Acoustic Treatment for Beginners: Studio Sound Optimization

[@madstrebbien]

It’s an artform to explain the concepts within sound, in a way that you do not overlook the complexity of these concepts and at the same time boil it down to a very edible and easy-to-understand video. Audio university masters this with their videos. Thank you

[@BrainBurg-bq2si]

It’s also an artfirm to sound like paid programming in the comments. Madstrebbien achieves this.

[@MRC_5000]

@@BrainBurg-bq2si yeah, if normal humans even fuck up insults, there is a need for a professional.

[@BrainBurg-bq2si]

@@MRC_5000 I stand firm.

[@MRC_5000]

@@BrainBurg-bq2si then i stand form

[@BrainBurg-bq2si]

@@MRC_5000 I don't believe you.

[@tom_something]

This video is very technical, but in a straightforward way. Thank you for your explanation.

[@redwarf8118]

not "but" - rather thus ...

[@tom_something]

@@redwarf8118Hey, don't thus in and tell me how to talk! JK

[@MrHammerjoe]

So i found hundreds of fancy videos, about all the studio sound factors, and you my man are a gem! God bless you

[@AudioUniversity]

Happy to help! Thanks!

[@jenniferzuiff8517]

You can really hear the difference with your song at the end even when listening in mono like I am over here. It’s crazy what a difference proper acoustic treatment makes.

[@g0k00]

This guy is spoiling us with the easy to understand explanations, but that's what we've come to expect from the guys who named their channel Audio University.

[@NATEDOGGYSTL]

Your videos are highly informative and helpful! You do an awesome job!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you like them! Thanks!

[@NATEDOGGYSTL]

@@AudioUniversity Absolutely!!

[@HarmonicaTool]

Are you planning a video on acoustic treatment for the recording room? Many of us will record voices where we and our families also live.

[@albertoperezpuyal3740]

You're really a great speaker and your explanations rock! Thank you very much for your contribution to audio knowledge.

[@robbehr8806]

Do you recommend a specific fabric to block rock wool fibers from releasing into room air?

[@AudioUniversity]

I’ve always searched for “duck canvas”. Here is an example on Amazon: amzn.to/46WAcut If possible, I’d recommend going to a local fabric store and looking for “duck canvas”. The advantage of going to a brick-and-mortar shop is that you can test out the acoustic transparency. Take a friend and talk through the fabric. You should be able to hear through the fabric while still preventing fibers from escaping.

[@AudioUniversity]

Thank you very much for the Super Thanks by the way!

[@larkhallpaul9381]

Gone and implemented this straight away. Got some acoustic foam up, best that I can do atm. Cheers mate.

[@bernieheveron1929]

Your videos are really well made and thorough, easy to understand, and the visuals are very helpful. Thanks for posting!

[@KC-bi9jw]

6:15 you could also slightly tilt your desk, 2 identical blocks of wood oughta do

[@minecat1839]

Should we add quarter wavelength gaps behind the panels?

[@j-station]

What if we don’t have friends…

[@suvigyamishra4604]

Wel hello then 👋 🫂

[@BreathOfDust]

Real lmao

[@becewx]

​@@suvigyamishra4604 i love Internet lol

[@NuriBass69]

Askin the real questions

[@normaleehi]

try a mirror first like i did. friend will appear

[@carazy123_]

Ironically I’ve been researching acoustic treatment lately! Thanks for this.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help!

[@redwarf8118]

I live my whole life ironically

[@kevind4061]

Your videos are the best I've seen. Though, I tried visiting your website to download the plans and there are far too many ads, spam, popups, redirects. I'm not going back to that.

[@ari-athbadminton0301]

THIS is web bloat.. the epidemic of the modern web.

[@goomic]

Thank you for share this. Have a good day 😃

[@AudioUniversity]

Thank you! You too!

[@DuncanTembo]

This is the kinda sh!t I'm talking about! Great content, highly informative and well narrated. Why can't the whole internet be like this 🎉🔥

[@JaduPar]

Omg, the before and after sound are worlds apart...No wonder I was struggling so hard to get my mixes right and still did a mediocre job xD Thanks for the video!

