Several new platforms, apps, and programs allow you to hone your musical or producer skills in the comfort of your own home. But if the acoustics in your recording space isn’t up to par, you’re not going to enjoy the finished product, and your hard work might not be as rewarding as it could be. 

In this article, we’re going to break down some tips and tricks for improving the acoustics in your home, as well as some necessary (and bonus) pieces of equipment to get you started. Acoustic paneling can help you take it to the next level, but first, let’s take a look at some of the basics. 

What Is Acoustics, and Why Is It Important? 

You may have heard someone say in the past, “Man, these acoustics are awful” or “The acoustics in here suck”, but did you ever know what that means? 

According to Brigham Young University (BYU), acoustics is defined as “the science that deals with the production, control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound.” In other words, it’s the sound characteristics of a certain room, and how sound interacts with a specific space. 

If the acoustics of a room are awful, and all the sound is absorbed by certain materials, it won’t reflect well in a space. However, if you’ve ever been in a giant ballroom, and your steps echo down the hallway, it’s an indication that sound travels far and wide and bounces off the walls of the room or open area. 

How Do I Improve The Acoustics In My Home?

There are some simple ways to improve the acoustics of a given room. 

1. Use symmetry - Don’t tuck yourself into a corner. Make sure the furniture in your room is spread out in a symmetrical way. This allows you to sit in the acoustic center of the room as sounds interact with all directions easily. 

1. Fill the space - Make sure you have both furniture and soft, sound absorbing materials in your room. This helps the sound interact smoothly with the space and absorbs any excess sounds you might not want to hear. 

1. Try acoustic foam or other felt panels to insulate your space - This helps you balance the sound in the room and absorbs excess sounds, as well as creates a vacuum-like environment for your recordings. 

How Big Should My Home Studio Be? 

How big your studio space should depend on a variety of factors, including how much space you actually have, what type of music you plan to record, and how much you can afford for equipment. For example, if you just play guitar and sing, you won’t need the space that a full band would need. Also, your budget will largely determine how much space you can fill with equipment, sound-dampening materials, and more. 

In most situations, 10 by 13 feet is more than enough space, but it will depend on your home and the area you can allocate for your studio. 

What Do I Need For My Home Studio?

• First, you’re going to need an allocated space for recording. Recording demos in the bathroom can get old super fast, so it’s important to dedicate a space for your home studio; one that is ideally soundproof. You don’t want your family or the neighbors interrupting the best take of your latest masterpiece and making you have to start over because of excess background noise.

• Then, you’re going to need a laptop or computer. They allow you to download beginner, and often free, recording programs or sound editing software. Garageband is a great way to begin experimenting with sounds and recording different layers of tracks, then blending them together. Often, this app comes free with a MacBook or iPhone. 

• Next, you’re going to need a solid microphone. You can get by with recording with your phone or laptop for only so long before you’re going to be aching for better quality sound. Also, some microphones allow you to use different effects than you could use with your phone or computer. Some of the biggest brands include Rode, Shure, AKG, Audio Technica, and several others. 

• Headphones are essential to really hear your recordings on a naked level. You can isolate certain tracks and use headphones to analyze them in a magnified way, allowing you to pick up sounds or effects you can’t notice with your ears. Plus, you’ll need headphones if you’re going to layer tracks on top of one another. That way, you can play along to the guitar while laying down a drum track, etc. 

• Monitor speakers, on the other hand, are crucial as well. They allow you to listen to your recordings in the open space in a loud and clear way. They can also let you show others what you’ve created in an open forum. You don’t want to have to strain to hear your sounds. Monitor speakers allow you to crank it up and analyze the sound without using headphones. But both are essential.

• Acoustic treatment is also needed. You can use felt panels to line your walls or add soft furniture, like a sofa, to help absorb sound. If you can’t afford those just yet, you can use egg cartons to slightly reduce sound noise, but it’s really not an effective long-term play for effective acoustic treatment. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, building a home music studio is no easy task. It takes time, expertise, money, and acoustic knowledge to get started. Luckily, there are several cheap, or often free, software applications available to get you started in recording, but the product will depend on the quality of your studio and the acoustics of your space. 

Make sure you invest in your studio early. You don’t want to build it in a way that doesn’t work like you wanted or doesn’t produce the results you were looking for. Get a solid laptop, a strong microphone, professional headphones, and decent monitor speakers. These things can always be improved later, but investing early will save you more money in the long run.