Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

All about acoustics. This is your new home if you already have a studio or other acoustic space, but it isn't working out for you, sounds bad, and you need to fix it...
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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#136

Postby shybird » Thu, 2020-Jul-30, 17:58

Soundman2020 wrote:Source of the post I would take a good look at the sealing issue! You'd be surprised how much sound gets out through gaps around windows and frames. A tube of good-quality caulk and some soft rubber weather-stripping can do wonders.... Inspect around your windows carefully to see where you might have gaps, and seal the hell out of them!

Well this I can certainly do! The doors already have some rubber stripping around them but the bottom of the inner door appears to have a gap. The windows don't show any signs of cracks or openings but I guess I could just caulk anyways and see what happens. And I will look around Jennifer's thread and see what else can be done.

nd of course, your chimney is an open duct to the outside world... once you get that closed off, that's probably a couple of dB right there. I'd expect that you can probably get your isolation up to a bit above 30, without doing any major work. If you also add that layer of drywall with GG compound on walls and ceiling, that might get you to 35 or a little more.

Well this makes me feel better! If I could get an additional 10dB (to make it 30dB total of TL) from where I'm currently at (20dB), that would be huge! I don't think the drywall is really an option at this point but I will look into it further. Looks like with Green Glue and all I'd be nearing an additional $1000 or so. :ahh: (everything seems expensive now that I'm already in debt for these speakers! :lol: ...I could dip into savings though if I need to...but I got that 0% financing credit card to keep the cash flow up :mrgreen: )

Starlight wrote:Source of the post I don't believe Stuart because I am on my 33rd tube of caulk at the moment. YMMV but I expect a (single) tube may not be enough.

:lol: The truth comes out! I will keep this in mind... :cen:

Cheers
Trevor



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#137

Postby shybird » Thu, 2020-Jul-30, 17:59

Soundman2020 wrote:Source of the post That's a nice one. I used to have one of those... and now I'm sorry I let it go. Should be fine for what you need.

Sweet! Should've just gotten that from the start lol.



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#138

Postby shybird » Tue, 2020-Aug-25, 18:13

Whatsup everybody! I know it’s been awhile so I just wanted to give a brief update regarding my studio. Got some cool things in the works!

In regard to the panels I’ve been building they are nearing the final phase. I just finished all the staining this past weekend. We are just waiting on the fabric now which is delayed due to Covid (of course). But all that is left is build the inner frames which we can do in the mean time and then wrapping those with the fabric. So still a bit to go but I can see the finish line.

On another huge note, Nashville just recently and FINALLY passed a law making home studios a legal business. Crazy I know (of all places?!) but up until now you had to run a commercial property for it to be legal. Lots of big studio lobbyists over the years I think...trying to keep things in place and reduce competition. But now we are free!! Woohoo

That being said, I am revisiting the original reason I moved into this house/property 8 years ago: the building out back that we always wanted to turn into a studio. It’s really more of a shed but already has plumbing and electric plus a good concrete slab. The current framing would need to be leveled to start fresh since it’s built more like a shed. But the rest of the situation is a good starting place.

So, I’m talking to Stuart about possible making a design for this place. It would be a solid control room with mastering potential (primary focus of design) and medium sized booth plus a bathroom and small kitchen area (need it to potentially double as an air bnb or rental down the road if we ever needed to convert it). Around 600sq ft total. Going to talk to some builders soon and see who would be up for the challenges that come with a proper studio and also to get some ballpark quotes to know if we can swing it.

I will keep everyone posted on the progress! If we choose to move forward with this I won’t be going to the effort of building soffits in my current space (since I will have to remove them in 2-3 years when the studio is complete). It’s not ideal anyways since it’s literally the front room of my home. However I would go ahead with placing my panels in the room to make it at least much better than it currently is.

I will attach a rough drawing of my idea but this is likely to change with Stuart’s help. Let me know if you have any questions or ideas! Btw, the white rectangle is just a patio area. The concrete is less substantial there so we would not be building into that area. Gotta keep this thing reasonable.

