assuming i'm planning to treat a bedroom to be a mixing room

It makes me wonder, some people spend years to learn how to acoustically treat a space or even study for it

So i am not sure how much time one actually needs to spend learning to be able to be confident in what he hears in the mixing room / even if its a bedroom

i assume some learn 1 day, others 1 week, 1 month, others 1 year, others more, and then proceed to treat their room

So i am not sure if i can actually do it or not, or if its a waste of my time to do that and instead hire a professional if i ever need to do that?

Given the importance, i assume hiring a professional seems the most logical option?

Since you only will do it once, seems illogical to spend months learning for example for something i need to do one time?

 

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Treating a bedroom to function as a mixing room is a practical goal, but your question about whether to learn acoustic treatment yourself or hire a professional is a good one. It depends on your goals, budget, time, and how critical the results are to you. Let’s break it down to help you decide.

Key Considerations

1. Purpose and Expectations:
   • If you’re a hobbyist or semi-professional mixing music for personal projects, a DIY approach with some learning can yield good enough results for a bedroom setup.
   • If you’re aiming for professional-grade mixes (e.g., for commercial release), where accuracy in what you hear is critical, hiring a professional acoustician could save time and ensure better results.
2. Complexity of Acoustic Treatment:
   • Acoustic treatment involves managing reflections, standing waves, bass buildup, and achieving a balanced frequency response. This requires understanding room modes, sound wave behavior, and how materials like bass traps, diffusers, and absorbers work.
   • A bedroom typically has challenges like small size, asymmetrical layout, and low-frequency issues, which can make treatment trickier than it seems.
3. Time to Learn:
   • Basic Understanding (1-7 days): You can learn the fundamentals of acoustic treatment in a short time by studying online resources, videos, or books. Concepts like placing bass traps in corners, using absorption panels at reflection points, and avoiding over-damping are straightforward.
   • Practical Competence (1-3 months): To confidently treat a room and verify results, you’d need to experiment, measure (using tools like a calibrated microphone and software like REW), and iterate. This takes practice and some trial and error.
   • Professional-Level Expertise (1-3 years): Acousticians spend years studying room acoustics, psychoacoustics, and measurement techniques. This level isn’t necessary for a bedroom mixing room unless you’re pursuing acoustics as a career.
4. Cost-Benefit Analysis:
   • DIY Approach:
     • Pros: Cheaper (materials like foam, bass traps, or DIY panels can cost $100-$500). You gain knowledge and control over the process. Online communities (e.g., Gearspace, Reddit’s r/audioengineering) and tools like REW or calculators (e.g., AMROC room mode calculator) can guide you.
     • Cons: Time-intensive to learn and implement. Risk of mistakes (e.g., over-absorbing high frequencies, neglecting bass issues). You may need to buy or rent measurement gear ($50-$200 for a basic mic like the UMIK-1).
   • Hiring a Professional:
     • Pros: Faster, more accurate results. Professionals use advanced tools and experience to optimize the room for critical listening. Ideal if you value precision and want to focus on mixing, not acoustics.
     • Cons: Expensive ($1,000-$5,000+ depending on the pro and room complexity). Less hands-on learning for you, and you’re reliant on their expertise.
5. One-Time Task:
   • You’re correct that treating a room is typically a one-time project (unless you move or change rooms). This makes the learning investment less appealing if you’re only doing it once. However, basic acoustic knowledge can help you maintain or tweak the setup later (e.g., adjusting speaker placement or adding panels).

Can You Do It Yourself?
Yes, you can treat a bedroom for mixing with some effort, especially if you’re not aiming for a world-class studio. Here’s a rough timeline for a DIY approach:

• Day 1-2: Learn basics via YouTube (e.g., channels like Acoustic Fields, GIK Acoustics), articles, or forums. Focus on reflection points, bass trapping, and speaker placement.
• Week 1: Measure your room’s acoustics using a mic and software like REW (free). Identify problem frequencies (e.g., bass buildup from room modes).
• Week 2-4: Buy or build treatment (e.g., broadband bass traps, absorption panels). Install and re-measure to confirm improvements.
• Ongoing: Fine-tune as you mix, using your ears and measurements to verify accuracy.

