How to Soundproof a Room for a Studio

Diagram: How to Position the Microphone and Mattresses

This article will explain briefly how to soundproof a room for a studio. If you are trying to create a studio at home this is probably the first task you will need to accomplish.

(I have used the following methods to record numerous songs in my own home recording studio)

Things You'll Need

• (optional) Enough egg cartons and/or foam cup holders (as from a fast food restaurant like Wendy's)
• Two mattresses
• A couple of blankets

Instructions

1. I created my studio in my small bedroom. I was impressed by the sound quality that I was getting out of my room. The first and probably the most important job that needed to be done was soundproofing the room. I understood that it is impossible to get a complete dead sound in even the most expensive recording studios, but I did find a way to minimize much of the noise in my room and keep my condensor microphone from picking up so much of the room's ambiance.

   ***Step #1 is to decide what method of soundproofing you want to use. You can either use egg cartons/cup holders to soundproof or keep it simple and use two mattresses as a soundproof vocal booth. You can even do both, it's up to you. If you decide to only use the cup holder method, simple staple or tape the cup holders to the wall. Stapling will be easier and the egg cartons/cup holders will be more stable. You will need enough egg cartons/cup holders to cover your entire room.

2. I tried using cup holders first. I had to take them down because my mother got upset because I had them taped to the walls of my room. The cup holders covered up all of the walls and I had closed drapes over my windows. When I played back my first recording after placing the cup holders on the wall, I noticed that my mic was still receiving a small amount of the room's ambiance. I decided to try using my mattresses as a sound booth.

   ***Step #2 is grab two mattresses and place them around your microphone along the corner of a wall in the room.

3. The mattresses absorb sound very well. They will also shield the microphone from a lot of noise coming from machines in the room like the computer. When a vocalist is performing into the microphone within the mattress booth, the mattresses will absorb the sound of their voice and prevent it from returning back into the mic. When you record in the open (without some form of soundproof), you may notice a chorus like effect of the vocals when you play them back. This effect is caused by sound bouncing off of the walls and then going into the mic. So you have the vocals coming from the performer traveling into the mic and an echo coming from the walls that produces this effect. We want to prevent this from happening and we do this by using the mattresses sponge. (Egg Cartons and Cup Holders don't absorb as much sound as mattresses do but if you do not have two mattresses this may be your only option at the time.)

   ***Step #3 is position the microphone between the mattresses and wall. Use the diagram to help you. (NOTE: The microphone should be facing away from the microphones toward the walls. The vocalist should be facing the mattresses during recording to receive the best results.)

Tips & Warnings

• If you have wooden floors or tile, cover up your entire floor with a few blankets.