[@calvincaballes2430]

I've been watching your videos for a few years now and just realized Ihaven't subbed yet. Subscribed!

[@pbenson56fran]

Listening again I learned about higher and lower span. One is shorter and one is longer. Thank you

[@johnnymilne]

Thank you for the video, has everything in it.

[@JPMarques]

Thanks for providing such clear and straightforward info. Amazing work!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@swapnilshingade9267]

Can make video for how to limit any spekar in dsp for live sound or dj party's to stop blowing speakers

[@nicholassimmons6291]

Im learning but take n time some things i don't no and want to no more and the beat sound fire , like ur videos u drop bro!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help!

[@nicholassimmons6291]

@@AudioUniversity I do need help setting up my studio! Bro

[@si4745]

Super high quality content

[@freddiekay]

This is a great video. Liked and subscribed.

[@smathaudio]

You are detailed. Nice video!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@DavidLeo13]

Concise and clear! Thanks

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!

[@rafaelpelegrini]

Dude, you got a beautiful voice.

[@FloreemPongase]

This is the best video I found about acoustic treatment. Nice job! I have a question though - What's your take on the safety concerns about rockwool being used as sound absorber? Thank you

[@jenniferzuiff8517]

Thank God for you and your explanations.

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad to help!

[@happyrock]

what a great breakdown, thank you!

[@AudioUniversity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@akumusik3582]

Gratitude & Appreciation💯

[@thoubias]

Would pulling the speakers forward help? Like to the point where your desk is no longer within the intended projection angle of the speakers? Might require fancy stands to still have the surface usable under the speakers, but at least then you wouldn't have desk space between you and the speakers anymore.

[@3L3V3NDRUMS]

Great video! Really amazing informations man! My drum studio doesn't have parallel walls. So I just put some panels above the kit! Works fine!🤘

[@AudioUniversity]

That's a great idea! Drum recording room treatment is a bit more complicated than listening room treatment, because there are many microphones (listening positions) and many drums (sources). So the first reflections are scattered to many points along the walls, ceilings and floors.

[@Strattonus]

Detailed and succinct thanks

[@LILACCARLO]

Fabulous explanation 🎉

[@6teeth]

6:00 Can you put a carpet on the studio desk to lessen reflections?

[@frezajoe5836]

Hello, thanks for your vidéos, they are very usefull . I have a question please, i am wonderring if it is possible to connect a headphone to the an speaker output on an audio Interface. For exemple in case where i want to split différente mix on différentes headphone and m'y audio interface only have one headphone output but dire have tow speaker output.

[@AudioUniversity]

You will need a headphone amplifier between the line outputs and the headphones.

[@g3cd]

What's it like when you record voiceovers on that same table? Is the voice deflected by your display and then causes a slight reverb in your microphone?

[@AudioUniversity]

Yes. The same principles apply to microphones and voices! Great point!

[@antoinemontmory]

Thank you very much for this information, it is very useful. But I think that before building acoustic panels, you have to be in a house or a building where the electrical cables are insulated. Is it true ?

[@sproesser1]

My mouse pad is so large it covers the entire desk. It's the size of a poster. This should help mitigate treble reflections. Plus, once you have a mouse pad this big, you will never go back. It's so convenient to not have to worry about a mouse pad because the entire table is a mouse pad, plus the soft mat material makes a nice surface compared to the wood, in my opinion.

[@chxrlzchucky7509]

Can you please talk about mastering tracks specifically limit cuz everybody else just shows you how they do it Nobody really talks about what is what and when to do what

[@docroxchannel]

Great voice!

[@basscleaner]

No doubts, room dimensions are critically important for good sound reproduction, especially for low frequencies. Nevertheless, if we have the limited space of variables, which fully determine the sound result, it means, that among possible room dimensions for known low frequencies source position (height) there are the best, the worst and medium sets of such a room dimensions. The best room dimensions set for low frequencies is understood like for having minimal spread for amplitude-frequency dependence in range 20 - 150 Hz. Corresponding to this thesis, we can have (or not!) so-called Acoustical Dimensions for this room. Do you agree?

