Whether you are just getting into recording and mixing music or are setting up a new recording space, having the right sound for your projects matters. The space you record, mix, and master in can affect the entire vibe you may be going for, as well as the quality of your mixes. Learning about audio acoustics greatly helps with finding the right ambiance.
Absorbing For Clarity
Absorbing frequencies gives you a more dry or dead room. This is best when recording vocals and when mixing and mastering. Broadband foam absorbers are great for absorbing a range of frequencies and are used around mixing set-ups and generally on walls and ceilings to dry out the acoustics of a room. Broadband foam can be set on the wall behind your computer, speakers, and other editing gear, as well as on the left and right sides of your station for better coverage. The ceiling is also a large hard reflective surface in any room and needs to be treated.
Reflecting For Ambience
Diffusers are used to reflect sound around and create the atmosphere and tone of a room. Panels are often used in studios to redirect those frequencies, the most common ones being wall and corner panels, alongside suspended ceiling panels. However, even household furniture can be used to help tune a space. Try moving a couch, bookshelf, or other soft reflective surfaces to experiment with the room tone of your studio. Don't over-panel a room or use too many hard reflections, however, as that can throw off the frequencies and add muddiness to your recordings. The places to watch out for are the windows and the corners of rooms where walls meet each other and the ceiling. These are areas of outside sound interference and hard reflection.
Improving What You Have
It doesn't take a lot to improve the acoustics of the space you already have. Be creative with reflections and your set-up when recording to find variation. If you'd like some flexibility with your acoustics, having a dead side and a treated reflective side of your home studio can be a good option. Say you want room tone ambiance in a recording, giving a more live sound to the instrument. When it comes to the editing, however, a quiet or dead room to mix in is ideal. Many home studios find having a combination of a reflective area and an absorbing side adds the best balance to their recording and mixing needs. Your dead zone should be where you will be editing, monitoring, and listening back to your mixes.
Use these tips to find an acoustic solution for your space.
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