PA Student Diaries

• Acoustic Panels
• Bass Traps
• Acoustic Foam Panels
• DIY Acoustic Panels
• Church Acoustics
• Studio Acoustics
• Home Theater Acoustics
• Restaurant Acoustics
• Acoustic Insulation
• Room Acoustic Treatments

I’ve been recording and producing recordings for rock and pop artists for 25 years. As such, I’ve worked in some of the best, and worst recording and mixing rooms around the world. Most of the studios I’ve worked in have been A or B quality with some of the very best gear you can imagine, and with some of the oldest components ever build for such purposes. On the other hand, when an artist was stuck on location somewhere, and when we couldn’t get into a well known studio, we’d end up in a smaller studio – some times a friend’s “home studio”. With modern digital recording the way it is, and with so many available plug ins that can emulate or model physical reverb and delay consoles, the transition from a big studio, to a home studio can be fairly painless. In some cases it is even better than some of the B studios I’ve worked in.

Why?

Because many home studio owners are smart people. Sure they have good gear, and good effects, but they are also keen to make the most of the small spaces they use by making sure the “room” itself sounds good, and that it does not complicate what they are trying to achieve: great sound. Many companies like Ready Acoustics (for example) are spreading the word about why proper acoustic treatment of any critical listening space can make or break it. They also understand that home studios and even large commercial studios need options that work great, look great and are priced right.

Let’s break down the importance of acoustic treatment in a couple of easy to parts:

You can have the best gear in the world, but if you can’t truly hear how it is affecting your sound, your recordings, etc – then you cannot hear precisely what that piece of gear is doing to your recording. If you cannot hear the “truth” from your speakers, then you cannot make adjustments to your recordings that will sound the same in your car, or your boom box, or on you iPod equally. If you cannot hear any of the ways you are affecting your recording, then you will be hunting and pecking at your recording for much, much longer than you should, and wasting you and your client’s time and money in the process.

Fixing acoustical room issues that could otherwise kill a great recording is easy, and it is what all professional or hobbyist recording engineers and producers should consider first. The top professionals in my line of work consider proper room acoustics the number one factor in mixing records that sound fantastic. If you address the room sound first, you unlock one of the biggest secrets there is to making a great sounding recording. If your speakers are able to tell you the truth (because your room isn’t smearing the sound or making your low frequencies sound boomy or muddy) then you’re on your way to making something that could be world-class.

Consider proper acoustic treatment for your home studio first with broadband bass traps (like the ones from Ready Acoustics) and you’ll have unlocked the biggest kept secret to great sounding recordings.