[@emiel333]

Great 👍 video, Kyle!

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@emiel333]

@@AudioUniversity No problem, Kyle. I follow your channel from the beginning and it’s amazing how far you’ve come nowadays!

[@Sysshad]

How about Foam Panels, i see many uses them. And how about placing them behind the speakers on the wall, some say that removes sound that bounces back to the wall

[@chandlerclement1365]

Awesome video? Question: is there a reason you don’t have your monitors on your desk, is there a big improvement putting them on stands just behind your desk?

[@AudioUniversity]

It has a few benefits... Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX-bhJqZZ5qNq9E

[@chandlerclement1365]

@@AudioUniversity thanks!

[@yassine.hammar1974]

Thank you sir

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks for watching!

[@Luke-sp7gk]

Is it the same but in reverse if you are trying to maximize a space for audio recording, then, and not playback? (I'm looking to build my own VO booth)

[@AudioUniversity]

The first reflection principle still applies, but you may want to use more treatment around the booth in order to keep the reverb time to a minimum. Also, the smaller the booth, the stronger the reflection levels.

[@Traqr]

A benefit of a voiceover booth is that you don't need space for speakers, interfaces, or other hardware that mixing & mastering requires. And you have just one "speaker" and one "ear" to tune for. Just sitting in front of an open closet full of clothes helps a lot (granted, I'm Canadian so my coat closet might look different from yours). Also consider that something like the Aston Halo can get you a long way towards a full-blown vocal booth with minimum disruption. But yes, the acoustic principles of reflection & comb filtering still apply. Number one issue, if possible? Record away from your desktop & monitor.

[@Tharaktheband]

can i use bed mattress as acoustic panels?

[@AudioUniversity]

It’s important that the absorptive material allows sound to pass through it so it can be absorbed. Mattresses are likely more reflective than absorptive at lower frequencies. This is just a guess though.

[@deadline7610]

@@AudioUniversity Thanks. So how does one know if we need reflective or absorptive material to help our rooms acoustics ? Maybe you already made a video on this ?

[@alwaysandevermusicproducti8432]

Thanks machaa, let me know if you come to India naa saapadu vangi thaare

[@sproesser1]

You mentioned that the rear wall and front wall usually have much less severe sound reflection. Can this be measured? How significant is it? Thanks!

[@garryherbert66]

Good stuff..💥👍

[@AudioUniversity]

Thank you!

[@DJLoilack]

very good chanel!

[@marsone-ek4xr]

Hey, what is the usual air gap between bass trap and absorption panels? Kinda hard for me to do the mirror trick:)

[@jeromybrackemyer4026]

I was always under the impression that I get a boomy sound because my Monitors have a hole in the back for the sub in the monitor. This would mean I'm getting muddy reflections from the front wall right?

[@oldtimer666]

Im moving from my rented apartment to own house, unfortunately its pre built and has 2 small wooden wardrobe attached on the right hand side of the back wall which is fixed in wall and cannot be taken off, while i have 2 doors one on the left and one on the right from me listening positions basically behind both of my studio monitors not exactly behind but at a little distance. I have around 10 sound panels with rockwool enclosed in them. However it wont be enough for the whole room. How should i go about installing the panels also what more do i need to purchase?

[@ari-athbadminton0301]

Why not build the sounds panel directly AROUND the speakers leaving only the frontal view open? This might mess with the imaging but at least you cancel the mirroring waves projected to the walls.

[@wictimovgovonca320]

Any thoughts about what material to use for a desk. If you do very little writing (ie. with a pen) at your desk then could softer, more sound absorbent material be used as long as it can support your keyboard, mouse, and various other devices?

