Can i build a studio in a tiny room?

Discussion in 'Studio' started by Mrkela, Oct 26, 2011.

  1. Mrkela

    Mrkela Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi buddies im new in this, i need a help. I have only one room for making my studio and that room is 3x1.5m i was wondering is there any chance to make good acoustic,
    Thanx
     
  2.  
  3. ratox

    ratox Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2011
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    not at all. that's way too small, it's a bathroom size. what you can do is to make a completely "dead" room out of it, as much absorbing as possible with zero reverb. That will be the best solution to avoid frequency response problems but you will find yourself risking too much additional artificial reverb because usually nobody listen to music in dead rooms so your mix will be likely to be biased in this sense. hope that helps.

    Alessandro
     
  4. Mrkela

    Mrkela Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thanks buddy u help me but disapoint me.
     
  5. BumBataa

    BumBataa Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2011
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    well you can, why not? won't be easy and results won't be that good but: treat room, treat again...get behringer ecm 8000, software, measure...treat again, measure.
    Of course a bigger room is way better, and to make it pretty dead is also a viable option (with the problems posted above)..problem is when you music gets louder the waves will start to bounce in that room big time.
    what do you wanna do there anyway? record your guitar, vocals, mix? all of it??
     
  6. lysergyk

    lysergyk Kapellmeister

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2011
    Messages:
    509
    Likes Received:
    41
    Location:
    Shanghai

    I guess in your case, you'll be much better off getting a good pair of cans and a VST simulating a perfect room (you have isone from tonebooster or Jeroen Breebaart Isone Pro (it's an old 32bits version) or 112 db redline monitor...

    it works with any pair of headphones and should help you a lot in monitoring/mixing your work..as said above the best you'll get from your room is to turn it into a "dead" room...
     
  7. Mrkela

    Mrkela Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    I would composing and mixing electronic music in that room, everything in the box. I have litle KRK rokit5 and sennheiser hd 25.
    Thanx for ur help buddies!
     
  8. hoffy

    hoffy Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2011
    Messages:
    45
    Likes Received:
    10
    Don't listen to anyone.

    Who cares if your room is small. Write good songs, use your headphones (loads of people get great results from the same model) and reference your music on as many systems as possible, and you'll be fine. It will just make everything easier once you do get a good room.

    I'm a full time sound engineer. I worked in shit conditions for ages and now I make a living doing what I do.

    Good luck!
     
  9. Kookaboo

    Kookaboo Rock Star

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2011
    Messages:
    1,457
    Likes Received:
    428
    Location:
    Here and there.
    :wink: I agree with hoffy!
    Don't listen too much on other peoples opinions. If you're doing Electronic music you don't need a big studio. The room size gets more important if you want to record bands, Orchestra etc. In a small studio you can use for example "ALTIVERB" to simulate nearly any desired room.
     
  10. thepopenale

    thepopenale Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2011
    Messages:
    487
    Likes Received:
    3

    Youre right. You can work in this room and follow these steps. Its just a long-winded route. Try and kill the 'verb of the room as much as you can, itll be difficult because of the very small size but you should be able to muddle through.
     
  11. TkiD

    TkiD Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2011
    Messages:
    113
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Madlands.
    Yeah with IDM/electronic music, size doesnt matter as much, some sound dampening and decent monitor speakers/ headphones and your away, no need to get into so much depth about measuring etc. I think it matters a lot more with full bands, but i'm not exactly sure. :wink:
     
  12. Gulliver

    Gulliver Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    556
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Glubbdubdrip
    Why should he listen to you guys, then? :dunno:

    :rofl: :mates: :hug:
     
  13. G String

    G String Rock Star

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    974
    Likes Received:
    410
    If that's your only option, that's your only option. Of course you *can* play and record in there, subject to all the issues described above, presumably. What's the choice? Not doing it? So do it.....


    I'm interested in the advice for recording with cans on though. Whenever I do it (middle of the night, can't wake other peeps!) it sounds awful when I listen back to it through speakers.

    The advice above seems to suggest putting a room reverb....on the master channel? And then take it off under normal circumstances?

    Or isone? Is that what it's for? I'll try it......
     
  14. duskwings

    duskwings Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2011
    Messages:
    970
    Likes Received:
    182
    that s very small,consider that u wouldn t even have enough room to move once u have placed your outboard and your instruments,if u use them,if u just work with virtual instruments i might have a chance,but i d rather choose a wider place if i had to spend a long time in it
     
  15. BumBataa

    BumBataa Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2011
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    lol as I said, you definitely should treat your room and measure!
    Don't listen to people telling you to solely mix on cans and don't listen to people telling you to treat such a room for hundreds of bucks either...use logic.
    And especially don't listen to people telling you it doesn't matter if you treat your room!! It does, trust me or ask around, you will be impressed what some cheap rock wool in your corners can do!!

    Regarding measuring: an ecm 8000 is like what..30 bucks?
    In my eyes you are an idiot if you have such a "complicated" room and don't measure sorry, but this is such an easy and cheap way to see where your problems are. No more guessing.
    It will help you a lot to determine what to buy.
    Bass problems? get some cheap rock wool in the corners.
    High frequency problems? get some foam or a cheap diffusor (some books - not aligned - will do).
    Of course don't overdo it, and don't drive yourself crazy with the whole acoustic treatment industry blah.

