Ableton Forum

Semi-newbie, not making music or mixes professionally, more as a hobby; but i am hooked!

So taking that into account, meaning i am not going for perfection but would still like predictable mixes,
what would you recommend for room treatments? Unfortunately, the room i am in is almost square, which i have been told is not the best shape.
Also, please recommend methods that are fairly effective without breaking the bank, lol.

Would you also recommend purchasing the mic and app from a service like https://www.sonarworks.com/ ?

The thing that started me on this journey is that i was fortunate enough to procure some used Genelec speakers at a real good price. They are killer speakers. I have sent mixes to fiends who are in the audio mixing/recording biz and they say overall my mixes are lacking high frequency energy. Which was a revelation to me because in my room my mixes absolutely sizzle. So, obviously my room is Greatly affecting what is being generated.

Follow up question. Would i use something like Sonarworks to determine HOW to treat the room? Example: Sonar's mic reads the room and determines i actually do have very laser-like high frequency response. So rather than filling the whole room with sound absorption material, i invest more in diffusors? Or is it better to start with basic treatments and move on from there?

your expertise would be greatly appreciated!
-john

I have the "old" Sonarworks, and it does an incredable job. It is not cheap, but it helps a lot!

a combination of the most important acoustic treatment + Sonarworks is a decent compromise. at the very least you want to treat the first reflection points in the room (the areas where the sound from your speakers bounces once and then hits your ears, combining with the direct sound from the speakers). how to position things is also very important. for example, you do not want to be sitting in the middle of a square room!

fully-treating a standard room to pro recording studio standard is very difficult, bordering on impossible if the room is small (and square).

i use FuzzMeasure to do acoustic testing when i set up a new space:

https://rodetest.com/

you can also use the free REW software to do this:

https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

lots of knowledge here:

https://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

awesome! thank you so much for your expertise and the info!

you can make some homemade sound absorption panels for not too much—those will go a long way, especially in a square room where you need all the help you can get. a few straddling the corners and some at early reflection points relative to the listening position will make a huge difference.

some Isoacoustics monitor stands will help A TON for imaging clarity if you have the speakers on your desk (much better than Auralex pads or similar, IMO).

and yes, SoundID is a big help too, but proper(ish) treatment is much more important.

I had been working in what’s basically a square room until last year too, so I know the struggle is real.

Thank you!!

Yeah, I use the iso Acoustics too for my Presonus Eris E8 gen 1. I used Auralex too, but these stands are much better!

thanks for the info...!

this is a great perspective on hearing, monitoring and room treatment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxn3DmWfmbE

Mind blowing info. Dan worrell is the man.