Recording Studio Design

Recording Studio Design with Omid Bürgin

Introduction

Why do you need to know about acoustics?

Recording EQ Placement

Tuning

Acoustics

Compression Miking

Filtering

Monitoring Case #1

Bedroom

Case #2

Kitchen

Original Room Response

FLAT

Room Response

Musical Spectrum

+ =

Room Response

Musical Spectrum

+ =

Expected Result Room

Mixing

Starting from data below: Room Response

Musical Spectrum

Desired Result

Q1: How would you equalize? Q2: What will you hear? 1

2

3

Equalize: 1

2

3

2

3

Hear: 1

From this scenary: correction

+

monitored

Which version will arrive at the Mastering Studio? Which one should have arrived at the Mastering Studio? 1

2

3

Mix coming to Mastering: 1

2

3

How it should be: 1

2

3

You have to be able to take the music out of the room, as it is very difficult to take the room out of the music! Peter D’Antonio, RPG Inc.

Preliminaries

Create Check list Use

Size

Necessities

Neighborhood

First sketch

Developed study

Internet research

Seven basic acoustical rules

1. Layout, room symmetry & equipment setup 2. Basic isolation 3. Room modes 4. Speaker boundary interference 5. Early reflections 6. Late reflections 7. Reverb times

1. Layout, Room Symmetry and Equipment Setup

?

?

d

d

d”

d”

2d”

d”

A C L

R

60º

100º 120º

LS

100º 120º

LS

2. Basic Isolation

Mass

Separation

8”

2”

6”

16”

Space

8”

2”

6”

8”

5”

6”

Floating

Mixed Materials

Resilient Channels

Box in a Box

Case Study:

House

+ Floating

Mass

Case Study:

Appartment

+ Floating

Mixed Materials

det

3. Room Modes

Standing Waves

Speaker Boundary

200 Hz

Reflections

500 Hz

f4

260 Hz – C3

f3

195 Hz – G2

f2

130 HZ – C2

f1

65 HZ – C1

f2

f3

f4

f1

C1

C2

G2

C3

E3

f1

f2

f3

f4

f5 Hz

f4

f3

f2

f1

4. Speaker Boundary Interference

dB

Hz

Absorptive

Reflective

LEDE

Live End / Dead End

5. Early Reflections

Early Reflection Direct Sound

Late Reflection

DS

Early reflection 1st Reflection

ITDG

Late Reflection

Reverberation

v [dB] DS Early reflection

t [s] ITDG

Late Reflection

6. Late Reflections

R

?

R

Space Reflection Absorption

Diffusion

Time

[dB] DS

Reverberation Early reflection

t [s] ITDG

Late Reflection 

Planta

y 1/4 (fmin)

y 1/2 (fmax)

n

p 5

7

11

0

1

0

0

1

4

1

1

2

4

4

4

3

1

4

9

4

0

2

5

5

2

3

6

4

3

7

1

5

8

0

9

9

4

10

1

11

0

Whenever bigger than p, n2 - p

p=5 (example)

Sn

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

2

4

4

4

3

9

9

9-5=4

4

16

16

16-3x5=1

5

25

25

25-5x5=0

6

36

7

49

n

n

0

2

fmin

dB

fmax

L

M

H

Hz

0

1

4

4

1

0

7. Reverb Time

RT

V = 0.049 ∑A + mv

RT

V = 0.049 ∑A + mv

Porous Absorbers CA[a]

f [Hz]

Membrane Absorbers CA[a]

f [Hz]

Broadband Absorbers CA[a]

(BP)

*broad

f [Hz]

Helmholtz Absorbers CA[a]

*narrow

f [Hz]

8.Conclusion

Layout

X

Isolation X 0.8” 0.8” 0.6”

acrylic x glass

Isolation X Direct contact

Floated

dB

Speaker boundary interference

Room modes

Reflections

200

500

Hz

How would you fill this barrel?

Reverberation Reflections SBI Modes

Room modes Before

Choose your room carefully

After

X Bass traps

Speaker/Boundary Interference

Before

After

Absorption d

d

d

=

d

Early Reflections

Absorption

Reflection

X

Late Reflections

Absorption

Reflection

Reverb Time

Absorption

Reflection

“Toothpaste equation” (Pareto Principle)

Result

Effort

Recording Studio Design with Omid Bürgin