Even the greatest engineer working
with the best equipment can't overcome a poor sounding room.
If you want to take your project or professional recording studio
to the next level, it is critical to address the acoustic treatment
of the room with proven recording studio gear such as bass traps,
tube traps, studio traps, sound proofing, sound panels, a quick
sound field or attack wall.
This will depend on your particular
application. In general, if you are looking for a completely
portable system, the ATTACK
Wall and Quick
Sound Field is the answer.
Otherwise, every room is different
and we recommend consulting with us to find the best solution
to your particaular situation. You can call us direct to speak
with one of our experts at
1-800 ASC-TUBE.
A great studio relies on a combination
of soundproofing, sound conditioning (making the structural
portion of the room acoustically controlled) and acoustic absorption-diffusion.
If you in the enviable position of building a studio from the
ground up, start with proven soundproofing construction methods
and materials from ASC.
If you are concerned with sound
isolation, either from within the studio, or from outside, the
ASC Iso-Wall
System and Iso-Ceiling
is the answer. This unique construction system has been developed
over 15 years in the design and building of professional recording
studios. It is the only isolation system that we know of that
is specifically engineered for audio.
The ASC Iso-Wall out-performs all
forms of standard construction by combining the necessary elements
required for superb playback performance. The room's interior
becomes peaceful and quiet--free from disturbing exterior noises.
At the same time, sound within the room is contained, and 'noise
leakage' to the rest of the structure is minimized.
Beyond its sound isolating characteristics,
an ASC-built wall has the added ability to condition the room's
acoustic signature in the low-end bass frequency spectrum. By
utilizing our proprietary WallDamp
material (a visco-elastic polymer) throughout the system, low
frequency energy is absorbed into the wall. This reduces bass
feedback and shuddering walls, which results in a clean, rich
sound and well-balanced frequency response.
The ASC
IsoDeck is a great way to isolate your floor and
prevent unwanted room coloration due to resonance and rattle.
Unlike rubber "boots" that can transmit sound, IsoDeck
uses wool felt for a truly floating floor. Great for drum kit
platforms or the entire studio floor.
ASC's Cable
Pass Through product makes it easy to run cables
up to 3/4" thick through walls, while maintaining a tight
soundproof seal.
What
is the Quick Sound Field, and how is it used?
The Quick Sound Field is an incredibly
versatile, adjustable and portable recording environment. The
QSF allows the engineer to create an acoustically perfect sub-space
within any recording environment. A virtual studio within a
studio. Quick Sound Field is a recording technique that uses
8 or more StudioTraps.
The ATTACK Wall is the mixing complement
to the Quick Sound Field. Enclosing your monitors, console and
mix position with an ATTACK Wall converts any space into a world
class control room. Legendary engineer Bruce Swedien says, "No
matter where I go, I take these wonderful devices with me."
Studios may come and go, and the ATTACK Wall goes where ever
you go.
ASC's MixStation is a modular recording
environment. The Mix Station is a prefabricated wall mounted
system of specialized sound absorptive and diffusive panels
that is easy to set up in almost any room. Perfect for home
studios that want to get that "big studio" acoustic.
Whether you are building a new
room, or retrofitting an existing space, our Iso-Wall soundproofing
system is the way to go. For an overview of the system, see
our dedicated soundproofing
site.
Our technicians are always available
to answer any questions you might have about soundproofing your
studio. Call us at 1-800-ASC-TUBE.
The speakers will need to be positioned
so that they sit symmetrically between the walls of the room,
otherwise the stereo image will be distorted. Putting speakers
too close to corners tends to emphasize the bass in an unpredictable
way, so try to place your speakers away from the room boundaries
and make sure the setup is symmetrical, with the tweeters pointing
at your head in your normal monitoring position.
Relatively small changes in speaker
position can affect the sound quite significantly, so experiment
with moving your speakers forward or backwards while some known
commercial material is playing and aim for a smooth response,
especially at the low end. If some bass notes seem louder than
others, move the speakers around until the problem is minimised.
Mounting the speakers on solid stands makes quite a difference.
See our
MonitorStands page.
What
is the Quick Sound Field, and how do I use it?
ASC's Quick
Sound Field has revolutionized the recording industry
by enabling the engineer to simply bypass the problems due to
poor room acoustics and easily set up a controlled acoustic
subspace system that delivers depth and clarity to your tracks,
time and time again.
In a normal room, sound is reflected off wall, ceiling and floor
surfaces to produce a room signature signal that leaks back
into the mic. Typical wall treatments, including acoustic foams
and fiberglass panels, will dramatically reduce sound reflections,
but the end result is that typical dead studio sound with no
presence or ambience that is followed by some sort of loud level
room honk. Our QSF system can offer you a controlled acoustic
environment, and save you time, hassles and money. No more wishing
you could fix it at the mix!
The Quick Sound Field is created
out of an array of ASC's patented StudioTraps,
the most versatile acoustic tool for today's modern recording
studio. The front half of the StudioTrap is treble range reflective
and the back side is treble range absorptive. The entire surface
of the Trap is bass range absorptive. This remarkable blend
of acoustic properties provides a means to the balanced, broadband
control of sound.
StudioTraps are adjustable in height and are usually set up
midway between the floor and ceiling, but they can be raised
or lowered for different mic positions or line of sight requirements.
By setting up the StudioTraps around the talent, iso-booth techniques
can be developed to more easily control the sound. In the treble
range, the QSF eliminates undesirable room reflections while
creating a time delayed diffusive back fill, injecting a sense
of acoustic presence into the track.
The QSF satisfies all the requirements
necessary for a professional iso-booth. Engineers and talent
love the level of detail they can get with the QSF. They get
the sound that couldn't be heard before, even in some of the
world's most advanced studios.
Used for recording, this configuration
can bring you the control room acoustics of a world class studio.
The ATTACK WALL produces a reliable, repeatable and accurate
space in which to track, mix, and master - regardless of the
room in which it is located. No matter how many studios come
and go, the ATTACK Wall goes with you, saving you time and money
in the long run.
"As I listened I was absolutely
amazed to hear, and in my mind's eye, to see, microphone positions
in the stereo panorama that I hadn't seen in decades - I had
maybe never heard these mixes as well as with the ATTACK Wall.
I was absolutely knocked out, just floored. I ordered an ATTACK
Wall right there, and it's been a part of my studio world
ever since."
-- Bruce Swedien, five-time Grammy
award winning engineer
The MixStation is a prefabricated
wall mounted system of specialized sound absorptive and diffusive
panels that is easy to set up in almost any room. It is ideally
suited for use in small mix rooms, typically found in home studio
setups.
The Mix StationSystem consists
of three "Arrays" (front, left, right) and ten SoundPlanks.
For more information, visit the MixStation
page.
"Mix Station is awesome!"
-Loren Alldrin, Pro Audio Review. Read her full review here.