[@AudioUniversity]

Great question. A thin layer of absorption would absorb some of the reflection, but mostly in the high-mids and highs. In order to tackle the lower frequencies, you’d want the panels to be at least as deep as 1/4-wavelength of the frequency you’re trying to absorb.

[@nickgoogle4525]

@@AudioUniversity When recording speech (zoom calls and the like) the table reflection can really be nasty. Putting a blanket on the table while recording goes a long way already -- sure not effective for low frequencies, but the improvement can be really significant already. There are tables available with a top from a special felt. Search for easy felt, as YT will not allow a link. PET felt consists of 100% polyester of which at least 50% has been recycled and is one way to treat a table surface as such.

[@ari-athbadminton0301]

A holed/mesh surface could provide the necessary support and UNDER it you can bring some sound panel. that way the sound pass through but also get dampened.

[@ronpasch72]

@AudioUniversity, are those A4V's or A7V's?

[@AudioUniversity]

A7V

[@daviddiehl8523]

I'm using a finished room above my garage. I believe I'm in for a challenge due to the shape of the room.

[@2190studio]

What if I build cubicle in which every wall is 1.2 meters wide and pin foam material lined with upholstery

[@nicholasfulford6753]

Any thoughts on using room compensating software instead of or in conjunction with physcial room compensation? There seems to have been a lot of progress in this in recent years.

[@AudioUniversity]

I’ve got a video coming out soon that addresses this.

[@alexandersnape8428]

I work in very highly regarded studios on a daily basis - To answer your question, room compensating software has its limitations, remember, this is all within a digital domain looking at frequency responses. Your software such as Sonarworks can not accommodate for natural reverb time of your room, a physical domain, which can, for instance in a small room, cause huge difficulties with bass build up. For example, 100hz has a 3.43 meter wavelength assuming speed of sound at 21 celcius, as it bounces around the room it takes longer to convert its energy to heat as it just has so much strength, hence bass being an issue for reverb. It is also a massive issue for absorption as well as you need your absorption to be either 3.43 meters thick for 100hz (it only gets thicker as you go down in frequency) or positioned at 1/4 of the wavelength away from the wall to 'target' that specific frequency if you have issues there. Software also can not accommodate for spaciousness in your stereo image, which is usually treated with early reflection point treatment, as per the video explaining. There is much, much more at play than just frequency response. People do PHDs on this, but it isn't super scary. Just considered by many as a 'dark art'. Your perception of hearing is the most important part and the entire room is your system that you are working in. Each part needs to be brought up to standard to have the best benefit of it all. Here is a list of things to consider in order of process to create a studio system: 1. What speakers you are using (Ported at front or back / unported. The best studios have this put into consideration when building them ground up.) 2. What position you place your speakers and finding your listening position (Realtrap 38% rule, Cardas Golden Ratio e.t.c) 3. Acoustic treatment on early reflections, bass traps in corners, diffusion if needed (Different methodologies have different effects. Read into Live-End Dead-End, Soffit Mounted, Full Bandwidth) 4. Room EQ Wizard + Calibrated Microphone (Sonarworks preferably if you have that for later) - Used to take repeated measurements and then alter your treatment positioning for best effect. 5. Sonarworks Monitor Calibration Software - Only now, after the above is done can we start to look at room compensating software. 6. 'K-System' Monitor Calibration (and metering if recording) - basically setting your listening level to the best level for your room (AND KEEPING THEM THERE!). This standardises our perception of sound between different studios and mixes. Look into Equal Loudness Contours and how different frequencies are at different loudness levels for ourselves. 7. What D/A Converter you have. (Digital to Analogue conversion. Yes, there is an audible effect, don't let people tell you otherwise. Especially on Analogue to Digital conversion when you're recording in) Hope this helps!

