How can I treat this room? [plan included]

Discussion in 'Studio' started by canbi, Jan 3, 2026 at 12:40 AM.

  1. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    I would like to treat this room and since I don't have any idea about it and things in Room Acoustic Thread sound like black magic to me - can you please reccomend me relatively good resources and WHERE to place them?..

    Video:


    Plan*:
    _plan.png

    Treat all values as approximate. Measured with a two-dollar tape.
     
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  3. zalbadar

    zalbadar Kapellmeister

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    Since it's also a bed room I'm guessing low-ish budget?

    Start by getting something to rise your speakers to head/ear height.
    Place them at the edges of the desk and about hafl way across the desk. This should give you enough distance from the walls you need to the sides and behind them to prevent any problems if there rear ported.

    Next priority would be get some thick curtains for the window, floor to ceiling if you can. The glass is the main reflector of sound and with it being to your side, it'll be the creator of the most destracting echo.

    The Cupboard is the next big item. Theres a few things you can do with the cupboard, cover them in acoustic foam, thick curtains, drape a carpett over it etc..
    It's probably not be worth doing anything for how much it'll cost because with your close proximity to the speakers, the speakers should over power any echo you'd hear from behind. At least until you reach volumes where your neighbours will complain.

    If it was a bigger room it'd be carpett the floor followed by foam on the ceiling.

    The main thing for you is before you start any musical work remeber to turn off the fan thats connected to the wall vent above your bed, and any fans in the rooms next door. They'll get picked up on your microphones otherwise.
    Just remeber to turn them back on after or you'll get damp or mold on your walls.

    Hope this helps, the member who do this stuff for a living will soon reply with the expensive ideal solutions.
     
  4. PulseWave

    PulseWave Audiosexual

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    Glass, like windows, is very bad. Molton fabric is available in various sizes and thicknesses; it's the same material used for stage curtains. It's inexpensive and odorless. It reliably filters out high frequencies.

    You can change the language in the upper right corner at Thomann.
    Molton Ready-made --> www.thomann.de/de/molton_konfektioniert.html

    Smooth surfaces reflect light very strongly. You could hang an Indian mandala tapestry/wall hanging/bedspread with a mandala print (blue/white, 210 x 230 x 0.2 cm, €29.90) on the ceiling. You should hang a large cloth over your microphone on the ceiling. Molton fabric is also available for self-cutting and in many colors.

    Move your desk about 30 centimeters away from the wall. Position your monitors in an equilateral triangle so that the distance between the speakers is the same as the distance to your ears. For example, if the speakers are 80 centimeters apart, sit 80 centimeters away from them. The monitors should be at ear level. The speakers shouldn't be too close to the wall, as this will distort the sound too much.
     
  5. SmokerNzt

    SmokerNzt Rock Star

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    1. I suggest you first to remove everything from the room
    2. take the Cube room and make it as hexagon room meaning draw a line between one wall to another in each convener and close it
    now you have acoustic shape of the room ,
    3. take tiny wood plates you can make them cheep then glow styrofoam and now close everything with it
    now the part of the room how to create it with a bad this just simple example
    https://postimg.cc/zb21Sh1P
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  6. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    My main purpose of this room is to record vocals - even if I wanted to have studio monitors I wouldn't fit them anywhere as the desk is too small — take the laptop for comparison. Sorry for not specifying

    Regarding the glass I forgot to mention that the macaron-like curtains (I have cats at home) will be hanged soon. I don't knof it will destroy the acoustics.

    I originally planned to (don't laugh, I have no idea about this) buy some acoustic foam/rockwool (as other users reccomend it) eventually paint it and glue it to walls behind microphone (I saw other people do it) and purchase some bass traps and stick it in the room corners and between them. Regarding the ceiling carpet, the light makes it impossible
     
  7. PulseWave

    PulseWave Audiosexual

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    What are macaron-shaped curtains? What material are they made of?

