Acoustic treatment is one of the most misunderstood parts of a home studio layout.
It is the special touch that makes an ordinary room become a suitable environment for recording.
Getting into acoustics is daunting, especially for the average producer. After all, don’t studio pros spend thousands of dollars on improving the acoustics of the spaces they record?
The astonishing reality is that good acoustic treatment is something that is quite within the reach of anyone who wants to set up a home studio.
In this article, we’ll find out everything you need to know about acoustic treatment.
What is acoustic treatment?
Acoustic treatment is the process of improving the acoustic properties of a room to make it suitable for recording or mixing music. The goal of acoustic treatment is to make your environment sound more neutral and pleasant, more controlled, and with a quality of predictability for recording. Acoustic treatment is achieved by installing absorbent devices or diffusers in places where problematic reflections occur.
Absorption and diffusion
There are two approaches to dealing with problematic acoustics.
The first is to prevent unwanted frequencies from being reflected in the recording or mixing environment. This method is called absorption.
Acoustic absorbers are made of materials that prevent sound energy from bouncing off hard surfaces such as walls and ceilings.
Acoustic absorbers are made of materials that prevent sound energy from bouncing off hard surfaces such as walls and ceilings.
Thus, those reflections that have been “captured” no longer interfere with sound coming directly from the source. This is a marked improvement in the sound quality of your space – and your recordings.
Diffusion is the other approach to acoustic treatment. Diffusion consists of dispersing problematic reflections in different directions, thereby reducing their negative effect.
Acoustic diffusers are made of rigid materials arranged in patterns of different sizes and sizes, and going in different directions on surfaces.
In most cases, a combination of the two approaches is necessary for effective acoustic correction.
How to achieve acoustic treatment in your room
Unfortunately, there is no single solution for acoustic treatment.
Each room is unique, and has its own problem areas. However, if you’re new to acoustic treatment, following a few basic recommendations can make a big difference in the end result.
To process your room for recording or mixing, you will need the following acoustic devices:
- ‘Bass traps’ – for low frequencies
- Acoustic panels – for broad spectrum absorption
- Diffusers – for late reflections
I will cover each device and explain how they contribute to adequate acoustic treatment.
What are ‘bass traps’?
‘Bass traps’ (literally ‘bass traps’) are sound absorbers designed to prevent problematic reflections from low frequencies. This type of acoustic treatment device requires mass and absorbent properties to handle low frequencies effectively.
Bass traps are shaped like triangular prisms and are usually placed in the corners of the room, where low frequencies accumulate.
To be effective at low frequencies, the ‘bass traps’ must be completely filled with absorbent material.
Controlling the low frequencies in your room is crucial. The energy at the extremes of the low register can be problematic for recording and many mixing environments – especially small spaces.
The lower the frequency, the longer the sound wave. For example, the length of a complete cycle of a sine wave is 19 feet!
The lower the frequency, the longer the length of the sound wave. For example, the length of a complete cycle of a sine wave is 19 feet!
Reflections from a room mix with the direct signal and cause destructive interference, even before a full cycle of the sound wave has been completed.
With virtually all of the sound wave’s energy competing against itself, your bass will disappear in critical areas and build up elsewhere.
As you process your tracks, you’ll try to compensate by boosting the low end of your mix. Then the end product will have way too much bass when you listen to it outside of your deficient mixing space.
Bass traps are an effective solution to these problems.
There are companies that offer pre-assembled luxury ‘bass traps’, but it is entirely possible to assemble your own yourself.
In fact, all of the acoustic treatment devices in this article are surprisingly accessible if you’re willing to do a bit of DIY.
What are acoustic panels?
Acoustic panels are absorbent devices that cover a wide range of sound energy frequencies. The ‘bass traps’ handle the lower frequencies, and the acoustic panels take care of the rest.
The next most problematic regions are the first points of reflection. These are key places to use absorbent acoustic panels.
These are the places where the initial reflections converge most intensely where the listening post is located.
Every room is different, but the first points of reflection are usually located on the walls to the left and right of the listening post.
The acoustic panels have a rectangular shape and are filled with an absorbent material. We hang them on the walls of the room.
What are broadcasters?
Acoustic diffusers are an acoustic device that disperses reflections rather than absorbing them.
They are a big part of good acoustic treatment. If you only use absorption, you will have a gap that sounds abnormally “dead”.
Diffusion allows you to control reflections in a room, but not completely eliminate them.
Diffusion allows you to control reflections in a room, but not completely eliminate them.
There are different types of diffusers that each use a different strategy to reduce the negative effects of acoustic reflections.
Diffusion is great for handling late reflections in places a little further from the main listening station, and is a big part of a comprehensive acoustic treatment strategy.
The royal treatment
Acoustic processing is an often misunderstood component, even in great studio installations.
There’s a lot to learn, but the basics are surprisingly simple: control reflections and prevent important frequencies from canceling each other out.
A combination of ‘bass traps’, broad spectrum absorbers and diffusers is already a great start to dealing with room acoustics.
Use the information in this article to get you started on this acoustic treatment adventure.
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