Room acoustics question

[hepo]

Ok, so this is my third question regarding the new project studio I am going to set up in from two months onwards... on my preamp-and-converter-question on this forum John from Massive Mastering has mentioned how important the room acoustics are, and from what I always read here from him I regard him as one of the pros whos counsel you simply don't ignore. Anyway, this room acoustic treatment thing is mentioned often, and so even a newbie as me becomes more and more aware that he has to do something about it... especially since I have as good as no knowledge about it so far.
Therefore, to get started, I have two questions.

Number one: Can anyone recommend me any source where I can get some knowledge on this topic, a book, webpage, anything? I am a fast reader and learner, especially when it's about a topic I love.

Number two, for \"immediate help\" because this is a bit time critical: The studio setup will actually start in January, I will move from the UK back to Germany where I come from originally, and so I will have to start looking for a flat there soon. There are many, many flats available in the area where we will move, so I can bring my needs for the extra room for music production into the decision. My question is therefore: What thumb rules are there in choosing a suitable room? Is there a basic \"pro/con list\" regarding shape, size - square, rectangular, under roof with 45 degree walls good or bad, higher or lower ceiling, many or few windows, not over or under this and that long/broad...... hope you get an idea what I mean... a \"crash course\" with only a few coarse hints would help me with the flat-hunting and then I can learn the rest later while setting the gear up.

Anyone so kind to name a few basic points on that? Thanks in advance!

 

[MASSIVE Mastering]

There is a book by F. Alton Everest... Can't remember the title, but you'll know it if you see it most likely. Could be \"Recording Studio Design on a Budget\" or something similar.

The guy goes into excellent detail without going \"over your head\" on it. I used that book when I was designing the rooms at JEM and they sounded absolutely HUGE for their size, and quite wonderful. We lacked enough bass trapping though... At least while I was there...

Which brings me to other experts - Ethan Winer can hardly be beat as far as some of his papers on acoustics (linked somewhere at http://www.realtraps.com ) and John Sayers ( http://www.johnlsayers.com ) can tweak your designs with you over the phone for what seems to be a steal. I think he's $135 an hour for phone consultation... If you do your homework before the clock starts, you'll probably be talking about your favorite honey-weiss by the time the hour is up.

I'm in the middle of designing a new room for myself at the moment... John will be getting a few calls along the way to be sure...

But KUDOS to you for trying to get the cat by the tail early. It'll pay off in in the long run.

Hell, it'll pay off as soon as the room is done! :lol:

 

[Holly]

You can also find some great tips here (and lots of articles to read): http://forum.studiotips.com/index.php

Holly

 

[Giles117 DP]

John is an escellent source. He Helped me design my Mix Roon and Tracking Rooms. Which sound Freakin Awesome.

 

[hepo]

Hey guys, a thousand thanks for these resources. I read already through lots of that stuff and found many many answers. Room shapes and sizes, standing waves, frequency extinguishing by reflections... well, looks like I will have to get some stuff like bass traps for the corners and panels that absorb a broad frequency range for the walls... and I need to find someone in Germany who distributes that stuff.