    Bass traps are only worthwhile after you've measured your room with software and a microphone. IK Multimedia ARC Studio (www.thomann.de/de/ik_multimedia_arc_studio.htm) will help you determine if you even have standing waves.
    Corner Bass Traps --> t.akustik Highline CBT1 Silver Spruce
    www.thomann.de/de/the_t.akustik_highline_cbt1_silver_spruce.htm

    I'd advise against using rock wool; it's primarily for bass reduction to protect your neighbors.
    There are other options, such as the t.akustik HMF-60 Halifax Oak (www.thomann.de/de/t.akustik_hmf_60_halifax_oak.htm).
     
  8. aymat

    aymat Audiosexual

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  9. ptepper

    ptepper Producer

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    https://www.acousticsinsider.com/

    https://www.youtube.com/@AcousticsInsider

    Basically, you can skip the measurements and "all the woodoo". If you have a small room with four walls, the floor and the ceiling, you do have a problem with standing waves and that problem is audible in the low frequencies.

    You need to install/hang as many broadband absorber panels as you can, all over the room, including the corners. Especially in the corners, including those around the ceiling. In your case the front and sides of the room, as there's no space in the rear.

    You can make the panels yourself, no rocket science. Plenty of info online, but I would stick to the source above. Soft fluffy mineral wool works the best, the kind used for roof insulation. No need for hard rockwool, as it's about thickness and not mass/density.

    For any meaningful effect on low frequencies the panels need to be at least 15 cm/6" thick. Their apsorption properties in the low frequencies increase if they are spaced away from the wall, with air in between, but the gap should not exceed the thickness of the panel itself.

    According to the source above, foam materials are practically useless as bass traps.

    The first step would be finding the optimal placement for the monitors, but you are probably constricted by the existing furniture.

    The wardrobe closet could serve as an additional absorber if you simply keep the doors open when doing critical listening.

    I would not worry too much about the window if sitting at the desk at its present position. I have a similar situation. Any direct reflections off it go behind my listening position and get taken care of by the absorbers at the sides and in the rear.

    A curtain wouldn't hurt, but the worst thing you can do for the acoustics of a small room is to kill the high frequencies and do nothing about the real problem, which is always at the opposite end of the spectrum.

    Be careful, as there is an awful lot of bad info floating around, some of it already found the way to this thread. You can easily spend a fortune and make things worse.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2026 at 12:19 PM
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  10. SmokerNzt

    SmokerNzt Rock Star

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    I got you!
    the first step is the room
    you should create it as hexagon shape ( even if it make ur room smaller hexagon and pentagon are the best shapes)
    then you can make in the corner closing room for vocal !

    start with that shape do it diy rather buying stuff all material can be found ! (I promise you batter than buying one's
     
  11. SmokerNzt

    SmokerNzt Rock Star

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  12. SmokerNzt

    SmokerNzt Rock Star

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  13. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    Something like this Screenshot_20260103-130356.Chrome.png
     
  14. PulseWave

    PulseWave Audiosexual

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    Maybe a roller blind behind it. You need a small rug for the floor and some absorbers on the wall and ceiling!
    HOFA Absorber Natural Creme-White --> www.thomannmusic.com/hofa_absorber_natural_creme_white.htm
    HOFA Basstrap 104 Anthrazit --> www.thomannmusic.com/hofa_basstrap_v2_anthrazit.htm

    Acoustic Treatment for Beginners: Studio Sound Optimization


    Acoustic Room Treatment on a Low Budget
    www.izotope.com/en/learn/acoustic-room-treatment-on-a-low-budget
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2026 at 2:01 PM
  15. Cyberdream

    Cyberdream Newbie

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    It all depends on what you want to achieve: do you want to produce and mix in that room?
    Or do you want to put things on your walls and corners, without really knowing how it will affect translation?

    You cannot treat a room without profound knowledge about it's acoustic behaviour (-> measurements + correct interpretation of the parameters of the time and frequency domain) and what really needs to be treated and how to treat it correctly (-> profound knowledge AND lots of experience).

    Hiring an exprienced small-room acoustician with good references costs some money, but it will save years of your life.

