{"id":441,"date":"2024-10-02T11:52:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/?page_id=441"},"modified":"2024-10-03T20:41:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T00:41:59","slug":"the-quest-for-acoustical-truth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/mastering-services\/the-quest-for-acoustical-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"My Quest for Acoustical Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I built my own own panels and traps, and placed them where they do the job I needed done. I used tools like the Room EQ Wizard (REW), the AMROC calculator and the absorption calculators at AcousticModelling.com to find the best listening spot, I identified the problem frequencies in my room, learned the right materials and amounts best suited to those frequencies. Then, with graphs, an app called Decibel X, and a tape measure, I located where to put it to address the unique characteristics of my<\/em> room. I’ve worked on it two summers in a row. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See those big dips on the left in my graphs? It’s close enough that SonarWorks software makes it flat. But the Quest For Acoustic Truth is an epic one. I must face those dips and tame them, to the very last one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I go further: let me acknowledge Mastering.com and The Reverse Engineer<\/a> as the source of this, and a great deal more of the information I pay forward here. It’s information you can trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"My
I moved to the end of a long basement, as centred as I can be. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Almost a year later I learned fibreglass is better for controlling the bass frequencies, and PVC is easier to work with than knotty pine! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A PVC frame took only about an hour to build. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Me,
Treated space! This room is within +\/- 3dB of flat above 400 Hz, +\/- 6dB at its worst (about 96 Hz\u2026 tbc)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
“Waterfall” displays room’s reflective qualities at each frequency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Graph
Predicting frequency response and modal distribution based on the room’s geometry. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Another view of frequency response<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Sound PRessure Level (SPL) and phase readings for each speaker help locate the most effective treatment points<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Are we there yet!!??<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Don\u2019t set your own room up without talking to me! \u2014 Me, to a friend, one time at BandCamp\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t stop there, oh no, I really dug in, using the REW and SonarWorks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find your listening spot! <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Right Steps, in the Right Order<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Placing your desk<\/strong> defines your listening spot<\/em><\/strong>. Ideally you can centre it on a short wall, and not right up against the wall. Not every room looks like a shoe box. Everything in and about your room influences what happens to sound waves between your speakers and your ears. Before you choose the headphone-only route\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Your monitors or speakers<\/strong> should be the same distance from the wall. Don\u2019t put them on any part of your desk that\u2019s not specifically designed for speakers, and put Auralex or similar studio monitor isolation<\/a> under them, regardless. Buy dedicated stands if the desk doesn\u2019t have something appropriate. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Measure the distance<\/strong> between your speakers, make an equilateral triangle<\/strong>, and mark the spot!<\/strong><\/em> Masking tape works (before you throw a rug over it). From here on in, whether you sit or stand, you’ll spend most of your time with your head on the line that runs from that mark to the ceiling and perpendicular to the floor. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Now <\/em>you’re ready for some panels<\/strong>. It’s very near near 100% certain you need side panels and a ceiling cloud. You can use a mirror<\/strong> to find the best placement \u2014 it\u2019s where you can see your speakers in the mirror. You’ll probably put something on the walls behind the speakers. I needed to stuff my corners, including ceiling corners, for bass. How did I know that? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The Room EQ Wizard<\/strong> (REW) tells you what problem frequencies remain at your listening position, and how far away the source is<\/em>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Get a tape measure<\/strong> and SPL (Sound Pressure Level) app for your phone, generate the frequency with REW, hunt it down and kill it. AMROC the Room Mode Calculator<\/a> can also give you an idea of where to look for and expect specific frequencies, especially if it’s a non-rectangular room.
    \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\ude03<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Likely locations for panels. <\/strong>(Not to scale. I’m ignoring the pesky things, like windows, closets and doors. ) The size, shape, and contents of the space behind you, height of ceiling, all makes a difference. Diffusors<\/em> <\/strong>are often better choices for rear walls, but corners are reliably build-up areas for low frequencies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I built my own own panels and traps, and placed them where they do the job I needed done. I used tools like the Room EQ Wizard (REW), the AMROC calculator and the absorption calculators at AcousticModelling.com to find the best listening spot, I identified the problem frequencies in my room, learned the right materials […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":449,"parent":172,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-441","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/441\/revisions\/777"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitar-faces.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}