Now that it's becoming easier and easier to acquire quality recording equipment and software, almost any space can be turned into a recording studio. But while advanced production software and high-quality recording equipment can make recording quality amazing even in the privacy of your own home, there is still one key factor that will determine the sound of your home studio: the acoustic environment. Unless you're only mixing or producing music on your computer with headphones on all the time, the acoustic environment is definitely a major factor in the sound quality of a home recording studio.

If your recording starts off with harsh or dirty sounds, you're going to have a hard time making your sound better. It's even more of a make-or-break situation when it comes to mixing and mastering -- the acoustics of the room aren't good enough to contaminate the sounds that reach your ears. While there are no plug-ins, pedals, or processors that can change the physical laws of sound, you can improve the acoustics of your room with a plethora of acoustic processing products on the market.

It doesn't matter what space you're in, it always helps to have some acoustic treatment, but the type of acoustic treatment you need depends on your space and the type of work you're doing. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there about acoustic processing, which leads to a lot of confusion about how to use acoustic processing effectively. So before you start collecting egg cartons, putting rugs in your closet, or even putting foam cubes on your walls, read this article.

What is this recording space for?

The work you do in this home studio will directly determine the acoustic treatment that needs to be used and the degree needed to achieve the best results. For example, if all you need to do is record your own vocals, you might just need a microphone screen for isolation. In the vast majority of cases, though, it's definitely worth investing a little time, money and effort to create an environment where the acoustics are fantastic.

If you are recording soft acoustic instruments, you may want to record a "dry" sound without too much reflection to achieve a concentrated, firming effect. If you are a drummer, you may prefer a tight dry sound, or a bright, lively one, depending on your playing style. And if you're recording an instrument with a lot of low frequencies, like a bass or a piano, you'll want to avoid a muddy sound. If you're recording an entire band, you might want to keep each instrument as separate as possible to avoid cross-talk between microphones.

Different types of acoustic processing

Sound-absorbing means absorbing sound waves to prevent further reflection. Any soft material, like foam or cloth, can absorb sound by capturing and dissipating sound energy -- and in fact, you probably already have some sound-absorbing objects in your room: your sofa, your carpet, your wall hangings, etc. The sound absorption material on the market is very rich, and the effect of sound absorption and the price is basically proportional. Simple foam blocks are the mainstream, cheaper option, but only attenuates the high frequencies. The slightly higher price of the sound absorption board is made of glass fiber, attenuation effect is also very good at low frequency, of course, also depends on the thickness of the sound absorption board.

Sound diffusion, which is the opposite of sound absorption. Unlike sound absorption, acoustic diffusion spreads sound waves in different directions, creating more random reverberation. There is also a wide variety of acoustic diffusion materials, ranging from simple uneven surfaces to complex devices designed with mathematical calculations. Basically, soft, curved surfaces radially diffuse sound; Complex products, however, use mathematical algorithms to maximize the spread of sound. A typical example is the two-dimensional diffuser, which is made up of "Wells" of different depths for different frequencies. The Sky Diffuser is a similar device that arranges square pieces in a grid pattern, so named because it looks particularly like a city skyline.

The bass trap, whose main function is to reduce resonance in the low frequency part of the spectrum. If you want to control low frequencies, you have to have enough mass, so generally speaking, bass traps are very large and bulky. There are two main types of bass traps: wide-band and tuned. The broadband bass trap is simply a thickened absorbing material that can absorb low frequencies over a wide range (absorption capacity is proportional to thickness); Tuned low-frequency traps, on the other hand, absorb sound at a specific frequency by converting sound energy into mechanical energy after resonating at a certain pitch. Usually cylindrical in shape, their internal column of air determines their sound-absorbing effect.

How to use acoustic processing effectively

Acoustically treating a room isn't as simple as hanging up a sound-absorbing board or placing a bass trap anywhere. In general, a room with excessive reverberation will require sound-absorbing materials, a room with a flutter echo will require diffusers, and a room with uneven low frequency response will require a bass trap. But there's a lot more to it than that -- so in order to figure out how to get the best sound in your studio, you have to understand how each of the different acoustic treatment types can be used effectively to achieve the desired results.

Sound absorbing materials can be used on walls for general sound insulation or to eliminate reflections in a particular location. This particular position is called the "non-reflective zone sound position." The easiest way to create this "no-reflection zone" is to sit where you are listening and have someone move a mirror along the wall directly opposite the listening speaker. This allows you to sit in the listening position and see where the speaker paper basin is, which is the best place to place the sound absorber. In some studios, a "cloud absorber" is even hung directly above the listening position to avoid reflecting sound from the ceiling.

If you like to record drums or other acoustic instruments in an environment that keeps the sound alive, diffusers are the best choice. A few diffusers placed in the right place will not eliminate reverberation, and can even make your room more reverberant. There's no better way to turn a boxy, acoustically poor room into the perfect drum studio for high-energy rock or pop. The diffuser can also be placed on the wall behind the monitoring position, which can successfully disperse the direct reflection sound between the speaker and the wall.

A bass trap can be played in almost any room, as almost all rooms suffer from low frequency anomalies, which can result in a very cloudy, unbalanced sound. Because the directivity of low frequencies is much lower than that of high frequencies, low frequency traps do not need to find a precise, suitable location. However, bass also tends to cluster in the corners of the room, which makes it a good place to place bass traps. The broadband bass trap is an effective, versatile solution for a wide variety of rooms where unevenness occurs. But if your room is acoustically sound overall, one or two harmonic bass traps in particular problem areas may be enough.

In most cases, a room's acoustic treatment requires a combination of sound absorption, sound diffusion, and bass traps to achieve the best acoustics. The key thing to remember is that every room is different, and every different situation requires a unique acoustic treatment. If you know what your goal is, you can first identify specific problems with the acoustic environment of your room and analyze how to solve these problems through acoustic treatment, so that no matter what kind of room you are in, you will have a very good acoustic effect!