milliondollar monitoring · 2017. 8. 19. · milliondollar monitoring your stepbystep guide to...
TRANSCRIPT
MillionDollar Monitoring
Your stepbystep guide to optimizing your room for studioquality sound
(even if it's a bedroom, basement, or garage!)
You haven’t showered in days.
There are Chinese takeout boxes all over your floor.
And you’re about to pass out on your MIDI keyboard.
But the mix?
It sounds incredible .
But before you click “Bounce To Disk” for the last time…
You step outside…
Hop in your ‘04 Honda Civic...
Plug the aux cable into your iPhone...
And take your track for a spin around the block.
That’s where your problems begin.
Suddenly, your “massive” low end sounds muddy and boomy. The lead vocal is
earsplittingly bright. And those spot delays you spent two hours crafting? Nowhere to be
found.
Ugh.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.
For many mixers, this “carcheck nightmare” is an alltoofrustrating reality.
But why does it happen? How do you avoid it? And is there any way to craft mixes that
sound great wherever they’re listened to, without spending hours hopping back and
forth between dozens of speakers?
The answer is yes.
In fact, I’m living proof. I rarely ever listen to my mixes outside my studio. I work
completely in the box, use one set of speakers, and have equipment that wouldn’t
impress anyone on Gearslutz...
Where the magic happens (my humble studio)
It may not look like much, but in this room, I’ve cranked out mixes for some of the
biggest record labels around (including Disney, Sony, and Glassnote). Many of these
tracks have received national radio play and millions of streams and downloads.
And I’m not alone. Many mixers—including heavyweights like Dave Pensado, Bob
Power, and Frank Filipetti—are crafting mixes for today’s biggest artists in home studios
too.
So how do we do it? And more importantly, how can you do the same?
In this eBook, I’ll answer these questions. I’ll share a simple, stepbystep process that
you can apply to optimize your room for studioquality sound (even if it’s a bedroom,
basement, or garage). Follow this process, and the quality of your mixes will take a
massive leap forward. In fact, this is likely one of the biggest keys to your mixing
success.
But before I break this process down, let’s talk about why it’s so difficult to craft mixes
that sound great outside your studio...
Mixing Is A Responsive Process
Every move you make while mixing is a response to what’s coming out of your speakers.
Did you turn the kick down? If so, it’s because it sounded too loud.
Did you add top end to the vocals? If so, it’s because the vocals sounded too dull.
Every move you make is a response to what you hear.
Now, we typically trust that what we’re hearing is what’s really going on in our mixes.
If this is true, all is well. We make the right decisions, craft great mixes, and get
nominated for a Grammy.
But what if it isn’t?
When Responsive Mixing Fails
Imagine you’re hearing too much low end in your studio.
This could be caused by a number of things—your monitors, speaker placement, where
you’re sitting, room acoustics...whatever. The reason isn’t important right now. The point
is—when you play your favorite records, the bass sounds too loud.
Now, there’s a good chance you’ll compensate for this imbalance while mixing.
How?
By turning the bass in your mixes DOWN.
Think about it...
While mixing, you’ll hear that the bass sounds too loud. You’ll want your mixes to sound
balanced. So you’ll respond by turning the bass down.
You may not even notice you’re doing this. In fact, it will probably happen
subconsciously.
The result?
Your mixes will sound great...in your studio.
But when you listen to them on speakers that don’t have too much low end…
Your mixes won’t have enough bass .
They’ll sound thin and wimpy.
Get it?
And guess what...
This problem doesn’t just impact the low end.
In fact, it affects every part of your mixes—the top end, midrange, stereo image, etc...
The bottom line?
Your mixes will always end up sounding like the inverse of your monitoring chain.
Monitors too bright? Your mixes will sound dull. Not hearing enough low end? Your
mixes will sound boomy and thick.
Problems like these make it tough to craft mixes that sound good anywhere else.
The Good News
There may be less of a difference between you and the pros than you think.
You may already be a great mixer. You may already know how to use your tools properly.
The problem might not be you, but your monitoring.
And if so, fixing it may be the quickest, easiest path to better mixes...
The Benefits Of Better Monitoring
If you’re a home studio owner, subpar monitoring is likely the biggest thing standing in
the way of your mixing success.
Eliminate this problem, and the benefits are endless.
