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Dealing with the dreaded corner

DigitalMan

DigitalMan

Bring Back Edit/Delete
Supporting Member
Nov 30, 2011
7,143
15,615
Bay Area, CA
#1
Ok, strictly speaking this isn't about recording. I have a home office with some music stuff that comes along for the ride. I am trying to layout the room optimally, and have to make a compromise of sorts.

I have a "bass rig" for lack of a better term, consisting of a 16U rack with a bunch of stuff in it (some bass and some not) and have a 1x12" speaker sitting atop separated by an Auralex pad. The contraption itself works nicely as it is self-contained and the speaker is at a good listening height.

Now the bad. The only, and I mean only logical place to put this rack is in the corner, facing out at a perfect 45 degrees.

Assuming you had to place a bass enclosure in such a position, what would you do to mitigate the acoustic challenges based on this location?

The solution doesn't have to be studio perfect. I'm looking for good enough from a sound perspective, aesthetically minimal, and moderate (not cheap) in cost.

Thanks in advance!
 
#5
DigitalMan said:
Ok, strictly speaking this isn't about recording. I have a home office with some music stuff that comes along for the ride. I am trying to layout the room optimally, and have to make a compromise of sorts.

I have a "bass rig" for lack of a better term, consisting of a 16U rack with a bunch of stuff in it (some bass and some not) and have a 1x12" speaker sitting atop separated by an Auralex pad. The contraption itself works nicely as it is self-contained and the speaker is at a good listening height.

Now the bad. The only, and I mean only logical place to put this rack is in the corner, facing out at a perfect 45 degrees.

Assuming you had to place a bass enclosure in such a position, what would you do to mitigate the acoustic challenges based on this location?

The solution doesn't have to be studio perfect. I'm looking for good enough from a sound perspective, aesthetically minimal, and moderate (not cheap) in cost.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

How does it sound? Cab is already elevated...that's my first trick. Use some parametric EQ to compensate for the low frequency gain you get from corner loading.
 
#7
two fingers said:
Then all I've got is tuck away your OCD and don't make it a perfect 45 degree angle. Turn it away from the opposite corner.

Habe you tried it yet? It might not even be an issue.
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I dunno man, I'm pretty attached to my OCD.

Thankfully the room is a fairly long rectangle, so the opposite corner isn't likely to be much of an issue.

Generally speaking the corner doesn't sound bad. It's more the desire to neutralize any major impact the corner is having at a room level as opposed to a gear level. Anything I do with gear to compensate will ultimately find its way into a recording line-in as well. It'd be nice to have a starting point closer to neutral. Not a big deal, but once all the big deals are taken care of I like to also tackle the little deals.
 
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#10
DigitalMan said:
It would be DI.

Thanks
Click to expand...


I don't really know much about bass traps and given your description I have to wonder if there would be room, as I believe bass traps tend to be large. Basically this is why I suggested post DI room compensation EQ.


Perhaps this thread and its OP would be a resource if you are interested in acoustic treatment: My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)
 
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#11
Wasnex said:
I don't really know much about bass traps and given your description I have to wonder if there would be room, as I believe bass traps tend to be large. Basically this is why I suggested post DI room compensation EQ.


Perhaps this thread and its OP would be a resource if you are interested in acoustic treatment: My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)
Click to expand...
OP of that thread here: Bass traps do tend to be large, but most commercial corner traps tend to be about 23" along the face. That's not TOO much space (hopefully), but it's not a tiny footprint either.

My suggestion would be to stuff as many corners, principally the one directly behind the cab, with bass trapping, and then compensate with some high pass filtering to reduce the low frequency build-up associated with corner placement of a cab.
 
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#13
I use 2 Auralex Gammas with great success, anytime I'm dealing with a wood floor or stage. It also seems to lessen the corner effect.
auralex G.png
 
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#14
If your studio is a fairly long rectangle, your highest priority is to have as much absorption as possible at the end of the room opposite your bass cab. I'd get at least 2 bass traps and place them in the corners at the far end of the studio close to the ceiling.

