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#1
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tuned control room?
Hi All
How can I tell if my control room, which is basically a room I built in my basement constucted of cynderblock foundation with foam insulation and sheetrock, nothing fancy. The room doesn't sound bad but I can't tell if it's tuning is ok or if it's poor. What can I do to check this? I guess I would need a spectral analyzer? Any advice? Thanks |
#2
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Re: tuned control room?
Listen to a few well mixed CD's and see if they sound right. Notice I said "right" and not "good" or "great". Choose songs you know intimately, and listen to what is boosted or lacking. Then mix a few tunes, and see how they translate to other systems.
I use: Steely Dan "Babylon Sisters", Shania Twain "No one needs to know Seal "Kiss from a Rose" Tracy Bonham "MOther Mother" Johnny Cash "The Beast in Me" The Pulp Fiction Soundtrack |
#3
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Re: tuned control room?
Technically, to tune a room you need to buy a stereo graphic EQ, and rent a spectrum analyzer. You need to set the EQ so that when White Noise is coming out of your speakers, your spectrum analyzer reads completely flat. Then leave the EQ like that.
You now have a "flat" room. However, if your room sounds "pretty good" right now, and you're using decent gear, trust your ears. But as suggested, EDUCATE your ears. Listen to as much music in that environment as is possible. Get your ears accustomed to the sound of those speakers in that room. Once you know what your favourite music sounds like, then you know what your mix should sound like. |
#4
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Re: tuned control room?
i would go along with that- additionally you can play a note at same velocity up and down the scale-
if you have a smaller room you may notice some bass notes sound much louder than others- lots of hard surfaces and high pitch rings can happen on the higher stuff. putting absorption can solve some bass problems, diffussors can be made simply and cheaply to solve. maybe go on a acustics news group to learn more- or visit the libary and get a book on acoustics, F. Alton Everest has a pretty good book on this and is rellatively easy to digest. |
#5
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Re: tuned control room?
An Eq in the control room is NOT the way to establish a tuned room, but bass traps and diffussers are.
EQing the room is not effective because it is so dependent on where you are sitting in the room. Even if you EQ the sweet spot, you can still have dips and peaks in the frequency response if you move your head slightly to the left or the right. There are certain types of bass traps that are actually tuned to the suspect frequencies in the room so that when that frequency is produced the traps absorb the peaks. If I am correct this is called a Helmholtz Resonator. http://homepages.tig.com.au/~audio/e...c/helmholz.htm High frequency absorbtion and diffusion is much easier than low frequency control, but...... Check out Acoustics 101 at www.acoustics101.com Also go to www.realtraps.com/info.htm I've learned A LOT from these sites. My Two Cents, CIGAM
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Is This Cosmos or Chaos? |
#6
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Re: tuned control room?
Quote:
Quote:
Using EQ to SOLEY tune aroom is hardly the 'right way'. Acoustic treatments (typical trapping, absorbtion & diffusion) would certainly offer a smoother alternative. Using EQ (1-3dB MAX) to smooth out of the response of room that has been acosutically treated is hardly out of order though. Especially in a home recording rig situation. |
#7
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Re: tuned control room?
Quote:
I thought that white noise was "all frequencies equally represented", and as such gave a perfect source by which to EQ a room. And you're correct... it will never read totally flat... but that's what you're aiming for - using the EQ to cut or boost frequencies in order to reach as-close-to-flat speaker response as possible. Again, I think that the most important tool is your ears though... as long as you are intimately familiar with the "sound" of your room, you'll turn out good mixes. (For the first few, it'll be a great benefit to have lots of appropriate reference material on hand. By "appropriate", I mean don't use AC/DC's Back in Black if you're mixing a Celine Dion record... common sense dictates) |
#8
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Re: tuned control room?
http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php
This is a link to a great studio design site. If you send in a drawing of your room they usually will give great suggestions. They are really helpful. PC
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I don't know karate but I know KA-RAZY! |
#9
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Re: tuned control room?
but ( at one hell of an extreme) if you are mixing in a toilet then it would be pretty hard to do- because the amount of muddy coloration wouldn't allow a fair comparision- saying they both sound crap in your toilet isn't saying your tune will sound as nice as their's outside the toilet.
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#10
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Re: tuned control room?
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White noise is purely random in frequency and amplitude. It sounds like static. The dark side of EQ is phase shifting. Mild use is one thing, and only for cutting freq's., not boosting them. |
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