As it turns out it it takes a while to build all your own acoustical panels and bass traps. But...the project is finally complete or at least complete enough to focus on composition again for a while. The bass traps are made from Rockwool Safe and Sound and the panels are a mixture of Owens Corning 703 and Soniflex acoustical fiberglass. The primary goal was to try to tame the bass frequencies in what is a relatively small space. In the coming year I would like to add additional ceiling panels and also some diffusion panes to address some of the comb filtering and flutter echo that is also standard in smaller spaces.
The goal in a studio mixing environment is to get an accurate sonic portrayal such that it translates to other listening environments clearly. In other words the frequency response of the room should be as flat as possible. As you can see from the acoustical reading I took of the room, there is still a 15+ dB difference down around the 35 Hz area. From all the forums I have read, this is not all that uncommon, even after treatment is applied. The room, after all, was not designed for its current purpose. The peaks and nulls seen in the chart are evidence of comb filtering. Sometimes the room response can be flattened more by playing with crossover frequencies between the sub woofer and monitors, subwoofer and monitor placement, phase and polarity flips, etc. Unfortunately, the representation above is already the result of several days of subtle adjustments. This particular chart was produced using a Behringer EMC 8000 microphone and the free (!) software Room EQ Wizard.
Being unable to spend any more money or time on this project at the moment I decided to demo the Sonarworks Sound ID Reference program. The program works by using a calibrated microphone to record impulses all around your listening position to more accurately determine the room's shortcomings. It then applies a room calibration equalization in order to create a single listening position with a flat response. Using reference tracks I was easily able to hear the added benefits. Small details emerged from songs that I have been using as reference for well over a year. The peaks, nulls, standing waves, and comb filtering ugliness of my monitoring situation was making it impossible to hear certain details of the music. The room frequency chart shown below differs from the chart above in that it takes into account many readings taken around the room. The Green lines represent the calibration done to flatten the curve to an almost straight line.
I was concerned in mixing the upcoming album that the result would not translate particularly well across listening environments. My suspicions seemed true as I demoed early mixes in various cars, headphones, and home stereo setups. I am a few days into mixing the album anew, and so far the results seem to be promising. With any luck, it should be up and streaming by mid-February. Just a few months behind my deadline!
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