Acoustic Treatment or better AD/DA?

[spearson8]

I have a small project studio in NYC. I’m debating between two upgrades: acoustic treatment or a new means of AD/DA conversion. Please HELP!

In regards to acoustic treatment, my mix translation is 'average' and when tracking, my noise floor is pretty low. Noise from neighbors and other rooms is also minimal, but I’m certain there are sonic benefits to be had with treating the room. I submitted a schematic to Auralex and am waiting to hear back on their recommendations. Also, it's an apt and I can't ruin the walls. The TubeTak adhesive is a permanent bond making removal ugly and, I presume, ruining my foam panels in the process. If I choose adhesive tabs (or another semi-permanent solution) with an ever changing NYC apt climate, I fear the result will be foam pieces raining down on my clients during sessions. The Auralex 'Pro Panels' are an option as they use a mounting bracket and removal won’t hurt the panels or walls.

In regards to AD/DA conversion, I’m open to suggestions. I have a Digi003 control surface and a single channel mic pre.

So, which option would yield the best sonic improvement??

I appreciate any feedback!!

THANKS!!

[Larold]

Having a "standard sounding" room is paramount...otherwise anything you mix in there will sound different in other rooms. I'll tell you what I did...I have a house, and still didn't want to mess up my walls. I took some foam acoustic panels, and glued them on to a slightly smaller piece of cardboard. Then I used small pieces of velcro to place them on the walls. They make a small footprint when taking them down in the future. Trying to use adhesive or velcro right on the foam was ridiculous. Anyhow, it works here. Also, depending on the size of your room, some of those tube bass absorbers in the corners might help. My little 11x11 room might not be the best sounding room compared to a major studio, but I know it and my Genelecs/NS-10's well, and am able to win Emmys and other awards in there. If you have a pair of headphones thst you trust, you can use them for a backup sound check, as long as you know the obvious differences between speakers and headphones.

Good luck!

[BohoProAudio]

I've used small tacks to put up acoustic foam, and the holes are easy to fix with toothpaste and paint when you want to take them down. Better use of money than new convertors. Always treat the room before filling it with new gear.

[John_Toolbox]

You're really limited in what you can do with an apartment, but I still think you're better of trying to do some kind of treatment than getting converters. I would take a look at the acoustics section of gearslutz. There is a goldmine of information on there about room treatment, and several professionals who design and build studios for a living who seem to post there daily.

And when I lived in apartments, I never had a problem with not getting my deposit back. Just make sure when you move out that you fill all of the holes you made with spackle, you can get a small can of paint custom mixed at a hardware store for $10 or so to match the walls.

[nst7]

It also depends on your budget. It may not be enough to do either choice in enough quality to make a difference. Generally speaking, Auralex foam is not sufficient vs. bass traps like those from Realtraps or Gik Acoustics.

And for D/A conversion, it might make more sense to just get a better interface.

[Marsdy]

Acoustic treatment NO question. Don't go with Auralex. GIK Acoustics and RealTraps are WAY better. Both can be fitted by being hung on screws using picture frame wire, just like hanging a picture in fact.

I don't know how big your room is but if it's small to medium in size then the majority of your problems will be at the bass end. The smaller the room the more issue you will have with bass. Foam stuff just does't cut it at the bass end.

Get Fuzzmeasure and measure your room. (There's a free trial period.)
http://www.supermegaultragroovy.com/...s/FuzzMeasure/
There's plenty of excellent advice on Gearslutz as mentioned.

Both RealTraps and GK Acoustics will also give you lots of excellent advice.

If you REALLY must go with foam panels like Auralex, stick an old CD to the back of the panel and use the hole in the CD to hang the panel on a screw or nail in the wall. Make sure you use glue formulated for foam otherwise the foam will rot in no time.

Two other points to bear in mind. Good solid speaker stands full of shot or kiln dried sand make a huge difference. Also speaker positioning and height is ABSOLUTELY crucial, 3 inches can make a HUGE difference.

[jrtme]

I think it's interesting. No one asked what monitors you were using? That's a huge difference.

[cwsand]

I would get the room sounding good first.

I used T-pins to attach the foam to the wall. They're used for sewing and you can get them at Office Depot or Walmart. They do create a hole in the wall, but usually 2 or 3 will hold a 2'X2' square and the holes can be easily repaired.

The 003 converters are ok - not the best but definitely not the worst.

I'm at the point where I have my room treated and have decent converters, but my monitoring system is less than ideal. You can have the best sounding room and converters, but unless you have good monitors, your speakers will not present the true sound of your mix. Anyway, I'm upgrading my monitors in the next few weeks.

[cwsand]

Originally Posted by jrtme

I think it's interesting. No one asked what monitors you were using? That's a huge difference.

Yes, it's funny that for many engineers in other countries, really good monitors are one of the first purchases for a studio. I think here we tend to buy nice interfaces, computers, mikes and soundproofing before even considering a monitoring system!

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by cwsand

Yes, it's funny that for many engineers in other countries, really good monitors are one of the first purchases for a studio. I think here we tend to buy nice interfaces, computers, mikes and soundproofing before even considering a monitoring system!

Yes that is very true - And most likely in that very order