Home studio plan: Am I setting myself up for failure?

[plonk]

So I recently moved places and my gf and I have a study room to turn into a quasi home studio now. We have most of the barebones essentials. However, when doing research online I found that it’s apparently pretty bad to have even LxWxH dimensions, and even worse if the room is tiny. The room we have available is 2.45x2.45m wide and 2.7m high. I was toying with ideas like revamping signals through a guitar amp, setting up a mic to record vocals, and finally properly place my 5" monitor speakers in a useful way.

Give it to me straight: Should I even bother with this or will acoustics be so bad that there’s pretty much nothing I can do here?

Here’s a floor map of the space to give you an idea. Part of the reason for this setup + the many closet space is that we need it for working from home. Perhaps cardboard boxes filled with paper, textiles and wool is a saving grace?

I’m in a bit of a rut on this one, would love to hear some outside perspective right about now.

[Bunker]

Small square rooms are far from ideal but you can help matters with some acoustic treatment in the right places. The biggest problems you have is with bass frequencies ‘hanging around’ as there’s nothing to absorb the energy and no room for it to spread and dissipate and with mids and highs bouncing from wall to wall and ceiling. Have a search on the SOS website for some tips, they used to run a section on improving small rooms on a budget.

[Francis]

Setup your studio and get stuck in. You will learn a lot. Do some treatment, don’t overthink it and make music.

[peachesandbacon]

At a first guess I’d say you’re probably overthinking it.

Few people are lucky enough to have a room in their house they can dedicate to setting up a studio in, let alone one with the perfect dimensions needed for studio acoustics.

If you live there already, why don’t you set up your monitors and play some music to get an idea of how the space sounds before committing to setting everything up.

Looking at your drawing id say you’re better off with your monitors perfectly central along a wall not towards a corner as it looks like you plan to set them up.

It is known that smaller rooms aren’t ideal for studios, but you might be jumping to conclusions a little early. Bass traps in the corners will help you here, and there’s countless videos on YouTube about best monitors for small rooms, here’s one I found just now (not sure how useful)

The Best Monitor Speakers for Small Studio Rooms & How to Use Them

There’s also room correction software like the Sonarworks stuff that might help you out a lot here.

[CCMP]

Two words:

Head phones.

[Bunker]

I’d swap the keyboard and desk/monitors position if you can. If you do add some treatment in the form of panels you’ll prob want to fix those to the walls to the side of your listening position. If one side is all reflective (in terms of acoustics, not the fact it’s glass!) and you don’t want to put panels over parts of it you’ll want wall either side. Same applies for the wall behind you. It’s also common to place a panel on the wall behind the monitors but if one wall isn’t a wall but a window I’d prob have it as the front wall. If that makes sense?

[plonk]

Thanks for these great replies! Exactly what I was hoping to find here, elektronauts deliver again.

@Bunker

The biggest problems you have is with bass frequencies ‘hanging around’ as there’s nothing to absorb the energy and no room for it to spread and dissipate

I think for bass frequency treatment you need to install it in the corners specifically, right?

@Bunker

with mids and highs bouncing from wall to wall and ceiling

I’m hoping the materials and books will do some heavy lifting for me in this situation.

@Francis

Setup your studio and get stuck in. You will learn a lot. Do some treatment, don’t overthink it and make music.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I just really hope it can kind of work for some vocal recording.

@peachesandbacon

to get an idea of how the space sounds

Currently it’s quite empty and sounds like a very quick reflection
I’ll see if I can set up the monitors more in the center, thanks for the tip!

@peachesandbacon

It is known that smaller rooms aren’t ideal for studios, but you might be jumping to conclusions a little early. Bass traps in the corners will help you here

One problem is that with current placement of the closet-desk (its a combi thing), the doorframe and the glass third wall, there’s no real space for a bass-trap.

@CCMP

Head phones

For sure! But those don’t record audio.

@Bunker

I’d swap the keyboard and desk/monitors position if you can

I really like the idea. the reason I didn’t have it set up that way now is the (frankly ridiculously placed radiator) on the center-right side of that wall. The glass side faces a balcony of sorts, so you’d see a bunch of cables and the back of a monitor from the outside. Harder to justify to my partner in crime here. Perhaps I can make it work though, I’ll try to map out another floor plan!

In this scenario, I could place 1 bass trap in the back left corner. I’m guessing that’s better than nothing.

[bodymechanics]

@plonk

I could place 1 bass trap in the back left corner

Anything is better than nothing, but dont overthink it, you’ll go mad.
As stated earlier, most people don’t have any ideal space and still mix fantastic records.
It’s a home studio not a professional studio.
I aslo agree, I’d use the glass side as the wall to put monitors on, then the L/R reflections will be fairly symmetrical.

