Soundproofing a Recording Studio

Acoustic Challenge

 Recording Studios are typically multi-room facilities that require maximum sound quality and minimum bleed from room to room.   For broadcast, voice-over, recording, mixing, editing or dubbing, the ability to acoustically isolate rooms and control reverberation times will play a critical role in the success of any studio.  

See Blogs

Soundproofing Treatment
 

To isolate one room's noise from the next, we refer you to the Walls and Ceiling sections of this Applications Guide where we outline the steps involved in treating these surfaces with our "density + disconnection" sound proofing formula.    Once the rooms are properly insulated from each other, then we attack the finished surfaces within the room to combat and absorb the unwanted sound reverberations inside each room.   These sound barrier, acoustical panel and ceiling tile products are featured in our Product Bin.

Acoustic Results

We can raise the STC values of a standard stud wall construction from an average of 38 to over 60 if your goal is to control the bleeding of noise through the common surfaces.   Once the rooms are properly isolated, the absorption coefficients within each room can trigger NRC values that will absorb up to 90% of your unwanted reverberation within each room, leaving clear crisp sounds and harmonic tones for ultimate recording purposes.  Simulated results for soundproofing a recording studio and recording studio design are simulated in our Sound Chamber.    Results will vary per treatment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Start Smart:     Good Decision Making Will Save You Money

Making good decisions will save you time and money.   Nothing is more costly or pocketbook-draining than to discover that the wrong product, the wrong treatment, or the mis-installation of your order forces you to start over,  accept inferior results, or suffer from buyer's remorse.

To help avoid missteps and protect your investment, NetWell Noise Control
offers its famous, safe, and secure email course called StartSmart.   It is filled with valuable insider tips on saving money with your soundproofing treatment.   This popular teaching tool is your guide to a successful
soundproofing outcome.   The eCourse is free, and enjoyed by more than
90% of all new customers.

Sign up today and check your email for StartSmart!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

I.    Room Isolation

Before the acoustic quality within the room can be addressed, steps should be taken to help secure and isolate each room within the studio from the next.    From control rooms to mixing rooms, voice-over booths to recording rooms, each room should be disconnected from the next structurally and lined with density to contain sound.    These treatments are outlined in the Walls section of this Applications Guide where we illustrate applications for new or existing builds.

Any common window treatments should be given careful thought.   A full vertical window should have a triple pane glass assembly, each pane of glass a different thickness to help attack a different frequency pitch of noise, and the panes should be separated by an argon gas fill.   The middle pane of glass should ideally be angled while the two outer panes are vertical.

We also recommend the use of track lighting in your studio rather than recessed lights.   Any recess lighting will create new flanking paths for noise to bleed in and out of your room.    Minimize the holes you need to cut into your surrounding walls and ceiling.

II.  Diffusion

Once each room is properly isolated, and before we address the need to absorb unwanted sound reflections within each of your rooms, we want to ensure that sounds produced for recording or broadcast purposes are scattered and dispersed evenly throughout your rooms.    Ideally, the walls within the studio are not built from three sets of parallel surfaces.   This will help scatter reflecting waves in multiple directions, eliminating "live" or "dead" spots in the room for better sound balance.   If your production rooms for recording are defined by straight, parallel surfaces, be sure to install a set of diffusion panels in addition your absorption panels.   This will help increase the rooms ability to evenly disperse the sound waves.   

III.  Absorption

Finally, in the efforts to produce the clearest and strongest quality sound possible, we complete the soundproofing efforts by cleaning out the background noise through the use of a set of absorption panels in the room.    There are a variety of products featured in our Product Bin that are all designed to capture unwanted sound reflections in the room.    If you are unsure as to your selection, we have streamlined the process through the use of our Studio Kits, where our most popular treatments come pre-packaged for you based on room dimensions.   As always, if you have questions or concerns, call our help desk at 1-800-638-9355.

All products mentioned here are listed in the Product Bin for Recording Studio treatments.