Concrete Floor

Hi Donny you are certianly correct but even better is to get your speakers up onto concrete stands as I have done recently. Although this was explained in more detail in another thread I must mention that my studio has always been on a solid concrete slab on the ground floor of my building. But I had my speakers up on a structure that I thought was solid until I got two very heavy concrete plant stands that just happened to be at the correct height. The sound after putting them up on the concrete stands was quite amazing and quite different to how they were before even though I was still on a concrete slab. Bottom end completely different, as a result mid range/top end completely different. Like buying a new set of monitors! The sound has improved drastically. I could say even better than using a monitor correction software perhaps. But I have yet to test this as well.

So just make sure you have got good decoupling between speakers and their stands and give consideration to where you are putting your speakers and what you are putting them on.

One thing I suggested that people do and not many have tried it is to pump some low frequency tones eg 40 Hz and lower out through your system and feel what is vibrating in the room. (You have to sweep as well. Something may go off at 41 Hz but something else at 50 Hz or 36 Hz) You will be surprised what does resonate. After I put my speakers on the concrete stands virtually everything that was vibrating before stopped. The sound is now coming directly to me. The bottom feels smooth and extended and very uncoloured. All this improvement happened even on a concrete slab so the slab is only part of the story but a great start none the less.

The issue with studios up on another level is that the floor is going to vibrate. If it is favour (in phase) then your bottom end will get louder (but coloured) and if it is against you it will cancel. Both these scenarios are not great. And also it disturbs everyone below as well. Unless there is a concrete slab in between two floors and I dont think they do that too often these days, too expensive..

Guitarhacker


Don't ya love it when things fall into place?

Yeah...I'm glad it sounds so good in here, but then I think about the time, effor and money I spent on the upstairs room...  Plus I'm closer to the family and I have AC.  I've got the mains on stand, then spikes to the foundation.  The sub is right on the floor.  Even more, in the upstairs room, I had all sorts of options for placement.  Down here, I had "1" place...on a desk at the very end of the bed...period...that or nothing.