Music production in a loft space

[phosphorr]

I recently moved into a loft space. Very open environment. It's impossible to have any sound isolations. I need some advice for optimal (as best as it could be in this restriction) producing accuracy before my tracks could be handed down to engineer to master. I am realistic, not comparing to any studio with proper walls. My basic mixes are all wack. It's very bass heavy when I play tracks in car or ipod. But they sound fine when coming out of my monitors. Any plug-ins could help? Headphones (I know it's major no-no but it still might be better than monitors in open space, no?)?

I am producing with mac and KRK RP-5

Charlie

[3phase]

what about a tent?

[synnack]

I lived in a loft for years. Unfortunately i pretty much used headphones for everything.

I also recommend that when you mix you do so at much lower volume. I don't understand why people think you need things loud to mix. You'll get less room coloring and your ears will last longer.

[luddy]

I worked in a big open room until a year ago, and at the end of the day it had become a really good mix environment. You have to work at it a bit, but all things being equal, a big room is better than a small room for mixing.

If you pull your nearfields toward you (closer to the listening position), then reduce their volume level so that they seem to be at the same loudness that they were originally, then you are cutting the power of wall reflections that you hear at the listening position. It turns out that if you keep the volume the same at the listening position but cut the distance to the speakers in half, you are reducing the power of the wall reflections at the listening position by a factor of 4. So there's a huge benefit in a big room to getting your nearfields as close as you can while still giving yourself the stereo imaging you need.

Isolation may not be a possibility, but some treatment of the inside of the room would help a lot to cut down reflections and smooth out the frequency response. A couple big sofas or other similar big softish things placed here and there in the room help a lot with bass trapping. If you can make or buy some actual bass traps and mount them on the walls, ceilings, and/or corners it will help a lot too. Bass traps are basically nothing but a frame with a bunch of a certain kind of fiberglass packed inside, so they aren't that hard to put together, although you have to be careful with the fiberglass which is kind of dangerous if it becomes airborne or gets into your skin.

hth,

-Luddy

[soultwist]

Why are headphones a no-no?

[3phase]

because you get shit mixes and damage your ears?

i was serious about the tent... best a marocan style with wide openings on the sides made from heavy camel wool..does wonders in lofts

A kirgisien jurte might be good aswell

[3phase]

[esky]

Don't ask people here, they won't tell you much about room treatment. Go to http://www.gearslutz.com/board/bass-tra ... -foam-etc/ and ask for advice. Give as much details about your situation as possible. Maybe sizes of your room, or a photo.
Building yourself some broadband absorbers or bass traps is not so difficult and not expensive at all. It is a lot of work and takes time though.
A good headphone will help, but only as an addition to a proper listenning environment.

[3phase]

the jurte rules.. gearsluts dont live in lofts

[jerry123]

Yes you can treat big spaces easily. The good thing is that you don't get as many early reflections as you would in a small room. You might find more luck with diffusion rather than absorption in your case.
If bass is your big issue, for certain look into DIY bass traps. You can even make them on stands so you can move them around when you don't need them.
Avoid EQ plug ins at all costs, and only use headphones as reference. HP's are good for checking but not to rely on.
Get the room as good as you can first. A great tool to use is RoomEQWizard, it's free. Everything else will follow.

[3phase]

room eq? dont think people do that anymore since the late 70´s


and he dont has a bass problem he has just a problem experiancing the bass and therfore turns it up so muc... there is a resaon you have huge speakers in night clubs.. and fro the szise.. a loft can be bigger than a night club...

so you are better of with big cans actually inside of a jurte

and some nearfields and headphones to check the reverb amount.. you will have plenty even when you mix is as dry as the sahara..therefore its god to get your closer listening enviroment dry ..

[3dot...]

room eq? dont think people do that anymore since the late 70´s

it's still pretty common... it's a must in venues for instance
there's even a plugin that automates the process for ya :
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/Main.html?arc/index.php

...I support what said before... you need to work in low volumes.. (for volume mixing) and headphones (for detail)
at the end of the mix you're gonna need to reference it in higher volumes in other places as well
also .. keep in mind the basic rules of 'acoustics' and try to avoid the most obvious mistakes in placing you speakers etc.

[3phase]

room eq? dont think people do that anymore since the late 70´s

it's still pretty common... it's a must in venues for instance
there's even a plugin that automates the process for ya :
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/Main.html?arc/index.php

...I support what said before... you need to work in low volumes.. (for volume mixing) and headphones (for detail)
at the end of the mix you're gonna need to reference it in higher volumes in other places as well
also .. keep in mind the basic rules of 'acoustics' and try to avoid the most obvious mistakes in placing you speakers etc.

we talking music production here and not feedback prevention... but ok.. you might use eq when you allways pump uo the bass too much you are better of to do that not with your record output


and low volumes..:-/ why having a loft than .. in ideal you have good big studio monitors to give the club simulation and a set of real nearfield nearfields...

i also experianced voice of god speakers direkt on top of you from the top of the jurte as a very good thing in big rooms

[3dot...]

regardless... that tent is fucking awesome !
it made me think of leaving the city indefinitely ..

[3phase]

the good thing about lofts is that you can have camping in the middle of the city... becase some of them dont have working heating systems anymore you soon will discover other advantages of the jurte...