I wrote this article regarding standing waves and how to deal with them in the home studio. I didn't get too deep into the math, but approached the subject with hopefully enough info to help someone get on the right track with acoustic treatment and EQ.
 
If you're not sure how to approach the subject, this should at least get you started in the right direction. Finding the weaknesses in the mixing space can be challenging. After that at least you know what you need to do in order to get the space balanced.
 
www.recordinghound.com

Great article again Tim, and very readable for those of us that it was aimed at.

Thanks Rebel.

Most of that article is excellent; an easily-digestible, well-written non-technical introduction to the subject. Good on ya for spreading the word!
 
I'm a little reluctant to add a "but", but...
 
Unfortunately, it gets derailed when it turns into an ARC endorsement. I'm not an ARC-hater, but the inconvenient truth is that standing waves and ringing are the main acoustical issues that ARC can't address. 

fwiw
 
-for tracking purposes: for those that can afford it, can't make permanent installations in their spaces, a "VOCAL BOOTH", or "ISOLATION BOOTH" is a great way to go. 

Thanks for reading the article Bit...I see your point here. ARC doesn't correct the waves other than to time them and change EQ. I think it's the timing that makes a difference with ARC. It doesn't eliminate everything  but it helps make a bad situation better. In short I think ARC minimizes the effects of standing waves.
 
I think treatment should be the first step. I didn't intend it to sound like an endorsement for ARC. I am really happy with ARC and so I guess my enthusiasm for the product shows. My main reason for the ARC pitch was because there are so many people who really have limited options and ARC is simply one of the tools that might help to bring you closer to a better mix in a bad or limited situation. I wish I had tried more of these correction systems but ARC is the only one I have used so far and it has really helped. FWIW I like to hear different OPs on this so thanks!
 
Bat- Thanks for the suggestion.Yes I did leave out vocal recording booths and I should have made mention of them as another way to get better recordings. I know you have invested in those nice sound deadening blankets and that's something I should have mentioned.Kind of a way to make a temporary portable space to record....some of these small home studios though...are small enough to be "booths" in their own right.

I have been renovating the site, actually moved it to another host. If you tried the link and it was down, it should be working now. 

What ARC does is compensate for nonlinearities in room absorption and the speakers themselves. In that regard, it does indeed do something positive. But you're absolutely right that it all has to start with acoustical absorption.
 
AFAIK, nobody's come up with a way to electronically compensate for resonance. I have read about an active device that works like noise-cancelling headphones, rebroadcasting an out-of-phase copy of what it picks out of the air. Sounds intriguing, but I'd have to see (hear) it to believe it works.

Standing waves don't *stand* for very long unless you are listening to a continuous test tone:
 

True, but all it takes is for them to stand around for a second or two to screw with your bass perception.
 
When a drum hit that's 100 milliseconds long rings on for 1000 milliseconds you can't tell where one hit ends and the next one begins. Or you have one bass guitar note that's 10x louder than the preceding note. Or half an octave of bass notes that all sound like they're the same damn note.