Acoustic treatment is one of the most essential parts of your music studio; it allows you to trust your ears. An untreated room will color the sound produced by your speakers in various ways, which means the mixing and mastering decisions you make may be misinformed.
Full Answer
What is the best acoustic treatment setup for a mixing room?
Minimum acoustic treatment setup in stereo and surround sound mixing rooms (lightly treated). Sidewall first reflection points (left and right of listening position) are treated with broadband bass traps, but other acoustic panels could work.
What are the benefits of acoustic treatment?
The benefit here is…you can record whenever you wish, without worrying about you and your neighbors disturbing each other. Acoustic treatment on the other hand, aims ONLY to control sound reflections WITHIN the room, to make better sounding recordings.
How much acoustic treatment do I need for my home?
Here’s a cheat code you can use for treating your typical domestic room (whether it’s a hi-fi room, home theater or home recording studio): Cover 22 to 25% of the interior surface area with acoustic treatment. That would be the total coverage provided by bass traps, absorptive acoustic panels and diffusers.
Is acoustic treatment the same as soundproofing?
Acoustic treatment on the other hand, aims ONLY to control sound reflections WITHIN the room, to make better sounding recordings. BOTH of these are valuable, but NEITHER does the job of the other. And while soundproofing can definitely be incorporated as part of your acoustic treatment plan, it’s not technically acoustic treatment in itself.
Do you really need acoustic treatment?
Acoustic treatment is the best way to ensure that what you're composing, mixing, and editing is accurate and unaffected by the room you're sitting in. Even if you want to have a live vibe in your recordings, you'll still want to have control over the sound.
How much acoustic treatment is needed?
In most cases you will be happy with 15 - 30% coverage. For a home theater or very noisy room (think concrete walls or a gymnasium) up to 50% will be necessary. You will at that point even consider treating the ceiling as well.
How do you acoustically treat a mixing room?
1:293:25Setting Up and Acoustically Treating a Mixing Room - GIK Acoustics TutorialYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou're gonna want to put thick bass traps in your corners. Because that's where bass tends to buildMoreYou're gonna want to put thick bass traps in your corners. Because that's where bass tends to build up the most. It's not just your vertical corners the corners along your floor.
Is there such thing as too much acoustic treatment?
Even if you are successful in reducing the RT evenly across the frequency spectrum, using too much can lead to a room not sounding 'lively' enough and sounding unnatural. This will mean you'll likely be spending time adding artificial reverberation to sounds that you record in your studio.
How do I know if I need acoustic panels?
1:223:14Do you really need Acoustic Foam? | Before & After Sound Test - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSound on so you can hear how the sound is echoing around the room now check this out. This is how itMoreSound on so you can hear how the sound is echoing around the room now check this out. This is how it sounds with the acoustic foam alright this is the audio.
Where do you put acoustic treatment?
0:582:02How should I position my acoustic panels? General tips how to space ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipRoom corners for better base response. But most of your treatment. Will likely work best at ear.MoreRoom corners for better base response. But most of your treatment. Will likely work best at ear. Level if you want a better idea of where exactly in your room you should place your acoustic.
Can you mix without room treatment?
Yes you can. Although it will be much harder, and if you can achieve a quality mix in an untreated bedroom, you would be able to achieve a far better mix in a treated bedroom.
What is the cheapest way to acoustically treat a room?
5:348:21Studio Acoustic Treatment on a Budget - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd know different donation centers and just poke some holes in the top and then stick some curtainMoreAnd know different donation centers and just poke some holes in the top and then stick some curtain rods in there hang a curtain rod over some windows.
Do you need acoustic treatment for vocals?
If you have access to a small enclosed space, you now need to give it some acoustic treatment. As a rule of thumb, you should aim to treat between half and three quarters of the surface area; too little will result in acoustic interference, whereas too much will result in dry vocal recordings.
Can you over treat a room?
Is it possible to over treat a room? Yes, it seems. If an integrator does not know what they are doing in terms of the acoustics within a room, over-treating it can make it sound even worse than having no treatment at all.
