Room Treatments - How?

Another room acoustics question with no information about the room or system.

Give me more information about your room and your system and I will see what I can do to help.

Rrog,

PM sent. I appreciate your willingness to help. But please note that I was not asking for someone to design a solution for me. I was asking how to turn an analysis into a room design. Thanks again.

I'm in line with what Magfan said. I think you either need to outsource this or DIY and if so, get going with understanding what acoustics is about. I went for the latter as I was intrigued and enjoy understanding what is going on. There is a lot to learn and I'm only starting, but I kind of know the basics and built some treatments and made changes successfully.

If you want to understand acoustics I recommend you read the Master Handbook of Acoustics by Alton Everest (you really need this one), and Sound Reproduction by Floyd Toole (a good complement to the first one).

As has been noted, the best acoustic designer in the world still never can tell what the exact results would be. They take theory and materials and then try to apply it. You need to do the same thing until your ears tell you it is 'better sound'. One of the most neglected areas of treatment is the ceiling of most rooms. The application of 'wave theory' is a must. Armstrong makes some interesting treatments in this area and has some great 'white' papers that explain what it is all about.

If you desire a "cradle to grave" read on acoustics, the Master Handbook of Acoustics by F. Alton Everest might be a must read.
Minimal treatment usually involves treating your first reflections from the side walls, the wall behind your listening position and the corners of the space.
Room analysis software can be a double edged sword, way to much information to sort out what really matters along with a learning curve.
An inexpensive SPL meter and test tones can go a long way to optimize your bass response.
You should try to have the best bass response possible without treatments before you begin. (based on my personal experience)
My take goes like this on treatments;
1st - first reflections first (very predictable with a mirror and relatively easy to treat)
2nd - the wall behind your listening position (very easy to treat)
3rd - the room corners (this area is where prior analysis helps if you have to tame bass peaks/nulls and can become rather involved to achieve a desired result)
4th - more bass traps along the walls if your corner treatments did not achieve the results you needed.
The reverberation time (RT60) of the space also comes into play as you treat the room.
Its very easy to kill RT60 and deaden the space.
It can be very challenging to maintain/obtain the correct balance of absorption and diffusion while treating a room to keep RT60 acceptable.
Send your room info out to the professionals that offer free analysis.
Keep an open mind and remember that what models well on paper just might not be the final solution for your room and listening tastes.
Costs can be quite minimal if you are a DIYer and the results will redefine your listening experience.