Let's talk about... monitor placement

[Jay200MPH]

Trying to approach better monitor positioning without spending any more money. This is what I've come up with so far; not ideal yet but somewhat improved over what I had:





The left side one is about twice as far from my head position than the right, and gets occluded by the CRT if I lean back. Ideally I'd like it directly behind & above the mixer but there's no room back there so I'm making do with this 'scaffold' for now. Maybe a stand that clamps on to the back of the desk?




They are also very close to the wall (the close corners are about 3" away) but I don't really have room to push them out any farther.

BTW the opposite wall is about 3m away from the monitors and is a hollow partition made from drywall; room is 3.5m wide in total. It's also my living room so I don't really want this setup to intrude any farther out than it already does. The ceiling is covered in spackle, like this, which presumably has some acoustic reflection dampening ability?

Open to suggestions on this. Everything sounds okay to my ears at the moment but I don't have any experience with a really properly set up studio space to compare it too. I don't listen at high volume or have the bass cranked way up.

[pflosi]

The left side one is about twice as far from my head position than the right

That's very bad, as you probably know. Ideally the speakers and your head form an equilateral triangle...

How many % of the room length is your head positioned at?

The ceiling is covered in spackle, like this, which presumably has some acoustic reflection dampening ability?

Only in the highs (and probably a bit of diffusion)... Which might even worsen your bass problems...

[ninja6485]

Have you considered using an eq to correct any chronic problems with your mixes that may be attributed to a non-ideal room? I noticed I was constantly creating sounds with too much low end, and would have to apply the same post production eq curve to each song! So I just dialed in the reverse of the curve on an eq, and now what I'm actually hearing through my monitors is much more accurate to what I think I'm hearing when i mix.

[balma]

Taking the first picture as a reference, you should avoid having objects between you and the monitors. I would place the left PC screen somewhere else. Also, surfaces near them can cause reflection of the sound.

Most monitors come with a diagram on the manual recommending how to place them. Also, I prefer them vertical....

Both monitors should be at equal distance from you, and with the same angle on both, drawing a straight line to your ears, like a triangle. Also, vibration (solid stands for the monitors) must be avoided as much as possible,.

I spend a little time on a friend´s studio, and the guy who was very careful with these things, almost obsessive.

I recently adquired two Samson Resolv A8 for my studio, carbon fiber speakers with ferrofluid tweeters...

[Jay200MPH]

Yeah, I'm going to move the CRT as soon as I get a longer cable . Generally I compose/sequence on that machine and record/mix/etc. on the little laptop docked to the LCD. I'd like both displays to be straight ahead but I'm having space issues.

So, I can't bring the left speaker in any closer, but I could move the right speaker farther away to match it. This would not make an equilateral triangle, they'd be sitting more like at 10 and 2 o'clock. I'd need to find/rig another stand for it. Do you guys reckon that would be better?

[Stab Frenzy]

OK, you've got a bunch of problems, here they are in order of importance according to me.

1) The speakers need to be equidistant from your ears. That one miles away on your left is gonna seem lower in level than the closer one, there will also be some little issues with phase in the low-mid range which would be fixed with them both at the same distance from your head.
2) The one on the left is pretty much behind that monitor. Sound will be reflecting off the back of the monitor and ruining your imaging. Got to get it out from there. I would move the mixer and put the speaker on top of that computer or whatever it is. Solves the two most pressing issues you have in one move. Don't worry too much about the whole equilateral triangle thing, if you're roughly in the ballpark of that you'll be fine. It's usually better to go narrower than to go wider.
3) You have no acoustic treatment at all. Things are gonna sound pretty terrible with those bare brick walls, and the ceiling you posted won't do anything either. Get yourself some polyester HVAC insulation and make yourself some panels to treat the room. In Australia Tontine make suitable stuff, that's what I've got in my studio. Not sure if they sell it in NZ but there will be something similar. After getting your speakers into the right place and getting them clear of obstructions treatment is going to make the most difference.
4) Those speakers are designed to be used vertically, not horizontally. Standing them up is going to vastly increase the sweet spot, or the area where you're hearing all three drivers in phase with each other. Standing them up the right way will improve the imaging a fair bit, although you won't notice the difference unless you sort out all the other issues first.

[Jay200MPH]

2) The one on the left is pretty much behind that monitor. Sound will be reflecting off the back of the monitor and ruining your imaging. Got to get it out from there. I would move the mixer and put the speaker on top of that computer or whatever it is.

I thought about setting it that way, but... that would essentially place the big sub directly on top of my HDD with only a thin piece of metal for shielding. Especially if I place it vertically. I'm worried about the sub magnet corrupting my data after a while. Could that be an issue or am I just being paranoid?

[Stab Frenzy]

Good point, my monitors are shielded so I didn't even think about that. Anyway that's where the speaker needs to go so maybe the computer needs to move.

[hyphen nation]

Everything Stab said…a few things I've gleaned over the years from this site [some experts incredibly generous with their time] http://www.johnlsayers.com check out the forums.

look at the overall space you are in. You want an equidistant triangle with your head at the point. If you work from the front of the room to the back, your head should be roughly 1/3rd of the distance from the front wall/speakers are to the back. There's a decent diagram in here. http://www.politusic.com/music/recordin ... ng-studio/

I'd put up as much absorbent acoustical material as I could in that space. With all the concrete you are going to have crazy reflections. I'd look at putting something over your head, and on as many of the walls as possible.

If it's your living room, and you can't move any walls, and you don't want to intrude any more, what about merging it with living room stuff? I am going to put a decent TV up in my studio to both be able to mix easily and also turn the room into a home theater when needed.

I know that wasn't super helpful. I got a major knowledge blast when I first started talking to the guys on the John Sayers site, but honestly the change in sound in my space is ridiculous. There is a science to this stuff. It's legit.

[optimus prime]

A poor man's solution for acoustic treatment is lots of books on shelves. Try moving the whole setup away from the wall, and lining the wall with bookshelves, if you have some lying around. I'm suggesting this because that's how my room is "treated" - far from ideal, but way better than bare walls. Soft padded furniture (beds, armchairs, couches), carpets, clothes lying around, all of that can dampen unpleasant reflections. Just a suggestion you might consider if you're working in your living space.

[Percivale]

Okay I use DJ equipment. For mixing neutrality I understand but does anyone use a subwoofer for bass extension? At least for playback to see how your recording turned out?

[Stab Frenzy]

A poor man's solution for acoustic treatment is lots of books on shelves. Try moving the whole setup away from the wall, and lining the wall with bookshelves, if you have some lying around. I'm suggesting this because that's how my room is "treated" - far from ideal, but way better than bare walls.

Kind of works as a ghetto diffuser but it won't actually absorb anything, so it's not ideal. Better than nothing though.

Okay I use DJ equipment. For mixing neutrality I understand but does anyone use a subwoofer for bass extension? At least for playback to see how your recording turned out?

I don't like using subs in the studio, I've never found them helpful for mixing in any studio I've worked in, they're just really good for impressing clients. As far as seeing what my recordings turned out like I generally can get a good idea without a sub, if I want to hear it on a big system I'll do that before I'm soundchecking at a show.

I can understand why some people would want a sub in their studio but I estimate that 90% of the time it's not set up correctly and so ends up doing more harm than good.

[hyphen nation]

I can understand why some people would want a sub in their studio but I estimate that 90% of the time it's not set up correctly and so ends up doing more harm than good.

^^^ THIS ^^^