What is a dead room in acoustics?
A room is said to be acoustically 'dead' when it contains a great deal of sound absorbing material, such that there is little or no REVERBERATION, and strong ATTENUATION of high frequencies. The extreme of this situation is the ANECHOIC CHAMBER. Sound in a dead room will be dull and lack PRESENCE.
How effective is acoustic foam?
Foam does not Block Sound Transmission Even covering the wall 100% with 2” thick foam is not going to, to the extent of the person's expectations, stop that sound from traveling right through the wall. Acoustical foam is porous and does not block sound simply because it is porous which allows sound to pass through.
How many acoustical panels do I need?
While the number of panels you need varies based on the purposes of your space, a typical starting number is 8-10 panels. However, that number can go up to 20-25 panels for purposes requiring greater sound control. This can be a little intimidating. After all, there's a big gap between “8-10” and “20-25”.
How much foam do you need to soundproof a room?
Even the densest of foams will never come close enough to provide any kind of meaningful soundproofing. And if you are looking to soundproof a theater room, you will need 20 feet thick foam to make a difference, no exaggeration.
Can you have too much sound absorption?
Absorbing too much sound can deaden the space and make it sound flat. In social spaces such as restaurants and in studios where the sound of a voice is key, it's imperative to get the balance right between a room being too reverberant and too dry.
How much does acoustic room treatment cost?
A full package for a studio recording sound absorption set could cost you $800 or more. Before you look at any set of panels, the first thing you need to do is take care of the bass frequency response in the room. You can buy a highly-rated 4-pack of floor/ceiling bass traps here.
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Why can't I guess with noise?
Each noise cause is different and requires different treatment technologies. This is why you can not guess with noise. If you build a barrier to stop just the conversation noise and a garbage truck is producing noise, you will have to tear the barrier you have built down and start all over again.
How does diffusion work in a room?
First, it minimizes the negative impact of reflections on our wall surfaces. Second, it can make a small room sound larger. You must follow some distance and positioning rules when using it in any mixing room acoustic treatment. In mixing rooms, the rear wall can benefit greatly from diffusion by minimizing the rear wall reflections which are time delayed at the monitoring position . Care must be taken to use the proper diffusion sequences when considering what quadratic diffusion prime number sequence to use.
What is acoustic treatment?
Acoustic treatment is the process of improving the acoustic properties of a room for recording or mixing music. The goal of acoustic treatment is to make your environment sound more neutral and sonically pleasing with controlled ambience and predictable qualities for recording. Acoustic treatment is done by mounting absorption or diffusion devices ...
What kind of acoustic treatment should I use for recording?
To treat your room for recording or mixing you’ll need to use the following types of acoustic treatment: Bass traps— for low frequencies. Acoustic panels—for broadband absorption. Diffusers—for late reflections. I’ll go through each one and explain how they contribute to proper acoustic treatment.
What is bass trap?
Bass traps are acoustic absorbers built to prevent problematic reflections from low frequencies. This type of acoustic treatment requires extra mass and absorptive properties to deal with low frequencies effectively.
How does diffuser work?
Diffusion is the other approach to acoustic treatment. Diffusion works by scattering problematic reflections in different directions. This reduces their negative effect. Acoustic diffusers are made of rigid materials arranged in patterns of varying height, size, or surface direction.
What is an acoustic diffuser?
Acoustic diffusers are a form of acoustic treatment that scatter reflections rather than absorbing them. They’re an important part of comprehensive acoustic treatment. If you only use absorption, you’ll end up with a space that sounds unnaturally “dead.”.
What is the best way to treat acoustic sound?
To treat your room for recording or mixing you’ll need to use the following types of acoustic treatment: 1 Bass traps—for low frequencies 2 Acoustic panels—for broadband absorption 3 Diffusers—for late reflections.
What is the absorption method?
This method is called absorption. Acoustic absorbers are made from material that stops sound energy from bouncing off hard surfaces like walls and ceilings. Acoustic absorbers are made from material that stops sound energy from bouncing off hard surfaces like walls and ceilings.
