Research #4 - 2.11.10 - Room Acoustics

A big part of my work, particularly on the audio side, is the space in which I create the work. The shape of a room, placement of speakers and combination reflective and non-reflective surfaces play a huge part in how I hear and record sounds when making my work. This is also something that should be considered for exhibition as it will play an important role in how the viewer hears the work. To begin, I am recording and mixing in the extra room of my apartment. It is roughly 9'x14' with high ceilings. Ideally, I would like to be in a perfect acoustically engineered recording studio, but given the space that I have, I need to optimize it's acoustic properties. Fortunately, the room is rectangular, which is not ideal, but in my research I found that a perfect cube is the worst possible scenario. The fewer parallel surfaces the better, so that certain frequencies do not build up. I had covered most of the walls with egg cartons because I believed it provided a better listening environment, but in my research I found that they are really only useful to dampen the sound. This will be good for recording, as it will reduce background echoes, but it leaves me needing panels for sound absorbtion when mixing. For now I will have to rely on my couch as my main place of absorbtion but I have also read that large pillows in the corners are a cheap solution for bass traps. A bass trap is an absorbtion device that prevents uneven bass response so that certain frequencies do not get amplified or lulled by the shape of the room. I read that in a rectangular room, it is best to face one of the shorter walls when mixing. I also read that having speakers in the corner of a room, or right up against the wall are bad choices so I have placed my speakers about 1.75' from the 9' wall placed at 46" apart. I read you want to put yourself in an equilateral triangle with your speakers. Therefore, given the distance between my speakers, I have placed my listening position at 5'4" from the wall which puts my speakers at about 30%. After rearranging for this new set-up, I can already hear a difference and new clarity while I'm mixing. I need to read more on how different environments might react and will have to consider this for exhibition once I know the space the work will be in. Here's a picture of the studio: