As I’ve just put the finishing touches on a recording space of my own, I figured I’d give a little run down on the process, and offer any advice I have to those looking to do the same. Upon beginning this blog, I realized there is way too much to cover without wasting your entire day reading, so I’ll likely be making future posts covering specific aspects of recording at home in a recurring series. I’m thinking roughly every other post will feature some home recording tips. If you have specific questions you’d like me to cover, feel free to let me know!
Whether you’re a musician, a composer, or voice actor, having a quiet controlled place to record can make a huge difference when it comes to the quality of your work. With a longstanding work niche of remote cello recordings, I personally leapt at the chance to have a personal recording space that I could leave set up permanently, cutting down on the time commitment for delivering quality recordings. It’s a dream many musicians aspire to, and it opens up a world of possibilities! In this blog I’ll be covering the solutions I found for sound treating my space.
When initially researching solutions for sound treatment I was discouraged by a bombardment of sources discussing overblown initial costs. I was interested, but I couldn’t spend nearly as much time and money as was being advertised. I saw countless videos explaining why you need to buy specific kinds of high-grade foam, why you need to construct your own sound panels, and of course why you need to put holes in the walls of your home (good luck renters!). It was quite frustrating. I took a chance and decided to ignore all of that and try something “cheap and second-rate” and I think it paid off! Think cheaper, not sleeker, especially if this is your first time. You can always scale up and modify as you go!
The best video source I found was a video by Zak Kinkaid linked here:
Finances were at the front of his mind, which I very much appreciated. I’ll give a run down of the techniques and tools I ended up using here, but feel free to check out his video for the details!
Foam:
For foam, (which arguably does most of the work) the best prices I could find are from Foam Factory. I picked up 8 of the corner bass absorbers and 12 of the 2” wedge foam. It’s important to remember that a little can do a lot, especially in a small space. Don’t feel as though you need to go overboard. I wound up spending a total of $134.80 for all the foam (including shipping and tax).
For application of the foam, put the corner absorbers where their name implies, in the corners, with spaces in between and flipping their direction for every placement. Your goal is to have as many opportunities for the sound to get absorbed as possible, so don’t make them look pretty and symmetrical. We’re focused on utility here, not looks. The 2” wedge foam should go where your first reflections in your room are (this is where the sound will hit first after being made). It’s important to consider what your playing/singing/speaking arrangement will be when finding these spots. For example, I knew I’d be facing the back wall opposite my desk at about the midway point of the room when playing. This meant that my first reflections would be the surfaces in immediate relation to that position. Zak Kinkaid offers a mirror test option in his video at the 10:40 mark if you’d like some guidance on finding these reflections. Don’t be afraid to angle the wedge foam on their corners too (making them into diamonds), the goal is again to create as many opportunities for the sound to be trapped as possible. Just as with the corner absorbers, having a small space in between the panels can offer another place for the sound to get absorbed. If you’re a renter like me, stapling or tacking these things on isn’t going to be an option. I would recommend using command strips to attach them to the wall. Make sure to use large, heavy duty strips when possible, as regular command strips may struggle to hold up your corner absorbers. I used a single regular sized command strip for each piece of wedge foam and two heavy duty strips for the corner absorbers. To apply the foam, attach the strips (one on each back side for the corner absorbers) and then press them through the foam at their contact points against the wall, hold this for about 30 seconds and they should stay in place. You can find the exact strips I used via the following links: (Using these links will support me with a commission!) Heavy Duty Command Strips Regular Command Strips The total for both kinds wound up being $24.72, but I also bought a few extra just for any mistakes… (I am prone to them). Carpet:
If you have a hard wood floor like me, adding in a carpet is crucial. A shag carpet is ideal for sound absorption, and I was able to grab one at Walmart for $44.86. Zak’s video also includes a tip to add a rug gripper to the bottom for extra absorption, so I also bought one of them for $9.98. You want to position the rug in a place where it will do the most work. For me, this was directly under my cello when I’m playing. Multiple carpets are also an option for a larger space, I found I only needed one.
Summary:If you want to go the extra mile, and have the budget for it, you can invest in blackout curtains for any windows. However, I drew the line at my cool $214.36. After putting everything in place, I can say with confidence that this was more than enough. If you’d like to hear the studio in action, I’ll be posting my first arrangement written and recorded in the space next Wednesday so you can hear it! I’ll be covering an amazing song by teenatown, “my <3”. I may end up linking it directly here for those not necessarily on social media all the time. Let your ears decide if this was all worthwhile! Let me know if this was helpful, informative, useful… or not! I’m open to all thoughts. Until next time, thank you for reading!
4 Comments
Corinne D
8/2/2023 12:08:58 pm
I REALLY enjoyed the structure of this post! Super simple yet incredibly informative! Super excited to hear some covers from this space!
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Sean Penzo
8/2/2023 01:05:23 pm
Thank you Corinne! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for reading!
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Manny
8/4/2023 04:17:49 am
Fantastic! I loved the before and after youtube video. Half the screen of the video was cut off on my phone, feel free to email me for more detail / we can do a zoom call in the future where I show you what's happening on my end. Awesome stuff. $200-$300 is a fantastic manageable price! Especially for me! Thanks for the advice, I feel wiser and smarter after reading this :) (also the notify me button gets cut off at the bottom on my phone, iPhone 12 IOS). Just wanted to let you know, even if you made no changes, I would still ready this EVER SINGLE TIME <3 ;)
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Sean Penzo
8/5/2023 09:20:26 am
Hey! Thank you for reading! :) I'm glad you enjoyed it. The videos might work better in YouTube if your viewing on your phone! I'm definitely interested in learning if there's a better way to format it though.
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AuthorSean Penzo is a composer, cellist, and writer currently based in Pittsburgh, PA Archives
October 2024
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