Also, try this budget minded sound absorber if you can do it. Place a bookshelf at the far wall and fill it with books. It seems like this wouldn't do much but it's actually very effective at killing reflections and minimizing boominess in a room. Plus, you can show off your intellectual prowess by selecting books that make you look smart for reading them. :D
 
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#15
Have you actually determined that you have a real problem yet by trying it out? I wouldn't spend a cent until I had tried it out and found that I really do hear a specific problem that needs to be addressed that can't be fixed in a daw.
 
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#16
And I said:
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Foam-Studio-Soundproofing-Corner/dp/B00TT7BGQM
Click to expand...
Instead of paying for acoustic foam, you can build gobos in any size to either affix to or in front of the corner, or place behind the rack (with enough room for ventilation). Get some burlap, house insulation, a staple gun and some 1x4s. Built a frame, STUFF it full of insulation, wrap it in burlap and staple that burlap to the frame. If you want to make it fancy, you can put a thin layer of wood around the frame so you don't see the staples and it looks more "finished". This should help do some sound damping (dampening is when you wet something) and might help a little in moving the sound waves to avoid the problem of a square or rectangular room cancelling out frequencies. I used these in my rectangular rooms in my little rehearsal studio in Virginia and we had tons of them at Power Station when we were doing isolation in the big rooms. They are cheap and work very well. If you are putting them on a corner wall, you might be able to do a 1x3? The ones I make look horrible cause I am not much of a woodworker. I BET you could also try making a tube shaped burlap case over house insulation. Be sure to wear a mask / gloves unless you want to itch forever and, when possible, do the creating outside.
 
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#17
Just an update here.

To restate my concerns a little bit, the room in question has quite a bit of exposed bare wall. Until I made any changes it would be difficult to say what is good, better, best. But I decided that the laws of physics pretty much frowned on lots of bare wall.

I decided on the Auralex pro panel line from an aesthetic and practical perspective.

My first step was to order two panels, 2’x4’x2” and placed them behind the studio monitors. I have both monitors now on isolation stands on a sit stand desk. So no matter what height the desk is at, there is plenty of absorption. I decided to live with the results for a little while before continuing to invest.

Today I added one more pad of the same dimensions on the largest bare wall next to the bass speaker. I’m very happy with the progressive results, and decided to order a matching corner bass trap for the corner near the bass speaker, and also a 4’x4’ panel for the rear wall that will sit below a 4’ wide rail that I hang basses from - so it will be a nice aesthetic touch in framing the basses.

One thing I’ve learned is that it is best to buy direct from Auralex based on the cost of shipping. And shipping for orders over $300 is free right now. Also, they have more colors and size choices than some of their dealers show.

But mostly, I’m pretty convinced that any room with lots of exposed bare walls will likely benefit from some degree of wall treatment. I’ll update again when the bass trap arrives.
 
#19
spantini said:
Without making or buying a full-size bass trap, you could slip a couple of Rockwool panels back there. Only 2-inches thick each and great for sound absorbtion. You should be able to get this at Lowe's or Home Depot.

https://www.acoustimac.com/roxul-rb...MIwquox5Dm6gIVibWzCh03yAgMEAQYASABEgIyMvD_BwE
Click to expand...
Thank you for the suggestion. My priorities include both time and aesthetics as priorities. The ability to order something in ten minutes versus spending a few hours start-to-finish in a DIY mode has me favoring a commercial path. Also, since the currently installed panels have a specific aesthetic, it keeps me on the purchase path.

But that is great advice for those who have other calculus in mind.
 
#20
Adding a pic for perspective. Eventually I’m looking to replace the blinds and find a more appealing paint color, but those are lower priority. The desk was just recently finalized, so cable management is yet to be done. I'm looking at taking the Yamaha sub on the floor and moving it to the interior side of the desk leg when I do, and bringing the rack adjacent to the desk at that point.

For reference, the computer display and the window behind it are the center point of a wall that’s about 20’ long. The desk itself is 80" long, so the angle is a little bit deceptive.
A5B54D8F-DFCA-4589-BF97-BDB732CEDECC.jpeg
 
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