Cheers!
Trevor
Attachments
D17F6E7D-E3EB-4079-8997-9205D886407F.jpeg



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#139

Postby shybird » Wed, 2020-Sep-16, 14:38

UPDATE:

We finally completed the first panel! I’m really happy with the way these turned out and will be making a post with all of the nitty gritty details with the process and what I’d recommend to others attempting to build these.

The faux burlap polyester fabric from bestfabricstore.com worked perfectly and for a reasonable price! We went with khaki (in photo) and wheat for a natural/retro vibe which should look really nice in my current room.

Also the poly bat material that was recommended to me in previous post did just the trick to keep the inner frame from showing through! They look super clean and professional (other than small parts of the staining on some panels...that part was a real challenge for some reason).

These were completed for I’d say about $55-60 per panel when all was said and done...plus loads of time lol. All that’s left is finishing the inner frames, wrapping the fabric, and hanging! Should be done within the next month or so. We’ve both been busy and haven’t had much time to work on them in the last month.

Cheers!
Trevor
Attachments
96F27598-2C43-444F-B07B-DEFD961ADA3D.jpeg
23E43A09-A902-4533-944E-0EDD533F4A46.jpeg
70D3A78C-A2D1-4622-A7EB-144D83670595.jpeg
DA89FFD8-154A-4180-A802-E93978F7F426.jpeg
0F5BD93D-1C04-4C16-861A-BE477E127251.jpeg
27B69DC4-5F47-4E85-ACE4-48DB0B902E29.jpeg



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Starlight
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#140

Postby Starlight » Wed, 2020-Sep-16, 14:45

Lookin' good!



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#141

Postby endorka » Wed, 2020-Sep-16, 19:02

They are indeed!



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#142

Postby shybird » Wed, 2020-Sep-16, 19:09

Thanks!!! Yes I am very pleased with how they are turning out. Has been a lot of work but will be worth it in the end. Plus seeing how easy it was to sell my smaller panels locally here in Nashville, I could turn these for a profit if I ever need to sell. 8-)

Cheers
Trevor



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#143

Postby shybird » Fri, 2020-Nov-13, 15:05

Long time no post! Man what a crazy year it has been. I have been juggling a ton of different things and keeping things updated on the forum took a back seat. That being said, here's a big update!

I'm revisiting the idea of building soffits for my current room because the studio build in the back yard is going to take some serious time (I'm always way underestimating these things). We are still talking to a contractor and trying to get past the codes/zoning part of the process. He's slammed with work as well and it is going very slowly.

However, I did get a lot done on the room BEFORE revisiting the soffit idea lol. Here's where I am at (some of which will be removed to make room for the soffits):

- 5 panels in each of the front corners have been installed! I managed to figure out a way to do this with 2 right angle hooks in the wall that match with 2 eye hooks on the panels. It took some calculating but I was able to get it down to an exact measurement that was repeatable for each one. They seem to be very sturdy holding each of these panels which are roughly 24lbs. It was most certainly the easiest and cheapest method. Every panel can easily be removed and all that is left are two holes in the wall for each one.

- 5 panels in the back corner have been installed! And two are ready to go in the opposite corner above the door way. Plus I am still planning to build a tall panel that can sit on wheels to cover the bottom portion of that corner when the door is closed.

- A door has been installed! It's the $50 door I got on craigslist. The thing weighs a ton and is apparently solid oak according to the guy who hung it (no I was not up for the challenge... :shock: )

- I have been working on transitioning to a whole different setup. Basically, I wanted to downsize all my random analog outboard gear and put the money toward a great pair of speakers (Eve SC407's), a great monitor controller (Grace Design m905), and a great converter (Lynx Aurora (n)....which has not been purchased yet). So far I am thrilled with the results! My plan is to get as clean and neutral of a response as possible and put my money towards the best possible signal chain. I am actually amazed at how much difference the Grace Design made over my mackie big knob. I was a/b-ing them and it was astounding. The whole signal came to life like a veil was being lifted. Much more 3D and clear. I was a major skeptic but I have been proven wrong. It's a tough pill to swallow but I got it used for $1875. Worth every penny IMO (for my goals at least).

