away" with rigid
fiberglass only a few inches thick, where the smaller room will need
substantial bass trapping. Not that the attic won't need plenty of bass
trapping too. But for me the deciding factor is that the first room is
simply too small.

--Ethan

Ethan,

Thanks for your reply,

I agree with David that what really matters is which room will ultimately
give the best results.

+1

When all else is equal you're better with the larger room. I think this
applies here too, meaning that you should use the attic. But those nearby
side walls are a problem. Then again, nearby side walls "go away" with rigid
fiberglass only a few inches thick, where the smaller room will need
substantial bass trapping. Not that the attic won't need plenty of bass
trapping too. But for me the deciding factor is that the first room is
simply too small.

Too small meaning the length and width are not sufficient (volume wise
they are almost equal)? Do you mean it's almost impossible to get an
adequate bass response in there? Is the depth of the attic (or lack of
it) not a problem as well?

Cheers,
Walco

Ethan,

Thanks for your reply,

I agree with David that what really matters is which room will ultimately
give the best results.

+1

When all else is equal you're better with the larger room. I think this
applies here too, meaning that you should use the attic. But those nearby
side walls are a problem. Then again, nearby side walls "go away" with rigid
fiberglass only a few inches thick, where the smaller room will need
substantial bass trapping. Not that the attic won't need plenty of bass
trapping too. But for me the deciding factor is that the first room is
simply too small.

Too small meaning the length and width are not sufficient (volume wise
they are almost equal)? Do you mean it's almost impossible to get an
adequate bass response in there? Is the depth of the attic (or lack of
it) not a problem as well?

Cheers,
Walco

Walco,

Too small meaning the length and width are not sufficient (volume wise
they are almost equal)?

Yes, but the longest dimension is also too short. Both the longest dimension
and the total volume are important.

Do you mean it's almost impossible to get an adequate bass response in
there?

It's a myth that you need a certain minimum length for low frequencies to
"develop" in a room. In truth, what happens is the walls are all so close
that the reflections are strong, and the inevitable series (comb filter) of
peaks and nulls begins at a higher frequency.

Also, have a look at the Acoustics FAQ, second in the list on my Articles
page:

www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan

Walco,

Too small meaning the length and width are not sufficient (volume wise
they are almost equal)?

Yes, but the longest dimension is also too short. Both the longest dimension
and the total volume are important.

Do you mean it's almost impossible to get an adequate bass response in
there?

It's a myth that you need a certain minimum length for low frequencies to
"develop" in a room. In truth, what happens is the walls are all so close
that the reflections are strong, and the inevitable series (comb filter) of
peaks and nulls begins at a higher frequency.

Also, have a look at the Acoustics FAQ, second in the list on my Articles
page:

www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html

--Ethan