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55,000 Products
UK Team in London
Mega Store in Cologne
Money Back
30 Day Return Policy
The natural room sound picked up by your microphones plays a decisive role in every recording. Yet in many home studios, this aspect is still underestimated. Even small, well-planned changes to the acoustic treatment can make a clearly audible difference and noticeably improve the quality of your productions.
Acoustic elements are often confused with soundproofing, but they serve very different purposes. Soundproofing is about reducing the sound level leaving the room, for example during band rehearsals. Acoustic treatment focuses on optimising the sound inside the room, so playing, rehearsing and recording feel more controlled and enjoyable.
Many musicians know the scenario: the gear is set up, the band is ready – and as soon as the drums come in, the room becomes uncomfortably loud and messy. Bare, parallel walls massively reinforce reverberation. Improvised “solutions” such as egg cartons on the wall hardly have any effect; what really matters is reducing unwanted reflections and excessive reverb time in a targeted way.
Every room has its own acoustic signature. Legendary studios such as Abbey Road or Hansa Berlin owe much of their reputation to the sound of their rooms. Software manufacturers measure these spaces and create impulse responses to digitally recreate their acoustic character.
Walls, floor and ceiling always influence the final sound. An acoustic guitar will sound completely different in a timber-panelled room than in a heavily damped space with thick curtains. The amount of reverberation you want depends on the application: acoustic instruments often benefit from a more lively space, while spoken word usually calls for a dry, controlled environment.
The listening or recording position is just as important. Low frequencies tend to build up in the corners of the room. A measurement microphone in combination with suitable software helps to visualise such problems and tailor the treatment more precisely.
Heavy curtains absorb sound and well-stocked bookshelves help to scatter it. This can already improve the sound to some extent, but for a modern, professional result dedicated acoustic elements are the tools of choice: absorbers, bass traps and diffusers.
If the reverberation time in a room is too long, acoustic absorbers are the obvious first step. Broadband absorbers reduce reflections across a wide frequency range because sound energy is captured by the porous material and converted into heat. As a rule of thumb: the thicker the absorber, the lower the frequencies it can treat effectively.
Well-positioned absorbers can significantly shorten the reverb time – a very common problem in rehearsal rooms and compact studios.
Small rectangular rooms often suffer from too much low end, especially in the corners. Bass traps are placed precisely in these areas and can be stacked on top of each other to increase their effect. Thanks to their higher material density, they are very effective at taming low frequencies and tightening up the bass response.
Diffusers work differently to absorbers. Their job is not primarily to soak up sound, but to distribute it more evenly throughout the space. Their irregular surface breaks up incoming sound waves into many smaller components, reducing flutter echoes, standing waves and overly pronounced resonances.
The result is a more open, lively room sound without turning the space into an echo chamber. Diffusers are especially useful for acoustic instruments and for rooms that feel overly “dead” or dry. A fully loaded bookshelf can, in practice, behave very much like a natural diffuser.
Diffusers bring life to your room and help to prevent annoying echoes and resonances.
If you are new to acoustic treatment, it is wise to proceed step by step. In many cases, just a few well-placed absorbers or bass traps can deliver a clearly audible improvement. The optimal amount of treatment depends on the size, shape and purpose of the room – there is no single rule like “cover 50% of the wall area” that works everywhere.
For more demanding applications, such as a control room or professional studio, consulting an acoustics specialist can be worthwhile. In addition to absorbers, bass traps and diffusers, there are further solutions such as reflection screens that can significantly improve vocal recordings in challenging spaces.
Reflection screens like the MRS can noticeably enhance vocal and speech recordings even in acoustically problematic rooms.
A reflection filter surrounds the microphone on several sides and shields it from disturbing reflections and room sound. The result is a more direct, controlled signal – ideal for vocals, voice-over, podcasts and mobile recording in untreated or lively rooms.
A reflection filter can dramatically improve clarity and intelligibility of vocals in home and project studios.
When studio monitors sit directly on a desk or shelf, these surfaces can resonate and colour the sound. Speaker pads mechanically decouple the monitors from the surface, reducing unwanted vibrations and resonances.
Made from high-density foam, they often provide several tilt options so you can aim your speakers precisely at the listening position. It is a simple but highly effective upgrade for tighter bass and a more stable stereo image.
Speaker pads decouple your monitors from the desk and noticeably improve low-end accuracy and stereo definition.