[Portray]

Avoid corners so center the studio desk and move away the desk and speakers from the wall a bit. Its best 1 third into the room. Play a sine wave in the bass register and listen where the tone gets loader and when it’s more quiet.

A square room has a lot of room modes in all frequencies, they are also called standing waves. Its when the direct sound meets the reflected sound to put it simplified.

Bass traps are essential, but in such a small room its hard having room for them.

Acoustics are complex so I use headphones with sonarworks at home and monitors in my studio that has acustical treatment with sonar works calibration.

[Bunker]

Yeah, the bass energy sort of accumulated in the corners of the room so corner traps can be effective. Ideally you’d have a large enough trap then it’s position isn’t as critical but in a small room a trap that size would take up too much space. Regarding the books etc, yeah, a book case or shelves of books can act as good diffusers. It’s surprising how a few household items can aid acoustics!

Regarding room arrangement and general aesthetics I didn’t factor the boss into the equation!

[plragde]

@Bunker

Yeah, the bass energy sort of accumulated in the corners of the room so corner traps can be effective.

I hope these are nonlethal traps and that energy is safely released outside…!

[CCMP]

@plonk

For sure! But those don’t record audio.

To expand, as I was brief there, I would sink money into really good headphones if you want to work in a 2.5m sq room. Open back and closed back. Don’t scrimp.
As long as you are close mic’ing everything, it shouldn’t be too bad. Maybe get a Reflexion Filter for vox at some point too.

I would set up to look out of the window too, same reasons as @Bunker said, plus it’s nicer to look out when you’re music making.

Don’t stress it. A room that size is always going to give you standing waves, your bass will be all over the place as you move around the room, by 20cm too.

If you are going to use monitors, figure out your exact listening position and treat the room for that specific spot.
Sit in the listening position and have your gf move around the room with a mirror against the walls.
Every time you can see the monitors in the mirror, that’s an initial reflection spot. Mark it. Dampen it.
Do the ceiling too.
That should get you going.

[plonk]

@Bunker

Regarding room arrangement and general aesthetics I didn’t factor the boss into the equation!

Give and take, I’ll have to just come up with a good plan for it to work

@Bunker

Ideally you’d have a large enough trap then it’s position isn’t as critical but in a small room a trap that size would take up too much space.

It does take up a lot of space, especially when the room will have it’s fair share of other stuff and machines.

@Portray

Acoustics are complex so I use headphones with sonarworks at home

I don’t mind using headphones. Have a trusty dt990, which contrasts the bass rokit classic 5"'s. My main worry is for recording. I can’t sing for dear life, but my girlfriend can. I hope to set it up so she can have at it and it not come out like she sang it into a toiletbowl.

@bodymechanics

Anything is better than nothing, but dont overthink it, you’ll go mad.

I’m 99% sure of going through with it, but I don’t want to sink unnecessary costs into something that’s unsalvageable. I’d sit there making music either way, but won’t set up for mic recording etc at all in that case.

[Bunker]

Would it be an issue to record vocals in a larger room such as the living room? That could solve that problem

[plonk]

Super helpful man, thanks!

For now it’s just a Beyer dt 990 pro. Would look at a bassier closed back some time but I feel it’s not an immediate necessity at this point.

I’ll def try out the mirror thing. The nice thing about dampers is you can just get some art on the wall that does something too.

@CCMP

Reflexion Filter for vox

Will look into this once it’s set up and ready. Cheers!

[plonk]

That’s what the backup plan is for sure. The reason I’m hoping it works is that everything will be ready to go, within arms reach, which makes it very inviting to try some stuff out. Moving to the living room is totally fine, just one or two extra steps that I’m hoping to avoid.

[Portray]

@plonk

The glass side faces a balcony of sorts, so you’d see a bunch of cables and the back of a monitor from the outside.

I would avoid placing your desk and your monitors in front of the class doors. It’s a recipe for all sorts of strange reflections. And I would buy thick drapes that you can cover the class. It’s not a perfect solution, but it always does something.

When it comes to the book if you place them random it will act ad a better diffuser compared to if you line them perfectly.

And when it’s in your home you always need to compare an acoustically beneficial solution to how it looks and feels.

[Bunker]

Sorry, I don’t think I was very clear. You’d still have your room set up but for any critical vocal recording just set up a mic on a stand in the living room. You’d only need some longer cables for the mic and headphones plus you’d get some isolation too.

[bodymechanics]

@plonk

I’m 99% sure of going through with it, but I don’t want to sink unnecessary costs into something that’s unsalvageable. I’d sit there making music either way, but won’t set up for mic recording etc at all in that case.

Exactly what I was getting at.
Buy some bass traps and hang up a few things call it a day

[peachesandbacon]

There’s way too much thought and worry going into this.

Get in there and try it out man!