Basement rehearsal space

JasonB5232

JasonB5232

Inspired
Wondering if anyone has advice/resources on turning a finished basement into a rehearsal space.

Mixer
Monitors
Acoustics
Microphones

What am I not thinking about sort of thing?

Thanks
 
Definitely the room treatment. If the floors are cement then cover them with carpeting. Put bass traps in the corners and depending on how close your neighbors are then custom made, removable soundproofing panels for the window wells.

We made ours from plywood, rock wool and mass loaded vinyl. We sized them to the window dimensions so they could be easily removed when practice was done.
 
JasonB5232 said:
It's a finished (carpet and drywall) basement in the suburbs with no windows.
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Then maybe just bass traps in the corners would do the trick. Honestly those might be optional if the room isn't too boomy. If it sounds bass heavy then go with some traps.

As far as the rest I would mimic your live setup as much as possible (mixer, monitors and mics). Dial it in at rehearsels and there will be less to do in other environments.

Edit: The mixer can do dual duty for rehearsals (monitor mix and PA columns if you are using them). Then on stage mixer handles monitor mix only and FOH can do the rest. We like to have control over our monitors on stage.
 
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PA columns and monitors, just monitors, just PA columns was one of things I keep going back and forth on. It's a big living room size space.
 
JasonB5232 said:
PA columns and monitors, just monitors, just PA columns was one of things I keep going back and forth on. It's a big living room size space.
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Are there vocals? Sound quality and flexibility for who? Many rehearsal spaces are also impromptu small performance spaces for friends and families. If you will have small groups listening that you want it to sound good for - then you will definitely want PA columns (especially with vocals of course). Also getting the mix right in the columns is very different than individualized monitor mixes. So having columns will help you get experience to dial that in for live performances with your own PA or on a rented PA.

The cover band I was in played a good number of private events - so we were our own FOH. Without columns you won't know how to dial in a good mix from the stage to the crowd.

If you are going to record in there then that is a whole separate set of concerns.
 
There will be vocals. When I mentioned versatility, I was really thinking that if someone new comes into the mix we won't be stuck because of a lack of gear/inputs/cables/whatever.

I would expect drummer, vocals, bass, 2 guitars typically playing.

Sound quality for the players. The space isn't big enough to really have people watch or for a peformance.

Thanks as this is all good stuff that's got me thinking.
 
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JasonB5232 said:
There will be vocals. When I mentioned versatility, I was really thinking that if someone new comes into the mix we won't be stuck because of a lack of gear/inputs/cables/whatever.

I would expect drummer, vocals, bass, 2 guitars typically playing.

Sound quality for the players. The space isn't big enough to really have people watch or for a peformance.

Thanks as this is all good stuff that's got me thinking.
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So If you want to be able to run your own sound for some shows then grab a mixer and PA columns. You will need 5 monitors (or IEMs), mics for everyone with a cab (if guitarists/bass are using modelers then they don't need cab mics), mics for the number of vocalists, and 2 overhead mics for the drum kit. I would add 3 extra mics for the drum kit for live show versatility (1 on kick, 1 on snare and 1 on hihat) - so 5 mics total for the kit.

That's a pretty versatile setup that will allow you guys to gain experience mixing your own FOH.
 
In-ears are great but IMO everyone has to be on them or they suck. On stage if everyone is using them they are fabulous and they will save your hearing.

But I don't like them for rehearsals where free flowing communication between band members is crucial. In ear monitors can complicate this unless you are willing to spend a good amount more on IEMs that support ambient mixes.
 
Rex Rox said:
In-ears are great but IMO everyone has to be on them or they suck. On stage if everyone is using them they are fabulous and they will save your hearing.

But I don't like them for rehearsals where free flowing communication between band members is crucial. In ear monitors can complicate this unless you are willing to spend a good amount more on IEMs that support ambient mixes.
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Or put an omni mic in the middle of everything and mix it to taste in your IEMs (not FOH of course).
 
Dave Merrill said:
Or put an omni mic in the middle of everything and mix it to taste in your IEMs (not FOH of course).
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We tried it in our jazz trio but it just didn't feel organic enough to us for practices. Someone was always louder/too quiet etc. Too much fussing around with the mic placement/volumes for free flow of ideas, etc. - for us anyway. YMMV. But we started using them when performing live shows a couple months ago. IEMs are the only way we will do it now.

But in my last cover band I could never convince everyone to spend on IEMs even for stage use. So for that band we were stuck with floor monitors.
 
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Rex Rox said:
We tried it in our jazz trio but it just didn't feel organic enough to us for practices. Someone was always louder/too quiet etc. Too much fussing around with the mic placement/volumes for free flow of ideas, etc. - for us anyway. YMMV. But we started using them when performing live shows a couple months ago. IEMs are the only way we will do it now.

But in my last cover band I could never convince everyone to spend on IEMs even for stage use. So for that band we were stuck with floor monitors.
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That is really too bad.
Once everyone gets used to using them, its great!
My whole life I stood next to the drummer. A few years ago started using in ears.
For grins I tried using no IEM, I couldn't believe how LOUD the drums were! 😲
Now never going back, IEM is a must. We run stereo too!
 
scottp said:
That is really too bad.
Once everyone gets used to using them, its great!
My whole life I stood next to the drummer. A few years ago started using in ears.
For grins I tried using no IEM, I couldn't believe how LOUD the drums were! 😲
Now never going back, IEM is a must. We run stereo too!
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Yes I agree. The funny thing is the band I needed them the least on stage is the one where we started always using them - the jazz band. They were overkill for rehearsals in the Jazz trio. Our drummer is amazing and he understands the concept of dynamics. We practice in his basement and he is never too loud - even without IEMs.

The cover band was a much different story (quintet). That drummer could not play quiet. I considered buying them for everyone in the cover band. But for some reason it was still a tough sell for a couple of people. Oh well I'm not in that band anymore - at least not for a while. If I return to the cover thing then I will likely just buy them for everyone.
 
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