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GIK Acoustics Presents
Acoustic Class Room
February , 2009 - Vol 2, Issue 2
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Greetings!
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Welcome to GIK Acoustics classroom!
From time to time we'll be sending out
newsletters to all of you to keep you up to date on a variety of room
acoustics topics. Our hope for this
newsletter is that it will help you get a
better understanding of how
acoustics work and how you can benefit by
treating your rooms. If you have any questions about the information in this (also ideas for topics to cover)
or any other issue, please feel free to contact us. The more YOU understand
the better YOUR listening environment will be. Also we will be spot-lighting
a room in each newsletter, so if you'd like to show off your room to the
world please contact me at glenn.k@gikacoustics.com
Glenn Kuras
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What Are Early Reflection Points.
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If you've
spent any time looking for information about treating your space,
chances are you've run across the term "early reflection point" or
"mirror point". These are just semi-technical terms used to describe
a phenomenon common to all enclosed spaces no matter what size: that the direct
sound from the loudspeakers will arrive at the listener's ears before the
reflected sound does. It reflects not just off of the walls to the left
and right, but off the floor, the ceiling and everything in-between.
The direct sound then combines with the reflected sound either constructively
or destructively to exaggerate or de-emphasize particular frequencies (comb
filtering). Furthermore, this happens at multiple frequencies as they exit the
loudspeakers and bounce along multiple planes off multiple surfaces of varying compositions and all arrive at the ears
at different times and with different intensities. The result is the
listener not being able to accurately hear what's coming out of the speakers.
The other issue with respect to early reflections is the importance of room
symmetry in terms of both shape and composition. A listener that is much
closer to one wall than another is likely to experience a bloated sound stage
on the near-wall side. A listening position situated between two surfaces
that are very different with regard to reflectivity can face a variety of
problems as different frequencies are reflected at different rates to the
listener.
Both scenarios can certainly result in stereo imbalances where one side is
"bigger" than the other whether the issue is one of proximity to one wall
or another, comb filtering or phase-differential effects.
Though there are varying levels of severity based on a number of factors, early
reflections must be managed in every room where critical listening occurs.
The consequences of not attending to them can be serious, as comb
filtering typically causes the listener to make decisions he/she wouldn't normally make with respect to EQ, positioning, speaker
choice, etc.
Of course, none of those avenues will provide a solution, and even if
there is some improvement at one frequency, they will generally make another frequency
worse, and any gains will be lost if the listener moves his/her head even a
foot to the left or right.
From a treatment standpoint, in The Master Handbook of Acoustics, states there should be, "an
effectively anechoic path between the monitor loudspeakers and the listener's
ears." What they called "anechoic" is today called a reflection-free zone. The most obvious way to achieve an anechoic condition
is through absorption. Though diffusion is sometimes the right solution
in the context of a design that supports it, in most existing problematic
spaces absorption is not only more effective, but also a simpler, less expensive option. 2" thick panels made from rigid fiberglass
or rockwool are the most common product used to treat reflection points, but
4" panels are a great option when additional bass trapping is desired.
Usually panels are placed on the hard surfaces to the left and right of the mix
position and also as a cloud on the ceiling above. Though the reflection
points can be located by geometrically calculating them using your speakers
dispersion characteristics, an easier way to do is by using the "mirror
trick". Here's how to do it:
Sit at your listening position as you normally would when listening or mixing.
Starting with the left wall, have a friend hold a mirror up against the
wall next at your speaker height, then move toward the back of the room. When
you can see the reflection of the left speaker in the mirror, mark that spot. That's your first reflection point. Continue moving down the wall, and when you
can see the right speaker, mark that spot. That is your other reflection point.
Switch walls and repeat. If you're dealing with multiple seating locations,
repeat this process for each seat.
In the end, early reflections are fairly easy to treat. With just a little
attention, this is an area that can be improved quickly, and an area where
improvements reap audible rewards.
