If you're a singer, a streamer, a podcaster, a rapper, or someone else that often records from home, you know how difficult it can be to block out unwanted sounds from your environment.
Your mic quality makes up about 20% (as long as you are in a good range of brands), the atmosphere of your studio makes up about 30%, while the vocalists' approach and the recording levels make up the last 30 percent.
Your home studio likely needs products that will help absorb the sound from the outside as well as absorb and reduce the sound bouncing around the walls of your recording room.
Thankfully, you can add several different additions to your studio to get high-quality sound!
Blankets and curtains designed to absorb the sound in the room provide an effective way of soundproofing your home studio if you find that a lot of noise from the outside or other areas of your house is seeping in.
Along with acoustic panels, they prove to be quite affordable when you compare them to how much a completely professional studio's soundproofing and acoustic treatments can cost, which can easily be over $5,000.
Many products will tell you how much absorption you can expect by the decibel.
A rug may be a good addition to your studio if you find that there is too much echo in the room you are attempting to use for your home studio.
The style of the area rug will affect how much sound is being absorbed.
You will find that the sound absorption is minimal when you use thin rugs, while thicker shag rugs will be more effective if you notice a ton of sound bouncing around in the room. Playing around with different fabrics may also help you get your desired sound.
Related Post: Should You Put A Rug Under Your Piano?
Certain chairs that take up a large amount of space will also make a great choice if you are looking to deaden the sound in a room you intend to use for a recording studio.
You don't want to go overboard and fill the studio with tons of sofas and plush items, but it helps again if you are in a spot that has an annoying echo.
Acoustic panels can help improve the sound quality of your home studio if you know how to use them correctly.
Panels help the sound deflection that bounces off the walls from your voice and instruments and speakers if you’re mixing in your home studio.
Panels aren’t the main way to reduce outside noise, but they help get rid of the echo in a room that may be picked up by your mic.
You can get a good amount of panels for under $100 to cover your studio. Many can be found on sites like Amazon and Sweetwater.
When shopping online, go for the panels that have the closest to a 5-star rating that you can find. Some panels sold online are a bit lower quality, and thankfully, other purchasers will tell you that in the reviews section.
The isolation shield used in an affordable home studio is meant to mimic a studio booth and keep unwanted sounds from being picked up by your microphone.
While it is ideal for getting a rather expensive booth once you can afford to, a shield can effectively remove some of the noise that can come from windows, fans, and AC units.
It’s crucial to try and lessen these noises for the quality of your recordings, in addition to getting an isolation shield.
These don’t cost much more than $100 bucks. There are several options available on Amazon for quality shields, so check their selection out!
Pop filters are designed to lessen noises from pops, wind, and clicks that come from our voices in studio settings. They are most commonly made with foam and/or nylon mesh material and placed in front of a mic to filter out plosives.
While pop filters do great for lessening the sound of plosives, they are not designed to block out background noise in general, especially if you're using an omnidirectional mic.
If you need to reduce background noise that is coming into the room, consider soundproofing tools like window seal strips and door stoppers that can help with noise coming from outside and other places in the house.
Also, be sure that your mic isn't picking up your AC/Heat and fans, which can be a huge source of background noise.
This is an option that is the advanced version of getting an isolation shield for your home studio. Why not get an entire booth instead of a shield?!
If you're a big baller who can blow half a stack on a really good isolation shield, consider a shield/booth like the Snap Studio Ultimate Vocal Booth.
With this shield, you can get full coverage and isolation for your recordings and still move this around with you and not be limited to one location.
Why so pricey, you may ask? Because sound quality matters!
Far too often, DIY artists and musicians are hurting their audio quality by recording in spaces with audible air conditioning, footsteps, voices in the other rooms, and even loud weather in the background!
Related Post: Home Music Studio Ideas - Ways To Affordably Get High-Quality Sound
As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
If you are in need of singer, songwriter or song producer services, see what Yona Marie can offer you on her services page.
