How to Soundproof a Studio

Mic test… Mic test… okay, when it comes to setting up a home recording studio for music production, podcasting, or other forms of audio work, one key consideration is soundproofing. Do you know how to soundproof a studio? Even if you have the most expensive recording equipment on the market, your audience will be able to identify if you recorded in an unsuitable atmosphere for dealing with sound.

Let us first differentiate these two, because the words soundproofing and acoustic treatment are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have different meanings! The technique of soundproofing involves preventing sound from entering and exiting a place. Controlling reverberations and echoes in order to improve sound quality within a room is referred to as acoustic treatment (more info about soundproofing and acoustic treatment on soundguys.com).

As we mentioned before, there are four main methods for soundproofing a room.

• The first is absorption, it’s about adding materials that absorb and trap sound waves.
• The second is damping, it is the process of removing vibrational energy from a structure before it accumulates and produces sound waves.
• The third one is decoupling, it is about creating a barrier between two structures that are in direct touch with one another to prevent sound transmission.
• Lastly, filling the gaps, it’s about filling air spaces in a structure to prevent sound waves from easily passing through.

The most basic soundproofing strategy is to increase the amount of material inside the room’s perimeter. This thickens and densifies your walls, making it more difficult for sound wave energy to vibrate them. Sound will either be reflected, absorbed into the mass, or both when it reaches a thick barrier. This essentially blocks sound from entering and exiting the room. Here are few things you should do in adding a mass.

• Use the sheet block and place it on the exterior of the wall, and cover it with a second (thinner) layer of drywall.
• Make a basic wall frame, connect it to the wall surface, attach it to existing studs, and paint it.

These foam panels are made to respond to sound in a regulated way, ensuring that you don’t wind up with an acoustically deadened space. They’re usually packaged with adhesive peeling for quick and easy installation on walls and ceilings. Invest in panels with a fiberglass core for the greatest results, since these have excellent sound absorption ratings and are quite durable, and easy to clean (read more about soundproofing materials on silencewiki.com)!

Green Glue (official website) is currently considered the most efficient damping material available in the market. Green Glue is sandwiched between two solid panels, such as drywall, plywood, or medium-density fiberboard (MDF), using two tubes per 48-foot sheet. You can simply establish a makeshift sound barrier for your studio by taping it to the floor, ceiling, walls, or even the door.

To increase soundproofing, you may also use regular caulk to cover minor cracks, gaps, and seams in and around the walls and windows. Some caulks are water-based or paintable, making them easier to clean and conceal if they don’t match your walls’ color.

When you don’t have the option of knocking down or rebuilding your walls to add insulation and soundproofing materials, this is a great alternative. It’s also useful for getting crisper instrumental sounds in isolated booths with separate microphones. Here’s how to get started with structural decoupling:

Remember those fantastic studio monitors you bought for your studio? Vibrations that you don’t want to be transmitted through surfaces are easily produced by them. Consider investing in isolation foam pads or a thick rug to lay behind your speakers. Isolation pads are also available for your drum set and other sound equipment that produces vibrations.

The advantage of adopting these is that it separates your structural layers, resulting in air gaps that prevent bass vibrations from going directly from the frame to the drywall and into your room, and vice versa.

This final step may appear to be a minor annoyance, but it is truly the cherry on top. If you neglect this step, you’ll undo all of your hard work and investment in your space. The good news is that it isn’t difficult, expensive, or time-consuming. All you want to do now is go back over your hard work and fill in any air spaces or gaps that have appeared.

Finally, seal the space between your door and the floor. Install a more professional-looking door sweep that instantly fills the gap with rubber or uses a long, horizontal pad that can simply be placed just below your door. Any thick door insert will suffice, but one that is dense enough to effectively block out noise is ideal.

As you can see, soundproofing in a studio needs some construction work, but there’s a bunch you can do without hiring a carpenter to limit the amount of sound that leaks into and out of a room.