    Edit: just saw the dimensions of the room.
    Sorry to say that, but the room definately is too small for making translation work. A useable control room is considered to be around 30 m² (and l, w, h in such lengths, so that the modes are spread out and do not stack up). In such a small room the modes are strong even in the low mids. It will be a waste of time and money.

    In such a room I would focus on finding a headphone solution that really works for you (HP with great comfort and a software solution that allows your productions to translate suitably well - be aware, that closed HPs usually are considered problematic when it comes to depth and stereo imaging decisions).
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2026 at 1:18 PM
  16. mk_96

    mk_96 Audiosexual

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    First of all, you don't NEED to reat a room, you treat a room to solve a problem, which in your case may not even exist. So what exactly is bothering you? And more importantly, is it really a problem for your recordings?

    Second of all: what's the budget?
     
  17. PulseWave

    PulseWave Audiosexual

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    1619784445_168863413_10224919688448330_2258916089900191551_n.jpg Absorber Examples: Recording Studio
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2026 at 4:16 PM
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  18. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    You mentioned that the room is for recording vocals, and if that's the case all you need is an Aston Halo and Bob's your uncle. It works insanely well and you needn't make holes in the walls from hammering or need to get adhesive on them.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    I have two left hands :facepalm:
    Could you please reccomend any brand?
    Haven't thought about it but I dare say it won't be very effective
    No, vocal recording only
    Yea
    That's why I ask :bow::bow:
    Room echo is bothering me :sad:
    ≈800$
    Please point at them
     
  20. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    What makes it better than um... this? Screenshot_20260103-191321.AliExpress.png
     
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  21. mk_96

    mk_96 Audiosexual

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    In that case you should deal with the reflections that come from behind you as a priority.

    The selective route:

    So two ways of doing that without complicating things, one is using a mic screen like the Aston Halo Lois mentioned, which is going to attenuate the enrgy that's coming from your voice, reflecting from the front wall and eventually from the wardrobe area (let's call it backwall), kinda like dealing with frontwall reflections AND the backwall reflections before there's something to reflect in the first place. At least that's the idea.

    The other, and usually more effective way is to put absorbers behind you, which is going to attenuate the reflections coming from the backwall itslef. This is where you can start considering acoustic panels and all, However, for practical reasons i would recomend something removeable like a couple of free standing acoustic panels or a foldable screen, just make sure it actually has some sound absorbing materials and is not just for soundproofing, you can usually check that in the manufacturer's site.

    My suggestion: Do both. Get a mic screen AND something to put behind you. If you're unsure, get something like a mic stand and and hang a couple of blankets from it so it creates a tiny "wall" of sorts, the fluffyer the better. Then record something with it behind the mic, and then with it behind you. Then check which one sounds best to you.

    The allrounder route:

    If you REALLY want to put acoustic panels all around, first of all make sure they are either not made of rock/glass wool or that it has something in between the core and the fabric. This isn't normally an issue in dedicated studio rooms, but you do not want that stuff near your bed or clothes or cat permanently. Also it will get hotter, more humid and more prone to stink, so make sure you have proper ventilation.

    For DIY solutions the basics are all on youtube. Adding a really thin layer of plastic film covering the core is okay, looks pretty bad when you shine a light to it though. I've also used polyester pillow filling between the core and fabric, (which gave me the impression it improved the absorption drastically but i never actually measured it). Keep in mind that synthetic stuff tends to burn a lot better so you know, don't make a fire inside your room.

    As to where to put them, the short answer is wherever possible. Start by hanging them from the wardrobe doors, then move on to ceiling, frontwall, sidewalls. Add a heavy curtain to the window, carpet to the floor (the fluffier the better, doesn't need to cover the whole floor but the more the better). Basically what everyone has already said.

    Bass traps are optional, because A) corner panels are usually sold as basstraps even though they may not function as one, and B) Because in your case you probably don't even need much absorption in the lower regions anyway, it'll depend on how the rest of the acoustic treatment performs and well, your voice. However, it does help to have stuff in corners, it's unused space anyway so if you can, go for it.

    That's all i can think of now. Best of lucks.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
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