Build your own soundproof studio in 11 easy steps

Step 9 Tune the room (absorption and diffusion)

You may well find that the reflective properties of the plasterboard make for a rather unpleasant and harsh-sounding room, which is not really what you want if you're going to be recording in there, and certainly not what you want if you're going to be monitoring and mixing in there either.

Simply having the room carpeted and putting a sofa at one end will probably help, but to address the wall reflection you can use a combination of two solutions: absorption and diffusion.

Diffusion involves sending the reflections off in different directions, breaking up the sound, while absorption soaks up certain unwanted frequencies. This is where the old eggbox myth can be laid to rest – while their shape should make them potentially good sound diffusers, their material isn't reflective enough, and its absorptive properties are minimal too. They don't look very nice either!

So, try picking up some 2'x4' sheets of hardboard and make yourself some absorption panels using 1" slabs of mineral wool (the same size) placed over the top and a dustsheet laid over and tightly stapled from behind. They'll look better and, more importantly, will actually work when hung on opposite walls.

If you'd prefer to invest in something ready made for the job, try some Aurelex, ProFoam or similar. These companies make a range of products for studios and even make room packs with all the different elements you'll need for different sized rooms. As you'd expect, this comes at a price, but gives professional results both sonically and visually.

Comments

[Collie147]

I hung an old carpet and some old carpet underlay on opposing walls.  Did a fantastic job and it looked pretty damned cosy too!  Except people kept throwing themselves against the wall in a Blur "Song 2" fashion, that ended up tearing the underlay off the nails so I had to create a proper mounting for it.

[Jaxxsyn]

Actually, there are alot of old school, "underground" recording studios and jam rooms that just carpet the walls and ceilings as well as the floor

[wozlaser]

A good generic guideline is to absorb in all the corners and edges and diffuse your walls. Thicker foam is necessary for lower frequencies, so if you cheap out and get the thinnest rather than thickest hospital mattresses for example (great source) your room will be boomy. You can use a room like that if for vocals if all the bass is eq'd out, but don't be that lazy. Just go thick in the corners, even if you have to cram them with pillowcases full of clothes or Styrofoam peanuts, and break up all your flat surfaces. A treated room sounds kinda like a clothing store anyhow, it should if you think about it.

You know it's working if you clap in a bathroom or kitchen and then walk into your treated room. Your claps will sound smaller, closer to you, and more singular.

Poster board can make great diffusers if it's bent into arches, the shape makes it strong, like a speaker cone. see: http://www.instructables.com/id/Sound-defusingdampening-wall-with-posterboard/

[Countrywings]

You REALLY need to consider what is hapening with the bass frequencies, room nodes, spacing and alignment of components, having / building bass traps, etc. Foam alone will not solve the problems... the entire audio frequency range needs to be considered.

[RionNipal]

In one of the best sounding rooms I've been in, the walls were covered with egg boxes painted with enamel paint

[travelburg]

Mineral wool is better, but has a large cost