- I have a much smaller desk now in hopes of reducing reflections. Some custom 45 degree floor racks are in the works to fit under each side. Gonna build these myself with the help of a friend.

- Also, currently building about 10 more panels to hang as clouds and in various parts of the room as needed. I would love some advice as to where I might should place these remaining panels!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are some screenshots from REW. These are all smoothed to 1/48 octave and each show a before and after.

NOTE: I was using my yamaha HS8's for the BEFORE measurements and the mix position was closer to the front wall by about a foot and a half or so. The AFTER measurements were made with my Eve SC407 monitors spaced a bit further apart (very carefully measured from side and front walls to get equal placement). The soundcard is also different for each. BEFORE was with my allen and heath ZED R16 (which I am now selling) and the AFTER is with my friend's Focusrite Clarett 2 Pre. I did run calibration for each.

ANOTHER NOTE: A few months ago I ran into an issue with my EVE SC407's. :cry: I bought them used and they were FANTASTIC. But one day I turned them on and noticed the left speaker was lower in volume by about 20%. I've gone through a ton of trouble shooting with EVE and they ultimately recommended I send the boards in to be repaired/updated. After going back and forth with them I realized I did not feel confident taking the boards out to ship. There are a ton of connections on them and I had some issues with shipping damage on other items recently. So I decided I would ship the speakers in tact...well shipping cost on that took it over the threshold for insurance so I ended up getting a payout of $3000 to cover the one speaker that is acting weird. That being said, I'm currently trying to make up my mind on what to do. Probably going to try selling these as is and hope to get maybe $2000 for them (the repair with shipping the boards is about $1250 plus comes with insurance) and then put all that money toward a new pair.

Anywayssssss I'm not sure if this is affecting the measurements. Obviously I even out the volume on each speaker to 80dB using the sound check on REW. But maybe something else is going wrong? I will say, I ran a test with the Yamaha's right next to these in the new setup and the same phase issue happened so it's not solely the speakers causing that (maybe that's a silly thing to check I have no idea lol).

Thoughts/questions:

- The RT60 and waterfall plots show significant improvement in the decay times.
- There seems to be more phase issues in the new setup?
- There also seems to be some kind of low end distortion happening with my Eves?
- The response seems to have evened out in the low end but in the mids and highs there does not seem to be much improvement and maybe even slightly worse in certain areas....not sure what to think of that.
- The impulse response shows higher levels on the newer measurement...is that odd?
- Any help reading these would be greatly appreciated! I've attached the mdat file with all of these in one.

Cheers and thank you!!
Trevor
Attachments
Waterfall (Before).jpg
Waterfall (After).jpg
SPL -- LR (Before).jpg
SPL -- LR (After).jpg
SPL -- Both (Pink before, blue after).jpg
Spectrogram (Before).jpg
Spectrogram (After).jpg
RT60 (Before).jpg
RT60 (After).jpg
Phase (Before).jpg
Phase (After).jpg
LR-- Comparison (Before).jpg
LR-- Comparison (After).jpg
Impulse (Before).jpg
Impulse (After).jpg
Distortion (Before).jpg
Distortion (After).jpg
Before and After (Phase 1).mdat
(33.98 MiB) Downloaded 740 times
Before and After (Phase 1).mdat
(33.98 MiB) Downloaded 740 times



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#144

Postby shybird » Fri, 2020-Nov-13, 15:16

Here are some photos.

Also, I have the Eves as close to the front wall as possible to help with SBIR.

And the door looks nicer on the opposite side from the studio room as you can see in the photo lol. I plan to paint it on the studio side at the very least. And it is not for super isolation. I just wanted something to help.
Attachments
IMG_4397.jpeg
IMG_4396.jpeg
IMG_4203.jpeg
62674685235__84DDE77B-6511-4222-84CE-E36926B7017D.jpeg
62674613520__652B96BC-88E6-4851-98F4-60875C5DA3B9.jpeg



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#145

Postby shybird » Fri, 2020-Nov-13, 18:56

Here's some better zoomed in images of the SPL before/after (pink before, blue after).

