A Musician's Guide to Optimizing Room Acoustics | WhisperRoom, Inc.™

A Musician’s Guide to Optimizing Room Acoustics

By: WhisperRoom™

December 30, 2021

A musician recording in their home studio

Optimizing a room for music is an essential part of the production process. Not every room will offer the same acoustic properties. And some rooms are downright terrible for certain musical applications. Would you want to record vocals in a gymnasium?

To ensure sound is reaching optimal quality, a musician needs to focus on the architectural acoustics of the room. Suppose, however, that you record and play in multiple areas. In that case, you will need to understand the acoustic forces at work in each location. 

Luckily, this process isn’t as daunting as it seems. From building design to in-room additions, here is a musician’s guide to optimizing room acoustics. 

The Importance of Designing a Building’s Architectural Acoustics

A room with optimized acoustics has several benefits. Tones are more rich and true; outside sounds are masked, and reverberation is kept low to ensure clear and quality transmission of sound.

Additionally, rooms with proper sound design help our brains. A room’s acoustics can affect and control many mental aspects. This includes influencing stress and concentration. As well, proper sound will keep our brains engaged in a task.


A musician must consider those factors along with the goals of their music, specifically, how it sounds on a recording or at a performance. By understanding the physics at work, any room can adjust to become acoustically sound.

Info graph about how sound travels.

Architectural Acoustic Techniques

Optimizing any room for sound starts with understanding its acoustic properties. An empty room will produce more reverberation than a furnished one. Outside noise pollution can also contaminate the room’s sound.

There are three basic techniques to maximize a room’s architectural acoustics: reverberation management, enhancing sound absorption, and ensuring sound insulation. Managing all three in concert will lead to the perfect acoustics.

Dealing With Reverberation

Often, poor sound quality comes from a room’s mismanaged reverberation. Rooms with few sound-absorbing surfaces will deal with a higher reverb. 

Likewise, the actual construction of the building can affect the acoustics of each room. Dense structures absorb higher sound frequencies, as do materials made from fiberglass. Concrete absorbs the least amount of sound, thus leading to a higher reverberation. 

Reverberation will lead to reductions in sound clarity and increasing sound distortion. However, with some simple physics, anyone can create a plan of attack and fix their acoustics.

Reverberated sound can be blocked or trapped with porous or uneven surfaces. Wood with grooves or holes cut in will disrupt sound passage. This reduces reverberation and increases resonance. Similarly, irregular surfaces, including notches and holes, can disrupt reverberation through sound diffusion. These surfaces can also block the movement of sound waves.  

As well, reverberation can be controlled by focusing on products known for their sound absorption.

Managing Sound Absorption

Sound absorption can be described as reducing sound energy. This, in turn, reduces reverberation and loudness within a room. Both of these are optimal sound qualities for a small recording room. And, there are many techniques and equipment designed to increase a room’s sound absorption.

An easy way to start is to bring in common absorbing materials found in your home. For instance:

  • Soft furniture like fabric couches and chairs will absorb sound. 
  • Thick rugs and carpets can be used on the floor and the walls.
  • Sound-absorbing curtains can be used over windows and on walls.

There are also specific acoustic products designed for sound absorption. Acoustic boards, tiles, and panels can be placed anywhere in the room.

Likewise, equipment such as bass traps work very well for lower-frequency sounds, but they are best deployed in room corners where sound is more likely to reverberate.

Often, managing a room’s sound absorption will use various techniques to achieve optimal acoustics. Even if the room is equipped against reverb, though, you will still have to consider the sound insulation.

Managing Sound Insulation

For a musician, sound insulation comes with two important functions. First, a properly-insulated room will keep erroneous sounds from infiltrating the space. These can include outdoor traffic, conversations, and even the sounds of HVAC systems. 

Second, sound insulation will ensure your music is kept inside the room. This can be especially important in a house, a shared office, or any other setting in which you need your music kept within the confines of the studio. 

Many materials that absorb sound are also great at providing sound insulation. These include:

  • Acoustic panels: In addition to in-room placements, these boards can go between walls and on ceilings.
  • Acoustic insulation: Fiberglass panels wrapped in cloth, used similarly to acoustic panels.
  • Acoustical boards: Fiberglass ceiling and wall liners that can go over surfaces or between walls.

Sound insulation and sound absorption go hand-in-hand. Both techniques are needed to create the exact acoustic levels that meet your specific needs. It is also important to note that these techniques improve the room’s sound quality. However, these methods aren’t used with soundproofing in mind.

In fact, soundproofing often requires specialized equipment and dense materials. These can be pricey, and a soundproofed room isn’t required to create rich sounds. But for those focused on the quality of the room’s sound, heavy wall carpets and egg carton buffers can get the job done. 

Optimizing a room’s acoustics starts with identifying where it currently falls short. If outside sounds interfere with a recording, then start by improving the room’s sound insulation. Bring in acoustic insulation and acoustical boards. And if you’re dealing with heavy reverb, fill the room with soft fabrics and acoustic panels to both block and absorb sound.

Architectural acoustics aren’t always favorable to a musician. With some prudent steps (and plenty of acoustic material), however, nearly any room can achieve the perfect sound.  

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