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Sound in basement [message #89406] Wed, 19 December 2018 20:55 Go to next message
Newjack is currently offline  Newjack
Messages: 62
Registered: December 2018
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I'm thinking of setting up a guitar practice room in my basement. I'm wondering if the sound is going to be horrible due to all the concrete? Does anyone have any tips for setting up a music room in a basement?
Re: Sound in basement [message #89410 is a reply to message #89406] Thu, 20 December 2018 09:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
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Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Yes, the hard surfaces will cause problems - Room modes will be very strong. So at any position in the room, certain bass notes will be very strong and others will be very weak. The tonal balance will change in different places in the room - What's weak in one place will be strong in another and vice versa. Fixing that requires large panel dampers and or bass traps.

And the hard flat surfaces may also make the treble sound shrill. That's much easier to solve, because any sound absorbent material can fix high-frequency reflection problems. Acoustic wedges, thick furniture and carpets can all be used to damp medium and high frequencies.

So install lots of damping. And sit very close to your speaker.
Re: Sound in basement [message #89420 is a reply to message #89410] Fri, 21 December 2018 11:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Newjack is currently offline  Newjack
Messages: 62
Registered: December 2018
Viscount
Hi Wayne, thank you for your helpful suggestions. I'll take a look around at dampers. Would they need to be in the entire room or just the section that I plan on sitting in? I do have thick furniture in the basement, but no carpets.
Re: Sound in basement [message #89563 is a reply to message #89410] Sat, 12 January 2019 02:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
sawyer25 is currently offline  sawyer25
Messages: 169
Registered: July 2016
Master
Wayne Parham wrote on Thu, 20 December 2018 09:36

Yes, the hard surfaces will cause problems - Room modes will be very strong. So at any position in the room, certain bass notes will be very strong and others will be very weak. The tonal balance will change in different places in the room - What's weak in one place will be strong in another and vice versa. Fixing that requires large panel dampers and or bass traps.

And the hard flat surfaces may also make the treble sound shrill. That's much easier to solve, because any sound absorbent material can fix high-frequency reflection problems. Acoustic wedges, thick furniture and carpets can all be used to damp medium and high frequencies.

So install lots of damping. And sit very close to your speaker.
This is such a good point because I have also been thinking of setting up a similar room in the basement, but not necessarily for practice. Hopefully setting it up correctly isn't going to be too costly because I only intend to use a little space.
Re: Sound in basement [message #91160 is a reply to message #89406] Thu, 14 November 2019 08:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Kingfish is currently offline  Kingfish
Messages: 548
Registered: November 2012
Illuminati (1st Degree)
If all a person is going to do is practice in a basement, I would just go ahead and experiment. You're not only practicing songs at that point, but you're also practicing how to get the best sound in different acoustic environments.
Re: Sound in basement [message #91204 is a reply to message #89406] Mon, 18 November 2019 20:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Concorde is currently offline  Concorde
Messages: 149
Registered: December 2013
Master
I would start with dampers on the walls and then work my way in. I'm thinking on a budget here with a little bit at a time.
Re: Sound in basement [message #92567 is a reply to message #89406] Wed, 04 November 2020 15:33 Go to previous message
Mica is currently offline  Mica
Messages: 117
Registered: October 2020
Viscount
This is very interesting and very helpful. We are going to set up a movie viewing room in our basement. I want it to sound amazing and I would think we would have the same problems (even if it just the TV, instead of instruments). I am going to have to look into dampers. I know nothing about these.
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