Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to the collective expertise of this forum for advice on improving the acoustics of our studio. It's uniquely situated in the heart of Paris, nestled in the second basement of a historic building, and boasts a distinct pentagonal shape.

Our budget for acoustic improvements is pretty tight, capped at 1000€. We're planning to do a lot of DIY work and we are looking for wood design. I'm self-teaching and giving it a shot here. It's an exciting project that I hope will also provide useful insights for others. I invite you to check out the explanatory PDF named WAV STUDIOS - ACOUTSIC JOURNEY FILE.pdf (attached to this message) for more infos.

Here are the main challenges:

• Speaker and Listening Position Placement: We're still figuring out the ideal spot for our speakers (KH 120 ii from Neumann).
• Low Frequency Resonances: The usual challenge.
• Echoes and Reflections: What kind of acoustic panels (size, material, placement...) and diffusers should we use?
• Frequency Response: We've conducted several tests, available via the link in the PDF. We're analyzing them but could really use a bit of help.

Our vision:

We're aiming to create a studio where the acoustics are reliable and enjoyable, especially at the mixing listening point. Our goal is clarity, precision, and acoustic balance. Additionally, we're planning to set up a special area for vocal recording (rap or singing) and reasonably sized instruments, in an ideal acoustic atmosphere, independent of an isolated recording booth.

Specific needs:

• Tips for improving absorption and diffusion, including suggestions on materials (like the type of wood to use) and designs for absorbers and diffusers.
• Ideas for creating two acoustic zones in the studio: one optimized for mixing and the other for recording.
• Innovative and flexible solutions like movable acoustic panels to adapt the space for various musical projects.

I'm leaving some images to illustrate, but you'll find all the necessary information (moodboard, REW measurements, dimensions, etc.) in the SwissTransfer link present in the PDF.

Thank you in advance for taking a look.

The future WAV STUDIO will always be open to welcome you.

 

Main problem i see : roof height is almost the same than walls lengths.
It is more important than all other parameters, because you will get an HUGE bump at 45.52 Hz.
And other freqs too.


One "not so obvious" solution is to fill the wall 1 "pointy" corner with bass trap. And place desk Wall 1, so your monitors will push sound directly into the bass trap.

It will create a symmetric rectangular room (to fix stereo image troubles due to room shape) AND fix a part of bass room mode at the same time.
You are not obliged to fill ALL the triangle corner.
Basically, the more you fill this "pointy" corner, the more you will fix bass region.

And you can still place bass traps panels on other walls. Even the door itself (with some space to open it).

You will loose space ... but you need HEAVY bass trap anyway in such a small space AND stereo image fix for the non rectangular room shape.

Some reading :
https://gearspace.com/board/bass-tr...47311-bass-traps-front-corners-back-wall.html

Main problem with small room : you will need to kill the bass AND other frequencies.
But there is no other solution.

No "good acoustic" AND mixing at the same time in small room.

Better adding some good room reverb on "dead sound" AFTER than getting rumbling bass and bathroom/toilet effect on high frequencies on mixing AND acoustic sound takes

A "middle solution" could be to close this "pointy corner" with a big bass trap panel (2/3 length), and TOTALLY kill frequencies behind this "wall" with panels on all walls.
It will be very small once you put panels inside ... BUT your mixing balance will be different than sound take. Helping you to mix.

Kind of "vocal booth".

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2023