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| SPOTLIGHT: Bob Ebeling at
Revolution Studios
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Bob Ebeling grew up in the 70's learning Beatles and ELO records on the
drums. He eventually tackled guitar, orchestration, engineering and
producing. In 1993 he co-founded Ebeling Hughes, a primal psychedelic
experimentation incantation that still breathes dragon fire today. In
1997 he co-founded Detroit's Rustbelt Studios, a rock and roll mecca on
the midwest map still today. His sonic touch spread and he was soon
racking up album credits including Rufus Wainwright, Eminem, Remy Zero,
Dead Meadow, etc..... In 2002 he formed Downtown, a pseudo-band to
launch his darker modern narco-rock. This took him to England where he
co-produced his debut LP with Flood and Alan Moulder, while stateside
he polished material with Paul Logus. Living in NYC for 5 years, he
continued to freelance engineer and mix. In 2007 he transplanted to
Virginia where he opened Revolution Studios--the name based on the
location being so close to the historic Yorktown battlefields. A lover
of vintage gear and vintage tones, Bob is a master of the studio and of
cool sounds. The drums are retro, the guitars are fuzzed up and blown
thru a Supro, symphonic orchestrations alla Mellotrons, big vintage
vocals, slick electronic manuevres and tube compression are just the
start of his specialties. Equally comfortable writing unearthly
melodies or stacking vocals with the next hip-hop namemaker, Ebeling is
a wizard of sorts...a musical wizard. Should he cast a spell it will
surely resonate through time.
We sat down with Bob to get his insight on recording and the music business.
Glenn: You've been all over the place in your roles in the
music business, what are you up to now?
Bob: Yeah, it's been an interesting journey and balancing act.
I guess the balance part is what you get better at over time with
anything. I started off as the multi-instrumentalist engineer slash
co-writer slash producer. That used to get very stressful, trying
to dial up drum sounds with the guitar player out hitting the drums for
the first time in his life. Trying to mix while your writing brain
is still in the way. I guess I waxed and waned because of that.
When my desire to just write was overwhelming, then I had to draw
some lines. Now I've found much better ways to balance all the
roles and put my sanity first. Really just trying to keep it to one
role at a time, and if I'm comfortable then I can stretch it out a bit.
Glenn: Tell me about the new studio.
Bob: At the present moment it's a nice control room because 75% of
the time I'm mixing or fixing, and a large vocal booth for recording.
The emphasis is on great gear and the ability to do the same work I
could in Chung King but without the mortgage on the SSL. It's a
well stocked Pro Tools suite. Choice vocal mics, micpres, and
compressors--everything on the front end is vocals oriented and choice
mixdown and mix buss EQ and comps. I'm well suited for artists who
need to finish their records. A lot of people are taking it on
themselves now but when they get to a certain point they're stuck.
This is a comfortable place for them to finish what they've
started, get the same quality they would from a la rge scale room, but not
break the bank.
Glenn: What gear is essential to you?
Bob: I always think of it as chains. Killer microphone, killer
preamp, nice compressor, great conversion, on into ProTools. Keep 3
or 4 great chains going all the time. That's the difference in
being able to offer better rates to clients that don't need a 40 channel
Neve. Ninety percent of the time you are using one or two channels.
Take the overhead out of the equation. I still use alot of
analog stuff and hit the mixbuss with a Massive Passive and a Smart C1
and do everything the same really, but in a smaller place. I've
just always worked that way. The big studio is great for tracking
drums or the band, but the big part of making a record is overdubbing
with individuals, cutting vocals and mixing. As an artist,
micromanaging your budget is essential to survival.
Glenn: So, why Virginia
now?
Bob: I didn't exactly head here with the intent of opening a studio
but it really made sense after I got a grasp on this scene. There's
alot of artists here, alot of raw talent, so this was a pretty logical
and a necessary thing actually. That's really where your traps
come into the picture, they've made such a huge difference in this new
studio. Your bass traps have performed a miracle here
really...
Glenn: Thanks Bob, it's not like we invented the idea
though...
Bob: Yeah, but you made it affordable, you know? I mean I
have been investigating the whole issue for years and before I found you
guys it was always a matter of money, to trap a small control room
decently was like five grand a few years back. It's hard to finally
pull the trigger on stuff that isn't directly effecting the signal.
