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In Reply to: RE: Room Echo/Treatment posted by jgless2@yahoo.com on October 14, 2009 at 11:31:48
It's hard to give recommendations for asymmetrical rooms because each room is different so experimentation becomes the way to proceed in my view.
Bass traps in as many corners as you can manage is a good starting point. Not only will they smooth the room's frequency response but they will also reduce reverberation time and that may have a major impact on your reverberation problem since reverb times are longer at lower frequencies. Go for the most effective traps you can afford and use them floor to ceiling if possible.
Uncovered windows can cause problems by reflecting too much high frequency sound and curtains should definitely help there. They don't have to be too thick to deal with the high frequency issue but if you have a window at a first reflection point then thicker curtains, possibly with noise absorbing linings behind them, can do a lot to reduce the impact of the first reflection.
Given the size of the room and the size of your rug, I'd think that a bigger rug might help but I'd do the bass traps first and see how you feel about things after that before experimenting with a bigger rug. If you want to experiment, try borrowing some rugs and placing them over uncovered floor areas to see whether they help before you race out to buy. Thicker rugs with natural fibres are better than thin rugs and/or synthetic fibres when it comes to absorption.
I'm avoiding mentioning acoustic treatments in areas other than the corners because you mentioned WAF. Still, there are other things you can do and soft furnishings can help. Obviously you won't get much absorption from furniture with spring type cushioning but foam cushions will provide additional absorption if their covering doesn't reflect sound. Leather is far more reflective than wool and other fabrics so avoid leather covered furniture if you can, and also avoid chairs with bare wood or plastic seats and backs because they'll simply increase the reflective area within the room.
You can also get a fair bit of absorption from a bookcase full of books but the absorption spectrum of books isn't balanced and you can end up killing the mids and highs a little with a lot of books. Still, in a room with a large area of bare hardwood floor, you may get a fair bit of benefit from a bookcase full of books and it has the big advantages of not looking like acoustic treatment and not looking out of place in a living room.
David Aiken
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