By: Benedict Smythe
Submitted: 2008-10-31 15:09:42 | Word Count: 544
If you’re still sacrificing your home made recordings and mixes because you think you don’t have the six figure budget to come up with some basic sound treatment, think again! The most crucial forms of acoustic treatment are also the ones that are the least expensive to make. If you’ve set up a small recording area in your bedroom or in your home, there are some ways to improve the sound of the recording space as well as the way you listen to your music.
Choosing an appropriate space
[ advertisement ]
If you haven’t dedicated a space just yet, it’s best to look for as large a space as your home or bedroom would allow. A larger space almost always guarantees better acoustic response than a tiny one because standing waves and early reflections are generally less (although still largely present if you don’t have any treatment). So to begin your project, look for a place where you can position your recording equipment or computer in the middle of the room so that sound bounces off the side walls at the same time with its trajectory. Once you’ve done this, set up your rig as you see fit.
Determining the best listening position
It’s always a good idea to experiment with the best mix listening position in any environment, but a good rule of thumb is to keep your head at a position that allows it to form a triangle with the tweeters of your studio monitors. Keep your monitors as far as possible from the back wall. Mark this position with duct tape on the floor, and try moving around it to hear the differences in phase that each position gives.
Place absorbers on the walls
A great tip to learn where to place your room absorbers is to take a mirror and run it to the wall opposite your studio monitors: whenever the mirror reflects the image of your monitors, mark it. Do it for all 3 walls (even your ceiling, if you can) because these are places where a direct transmission of sound will go. Place your sound absorbers at these positions to get their maximum benefit. Note that you don’t necessarily have to place absorbers on every square inch of your home studio walls unless this is the room response that you’re looking for.
Figure in the bass traps
The absorbers will take care of the mid and high frequencies, but these aren’t enough to create a neutral sounding space. Low frequencies are especially hard to tame because of their intense energy and capacity to creep between floors. The best way to treat bass frequencies is to place bass traps at the corners of your studio space (preferably from floor to ceiling) as well as places where the room’s walls meet the ceiling (as these are essentially horizontal corners). Treating your room for low frequency absorption is one of the best ways you can get a neutral sounding room and should not be overlooked.
Once these are in place, you’ve got a functional working space for your music. Consider some more advanced forms of treatment such as RPG diffusers and perhaps even some professional products as your budget will allow.