There seems to be some weird phase stuff going on in the high end of the new setup. I think it could be the ceiling bounce? Since the mix position is further back and the speakers are closer to the front wall, there is more of an angle to be catching the highs off the ceiling. I certainly don't know if that's what it is but I think the ceiling bounce was less of an issue in my original setup. Any thoughts on that?

Cheers
Trevor
Attachments
SPL-- LR (Pink before, blue after) zoomed.jpg
SPL-- LR (Before) Zoomed.jpg
SPL-- LR (After) zoomed.jpg



Jag94
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#146

Postby Jag94 » Tue, 2020-Nov-17, 02:07

@shybird

Those panels look fantastic. I saw the link you posted for the blog on how to build the panels, and I plan on using that plan myself (so thank you for the link!). Did you fill the entire frame with insulation? They look like they're 5-6" deep. I know there are advantages to having space between the panel and the wall, so i wonder if you built the panels that deep but only filled them 2-4" deep, and left space behind the insulation?

I've enjoyed your thread. Lots of great information and ideas!



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#147

Postby shybird » Tue, 2020-Nov-17, 09:59

Hey Jag, thanks for the comments!

Yes we are super happy with how the panels turned out. I’m sure there are some easier/quicker methods out there but if you want looks plus functionality, these are worth the extra effort!

We have two pieces of 3” AFB per panel so 6” total. The frames are 1x8 so a total depth of 7.25”. The inner fabric frame is made with 1x2’s on their side so that takes up another 1/2”. Basically there’s roughly 1/2 - 3/4” of space left over in the panel. We just stapled some cheap burlap on the back to the inside edge of the frame to keep the AFB secure. I also recommend securing the fabric frame with a few screws from the outside of the main frame. This gives you a very solid and moveable panel in the end! (They can easily work as gobos too since they stand on their own no problem)

I also HIGHLY recommend the faux burlap fabric from bestfabricstore.com (it’s breathable, but has a nice clean/tight weave compared to regular burlap, and it’s made of polyester so it’s very smooth to the touch...there are a ton of different colors too and they all have a nice Heathered look to them). AND the polyester batting material behind this. I used the 4oz variety I believe and got a giant roll from Joanns online for about $60. The fabric itself is not very see through but I think without the poly bat material, the fabric frame would show through the front a bit. Plus it gives it a very slightly “poofy/soft” look on the front edges making it appear as more expensive upholstery. We were very happy we had this stuff.

I would also recommend sourcing the wood and insulation from local lumber yards etc because it wound up being much cheaper than Lowe’s and Home Depot. But only worth the effort if you are building a ton of panels (I will have 34 total :ahh: ).

Hope that helps. Cheers!
Trevor



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#148

Postby shybird » Tue, 2020-Nov-17, 15:58

I’m also considering building some diffusion panels to throw on the upper portion of some of the side walls. I was on a ladder today and there is significant flutter echo in the part of the room.

Any idea if this method actually works? https://youtu.be/cKc3M30ePuc It’s cheap and light. Maybe I could even put some absorption underneath the diffuser slats as well so it would be a mixture of effects.

I just know I’m already getting into dead room territory and there are 11 more going in soon. But with their placement, I’m not sure the flutter echo in the upper part of the room will be reduced enough since they are being used for other purposes.

Cheers!
Trevor



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#149

Postby shybird » Sat, 2020-Nov-28, 23:22

Anybody got thoughts? Would love some feedback!

Cheers
Trevor



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shybird
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Home Mix Room Overhaul - DIY Panel Build - w/ REW Charts/3D Sketchup

#150

Postby shybird » Sat, 2020-Dec-12, 19:20

Whatsup acousticians! :ugeek:

I'm back with another update and pretty happy with the results so far (especially based on what I am hearing and experiencing as I mix/master). Things have improved tremendously since starting down this path back in July! Translation from studio to car, etc has become so much better and I no longer feel like I'm constantly guessing with the low end in my room. This alone has changed the game.

