A Good Room?

[juineaux]

Im rather new to the whole acoustics thing. But what makes a good sounding room sound good. Is it the shape, the flooring, ceiling, size, height? I was going to start recording in my little rectanglular bedroom, I relize this is probably not the best, but can it make that much difference. If someone has some advice or tips, also if anyone knows of a good website or book for this that would also be helpful. Thanks-

[xstatic]

It is all of those things combined, not to mention the materials the room is also composed of.

[JeffBarnett]

A good website:
www.acoustics101.com

A good book:
Sound Studio Construction on a Budget
(Sorry, I don't remember the author's name, but I found it at Barnes and Noble)

Some general pointers: (very general)

Rooms with non-parallel walls generally sound better than rectangular rooms.
Rooms with higher-than-average ceilings sound better than low ceilings.
Its a popular misconception that you need to blanket the walls in foam to make the room sound good. In reality, focused treatment of something like 50% of the treatable surfaces in the room is usually more than adequate.
Diffusion is as important to a great sounding room as absorbtion.


My best advice is to get a free professional assessment from the folks at Auralex. (www.auralex.com) These guys no their stuff, and they will examine your existing room and make recommendations gratis!

For more info on that, contact me or your Sweetwater Sales Engineer.

[cmchamp]

Besides knowing how to build a good room, it's also important to know how acoustics work.

Master Handbook of Acoustics, Fourth Edition, F. Alton Everest, a McGraw Hill publication

This is an excellent book leading to the understanding of acoustics. It also will give you some perspective as to how sound interacts with it's surroundings changing your perception.