Why is it important to use acoustic treatment?
This is why it's important to employ some form of acoustic treatment; to protect the sound you're working so hard to create. Once the sound is transmitted into your room, you�ll have two main considerations to address: absorption and diffusion.
What is acoustic treatment?
Please understand first of all, that acoustic treatment, as described here, is designed to control the sound quality within a room. It is not, however, intended to prevent sound propagation between rooms or to be construed as a soundproofing material.
What is reverberation in music?
Reverberation, the 'dying away� of a sound, is natural to music. Most music is designed to be performed in a reverberant space - military band music being an obvious exception. When you make a recording, you need to be able to judge how much reverberation is on the recording.
Why use a diffusion panel?
Dedicated diffusion panels will help to diffuse waves which might otherwise be bouncing around the room and cause early reflections and phase issues during critical listening periods and recording sessions .
What happens to sound when it is made in a room?
Whenever a sound is made in a room, here’s what happens to it: Starting at the source, it projects outward in all directions. A small portion of it (known as direct sound) travels in a straight line to the microphone. The remainder (known as reflected sound) bounces randomly between the surfaces of the room.
Does direct sound change the tone of a room?
Since direct sound does not interact with the room, its frequency balance remains pure, and its tone unaltered. With reflected sound, each new reflection has the potential to CHANGE the original sound ever-so-slightly. Depending on the size of the room, and the reflective surfaces within it….
Do bass traps absorb mid frequencies?
And here’s why: Though commonly thought of as specialized tools for absorbing bass frequencies…. Porous bass traps are actually broadband absorbers, meaning they’re good at absorbing mid/high frequencies as well. Which is why sometimes…bass traps alone can be enough to get the job done.
Do I need a degree to run an acoustic studio?
The good news is…you don’t need a degree in acoustical engineering to run a recording studio. All you need is a few SIMPLE CONCEPTS. Starting with…. 1.
What is acoustic design?
Andy Munro, acoustic design specialist, remarks, "acoustic design is the science that restores a neutral sound balance”. Applying that science means interfering with the path of sound to control the sound energy. Jorge Castro, chief acoustician at Vicoustic, says that "in the case of affordable treatment, we need to control the energy ...
Why do untreated rooms have uneven frequency response?
Untreated rooms have an uneven frequency response, which means that any mixing decisions you make are being based on a sound that is 'coloured', because you can't accurately hear what's being played. In short, you can't possibly tell how your mix will sound when played back anywhere else.
Do acoustic products have a consultation service?
Most manufacturers of acoustic products also offer a consultation service, and they often have free on‑line calculators to help you decide on a suitable treatment option, too, so even if you choose the DIY route this can be a sensible place to start.
Is it bad to mix acoustic instruments?
It isn't just an issue for mixing, though, because any recordings you make of acoustic instruments will bear all the hallmarks of the space in which you record them. That may be a good thing if the space in question is Ocean Way or SARM West, but probably preposterously bad if it's your living room or bedroom.
Do you need to pay attention to the space in which you use your recording equipment?
No matter how much you spend on instruments, amps, speakers and recording gear, you still need to pay attention to the space in which you use them. The treatment of home studios is tricky, because of their size and the construction materials used, not to mention the budget of the average home‑studio owner.
Do I always use acoustic treatment?
If I’m recording in my studio, the answer is usually yes. I do most of the recording in my home studio in one room. Like most home studio folks, that one room is my control room, tracking room, and vocal booth.
Loud Sources
If you’re recording really loud sources like a crankin’ guitar amp or a trumpet, the need for acoustic treatment kinda goes out the window. Sure, you don’t want your room to be super echo-y, but you don’t need it to be dead quiet and perfectly flat either.
A Room Full of Stuff
I was engineering a vocal session for a producer here in Nashville. She just wanted me to bring my gear to her house and set up in the spare bedroom.
Conclusion
Don’t take this article the wrong way. I’m not saying you don’t need acoustic treatment, especially if you’re doing a lot of mixing. but remember that it is possible to get great-sounding recordings in a less-than-perfect room.
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