Home Recording Studio Soundproofing

Many keen musicians set up recording studios within their own home to practice and record music at their convenience. Getting the acoustics right is fundamental in achieving a good recording environment and ensuring that any noise created does not cause a nuisance to neighbours. We must consider room acoustics, the control of echo and reverberation within the rooms using recording studio sound absorption products, and building acoustics, the control of sound transmission into adjacent rooms or buildings using recording studio soundproofing products.

The goal is create an environment conducive to creativity, a space pleasant to be in for musicians, that allows for a great recording, and that is acoustically “separate” from the areas around it. A tall order in most cases!

Is it possible to have a home recording studio and not disturb the neighbours?

Unfortunately a heavy metal band recording at 3am with the amps turned up to 11 will cause the neighbours to be disturbed in most cases, no matter what soundproofing products are used within the home recording studio.  Ideally it is recommend to situate the studio away from any noise sensitive areas such as bedrooms.  Basements are ideal as adjacent spaces are usually used for storage and are not, generally speaking, ‘living spaces’.

The design approach of choice for studio designers is to create a “room within a room.”  This involves using acoustic isolation products such as resilient bars or independently fixed studwork, in the case of walls, to decouple the linings of the room from their surroundings.  All doors and windows within the walls will require acoustic treatments.

The overall level of soundproofing that is achievable will depend on a number of factors such as what the existing fabric of the building is, the lengths that you are prepared to go to, the all important budget, and the sensitivity of the neighbours.

 

Sound Reduction Systems Ltd. (SRS) have a number of high performance soundproofing and sound absorption products that have been used with great success within home recording studios.  The star of the show is Maxiboard, a 17mm thick, 24kg/m², composite building board suitable for use on walls and ceilings for soundproofing purposes.  Maxiboard offers unparalleled sound insulation performance, especially at low frequency, compared with other building boards on the market. Maxiboard can be used to vastly reduce the breakout of noise from the studio and noise ingress into the studio from external noise sources.  Maxiboard has recently been extensively used within Wendyhouse Productions’ new recording Studios in Shepherds Bush, London to treat the walls and ceilings.  Full details can be viewed by accessing our blog here: Sound Insulation for the Stars. Maxiboard was chosen for its high low frequency sound insulation performance and because the use of Maxiboard minimizes the loss of room space compared with traditional building materials.

 

 

SRS Sonata panels are recommended for use on the walls to reduce unwanted echoes and reverberation. These high performance studio sound absorption panels are fabric wrapped and are available in a wide variety of finishes and colours.  Further details on Sonata will be available soon.