31 Hz modal problem

[ejbragg]

I agree that as a room, it LOOKS great, and would no doubt be a pleasure to work in! But as a studio, it has serious issues.

- Stuart -

Haha! Well, yes, it has serious issues, BUT... is the glass half full, or is it half empty? The room is already built.

By the way, I recovered my old name ... just used "ejb" until I could figure out what happened to my old data after my move. I've actually been a member here for several years. My life has been in constant flux. Anyway, I'm back, and you'll see this avatar & user name from now on. Once this thread is finished (no more traffic for a while), I'll deactivate my old name. John says it will erase this thread, unfortunately.

Anyway, my point is this: the room is built. And painted & trimmed. After the huge task of building, we are already scraping the bottom of the financial bucket. If I continue to make major changes now, I will not have the equipment I want. So, whether or not the room is "usable" is now a historic question. I HAVE to assume that it is. So the next question is, where do I go from here?

Thank you all for the positive comments. It was a lot of work! [Yes, the drum room is ALSO octagonal in shape; however, that room will be much less a problem, because I'm setting it up as a semianechoic chamber. I am presently installing 10 inches (thick) of insulation on ALL wall surfaces. The ceiling will be outfitted with diffusers. I will also build some mobile reflective diffuser units to add to the drum room walls when I want something more reflective. Directly next to the drum sitting position, I have built a simple 1/4 wave, wide spectrum bass trap out of the underside of the stairs. No space wasted. According to calculations, it should be about 20% effective at its two extremes - 30 Hz & 350 Hz, and up to around 60% effective for the frequencies between 45 Hz & 280 Hz.]

I like the floating cloud idea.

[ejbragg]

[quote="lilith_envy"]Then corner panels between each window bridging the "corners"

Lilith, I forgot to address this comment.
In fact, your suggestion mirrors what was on the back of my mind. Realizing that the amount of glass in the room is also a problem, it seemed plausible that diffusion spanned between the windows (and perhaps above & below, as well) might give me that edge this room needs. Two of the windows have glass (patio doors) opposing them, which isn't good. However, the other two have objects in their reflective path; a very large (8 ft x 8 ft) bookshelf, and a (8 ft x 4 ft) console on the perpendicular wall pair. There will also be a baby grand, couches & tables, and perhaps an array of hanging acoustical instruments (guitars, banjos, mandolins, etc.). All in all, I think there will be some diffusion anyway, but stereo balance is needed, and true diffusion will likely need special attention.