With this approach, you could achieve a functional mixing room in 1-2 months of part-time effort, spending $200-$500 on materials. The result won’t be perfect, but it can be good enough for most home studios.

Is Hiring a Professional the Most Logical Option?
Hiring a professional makes sense if:

• You have the budget and want guaranteed results.
• Your mixes need to translate reliably to other systems (e.g., for commercial work).
• You’d rather spend time making music than learning acoustics.

However, for a bedroom setup, professionals might be overkill unless the room has severe issues (e.g., concrete walls, highly asymmetrical shape). Many home producers successfully treat rooms themselves with decent results.

Practical Recommendation
Given your concern about time and it being a one-time task, here’s a balanced approach:

1. Learn the Basics (1-2 Days):
   • Watch tutorials or read guides from reputable sources (e.g., Sound on Sound, GIK Acoustics).
   • Use a free room mode calculator (e.g., AMROC) to understand your room’s dimensions and problem frequencies.
2. Start Small:
   • Buy or build a few bass traps (corners are key) and absorption panels for first reflection points (use a mirror to find these on walls/ceiling).
   • Example budget: $200 for 4 bass traps and 4 panels from GIK Acoustics or DIY with rockwool.
3. Measure and Iterate:
   • Get a measurement mic (e.g., UMIK-1, ~$100) and use REW to check your room’s response before/after treatment.
   • Adjust based on measurements and how your mixes sound on other systems (car, headphones, etc.).
4. Hire a Pro if Needed:
   • If results aren’t satisfactory after DIY attempts or you hit complex issues (e.g., stubborn bass nodes), consult a professional for a one-time design or review. Some offer remote consultations based on room measurements (~$200-$500).

Is It a Waste of Time to Learn?
Not necessarily. Basic acoustic knowledge is valuable for any producer, as it helps you understand what you’re hearing and why. Even if you hire a pro, knowing the basics lets you communicate better and maintain the setup. However, if you’re short on time and have the budget, outsourcing is a valid shortcut.

Final Answer
For a bedroom mixing room, you can achieve decent results with 1-2 months of part-time DIY learning and $200-$500 in materials, assuming you’re okay with a functional (not perfect) setup. Hiring a professional is more logical if you prioritize speed, precision, or commercial-quality results, but it’s not strictly necessary for a home setup. Start with basic DIY treatment and escalate to a pro if you hit limitations. This balances cost, time, and quality for a one-time project.

 

If you want to make your bedroom sound like a professional mixing room, I think you should give up. You need to plan the entire room and by the end of it, you probably won't have a proper bedroom anymore.

If you want to have a decent listening environment, that is much easier to achieve. Unless you have some glaring issues, most likely you can be satisfied with a room correction system.

I have a pair of entry level edifier clones that I use to check my mixes and just overall have some sort of non-headphones audio, and I'm honestly fine with how it sounds in the room. Though I'm not really picky at all, I've been mixing on headphones for almost ten years, so while there's a difference, it really isn't that night and day to me. Maybe my room sounds great and I don't know? I haven't bothered getting a measurement mic since I don't want to spend on room correction DSP.

 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...om-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-1.4/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...om-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-2.5/
https://audiosex.pro/search/8178632...&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[user][0]=47286

 

i tried mixing on headphones, but when i took the mix into the car, the adjustments i needed to make for volume of some parts/instruments were so big, i can't even get volume right on headphones

 

That may also be your car...

 

I'm not really trying to sell you mixing on headphones, but it's definitely doable if you put time into it. It is more about knowing your headphones in and out than actually being accurate (though some degree of accuracy helps).

Andrew Scheps actually gave a pretty valuable advice in regards to that issue: once you identify something wrong with your mix when listening to it somewhere, put the headphones back in, listen to it and adjust. Never adjust based on the secondary device. You will check multiple times until you get it right, but once you get it right, you'll get it right everytime.

 

Sometimes you should consider having your mix completed by a professional sound engineer.

It costs a little more, but if you want to make money with your music and you're very good at it, it's definitely worth it.
If you're a guitarist, etc., rent a professional recording studio for a few hours.

The sound engineer will then get the best out of your music and do everything necessary for you.
Check out recording studios and ask about their prices.