Perfecting Soundscapes: The Four Essential Principles of Recording Studio Design
If you’re looking to create a recording studio to help you get the very best quality final product, then you need to think carefully about the sound design of the space. Depending on who you ask, you might have a range of different answers as to how many key principles of sound design to follow, but here, we’re going to look at four that anyone in the business of studio design will agree with.
Four Essential Principles of Recording Studio Design:
The Right Dimensions
The very size and physical properties of the space you’re recording in will make a big difference in how the final product sounds. You want to ensure that you select a room with good dimensions to diminish the noise and issues that can be more easily heard in lower frequencies if the space is too small or too cavernous.
High-frequency and Room Surfaces
How sound reflects around the room, and how it’s picked up by the mics is going to have a big impact on the high-frequency end of any track that you record. In particular, you want to make sure that there are no specific surface areas that reflect too much sound. Walls and ceilings that have been treated with acoustic tiles or other fittings can reduce reverberation andreduce the overall impact of room distortions on the track that you’re listening to.
Managing Your Surfaces to Match Your Instruments
The space you’re recording in needs to suit the needs of the instruments you’re working with. As such, different spaces are going to work for different setups. Multiple rooms to record multiple instruments might be the best in some situations. For most instruments, the best acoustics can be obtained from hardwood or tile floors. Drum kits, on the other hand, can benefit from using a carpet to prevent unnecessary low-frequency noise. If you’re recording these instruments in a space together, you might want to look at using a rug area for the drums.
Isolation and Noise Treatment
Of course, you want everything being recorded in the studio to be as isolated as possible. Any noise that can come from outside of the studio is going to impact the track that you’re recording. Acoustics is all about managing the sound inside the studio, but you want to make sure that your space is sealed from any external noise as well. If it’s not, then your recording process can be interrupted by sounds from all sources, making it not fit for a serious recording environment at all.
Choose a Recording Studio in Santa Monica That Ticks These Boxes
Choosing the best recording studio to meet your needs is vital, and while sound design is only one component of what makes a great recording studio, it’s an important one. At lmnl studios, we aim to make it a lot easier to tick all your boxes with our full-scale recording studios.
