Studio advise needed + which monitors should I take Yamaha HS7 or HS8

[TranceMichel]

Hi People,

I'm new to this site/forum and hope you guys can help me out on this one.

Later this year we're going to move to a new house with attic, which means a music studio for me! I have a couple of struggles

* On which side of the attic should I setup my desk with monitors
* which monitors should I buy, I'm hesitating between the Yamaha HS7's and HS8's. Both seem to be good monitors within my price range. But which monitor is the best for the room space and music genre I produce for (Trance music)
* The attic has a slanting ceiling because of the dormer that was placed. Is this a good or a bad thing for the acoustics?
* Were should I put the reflectors / absorbers in this room?

The pictures below give some more details, Of course the wardrobe will be removed also the bed etc...

I was planning to setup the desk with monitors on this side of the room:










Hope you guys can help me out!

Many thanks,
Greets Michel

 

[rhythmgj]

Hi Michel,

You'll have to figure it out when you get your equipment in there. Conventional wisdom says that you should always use the short wall in a rectangular room. But you need some space between your speakers and the wall too, and room layouts such as yours (doors, windows, dormer, etc.) may not allow for a single, simple, "best" design plan to be implemented. I have had to buck conventional wisdom on my last two studio control rooms (with great success, btw); it's difficult when you're working with non-purpose-built rooms.

Same thing with your slanted ceiling. Purpose-built studios have non-parallel walls, to avoid echoes and standing waves. But acoustically random room anomalies and additional corners/sharp edges may increase flutter echoes, bass build-up, and a general "boing-yness" of
your environment... You'll have to try things and see how they work. Make sure to save some money for room treatment. Also, don't be too quick to move furniture if you don't have to; it can act as helpful diffusion.

Re: speakers, Yamaha makes decent gear, but you may want to look at other choices for studio monitors. There are no speakers specifically made for Trance, as far as I know.

GJ