There’s no debate about the benefits of acoustic treatment in a home studio. But to get the most from your acoustic foam tiles and bass traps you will need to know where to place them.

We've written this handy guide to acoustic treatment placement, to help you get the best from your equipment and the best result from your acoustic treatment.

STEP 1: Your Monitors

Before you even think about buying any treatment you need to consider how your room is set up as this will have a big effect on the accuracy of your monitoring.

Your monitors should be firing sound down the length of your room and they should be angled in to create an equilateral triangle (all 3 sides are the same length). Set them up so the tweeters are pointed directly at your ears and isolate them using Project MonPads. Sit yourself centrally between the left and right walls, but about 4/10ths of the room length from the wall you are facing. That way your monitors should not be too close to the wall and you will not be in the middle of the room (which is often a dead spot for bass). Don't worry too much about getting it perfect, you can tweak the position when all your treatment is in.

STEP 2: Reflection Points

Now it's time to find your primary reflection points and place some Classic Wedge tiles or Colourpanels at each location.

(A.) Side walls – half way between your head and your monitors on each of the side walls

(B.) Ceiling – 4 or more large tiles half way between your head and your monitors on the ceiling

(C.) Front wall – behind your monitors, slightly towards the centre of the wall

(D.) Rear wall – behind you, pretty much mirroring the panels on the front wall

STEP 3: CORNER TRAPS

Add as many project traps as you can to the vertical (E. Wall meets wall) and horizontal (F. Wall meets ceiling) corners of your room. Put project cubes in the top corners (G.) for added absorption and as a neat way of joining 3 project traps together.

The vertical corners in front of you are a priority and you should also have an equal number of traps on the left and right.

STEP 4: EXTRA TREATMENT

Once you’ve followed the previous steps, you'll find the reverb decay time is much shorter. But you may want it to sound deader still, especially if it's a big room. Just add some extra tiles where you like and pay attention to the change in sound as you go.

A good approach is to make a grid on the back wall which combines treated and untreated areas. (H.) If you want an area for recording vocals then put some tiles at head height or use some Freespace to create a little vocal booth

Tip: If you have a window in a first reflection point, get some thick curtains or make some from our kilo serge fabric.

STEP 5: How Much Treatment Do I Need?

This depends on the type of room and your personal taste. Larger rooms (especially with high ceilings) require more treatment than small rooms. Rooms with soft furnishings (e.g. carpet, fabric sofas,

thick curtains etc.) require less than rooms with lots of hard surfaces.

SUMMARY

This guide has shown how to properly set up studio monitors and add acoustic treatment, transforming a standard room into a proper mix environment.

We now know how to find a room’s first reflection points for acoustic tile placement and where

to install bass traps. We’ve established the right quantity of acoustic foam for studios of different sizes giving consideration to the types of surfaces and furniture already in the space.

Now you’re ready to select the right treatment products for your studio and start making better mixes.

Don’t forget that we are always here to help – ask a question in our Facebook group and get a friendly and knowledgeable response.