# I've got to make this imperfect room work for a few years



## Kiddcabbage (Sep 25, 2012)

Hello,

I've recently moved my music studio to a new workspace. Without getting into details, I've got to make this space work as best I can for at least a couple years. So first, pictures of the room are attached.

*note: the ceilings are straight angles, not curved as they appear. The curvature is only an artifact of the panorama picture on my phone.



Now, currently the desk is against what I have labeled as the "side wall". I don't want it here, however, for logistical reasons. I really would like the desk against what I have labeled as the "back wall" (in the pictures, it would be under the two ceiling lights. Now, I know that this is not necessarily ideal, but workflow-wise, it makes much more sense to me.

Unfortunately, there is something of an issue in that this wall is 7'6" wide, and my desk is 6' wide. My screens take up most of the upper space, so I am left with either mounting the speakers on the wall above the screens, or trying to build some custom desk-mounted stands for the speakers which allow the speakers to sit right next to my screens.

Anyway, I am wondering if you folks have any good advice on how I can begin to turn this room into a workable space. I have a ton of acoustic material in storage that I can start to place around as needed, but obviously this room, with its strange dimensions and angles are going to present some unique challenges.

Thoughts??


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Sounds to me like the problem is the desk. Why not just a smaller desk and put the equipment in low wide racks to your sides?


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

I just had a potentially stupid idea... the kind that just might be dumb enough to work. The issue is that the desk takes up all but 18" of the "back wall", and that leaves you with not enough space for your speaker stands, correct?

Is the upper shelf on your desk sturdy enough for arm-mounted monitors? If so you could get two single-arm mounts, and use them for your speakers. (I'd buy 2 double-arm mounts and use one arm each for screens, and the other arms for speakers). That way you don't need floor space for your speaker stands and you have the ability to position them pretty accurately. All you'd have to do is either screw the mounting plates to the back panel of the speaker box or (if there isn't enough real estate back there for whatever reason) make some sort of coupling that will support your speaker. 

Now that I've presented this idea, there's a good chance I'm going to take exactly this approach myself when I get around to cleaning up my computer setup.


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## Kiddcabbage (Sep 25, 2012)

I.... Really like this solution, actually. Would monitor arms work well or would they resonate from the speakers too much?

Also, once I've got the desk against that wall, how might you all suggest I begin working on the rest of this oddly-shaped room for accurate response?


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

I can't honestly say one way or the other, since this conversation is the first I've ever heard of anyone trying it. (That means I also can't rightfully claim to be the first person to think of it because it seems so obvious that someone has to have beaten me to the punch somewhere...) Every monitor mounting arm I've seen is pretty beefy, even the cheap ones. I'd be surprised if vibration is an issue. But let's be pessimistic for a moment and assume that it will be. You could try any or all of the following to dampen them:

- Apply Mass-Loaded Vinyl or similar material to the surfaces of the arms to prevent them from ringing.
- Fabricate mounting plates for your speakers that accommodate some sort of isolation material (foam, rubber, etc).
- Clamp the mounting arm to a medium-hard rubber pad so that it is less-efficiently coupled to the desk.
- Drill a hole in a section of tube and fill it with expanding foam.
- Replace steel washers at joints with neoprene washers. 
- Other idea I haven't had yet.

Something in there is probably going to work... especially the last one.

As for getting flat response out of the room, the usual approaches ought to serve you well. Diffusion, absorption, etc... I think the angled ceiling will actually end up working out in your favor since it creates a space in which it becomes difficult to set up a standing wave. Bryan? You're the man (now, dog) on this one...


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## Kiddcabbage (Sep 25, 2012)

So the solution I went with for the speakers is actually extremely simple, haha. I just got an MDF board that was the same length as the bottom level of the desk and put it on top of the top level of the desk. It doesn't look fantastic, but I think if I cover it with some cloth or something it shouldn't be bad. 

Now for the placement and treatment. I am a little at a loss for this. I have a ton of material and corner traps, but it'd really all just be guesswork... Stacking the corners with bass traps and putting paneling around the room. Any good threads on this process to go about it a little more deliberately or methodically?


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