    Producing and mixing will work then of course, you will get accustomed to that room anyway.
    Best Tip: If finished sit down and listen to music you like for hours!!
    I don't have to tell you that you shouldn't master yourself there right *no*?

    Regarding mixing on cans: It's ok, but will fuck up your ears in the longterm and definitely is something different than a pair of speakers, don't be fooled..IF you have to do that think about getting an SPL 2Control (or at least those vsts mentioned).
    The SPL 2control is a very solid monitor controller and has the option to connect 2 cans with a special knob which blends the left and right channel signal (not the cans of course :)) into each other to simulate real world speaker listening (your right ear still hears the left speaker and the other way round).
    Same as redline vst but hardware and a very solid controller too with some other gimmicks (Mono Switch, Mono-Out for Sub or Mono-Box etc.). Check it out if you got money lying around.

    And don't listen to anyone!
     
  16. ratox

    ratox Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2011
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    3
    What a bunch of frustrated people...

    I spend my time to give advices and some stupid tell him not to listen to advices. well Oliver Messiaen wrote one of the masterworks of history of music when imprisoned in a Lager camp in nazi occupied france ok? so the place don't make the artist. I already know from my life...but i don't care telling about my life to somebody who ask if a 3 square meters room is good for music ok??????

    that's a bathroom and will always sound like a toilet. if he's talent he will do good music but that's ANOTHER question.OK?

    A.R.
     
  17. Kookaboo

    Kookaboo Rock Star

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2011
    Messages:
    1,457
    Likes Received:
    428
    Location:
    Here and there.
    ratox: "...What a bunch of frustrated people..."

    Here you judge maybe your own reality!

    What i wanted to explain in my post is: that you don't need big recording studios for great ideas...
    ...well, if you can afford it to rent or even build one, the production gets a higher quality.

    BTW: Advices are not the same as opinions! :wink:
     
  18. P Bill

    P Bill Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2011
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Manchester UK
    You have been given some good advice here, you have to make do with what you have although it might get a bit intense in there on longer sessions so take a break.....

    On the whole before you buy measuring equipment you can take some budget steps to find problems.... my main advice would be "Learn your room!"

    Here's how...

    Run some tone sweeps find out how low and high you can hear and mix with that in mind,If you cant hear below 25hz cut all those freq's out of your mix or at least reduce them and use a spectrum analyzer to see if they are there, they may remove a lot of energy from your mix without you realizing it. Do the same for the top end.

    Put your head in the mixing position and slowly sweep through the frequencies and listen for anomalies. You will be able to hear some odd effects at certain freq's maybe some holes or a sort of hollowing of the sound, maybe it will jump to one side or the other, or you will hear a jump in loudness or the opposite. These are all indications of standing wave or reflection problems if you make a note of these freq's you will probably find that similar problems will appear at a doubling or halving of these freq's or an octave apart, a sure sign of room acoustic problems. Always check when you mix for these freq's use an analyzer to check that you are not Eq'ing out or in something that isn't really there.

    Hope this helps...
     
  19. BumBataa

    BumBataa Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2011
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    "don't listen to anyone" was ironic..maybe you didn't refer to that and to other comments ratox.
    I must admit that 3 x 1,5 is really not much, I measured it here with tape, but ratox is also right, when it comes to the good old saying that you musical capacities will stop you long before your equipment or room does.
    Maybe Mrkela will establish a special toilet signature sound, maybe he will squeeze a big one out there and make money off of it :rofl:


    Why not measure??? It's 30 bucks and the software is free..kind of.
     
  20. duskwings

    duskwings Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2011
    Messages:
    970
    Likes Received:
    182
    telling someone who asks for advice not to listen to people is a little nonsense.
    I wonder when people will realize that the only way to test if something sounds good it to listen to it in a cheap car stereo or through the pc speakers since that s the final stop of the work,who gives a fuck if your tracks sound amazingly in a treated room?they will suck in a normal environment.
    Besides the guy asked if he can set up a studio in such a small room,yes he can,expecially for the kind of music he wants to do,he doesn t need to record an acoustic instrument
     
  21. Xiny6581

    Xiny6581 Noisemaker

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
    Messages:
    107
    Likes Received:
    6
    How difficult can it be to answer a very simple question.
    Of course he can build a studio in 3x1.5 meter, that has nothing to do about how his music will be sounding like as far as the final mix will be.
    Geez, I mean in a small environment room you just keep the sound from your monitors dimensioned to the room acoustic. and To compenhance any artifacts like unwanted reflections there is something called acoustic panels that are easy to install and there are a few good pages on how to get them right.
    Also, in small studios it's pretty nice to work with headphones and yep, you can even do that in your closet if you want.
    On top of that, IF the guy want to try how his songs would sound in other rooms, he can always go to a local club and ask if he can play a song. He can take his music into the car, bus, lounge... hey anything that would play music. Then back to the studio and remaster if that's the case.

    Like said... and lots of good stuff has been pointed out, nothing wrong with a small studio - you don't need a frigging castle to make a good music :)
    Ahhhmen!
    /Xiny6581
     
Loading...
Loading...