Soundproofing Tips for Your Home Studio

Any VO actor with a home studio knows how vital it is to ensure it is well insulated and absolutely free of ambient sound. They also know how challenging it can be to accomplish this. Use the acoustic treatment tips below to help you achieve a quiet, professional home studio that will help you deliver the highest quality product possible.

●     Don’t put your speakers on your desk or a shelf. Doing this will expose them to vibrations, and thus, noise. Instead, suspend them from the ceiling or mount them to spiked stands which will keep them firmly in place and free from sound vibrations. Or use foam pads specially made to absorb vibration available from your favorite sound or equipment source. 

●     Make sure any cracks or gaps are sealed. Electrical outlets, pipes, AC fittings, etc. are common places where ambient sound can leak through and find its way onto your recordings. Doors and windows can spell trouble too, so invest in a door sweep and some acoustical caulk to help minimize leakage in these spaces. Be careful of air vents and the sound of gushing air flow. Hopefully, you have invested in a quiet HVAC system to handle the vibration and/or noise problem at the source.

●     Darken the room and look to see if light is coming in anywhere. If it is, so is sound. Fill these gaps as necessary to make your space quieter.

●     Install bass traps in the corners of the room to absorb unwanted "boominess" within the room.

●     Add mass to the walls if possible. This can be done by adding studs and sheetrock on top of the existing wall, and using a high quality insulation in the space between. If this isn’t possible, hang tapestries or heavy curtains to create additional mass.

●     Address any floor issues. Hardwood, concrete or tile floors are bad. Ideally, your space will be carpeted to absorb the most sound, but adding extra rugs can also improve the acoustics in your studio.

These are just a few of the tips I’ve picked up along the way that have helped me improve my home studio. What are some of yours? If you come to a difficult area to soundproof or are just not getting the sound you want from your room, then bring in a professional to set it up for you. It's certainly worth the extra expense... you can set it and forget it!