It's easy to buy mics and micpres and compressors and plug-ins
because it changes the sound electronically. It's not so easy to
think acoustically, especially to realize how much your monitoring
environment effects everything you do. So the price is a major
motivator.
Glenn: and you mentioned your monitors...
Bob: Yeah, the Focal Solo6's, and the Lavry DA10 is part of it too.
I just went for so long using Mackies and the Digidesign converters
and thinking that was fine. When I got into my new place I knew I
was in trouble pretty quickly. It's not that big and my first job
was mixing an EP for this New
York alternative band, Frankpollis. I recorded
these songs in a real nice Neve room that I was familiar with so I knew
what I should be hearing. I tried to mix it and I could physically
hear the point of confusion. So I got the new converters and
monitors and it was better, definitely way better in general but still
the point of confusion was there in the room, I mean it was the room.
So the next move was to fix the room. That's when I got
turned on to your 244 and Monster traps.
Glenn: So what was the difference in your room?
Bob: Well, before the traps, I was about to buy the Focal Sub
because the monitors, which are small, we're not cutting it. They
claimed to be flat down to 45 Hertz or 40, but I was only hearing down to
75 maybe. But if I listened from the front corners of the room I
could hear nothing but punchy bottom. So I put the traps in there
and it was just unbelievable. I mean, when you get the traps,
they're built great and look sweet in the room, but before I heard what
they did, I was skeptical.
So I got them in there and played some
mixes and favorite tunes and I had a big grin on my face. The room
just flattened out and the monitors were definitely flat down to 45
hertz. The punch is back in the sweet spot, which has widened out,
the imaging has taken on a new level of depth and detail. It's more
enjoyable to listen back or mix. Everything just became more
enjoyable and less frustrating.
Glenn: How is Virginia compared to New York?
Bob: In NYC you have to specialize. I'm good at mic selection
and vocal work so that's the role I played there. In Virginia you
have to be more full-service and flexible. There's just so much
more of an establishment in New York. You're dealing with people
that are deep in the biz already and a certain expectation level.
Here I'm working with new artists in th e development stage.
This is a young scene with untapped talent and energy, there are
alot of possibilities. It's nice coming here from the land of
the jaded. You've got some pretty big cities all very close
together here. Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Williamsburg,
Virginia Beach, all within 45 minutes really. I get mixing
and fixing jobs sent to me here and occasional artists from afar.
This area is an extension Atlanta too, which is right up there with
the big three (NY, LA, Nashville) now.
Glenn: With over 20 years in the recording business what have
you seen as the biggest changes in the business side of things?
Bob: When I got going in the nineties, it was still the old school
model of big deals, big publishing, and big studios. I was working
with bands on 4 or 5 songs, then we'd fly out to LA, do a showcase and
get a seven figure deal. Even my own psychedelic concept band got
signed to a mini-major. There was alot going on if you were
involved in a big studio. So the glorious internet and mp3 came
along and for awhile I was still insulated from that, having moved to New
York, as a freelance engineer I was bouncing around studios like Loho and
Chung King and picking up whatever work was there. Then the crush
started coming and studios we're closing like dominos falling.
Around that time, 2004, I had slipped back into the artist role and
out of the business light, but it seemed like by 2006-ish the whole industry
was just in weightless freefall. This is all kind of filtered
through my head, but the evolution has been the home studio. I've
had my own studio for 20 years. It was quite an undertaking back
then to get anywhere near the quality and options that are so cheap and
easy now.
So what has really changed for me is the
point at which I become involved. Where it used to be from the
ground up, now it's most always the client doing their own tracking and
then bringing in stuff to mix or take to the next level. The big
difference is a million little studios. Everyone with their own
little studio. That is why proper room acoustics is such a big
deal. It's going to be the difference between your place and fifty
other places on your block.
Contact Bob Ebeling at
Revolution Studios
757-234-0577
shimgup@hotmail.com
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Bringing Your Sound to Life.
Sincerely,
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Glenn Kuras
GIK Acoustics
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GIK Acoustics | 3065 McCall Dr, Unit 8 | Atlanta | GA | 30340
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GIK Acoustics | 3065 McCall Dr, Unit 8 | Atlanta | GA | 30340
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