By Dajaun Martineau
BUILDING YOUR OWN HOME STUDIO
THE GEAR , DIY TRICKS , AND OVERLOOKED THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN TOP-NOTCH RECORDING SPACE
PHOTO : CHUMAN TANO
The
world of professional sound recording has decidedly changed . An industry that was once dominated by large-format , multi-milliondollar facilities has been usurped by bedrooms , offices , and garages worldwide . From Billboard hits to feature films , soundtracks are being worked on by composers , engineers , and producers in their homes . Remote collaboration is quickly coming to the forefront , and the technology improves workflows daily . Not so long ago , home studios were a laughable idea that summoned images of egg cartons stapled to the wall of your parents ’ basement ( yes , I once bothered a local restaurant for their finest square egg cartons ). Twenty years later , I picked up a few techniques after working as a senior staff engineer at the largest studio in Canada . I implemented those tricks in my home studio that I ’ ve been working exclusively out of for five years . So , what does it take to make a functioning and profitable home studio ?
ACOUSTIC TREATMENTS Let ’ s start with the most important thing that I think gets overlooked . Not because people aren ’ t aware of it , but because they believe it has to be an expensive endeavor that only significant companies or wealthy individuals can pursue : room design and proper treatment . The first thing is to accept that no matter how hard you try ; your room will still have problems . While working at the old Phase One Studios in Toronto , two of our multi-million-dollar rooms had many issues left unresolved . Even with the sonic imperfections , all of the engineers who worked in those studios regularly knew what the deficiencies were and , in being aware , were able to compensate . When designing your room , remember that perfection is impossible , but as long as you ’ re aware of the issues , you can work around them .
There are a lot of excellent prefabricated options for room treatments . One of the most popular brands is Primacoustic . They sell packaged sets for walls and clouds that are incredibly easy to install and will get you up and running in an afternoon . The biggest downside with the prefabricated panels is that they ’ re not specifically designed for your room , so while they will help , they ’ ll only ever go so far and look so good . Cost-wise , I find they ’ re about the exact cost as the materials for building your own . That is why , even though I ’ m almost always a supporter of purchasing products designed and built by professionals , I think proper treatment is the one exception . Building your own treatments can be quite simple if you ’ re a little handy .
When treating a home studio , I focus on two main areas first : the back wall and the ceiling , and then slowly build out from there . Conceptually , it helps to picture every flat hard surface as a mirror . You can easily imagine sound waves bouncing off these surfaces to visualize where problems might arise . The floor and ceiling are the two most prominent flat surfaces in any space . Floors are tricky because you can ’ t do much to them , so throw down a thick carpet and don ’ t give it a second thought . The ceiling , however , is a great place to do some treatment because not much else will be occupying that space .
Adding any soft material to absorb sound waves and prevent them from reflecting will help control reflections from the ceiling . The thicker the material , the more frequencies will be absorbed . High frequencies are short in length and will be absorbed by thin materials ; lower frequencies are very long and can take up to 17 meters to complete a cycle , so removing some lower frequencies with just paneling will be impossible . Simple sound absorption panels can be made easily from products found at your local hardware store . Most absorption panels are just a piece of insulation wrapped in some fabric to conceal the appearance . When shopping for insulation , look for the products with the best soundproof rating ; labels should
26 PROFESSIONAL SOUND