No matter your home studio is large, small, simple or complex, having some sort of Acoustical treatments is a must to have a smooth functioning.
Acoustical treatments are very helpful in every phase of the recording process. Right from capturing the sound to audio mixing to finally mastering it into a piece of perfection, you need the constant aid of acoustical treatments. These treatments help you understand & control the movement/behavior of sound in the room where your studio dwells. Whether you are considering a revamp of your pre-existing recording setup or persuading the idea of a new recording room, here are 5 simple steps that help you attain effective acoustical treatments easily:
- Evaluating the Room:
Not many recording artists are lucky enough to decode the arrangements of a perfect recording room. Most of the unlucky music enthusiasts struggle to find the best space for establishing their recording setup. However, as per the concept of sound engineering, it is critical to evaluate the room before you start moving in your recording instrument.
Here are some tips for evaluation:
- Identify the reflective areas of the room like symmetrical walls that might create some problem
- Evaluate the floor, carpet floor is preferred over wooden
- Make arrangements for covering the windows.
- Say goodbye to polished surfaces and mirrors completely
- Evaluating the listening position
Before you start addressing acoustical treatments in your room, it is important that you ensure optimal positioning of your seat. If you do not have a perfectly angled monitors set-up of having a mismanaged sitting arrangement, you will not be able to address the issues. The evaluation of the room and sitting arrangement are two primary pre-requisites to start the actual acoustic treatments.
- Acquiring & using the bass trap:
If you have a smaller studio, you might face some problems with the bass frequencies. This is the very reason bass traps are considered as the most important step of acoustical treatments that you must consider adding to your room. Some quick tips:
- Buy some high-quality bass traps and fit them at the corners of your recording room
- Effectively address “bass heavy” areas of your room one by one.
- If you wish to settle for just one acoustic treatment, choose bass traps as it is the best.
- Improving the Sound absorption ability of the room:
Sound Absorption is the most commonly used acoustic treatment used by major home studios. Taming the mid & high frequencies traveling a room is highly important for effective sound recording. If your home studio has more reflective surfaces, this problem can become even bigger. Some quick tips:
- Use soft surfaces like foams as they are the best aid for absorption treatments
- Pay importance to places that are considered as “Early Reflection” areas.
- If you are new to acoustic treatments you must start with broadband absorption panels. These tiles are highly effective on high range frequencies.
- Take precautions while using absorption as too much absorption can also kill the sound.
- Utilize Diffusion:
Having some extent of reflection is always Good, as the absence might turn the room into a dead space that is “killer of sound”. With optimal reflection, you can record natural sound and add a realistic stereo image to your mixes. For this, you need to add a few diffusers to your room. Quick tips:
- Diffusers help in a clear reflection of sound and thus allow better Dispersion of sound
- If you have a small recording room, diffusers are blessing for you.
These are some tips that will help you in acoustic treatments of your room. So, try them today and start professional music production today.