What do you prefer?

[producer12999]

Hello, would you choose an 18-22 m² room that is rectangular (e.g. 5x4m) or would you choose a 30 m² room that is a complete cuboid (5.5x5.5m) and has other advantages such as a quiet environment and more solid walls? (The ceiling height is 2,4m, it is standard here in my country)

In my 50-kilometer radius, there are only rooms of a maximum of 22 m² in apartments (but even those are very hard to find with good symmetry and as a good rectangle), but I have in mind an apartment with an 30 m² hobby room in the basement that is accessible via a spiral staircase.

I want to move into my first own apartment and I'm planning to do a lot of treating. However, the shape of the room in question is not ideal. I'm faced with the question of whether to take this apartment or keep looking and end up in a rectangular but much smaller room. The good thing here, as I said, is that the neighbors probably can't hear me even at high volume because they are basement walls. And the landlord knows that I'm producing, which is also very cool.

Is the room a horror or is it like any other room, just square? I wonder if I could even regulate the buzzing of the standing waves with only porous material? Unfortunately I can't do raw measurements until I have signed the contract. What would you do? I would also like to mention that the room has a hole in the ceiling through which the spiral staircase never goes down, otherwise it is perfectly symmetrical. But that could be solved if it's a problem. I also know that I would probably have to place myself far away from the center of the room, so very close to the window in the front.

What is your opinion on this? (I mainly produce EDM)

Thank you!

 

[Dunring]

I'd go with the things you can't change easily like distant neighbors and cool landlord. You could square things off with room dividers and put down carpet and padding. Even cloth wall covering can be removed easily and installs with staples or tacks. If you wait for a square room and neighbors become a problem, that's not easy to work around.

 

[producer12999]

wall covering can be removed easily and installs with staples or tacks

Thanks for your reply. What do you mean here mate?

 

[Dunring]

Cloth wall covering can be stretched over walls and tack in place if you need to limit sound reflections, like a plaster wall. If renting it just pulls off.

 

[producer12999]

Cloth wall covering can be stretched over walls and tack in place if you need to limit sound reflections, like a plaster wall. If renting it just pulls off.

Unfortunately, I don't know what you mean right now. Are you talking about making the room narrower with this product so that the shape becomes more rectangular? Can you please send me a product link?

 

[producer12999]

Cloth wall covering can be stretched over walls and tack in place if you need to limit sound reflections, like a plaster wall. If renting it just pulls off.

Oh well, I think I know what you mean. That doesn't help at all, the bass travels straight through and the standing waves that add up due to the room dimensions remain. I have to break them.

 

[LTig]

I'd go with the things you can't change easily like distant neighbors and cool landlord.

This!

You could square things off with room dividers and put down carpet and padding. Even cloth wall covering can be removed easily and installs with staples or tacks. If you wait for a square room and neighbors become a problem, that's not easy to work around.

Place partially stuffed book shelves close to walls as diffusers. Use a fully staffed book shelves as room dividers. Place a thick rug between listening position and speakers.

 

[producer12999]

This!

Place partially stuffed book shelves close to walls as diffusers. Use a fully staffed book shelves as room dividers. Place a thick rug between listening position and speakers.

In other forums I was told not to put up anything but to put up all the walls with really thick treatment, which I can't afford. If I put 80cm thick treatment on every wall, it will cost €7000 here in my country.

So can I also artificially make the room into a rectangle by placing bookshelves on the left and right, which then take away volume so that my room is no longer square for the sound? And in addition the book shelves will break the standing waves?

Of course I also will use a lot of treatment.

 

[LTig]

In other forums I was told not to put up anything but to put up all the walls with really thick treatment, which I can't afford. If I put 80cm thick treatment on every wall, it will cost €7000 here in my country.

You don't need to fill the whole 80cm, you can also put 20cm thick treatment 60 cm away from the wall. The material closest to the wall has no effect.

So can I also artificially make the room into a rectangle by placing bookshelves on the left and right, which then take away volume so that my room is no longer square for the sound? And in addition the book shelves will break the standing waves?

Of course I also will use a lot of treatment.

I think you can only dampen standing waves, and probably not the lowest modes. However in my room (6.91 x 7.51 x 2.64m, with a cutout of appr. 2 x 1 m) this helps to tame reflections despite one side being window and hence "untreated".

 

[producer12999]

20cm thick treatment 60 cm away from the wall

What is this supposed to achieve? The airgap must be the same size or smaller than the absorber thickness, otherwise the airgap is pointless.

 

[LTig]

What is this supposed to achieve? The airgap must be the same size or smaller than the absorber thickness, otherwise the airgap is pointless.

I'm not an expert in acoustics, but this is my understanding for damping of low frequencies:

Look at a standing sinewave. It's amplitude is zero at the wall and peaks somewhere away from the wall. To dampen an amplitude there must be one in the first place (moving air particles). The best place would be at the peak, but this is rather impracticle, so you need to place it closer to the wall, but not too close. Of course you can fill the whole airgap but the material farest away from the wall has the greatest damping effect, the material directly at the wall almost none.

