Improve Your Home Studio Acoustics: A Step-By-Step Guide

For many DJs and music producers, optimising acoustics in a home studio is a challenge. 

Determining the quality of the acoustics in your home studio space is the first step to take in creating a professional-sounding space. 

How can you do that?

Start off with the simple and yet effective clap test. To do it, you will need to make sure that there are no other noises (such as car horns or TVs). 

Stand in the center of your home studio and clap your hands. 

Then listen carefully to the sound reflections. If you can detect any distinct echoes or “boxy” like acoustics, it is likely that your room will need some acoustic treatment. 

Of course, if you have the means to do so, there are more precise acoustic assessment methods, such as using room analysis software and a reference microphone to measure the frequency response in the space. Modern technology can even help identify problematic frequencies and provide specific areas of focus for improving acoustics.

However, if you are just getting started, the clap test is a good initial step. Now that you have assessed your soon-to-be home studio, how do you go about improving the acoustics?

How to Improve Home Studio Acoustics

1. Assess your room

While not always possible, it is best of course to select the quietest room of the house for use as your studio. But even if this is not always possible, there are still ways to make the best of a sub-optimal situation.

The first thing you need to do is assess your room from top to bottom. Look at the room’s size, ceiling height, and shape to determine what sort of acoustic buffers and strategies will be most suitable. 

2. Consider bass traps

Bass traps are handy foam panels designed to sit in the corner of your home studio or room and control the buildup of low frequencies. 

3. Use acoustic panels

Acoustic panels, like bass traps, are designed to help control acoustic reflections from above and/or off your walls. The better you are able to locate reflection points, the more effective your placement of acoustic panels will be.

Fortunately, panels are an affordable and easy solution to help turn your home studio into a professional sounding one.

4. Add a diffuser

Incorporating diffusers in your studio will help to scatter the sound waves and thereby create a more natural-sounding space. Place them on the wall behind your listening position for best effect.

5. Consider your speaker placement

Positioning your speakers and monitors in the right formation can make an extraordinary difference to the acoustics of a home studio. They should form an equilateral triangle with your listening position and the tweeters should be at the same height level as your ears.

6. Create a ‘vocal booth’

Vocal booths are ideal for recording studios as they can be easily insulated and covered with absorptive materials. In a home environment, a walk-in cupboard can provide the right sort of enclosed space to keep the acoustics at optimal levels. However, for many people this is not an option. The next best thing is to use a pop filter or similar acoustics accessory to help create a ‘mini booth’ around your recording device, such as a microphone.

7. Invest in headphones

Do not underestimate how impactful investing in a good set of quality headphones is. It can be critical to listening to both the quality of your mixes and music and detecting the effectiveness of your other acoustics proofing for your home studio.

8. Continually assess your home studio acoustics

For better or worse, acoustic treatment is an ongoing process. As you change equipment or alter your studio layout, it is important that you regularly reassess and adjust your acoustic treatments so that you can effectively maintain optimal sound quality.

9. Follow these acoustic tricks

To help you best improve your home studio acoustics, we’ve summarised the best tricks and strategies: 

• Measure your room BEFORE ordering any acoustic treatment accessories
• Do NOT overdo the absorption as it can make the room sound ‘dead’
• Focus on bass frequencies in acoustic treatment
• Carefully consider where and how you place your acoustic panels and bass traps
• Focus on corners of the room and surfaces that could cause the sound to echo
• Don’t forget to consider the ceiling and use appropriate material for the sound absorption
• Aesthetically pleasing acoustic products are great, but prioritise functionality
• Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach as every room is different
• Look out for doors, windows, vents and gaps which can impact the acoustics quality
• Consider your speaker and furniture placement carefully
• Don’t fall in the trap that more acoustic treatment or more accessories is always better

Build Your Home Studio with DJ City

DJ City is not just one of the largest online stockists of all things DJ and music equipment. We are also staffed by team members with a passion for and experience in music production.

That’s why we are best positioned to help you optimise your home studio acoustics. From headphones to bass traps, and acoustic panels to vocal booths, we have everything you need – and at market-leading prices.

So, whether you’re ready to invest in some quality acoustic treatment products, or need a bit of assistance with how to improve the acoustics in your home studio, reach out to the DJ City team today.