Acoustic Playing Sweet Spots near the Wall

[David Powell]

Originally Posted by Mark Mazurek

I'm new to DB, but own/operate a home studio in my spare time.

What you're experiencing are early room reflections, which affect lower registers far more than higher ones. 90% corners multiply what's happening.

Certain frequencies cancel and others are reinforced. It is a nightmare to deal with bottom end in a smaller room in the studio world. That's why most small rooms are 'dead' rooms, and most big rooms are 'live' rooms.

Sometimes it screws things up, sometimes it enhances things. You use it to your advantage when you can.

Do your same experiment in a corner for DOUBLE the fun. Moving in and out will increase/decrease certain frequencies. Similar to a severe EQ notch where it bumps up the frequencies just outside the cut frequency.

Fun stuff.

I tried it in a corner of my dining room today. And it is exactly like you say. Just like you boosted a selective frequency band depending on how far out of the corner I am up to about 7 ft., which is the middle of the room. And the D& G strings are much less affected, as you suggest. My house doesn't have many rooms, but they are in the 15' x 15' range and are definitely "live" with old pine floors on joists and 11 ft ceilings and plaster walls. I bet it would sound awesome recorded out in the middle of the room.

Thanks for explaining that because I think it may be why when one is faced with a crowded shallow stage, the EQ / feedback issues become tricky. But now that I know what's happening the effect could also be useful in all acoustic settings. When we were doing the recording with the two guitars and the bass was loud, that room was carpeted, had a normal ceiling height and had a good deal of reflection cutting foam forms in the corners. I was not set up real close to a wall then, but was about 5-7 ft. from the wall.