You see it on social media all the time. Pictures of recording gear in not-so-good recording spaces. Don't neglect one of the most critical elements of being able to record from home. The area you're recording in!
Unless you have a whisper room, no room in your house, apartment or condo will be perfect. A whisper room is a sound-proofed booth used to dampen ambient noise, but they are costly, so let's go over a few ideas on potential recording spaces and how to treat them.
Parallel wells in a room will often create unwanted sonic effects when recording, but it’s often impossible to find a room in your house that isn’t a rectangle or a square. So here's what you can do to offset the problem...
Once you have found your recording space, walk around and clap to see if you can hear the flutter echo. You’ll want to minimize this effect. You don't want muddy recordings! In my studio, I have several Auralex studio foam wedges. Several of them are in front of me, on the sides and behind me. There is no flutter echo in this room and my voiceovers sound dry and dead. This is what you want! You can also buy Fiberglass paneling to help dry up the sound.
If you’re looking for the most inexpensive option, Look no further than recording yourself underneath a couple of moving blankets set up between two mic stands or whatever else will support this. It doesn’t look pretty and wouldn’t be my first choice, but your room will be proficient enough if it's set up correctly.
It helps to have low ceilings and carpeting as well! Of course, carpet isn't necessarily soundproof, but thick carpeting will absorb airborne sound, reduce surface noise generation, and reduce impact sound transmission.
Treating your recording space can be fun but also daunting if you start overthinking everything. Instead, use the tips above and then book a session with a professional audio engineer to go over your audio. They will make experienced suggestions on how to make your home studio sound the best it can be. Jan Anderson is a coach on our UVT coaching staff and does an amazing home-studio setup session. For more information on setting up a session with him, get in touch with us today via the contact page of this website.