Effects of Room acoustics

[scottosan]

Since my second child had been banished to a small 8x10 office space for my miniature man cave. I literally had no amps for a 2 year period, so going into this room I had no reference point as to comparing the same amp in a different room. Every amp I have had or built could get really bright and edgy if I wasn’t careful. Every time I took the amp out elsewhere, they sounded completely different. The CCV clones can get really aggressive really easy and of all the amp I have had they have the most grind. I finally got tired of the room inconsistencies and took (4) 4’x2’ panels mad from fabric covered Owens Corning OC703 acoustic foam panes out of storage and treated my room. The difference in night and day and as a result there is a significant reduction in standing waves and exaggerated high end. I suggest that if you have an amp that just isn’t sounding the way you’d expect, that treating your room, especially if it’s small, makes a world of difference.

 

[Mad Axe]

This has been on my to-do list for quite some time, glad to see some feedback about it. My music room is rectangular with 4 bare walls and sounds terrible. Huge difference (for the good) when I use my rig anywhere but there.

 

[stratjacket]

Completely agree. The room acoustics can change everything. Auralex has a room calculator that is useful, it recommends their room kits obviously, but even if you buy elsewhere, just to see a visual of how you should treat the room is helpful.

 

[shredhead7]

My friend had a practice space that they treated wall to wall with the acoustic tiles. I hated playing in that room for two reasons. One, the heat retention with five guys in a foam lined room. But two, to your point, the complete elimination of high end on my sound and absolutely no reverb or delay from the room. It was actually really strange to even talk in the room as the sound of your voice would die immediately. I ended up cranking my treble to get my tone back to where I was used to, only to go home and play and think, this is like an ice pick to the drum.

 

[scottosan]

My friend had a practice space that they treated wall to wall with the acoustic tiles. I hated playing in that room for two reasons. One, the heat retention with five guys in a foam lined room. But two, to your point, the complete elimination of high end on my sound and absolutely no reverb or delay from the room. It was actually really strange to even talk in the room as the sound of your voice would die immediately. I ended up cranking my treble to get my tone back to where I was used to, only to go home and play and think, this is like an ice pick to the drum.

Right now I have running my presence about 20% higher than before the treatment.

 

[fusedbrain]

My friend had a practice space that they treated wall to wall with the acoustic tiles. I hated playing in that room for two reasons. One, the heat retention with five guys in a foam lined room. But two, to your point, the complete elimination of high end on my sound and absolutely no reverb or delay from the room. It was actually really strange to even talk in the room as the sound of your voice would die immediately. I ended up cranking my treble to get my tone back to where I was used to, only to go home and play and think, this is like an ice pick to the drum.

Yeah, that fancy foam blows for acoustic treatment. Looks cool, but only absorbs the highs.
Owens Corning OC703 or any equivalent 2ft x 4ft rigid fiberglass panels, covered with material, is the way to go. If you use the "FSK" version that has the foil on one side, and put the foil facing out, as well as space the panels off the wall an inch or 2, you will have full frequency absorption down to around 100hz. Foil facing out absorbs more bass. Only put up as many panels as you need to make the room sound good. Too much sounds as bad as none.