Turning a spare room into a home cinema or a music studio is a fun and interesting project to take on, especially if you’re a film buff or a music junkie. However, you can’t just set up your equipment and hope for the best. Regardless of how much money you’ll throw away on high-quality speakers or recording equipment, it won’t matter much if you haven’t optimized the acoustics in your room.
Here’s what you can do to make sure you’re getting the best sound out of your home cinema or music studio:
Install sound-proof flooring
Carpet is the best option when designing a sound-proof room, but if it’s too expensive for you, you can always go with mass-loaded vinyl flooring or acoustic floor tiles. You can also add acoustic underlayment or sound-absorbing insulation for extra protection. You don’t need to cover the entire floor space if you’re on a strict budget. Consider placing rubber matting or a large rug on the most reflective areas instead.
Select the best room
This option is only if you have the privilege of being able to choose between multiple rooms to turn into your music studio or home cinema. Sometimes, you have to just make do with whatever room is available. If you’re able to, opt for a room with sloping ceilings and non-reflective walls. Stay away from a room that’s close to busy public streets and avoid large windows.
Cover your windows
Windows let in a lot of excess noise pollution, especially if you live in a densely populated area. Unless you’ve installed soundproof windows, you’re bound to hear the voices of people talking, loud music blasting, or deafening construction work through them. Ideally, you should go for a room with as few windows as you can find. If that’s not possible, then you’ll have to either replace them with soundproof windows or cover them up. You can do this with thick, heavyset curtains. You could also line the glass with carpets or sound-absorbing insulation and padding.
Install acoustic treatments
There are plenty of different acoustic treatments that can isolate and reduce specific sound frequencies. Sound absorbers are various shaped pieces of wool or foam placed on walls and other areas of a room to muffle higher frequencies. Bass trappings are often made out of fiberglass insulation or fiber wool. They’re placed on the corners of the room to remove low-end frequencies. Lastly, diffusers are usually pieces of wood and plastic that are able to minimize echoes in a room, providing you with the clearest and cleanest sound possible.
Check your position
Reduce any further sound reflection by optimizing the position of your equipment. Speakers should be placed flat on your wall or at least 70 cm to 90 cm away from each other if you have two-way speakers. Make sure they’re placed on the same surface, with equal spacing and placement. If you place them on a shelf or a stand, don’t forget to put insulation on that as well to reduce sound vibration and reflection.
Keeping these handy and helpful tips in mind will guarantee that you’ll get the best possible sound out of your room, regardless of what you’ll be using it for.
