Home Studio Acoustics: Part 1

     We already know that home studios are not going away.  It is best to embrace this shift in the recording industry and figure out a way to make it work.  Many professionals criticize homes studios because they are often run by amateurs, and they don’t necessarily use the best equipment or have the best acoustics.  Recording and mixing music is all about the acoustics.  If the acoustics of the space are decent then low grade equipment can still be useful.  However, bad acoustics can make even the best equipment completely useless.  This two-part blog post will overview some effective ways to strengthen your room’s acoustics and give you a better mixing environment as a result.  In this first post we will go over some ways to treat the inside of your room.

     Let’s assume that for this post that you live in a space where knocking down the walls and building from scratch is not an option.  This is probably the most realistic scenario.  So what do you do?  Well, you have to treat the room in such a way that you eliminate reflections and room resonances.  However, sound isolation is also very important if you live in an apartment building and have neighbors.  Sound isolation techniques will be covered in the second post so let’s focus on reflections and resonances for now.  Small rooms are very tricky to deal with because they produce room modes within the audible frequency spectrum.  A room mode is the natural resonance frequency of a room dimension.  The equation is the speed of sound/wavelength.  The wavelength in this case is the dimension of the room.  So if our dimension is 19ft, then our resonance frequency is 1130/19=60Hz.  This means that we will have issues within the 60Hz area and some multiples.  

     These resonant frequencies will alter your perception of the mix and this can result in unbalanced mixes.  Reflections are another key component to small room acoustics.  Since the dimensions are shorter the reflected sound arrives at the listening position with strong amounts of energy. This too can alter the perception of the mix and cause phase issues.  So let’s talk about some effective ways to treat these issues.

     After figuring out the frequencies that are giving you trouble you can begin to pick out some acoustic treatments.  Companies like Primacoustics and Auralex provide some affordable consumer grade acoustic treatments that can get the job done.  Don’t just slap foam all over the walls though.  Place some absorption directly on the wall behind the speakers and at early reflection points to eliminate sound reflecting off the walls towards your ears.  Next, it is wise to pick out some diffusion to place on the wall behind the listening position.  This will help scatter the sound around the room so it does not create a standing wave.  A cost effective way to create diffusion is to use furniture elements like a book shelf filled with books.  The various depths and densities of each book create a great diffusion element with some absorption as well.  

     Everything I have discussed so far is great for mid to high frequencies, but we know that low frequencies are what’s giving us the most trouble.  Low frequencies like to hangout in corners so placing high density objects there can help absorb some low end.  The companies mentioned before also sell some corner bass traps to help with this problem, but it is not necessary to spend a lot of money.  You just have to understand basic acoustics and absorption properties.  Many people will say to place egg cartons on the wall for diffusion and absorption.  This is not a good technique.  Egg cartons do provide some absorption, but it is only in the high frequencies.  We know that small room suffer most from low frequency issues, so egg cartons aren’t the best solution.  

     This ends this installment of home studio acoustic basics.  Next post I will discuss sound isolation methods for your home space.  Future posts will revisit the acoustic treatment topic so stay tuned. 

-Jon          

Is Audio School The Best Choice?

In this post I am going to talk about whether or not audio school is the right path to take if you want to get into the audio industry. You will hear opinions praising both methods. I am going to approach those opinions unbiasley and let you decide which path is right for you. Then I'll give my opinion based on my own personal experiences.

Let's start with the School of Hard Knocks method. This method involves skipping formal audio school and diving into the industry head first. Many of the audio professionals from earlier generations did this method. They acquired an internship or mentorship and worked their way up from there. This is more of a learn as you go method. A lot of these professionals will argue that audio school doesn't teach you the real world experience that is needed in this industry. And that they just take your money and throw tests at you and don't teach you anything that you can't learn in the field as you go. While some of you may agree or disagree to this point, take that into consideration when deciding which path you want to take. Then there are those That favor audio programs and say learning as you go limits you to one area of the audio industry and that audio programs help to give a person a well rounded survey of the industry and allows the person to work in various fields of industry. So for example if you get an internship at a studio you are only learning what it takes to run and work a recording studio while all the other aspects of audio may not be learned, like live sound and all the science of sound.

Now for audio schools. Those in favor will say that audio schools help give students knowledge about a variety of jobs in the industry and allow the student to make better decisions. It also gives them a well rounded education and that extra knowledge may come in handy throughout their career. Almost any audio school professor will still say that an internship of some sort is needed to actually get your foot in the door. The school gives the student the tools to network and succeed but it is ultimately up to the student to do the leg work and make it happen. Then there are those that say going to an audio school is not needed and you can have the same level of success without it if you work hard enough. This may be true, but for some students they don't know what area they want to go in or how to do it so school provides them with knowledge and options to better make those decisions.

Now for my opinion. I personally think that both are important and it is possible to do well using both methods. It comes down to what area you what to go into and how much knowledge you care to have about the other aspects of the industry. If all you want to do is work in a recording studio and record bands then skip school and get an internship and learn that way. If you want to work in the science of sound like acoustics, then school is highly recommended although some have succeeded in this field without formal schooling. I went to school for two years and then got a mentorship at a recording studio. Through that I learned everything I needed to know about owning and operating a studio, but I wanted to know more about the industry and about the science of sound. So I went back to school to finish my degree. The school environment is a lot different than the intern environment. I mainly wanted to focus on the parts of audio I didn't know and the school helps me with that. It also opened my mind to parts of the audio industry I didn't know existed. Some of those are mentioned in my previous post. I think it's important for a person to be well rounded no matter what field you're going into. Knowing some physics and electronics helps alot when dealing with recording and mixing. Also completing school helps you be a better intern and employee. Knowing at least some of what it takes to mix and record is better than going in blind in my opinion. Real work experience is definitely needed and what you learn in school is rarely how it actually works in the real world, but the same principles can be applied. School let's you experiment and be creative so you can develop your own style and uniqueness that can be marketed to your benefit when searching for a job. I found that just learning how to record and mix wasn't enough for me, so I went back to school and haven't regretted it since. It is also important that if you do choose an audio school, you be active in the industry. Get out and network, shadow at recording sessions, do live sound for a local band. Do whatever you can to get some experience while at school. This will greatly help once you graduate as you will already have some real world experience and look more appealing to an employer. This will also help you apply the things you learn to the real world before you graduate and get you more real world ready.

So to sum up, there are two methods people can take when getting into the audio industry. I recommend schooling and then some sort of internship or mentorship. This gives you the tools you need to be successful and then a taste of real world experience to help get your foot in the door. I did mine in reverse. I did a mentorship and then went to school. I actually feel this is better because while I'm at school I can be working at the recording studio and freelancing. So based on what Ive said hopefully you can make a decision that best suits you.

-Jon