[@nicholasfulford6753]

@@alexandersnape8428 Yikes! All this makes me think that monitoring should be done on a top of the line set of Stax electrostatic headphones, and that software compensation be applied prior to the feed to the phones to allow crosstalk to emulate the natural crosstalk between ears that happens when listening to speakers or a live instrument. I am guessing that some superb rooms could be sampled to create software correction for headphone monitoring during recording and mixdown sessions. (Another part of me wonders what the ideal is given the high percentage of listening that is done on headphones these days, and maybe there needs to be a speaker mix and a headphone mix based on the intended listening environment and desired experience for the audience.) The real world adds a lot of complex factors to consider, and of course none are perfect, and we all want to control the variables to be able to create a satisfying experience for the listener.

[@JC-jt3ug]

What about for recording?

[@AudioUniversity]

Watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5aln6iLad2sjKMsi=8c-eNTkh2hC1iqPv

[@OfficialSameerSingh]

Great❤❤❤

[@AudioUniversity]

Thanks!

[@brendanmattson]

I've been trying to access the acoustic panel blueprint, but your website says it's for customers only. Then it says to log in, which I click, but I'm already logged in. What am I missing here?

[@AudioUniversity]

Did you confirm through the email?

[@brendanmattson]

@@AudioUniversity Yes, but looks like I logged in with a different email. I'm in now, thank you.

[@terjemaurset6133]

Two tumbs up!!

[@cansisco]

cool video but ive spent like 10 min trying to access the 'free' acoustic panel blue print

[@aledum1815]

Cheers.

[@AudioUniversity]

Cheers!

[@truthhurts7493]

Where to buy acoustic panels? 😢

[@AudioUniversity]

Pre-Made Acoustic Absorption Panels: www.gikacoustics.com/ref/121/

[@truthhurts7493]

@@AudioUniversity perfect, found that they got a form as well, thats what I needed. Much appreciate, keep up the good work

[@truthhurts7493]

​​@@AudioUniversityits an attic roof so its not a "straight" one, thats what mess me up the most with figuring where to place panels etc

[@Stanley_Baby]

Anyone else find attics to have naturally great acoustics? My garage attic has the best sound I’ve ever heard

[@eliyastube2430]

Tanx

[@AudioUniversity]

Thank you for watching!

[@pbenson56fran]

❤❤❤❤😊

[@crimsonfade]

why the "s" s so sharp

[@james26695]

I have a kind of an L shaped room its a nightmare😐

[@ConciousCam]

Is it because of a bay window or other obstructions on the side wall? Cause same

[@rishavbiswas3085]

what are the chances of me finding this comment lol. ❤ Did you find any solutions btw?

[@PROD.JUR0]

Angola é nossa

[@TheLastCrankers]

Too bad I have the only window to the left, no space to put panels behind, and most of the room to my right due to the useless layout of it. Guess it's not for me

[@sivaraajabhaarrath8750]

Change the speaker position

[@dreamingofmusicmedia]

bruh why is sound treatment so expensive im $2k deep into 18 panels

[@clifflathammusic]

Build your own panels! Much more cost effective IF you're handy.

[@tcrazythegoat]

mano arranja a mrrda do site pq um gajo n consegue fazer a mrda docurso

[@DIRTY5IVE]

sounded the same to me lol 🤷‍♂

[@bassinblue]

Studio treatment+Monitor placement is THE most annoying part of the process of building a studio.

[@abhishekdb9800]

ok dan worrall

[@notaspectator]

А как же положительное моё? Студии ничто без людей. Не ошибся, заткнуть всех успели.

[@alessandromascherin6827]

If u use fake wool you won’t have any panels in a few years, it all comes down at the bottom of the frame

[@Allious131]

The desk treatment is overboard it really is.

[@Yerjckk]

Need, more, treatment

[@AudioUniversity]

It could help with the reflections, but I’d prefer to just remove the desk than to put treatment on my desk.

[@musicalneptunian]

What about covering the desk with some soft material?

[@radiocabea]

Yes it is "overboard" but if you great all the other reflections the one from your desk will become very pronounced, so it rewly depends on what stage of room treatment you are in

[@AudioUniversity]

@musicalneptunian - That would work, but the effectiveness would be limited to the thickness of the material. A very thin layer would only absorb high frequencies.