Edit: as an example take a guitar. Pluck a string and listen what happens when you touch the string in the middle or very close to one of its ends.

 

[Flaesh]

What is this supposed to achieve?

You can store things in an air gap . Try also http://www.acousticmodelling.com/8layers/multi.php

(5.5x5.5m)

Troubles, evils, griefs, tribulations and misfortunes for sound in a square room are greatly exaggerated IMO.

quiet environment and .. the neighbors probably can't hear me

This is quite valuable.

the room has a hole in the ceiling

The consequences of this are not very predictable without advanced modeling.

 

[producer12999]

Troubles, evils, griefs, tribulations and misfortunes for sound in a square room are greatly exaggerated IMO.

Hey mate thanks for your reply. What else do you think of this room? It has no parallel walls and 5 (or 10 ;D) corners. It is also very large. Do you think it's possible to work in it or is it impossible to say anything about it?

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

Hello, would you choose an 18-22 m² room that is rectangular (e.g. 5x4m) or would you choose a 30 m² room that is a complete cuboid (5.5x5.5m) and has other advantages such as a quiet environment and more solid walls? (The ceiling height is 2,4m, it is standard here in my country)

In my 50-kilometer radius, there are only rooms of a maximum of 22 m² in apartments (but even those are very hard to find with good symmetry and as a good rectangle), but I have in mind an apartment with an 30 m² hobby room in the basement that is accessible via a spiral staircase.

I want to move into my first own apartment and I'm planning to do a lot of treating. However, the shape of the room in question is not ideal. I'm faced with the question of whether to take this apartment or keep looking and end up in a rectangular but much smaller room. The good thing here, as I said, is that the neighbors probably can't hear me even at high volume because they are basement walls. And the landlord knows that I'm producing, which is also very cool.

Is the room a horror or is it like any other room, just square? I wonder if I could even regulate the buzzing of the standing waves with only porous material? Unfortunately I can't do raw measurements until I have signed the contract. What would you do? I would also like to mention that the room has a hole in the ceiling through which the spiral staircase never goes down, otherwise it is perfectly symmetrical. But that could be solved if it's a problem. I also know that I would probably have to place myself far away from the center of the room, so very close to the window in the front.

What is your opinion on this? (I mainly produce EDM)

Thank you!

Solid walls have more drawbacks than advantages. I would definitely opt for the non cubic room with walls that flex. No contest really. A concrete cube is going to have nightmare standing wave issues.

 

[producer12999]

Solid walls have more drawbacks than advantages. I would definitely opt for the non cubic room with walls that flex. No contest really. A concrete cube is going to have nightmare standing wave issues.

Thank you for your assessment. To be honest, I have already asked in another forum. Everyone says I should try it and then has a different treatment solution. The risk is quite high. I have not yet received a comment like yours. I really think I'll keep looking and choose a large rectangular room. I don't think I'll have any problems anywhere else because of the volume anyway. I'll make sure I choose a room where I only have neighbours above or below me. I'll make sure that the studio is in the centre of the flat so that my rooms are next door.

 

[producer12999]

Solid walls have more drawbacks than advantages. I would definitely opt for the non cubic room with walls that flex. No contest really. A concrete cube is going to have nightmare standing wave issues.

It's much more convenient if I have to build maybe 20-30 panels and the room shape is already in place. As if I had to use 100 kilos of hemp wool somehow, I don't feel like doing that either...

 

[Spokis1952]

Choosing between an 18-22 m² rectangular room and a 30 m² cuboid one? Hmm, the bigger room sounds cool, especially with solid walls and quiet vibes. But that shape, right? If the basement spot's your only shot and it's cool sound-wise, might be worth it. Plus, landlord's cool with your beats.
For EDM, room shape matters a bit for sound. Maybe play with materials to handle those waves? The hole in the ceiling might need fixing, but if it's fixable, not a biggie.
Honestly, if the basement vibe works and you can tweak the sound, go for the bigger spot. It's about finding the sweet sound spot for your beats!

 

[Flaesh]

See link in signature Sorry for the shortness, I'm busy right now

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

Thank you for your assessment. To be honest, I have already asked in another forum. Everyone says I should try it and then has a different treatment solution. The risk is quite high. I have not yet received a comment like yours. I really think I'll keep looking and choose a large rectangular room. I don't think I'll have any problems anywhere else because of the volume anyway. I'll make sure I choose a room where I only have neighbours above or below me. I'll make sure that the studio is in the centre of the flat so that my rooms are next door.

The bigger the room the lower the room modes. Keep that in mind

 

[producer12999]

The bigger the room the lower the room modes. Keep that in mind

In theory. Small rooms also have deep modes.