What Do You Change When a Treated Studio Still Sounds Thick and Dull?
Verification pending · Evidence-led diagnosis · Reversible first move · Verification pending
The studio was already more treated than a typical domestic room, but its monitoring reference still felt wrong. The question was which physical or signal-path variable was shaping it. had assembled PSI A17 monitors in a music-production studio. An ARC measurement existed but the results were not supplied, so no correction curve was treated as current evidence.. Thick bass and a dull top end, without evidence identifying alignment, chair position, the desk, treatment, correction or the room as the cause.
The System and The Challenge
Context: The studio was already more treated than a typical domestic room, but its monitoring reference still felt wrong. The question was which physical or signal-path variable was shaping it.
System: PSI A17 monitors in a music-production studio. An ARC measurement existed but the results were not supplied, so no correction curve was treated as current evidence.
Symptoms: Thick bass and a dull top end, without evidence identifying alignment, chair position, the desk, treatment, correction or the room as the cause.
Room Constraints
- Approximately five-by-three-metre room
- Existing wall, corner and ceiling treatment plus curtains
- Busy desk with display, keyboards and nearby equipment
- Ear position, speaker clearances and correction state pending verification
- Photographs cannot prove acoustic treatment performance
The Starting Point
The monitors sat above a desk with nearby hard surfaces. Existing treatment was visible but not characterised, so adding more absorption risked making the room duller without solving the real problem.
Investigation & Modelling
A simple rectangular model suggested investigation bands around 34, 57 and 78 Hz, but these were not measured peaks. The stronger evidence was practical: alignment, chair position, desk reflections and correction state needed to be separated before treatment or monitor replacement.
Photograph-based assessment and modelled investigation frequencies. No post-change evidence.
The First Test
Preserve the baseline, verify monitor-to-ear geometry and compare small chair moves before changing treatment, correction or equipment.
- Mark current chair and monitor positions
- Record monitor settings, source, volume and correction state
- Check equal speaker-to-ear distances and acoustic-axis alignment
- Correct one clear mismatch only if the geometry safely allows it
- Otherwise compare the chair 20 cm towards and 20 cm away from the desk
- Return to baseline between comparisons using the same vocal and bass passages
No post-change improvement has been reported or measured. Desk and treatment tests remain later, separate comparisons.
Recommended and reversible. Not yet implemented or verified.
Verification Pending
Modelled bands are not measurements; treatment performance is unknown. Proposed tests are not implemented and no improvement is claimed.
Why This Case Matters
Treatment quantity alone does not guarantee a useful monitoring reference. AudioBro reduces the guesses by preserving the baseline and isolating geometry, local reflections and correction before committing to more treatment.
Want AudioBro to review it for you?
If your system should sound better than it does and you want room-first guidance before spending more on equipment, AudioBro can review your room.