That being said, there is still clearly room for more improvement as shown in the REW results. It seems that I could maybe experiment with speaker/mix position (gonna try Stuart's "walking mic" test) a bit and also I'd love to figure out what form of treatment would be best for the back wall.

Stuart had mentioned poly's or slatted poly's awhile back and I was wondering if these can be done with those cardboard tubes made for forming cement columns? It seems there are a lot of discrepancies floating around on the internet as to whether these work and for what purposes. They sure would be cost effective and save me from building MORE panels which I'm currently done with for a bit (after 32 panels I feel bad asking my friend for anymore help and these really are not a one person job lol). I am just not sure what frequencies that type of cardboard starts reflecting vs. what they allow to pass through into the absorption. Would drilling holes help them be more of a combination of diffusion/absorption? The polys would be easy for me to complete alone so I'd love some feedback on that!

My overall take from the room and how it sounds is that I am pleased but wouldn't want to further deaden the response.

That being said I'm thinking about adding some slats over the face of some of the panels (maybe in the upper "above ear" portion of the room) to bring some life back? But I am not sure what size or in what arrangement to place these in order to function in a productive way for my room. Some say the size/spacing is super important and some say it doesn't matter...I have no idea for my situation. I know different widths reflect back different ranges but not entirely sure what I need. Based on the charts below can anyone recommend the best way to go about adding slats to some of my existing panels?

Also, I'd love to build some diffusion panels (or perhaps less perfect scattering panels?) for the upper side walls both to help kill the last bit of flutter and also to add to the aesthetic of the room when taking photos for my mix/master business (yes I said "aesthetic" not just "acoustics"...SORRY :shock: ). However between all the information out there about the various types of diffusion I don't know what would be best for my situation! I'm also not sure how proper QRD diffusion plays into a room like this if you place the panels on the upper side walls (from what I've read, the room is much too shallow for QRD diffusors behind my head at ear level)...is this even advisable or am I wasting my time and should just stick with more basic scattering type designs for looks/killing the flutter?

Btw, for anybody who was following along with this thread, I successfully managed to build a monster panel on wheels for the back corner where the doorway is! It's just 3 of my 6" panels stacked horizontally as you can see in the photo. Also, I'm using 6 of my old 4" ATS panels behind the 3 new panels on the floor in front of the back wall fireplace. This gives me 14" total of insulation depth right there (and yes the 3 ATS panels in the middle layer are open backed).

Below are some photos and also the REW results split into 3 phases for each chart:

1. Yamahas - Baseline with the 4" panels I used to have
2. Eves - with 26 new 6" panels but NO cloud
3. Eves - same 26 panels PLUS 6 for the cloud)

Would love some feedback! Let me know if you have any questions for me.

Cheers!
Trevor

SPL/Phase
Yamahas (original panels NO cloud).JPG

Eves (26 panels NO cloud).jpg

Eves (with 32 panels + cloud).jpg


Waterfall
Waterfall - Yamahas (original panels NO cloud).jpg

Waterfall - Eves (26 panels NO cloud).jpg

Waterfall - Eves (32 panels + cloud).jpg


Spectrogram
Spectrogram - Yamahas (original panels NO cloud).jpg

Spectrogram - Eves (26 panels NO cloud).jpg

Spectrogram - Eves (with 32 panels + cloud).jpg


RT60
RT60 - Yamahas (original panels NO cloud).jpg

RT60 - Eves (26 panels NO cloud).jpg

RT60 - Eves (with 32 panels + cloud).jpg


L+R
L+R Yamahas (original panels NO cloud).jpg

L+R Eves (26 panels NO cloud).jpg

L+R Eves (32 panels + cloud).jpg


MDAT File
Phase 4 (simplified results).mdat
(40.63 MiB) Downloaded 655 times
Phase 4 (simplified results).mdat
(40.63 MiB) Downloaded 655 times




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