Blog provided by The Foam Factory
The acoustics of a room can greatly change the character of the sound inside it. In a music studio with the best and most responsive microphones, you’ll be able to hear the unique echoes and reverberations of the room when playing back your recordings. This has the potential to enhance or worsen the quality of your recorded songs. For this reason, you have to maintain the right balance between absorbing sound and letting it freely move inside your studio.
If your room has many hard, reflective surfaces, its echoes may be too long, loud, and distorted. You’ll want to change the character of sound waves in the room by installing sound proofing foam or acoustic foam. Acoustic foam does not eliminate sound in a room completely, but it dampens sound by converting sound wave energy into heat and creating a wall surface that is harder for sound waves to reflect off.
These properties are useful for recording studios, because you may not want a completely dead room for your recordings. A little bit of resonance is usually more exciting and pleasing to the ear than a room that is too muted. For this reason, you also have to be careful not to use too much acoustic foam. It’s important to know where to place acoustic foam panels and how many panels or dampeners to use for the sound to come out just right. You might have to experiment or talk to someone with recording studio experience to understand how to install acoustic foam the right way, but it’s worth getting it right before you start recording.
It might also be worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the different types of acoustic foam products and their purposes. In addition to the standard soundproof foam panels, there are also accessories such as bass and broadband absorbers for room corners where bass vibrations are too strong. These extra foam tools can help address specific acoustic issues in a room so that vibrations only exist where you want them.
If you’re ready to get started with soundproofing your studio, make sure to browse through The Foam Factory’s collection of acoustic foam products, including panels, absorbers, soundproof ceiling tiles, and monitor isolation wedges. If you have any questions about how to use their acoustic foam, contact their helpful staff for suggestions and recommendations.