help with my studio please

[Bayou_Brawler]

my band mates and i just rented out a studio to practice in. it's about 15'x15'. there are a whole building full of these things all next to each other. basically the sound in there kinda sucks. you have loud bands next you plus there is a lot of reverb (i guess) bouncing around and just making the overall sound kinda crappy.

what can i do to help the sound? i know you can buy studio foam stuff. will hanging a bunch of egg crates help. i don't want to do spend a lot here just something to help out a little.

whatever i buy how do you hang the stuff? do i have to cover the whole wall? put one big one in the middle of the wall? put little pieces spread out over the wall?

please help.

 

[peaveybassamp88]

Thick carpeting on the floor seems to help quite a bit, and is pretty cheap too. I'm not an engineer, but I think part of this is from the amps/cabs not coming in direct contact with the solid floor (concrete, etc.) and transferring vibrations to the floor. Just a thought.

Buying some foam soundproofing tiles and placing a few on each wall couldn't hurt. "Spikey", triangular foam wall tiles will absorb a good deal of sound in a very small space, which is why hanging a big flat quilt on the wall (etc) usually doesnt work too well ...it doesnt have the ridges/spikes/triangles on it.

Since you're in a relatively small space without much moving room, watch out for ground loops! If youre touching your guitar while plugged in and you bump into your other guitarist, plugged in, you'll probably both get a pretty gnarly shock Rock on!!

 

[danshee]

Alright, depending on your budget, all the carpet will work fine to isolate you,but not your neighboring bands. If you can afford a bunch of drywall here's what you do. go and buy a bunch of sheets of drywall, 4'x 8' sections that should run about $7-8 in the U.S.Double up the layers on the wall when hanging it. That's a inexspensive way to do it. I've been in multi-million dollar studios and that is what some of them do. It has something to do with creating a sound-isolating air pocket between the drywall layers keeping sound in and out. Good Luck Dude

 

[odie]

It is because it is a small room and you are probably playing too loud for its size. Imagine 400 watts cranked in a small room. Now imagine 400 watts cranked in a large toom. It is over-simplified but it draws a picture.

 

[Treena Foster]

Quick fix......go to home depot, or even u-haul. Purchase a bunch of moving blankets, yes I said moving blankets. Staple these to all bare surfaces/walls ceiling. It will cut down on the slap back you are experiencing and is the chepest fix that I am aware of.

The carpet on the floor, will also help deaden the sound.

(Sounds like an old storage unit complex........ a lot of realtors are purchasing these units and leasing them for rehearsal halls.)

Treena

 

[GrooveSlave]

Let me guess....

This is a 15' square room with high ceilings - maybe 15 feet???

If this is true, it is the WORST possible shape for a room to play in. I agree with Treena's idea about the moving blankets.

Another idea might be to buy some ROLLS of fiberglass insulation and stack as many as you can afford in each corner. It will definately cut down on your useable space, but it will act as a bass trap and help reduce some of the standing waves in the room.

For more information and a better explanation than I can give, check this out:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html


The other obvious suggestion is to turn down as much as you can.

Finally you can EQ the bass to remove bottom. Smiley face EQ bad...especially in the cube. Have the guitarist do the same (good luck with that one)

I've been in this situation and it just plain sucked. We had a death metal band next to us with 2 Mesa full stacks and a cave man drummer. It was unreal how loud these guys would play in such a small space.

Finally, do NOT try to make any critical listening decisions in this room. E.g. you or the guitarist making and saving any effects patches or amp settings. They will mean nothing.

Best of luck.

 

[Bayou_Brawler]

Let me guess....

This is a 15' square room with high ceilings - maybe 15 feet???

If this is true, it is the WORST possible shape for a room to play in. I agree with Treena's idea about the moving blankets.

Another idea might be to buy some ROLLS of fiberglass insulation and stack as many as you can afford in each corner. It will definately cut down on your useable space, but it will act as a bass trap and help reduce some of the standing waves in the room.

For more information and a better explanation than I can give, check this out:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html


The other obvious suggestion is to turn down as much as you can.

Finally you can EQ the bass to remove bottom. Smiley face EQ bad...especially in the cube. Have the guitarist do the same (good luck with that one)

I've been in this situation and it just plain sucked. We had a death metal band next to us with 2 Mesa full stacks and a cave man drummer. It was unreal how loud these guys would play in such a small space.

Finally, do NOT try to make any critical listening decisions in this room. E.g. you or the guitarist making and saving any effects patches or amp settings. They will mean nothing.

Best of luck.

lol you couldn't be more on the money. we have a loud deathmetal band nextdoor too.

 

[Mon Rominee]

Putting something directly ON the wall that is transferring sound waves is going to do very very little. If you go the moving blanket route, the heavier the better, and drape them from the ceiling down about an inch or so away from the wall to act as a sound baffle of sorts. This combined with egg crate foam on the wall is going to help tons. You can get 4 x 8 sheets of eggcrate from many places for around 20 bucks a sheet.

Another question: hows the ventilation in that room?

 

[Bayou_Brawler]

Putting something directly ON the wall that is transferring sound waves is going to do very very little. If you go the moving blanket route, the heavier the better, and drape them from the ceiling down about an inch or so away from the wall to act as a sound baffle of sorts. This combined with egg crate foam on the wall is going to help tons. You can get 4 x 8 sheets of eggcrate from many places for around 20 bucks a sheet.

Another question: hows the ventilation in that room?

the ventalation is o.k.

i work up a sweat from time to time.