![]() If your speakers are on your desk, and you’re playing something with a lot of low end (bass), your desk is basically going to start resonating it.” If putting amps or speakers on top of a desk is unavoidable in your space, ISO pucks can help. “It will keep the bass frequencies from infiltrating the surface they’re on. “Decoupling your speaker from your desk is really important,” says Berry. ![]() Hitting your listener in the ear with every “B” or “S” sound can take your audience out of the experience, especially if they’re wearing headphones or earbuds.Īmps and speakers, if you’re using them, should not go on top of desks or tables. This is especially true when you record vocals. Regardless of the microphones you use, you’ll need a pop filter to mitigate the sounds of breathing or the impact of plosives and sibilants. You don’t want to optimize your studio and then have to put up with a buzz coming from inside your audio equipment. This is especially true for USB mics, which can give a podcast a low hum that’s a dead giveaway for amateur production. “Get a decent mic and preamp that will have a low noise floor,” says Berry, referring to the noise that audio gear itself can make. Investing in both will go a long way to improving the quality of a recording. The most important equipment for home studios are high-quality microphones and preamplifiers. That’s what’s called the “first reflection point,” meaning when the sound comes out of the speaker it’s going to hit that part of that wall right after it hits your ear and causes an echo.” You want to hear the sound originating from the speaker, not the reflection, so that first reflection point is where you want to place an absorptive panel to soak up the sound jumping off the wall. “At your eye level, move the mirror along the wall until you see the speaker. “If you’re looking at your speakers, have a friend get a mirror and hold it on the wall,” says Berry. Finding those points might seem hard, but veteran audio producers find those points of reflection with what’s known as the “mirror trick.” If you’re recording sounds coming out of mounted guitar amps or other speakers, the sound is going to consistently hit particular points on a wall. Shelves full of books will produce less echo than a flat wall, and curtains can cut down on the vibrations coming from windows. Carpets, blankets, and pillows all help to reduce echoes. Plenty of common household items can help dampen sound - the less empty a room is the more sound it can soak up. You don’t have to cover every surface with soundproofing foam, though. Bass traps are large foam units that fit in corners and prevent low-end echoes and distortions. Hard corners can distort lower frequencies. If you have a particularly large and reflective flat surface, like a concrete wall or linoleum floor, consider covering it with some kind of acoustic treatment. This process, called sound treatment, requires finding the most troublesome parts of your recording space and covering them with something that absorbs sound waves. It’s about optimizing the sound within your room. While limiting exterior noise like traffic, people, and planes is ideal, setting up a room for better sound doesn’t mean soundproofing it - a process that requires building another room within a room. ![]() With that in mind, approach creating a home studio with the same professionalism you’d put into creating a professional home office. If you’re planning on bringing in podcast guests, musical collaborators, or clients, it should be an environment that projects the professional image you want to convey, even as it’s also optimized for technical considerations. Home studios are often public-facing spaces. Choosing a space that allows you to flourish as a creative professional is essential, so make sure to build out a studio you’d enjoy spending time in. Producers spend a lot of time in their studio, either recording, collaborating, or on the DAW (digital audio workstation). The room also has to work as a creative space. Ideally, it shouldn’t be close to noises from machinery like washers and dryers, traffic, or other residents. Look for a room apart from the rest of your house. ![]() Noise pollution is another consideration in home studio location. A larger room that isn’t square or rectangular is a good place to start. ![]() These types of rooms will give you more problems to fix in post, and the goal is to avoid that. Steer clear of flat surfaces and parallel walls that reflect sound. The first thing to look at when determining where to build a home recording studio is the shape of the room. ![]()
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