New Studio-type questions

[Hy Bound]

Alright, I've just been able to set up a home (read: ghetto) studio down in my basement.

The problem is, I have a lot of equipment i haven't been able to use before and really want to be able to tap into the power I already have. So here are my questions:

My basement is gigantic, much bigger than anyone would want for a studio, and its unfinished, meaning concrete walls. I have been able to set myself up into a corner:

_....................................___________

I..........l.......------desk-----..I

I.........l..................Me.....I

I........l............................I

I.......l..........------desk-----..I

I___l________window___I

.= open space

_ and I= wall

(the top desk has all my speakers on it.)

Thats my setup with everything at the top being open to the rest of the basement. the l's are a ping pong table set up as a partition (told you it was ghetto) at a slight angle to help try and disperse the acoustics. So I have a question as to what type of acoustic foam-type of stuff should i use and where? I've been looking up a lot of that kind of stuff today and want to keep it less than $100 if possible but absolutely no more than $200.

My second question is, does your average laptop have the ability to run a second desktop computer monitor? I'm working at an engineering firm this summer and they are trying to get rid of some of their older "box" computer monitors. I think i would be able to get one thats the same size (17") as my laptop screen but am not willing to spend a ton of money upgrading my already pretty high end graphics card. (My Graphics Card was considered "High-end" about 2 years ago).

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I'm also having trouble with my ASIO Driver not having an output... I can record sound and everything, but i have to change to my default driver in order to hear that sound. What's the problem? Is ASIO input only or is there just an update i need for it or something; it doesn't even give me the ability to change input/output settings, just the audio card. Oh, and its an X-Station Synthesizer connected through USB into Ableton Live 6.

Thanks!

[SnappleMan]

First thing I would do is secure an area you want to use as a studio and build walls around it. Get some plywood or whatever and make a simple room to lock yourself and the sound in. If you use the studio foam with your basement as it is, it wont make much of a difference since you'll still have the fucked up shape of the room to mess up your monitoring.

Once you have a nice control room, place the foam on the walls (if you can afford a whole rooms worth of padding, then go for it) and enjoy!

What kind of speakers are you using anyway? From your post it seems like you're using more than two.

[Hy Bound]

I have two monitors and then 2 huge cabinet speakers on either side of that same desk.

[Fray]

I understand rugs or blankets from a thrift store make a cheap if slightly nasty replacement for studio foam. Just spray some Lysol on 'em first