How can you get good acoustics in your home recording studio?

Answer 1

well there's several ways to go about doing this, and of course money is gonna be required, the more u can pay, the better the equipment USUALLY is.

First off you can do it Analog or Digital, Digital is more common these days and easier to work with i think. If you want to use a computer you can download a multitrack recording and editing program such as Cool Edit Pro or whatever else you can find. You can download demos of different programs and find one that you like best off of Kazaa or Limewire.

Depending on what kind of computer you got or soundcard, you may want to invest in a new soundcard like a Delta 1010LT off of musiciansfriend.com or you could buy an external device like a Firewire input. From here if you only want to use one mic, you can just go right through there. But if you want to mic several instruments or whatever, and adjust their volumes, then i'd get a mixer. They come with different numbers of channels depending on how much you want to spend or how many mics your going to use simultaneously.

The setup I use works pretty good, I have the Delta 1010LT installed in the back of my computer and I have a Peavey PV-14 mixer connected to it. I use cool edit pro for my recording program.

As far as microphones go, you needa know the difference between condenser microphones and Dynamic microphones. Dynamic microphones are usually cheaper, simpler and easier. But they may not sound as good for you. They use a diaphragm that requires no power to pick up the audio signal. Condenser microphones require phantom power, if you are gonna buy a mixer and use condenser microphones with it, make sure the mixer can produce the phantom power required by the microphone. Condenser microphones also have a front, unlike the dynamics, and pick up the audio best on that part. Make sure u get mics that can pick up the highs or lows of the instrument they'll be used on. As far as micing positions go....there are infinite ways to do them. Experiment till ya get what ya like, most people don't put them right in front of the speaker but off to the side a little bit.

Yea theres a lot more stuff to cover, but should be a sufficient summary to help ya get started.

Answer 2

Well you will need a computer. Than you will need (recomended) some software/DAW than you will need a interface that suites your pref. And of course Mic's of many kinds its all up to you. And of course instruments

Answer 3

Study acoustics and learn the principles of sound so that you can understand how sound waves work. This is the best way to understand how sound works with your environment.

A lot of people start their recordings in a garage because of the space. A garage is horrible for sound. Rooms with square walls (which probably at least 99% of homes have) are not good. Reflected noise will bounce all over the place causing a lot of echoes. When those walls are hard like drywall with nothing on them to break up the sound, you will keep getting those problems. Garages are bad because they typically have nothing on the walls, the walls are squared, and the concrete floor.

To decide where you should record I recommend clapping in each room. Go out to a garage or big open room and clap. Listen to how long the sound lasts. Then go to a smaller room with stuff everywhere like a bedroom and do the same thing. You will notice that the sound doesn't echo as long. This is good. Now go to a closet and do the same thing and the excess noise should be almost gone.

For vocals, use a closet. A walk-in closet with clothes on each side is great for home recording. Small spaces like that will help to sooth out the excess noise.

Pay close attention to whats going on in the house. The noise floor in a house is fairly high. Room noise will include anything from a/c running, tv's in other rooms, washers, sinks, fans, traffic outside, etc. All of these can make low end rumble in your recordings. If you live in an apartment building you will have all of your noise as well as other peoples noise. Turn everything that you can off and select when you record wisely to help get rid of some of that noise. You probably wont get all of it, but any little bit can help.

Answer 4

There really isn't a typical standard of how a studio should be arranged. Usually the layout of a studio is determined by the shape of the building and the budget of the studio owner.

Ideally these are things that most studios will have and how they will be arranged. You first need a live room. This is usually a big open room (typically with walls that are not squared off) big enough for a band, or chior or whatever to set up and play. Generally you would have a large window looking from the studio into the control room. The control room will have all of your consoles and processing gear. Essentially that right there is a basic set-up. For better quality you would want an isolation booth as well. An iso booth will give vocals a good clear recording (assuming the room is sound treated and all of that). Generally you would like to have a window from there to the control room as well.

Those are the essential 3 rooms. You would probably want a separate room for your computers and things like that so you don't have unwanted noise in the control room. You want your control room to be somewhat large. You want to be able to have room for the sound to fully develop from the speakers so you have a true interperetation of the sound rather than a distorted one. Also, it's nice to have a couch or some other type of lounge gear in there for hosting bands or larger groups comfortably. Also you probably want a decent lobby area and an office area. A lobby area is good to host artists in between sessions. A refrigerator is usually a good investment in your lobby as well as a couch or two and tv. A lot of long sessions with bands can lead into people wanting to get out of the control room and turn on a game or something.

Like I said, there isn't anything set in stone. As long as it all works acoustically, the final product is what matters. Most studios you go to will be entirely different in how they are laid out. Most will have the essential 3 rooms I mentioned, but if you look at a huge studio like Oceanway and compare it to some small, low-budget studio there will be a lot of differences you will find.

Answer 5

Check out this website for a very detailed description of one of several ways to set up an at home recording studio, www.composingmusic.webs.com