For starters, your mixes will sound great on different speakers with minimal fuss.
You’ll also trust your mixing decisions more. You’ll stop overthinking and
secondguessing every move you make.
And ultimately, you’ll mix faster and more efficiently. You’ll save hours of time checking
your mixes on different speakers. You’ll be able to focus more on being creative, which
will make mixing a lot more fun.
So how do you get there? Well, I’ll tell you...in a second.
But first, I want to dispel 4 pervasive monitoring myths. These myths will stand in the
way of your mixing success, and debunking them is the first step towards better mixes.
Let’s dig in...
4 Massive Monitoring Myths
Myth #1: Your Monitors Are The Problem
Yes...the quality of your monitors matters. But not as much as you might think.
Manufacturers would love you to believe that your monitors are holding you back. But in
most cases, this isn’t true. You don’t need toptier monitors for a flat, accurate sound. In
fact, many reasonably priced monitors will do the job just fine.
If you have a decent pair of monitors, don’t fall down the rabbit hole of endless
upgrades. Your money is better spent elsewhere. Instead, focus your attention on
applying the process outlined in this eBook.
Myth #2: Your Room Needs To Be “Flat”
Think your monitoring chain needs to have a razorflat frequency response?
Think again.
No room is flat. Far from it. Even the best, purposebuilt studios have significant peaks
and valleys.
The frequency response of my room (as measured by Sonarworks Reference 3)
While the process we cover will flatten the frequency response of your room, flat is an ideal that will never be achieved.
For our purposes, flatter is enough. This is all you need to craft mixes that sound great.
Myth #3: The Best Solution Is To Mix On Headphones
When many mixers start learning about acoustics, their first reaction is…
Well, my room sounds horrible. So I’ll just mix on headphones.
At first glance, this seems reasonable. Pop on a pair of cans, and sound travels straight
down your ear canals. Room acoustics are no longer an issue. The result? A flatter,
more accurate frequency response.
In theory, this should help you craft better mixes. But in practice, I’ve found the opposite
to be true.
It’s difficult to create mixes on headphones that also sound good on speakers. Balances
and effects levels often don’t translate. The stereo image becomes a massive issue.
There are plugins that claim to make mixing on headphones easier, but they’ve never
worked well enough for me.
This is why I recommend you do the majority of your mixing on monitors—even if you’re
working in a lessthanideal room. Headphones can be a great supplement to speakers,
however, and we’ll talk more about how to use them later.
Myth #4: You Need To Spend Gobs Of Money
Can you invest $100K in your monitoring chain? Sure.
But your first few dollars will make the biggest impact.
You don’t need to spend gobs of money to get great results. Start with whatever you’re
comfortable with. You can always invest more over time.
And if you’re just getting started, massive improvements can be made for littletono
cost. In fact, you can make significant progress without spending a penny (I’ll show you
how in the next section).
The Process
Okay, enough of the preamble. Let’s get to the meat.
I’ve designed a simple, 3step process that you can apply to optimize your room for
studioquality sound. The steps are sequential, and you must follow them in order.
However, you don’t have to do everything at once. Go as far as you can given your
budget, space limitations, and what you’re comfortable with. Even applying Step 1 alone
will make a massive impact. Your room should be a constant work in progress. You can
(and should) make changes down the line.
Step 1: Find The Right Spots For Your
Speakers And Listening Position
When most people discover they have a problem with their room, the first thing they do
is buy new monitors or acoustic treatment.
I already mentioned that your monitors are probably not worth replacing.
And while acoustic treatment can help, it’s usually not the best place to start.
So where do you begin? Well, I’m glad you asked...
Speakers Work Like Microphones
Ever recorded a vocalist?
If so, you know that moving the mic a few inches can dramatically change the sound.
Well, guess what?
The same principle applies to the placement of your monitors and listening position.
Move your speakers a few inches, and you’ll significantly change the way they sound.
So if you’re trying to improve the sound of your room, the best place to start is to find
the perfect spots for your speakers and listening position.
This may sound obvious, but most people overlook this crucial step. If you’ve never
applied this principle before, it can make a massive impact.
And the best part? It won’t cost you a penny.
Getting Started: 7 Key Placement Principles
Before I show you how to find the right spots for your speakers and listening position,
let’s cover a few key placement principles. These principles apply to most rooms, so
make sure you understand them before reading on.
1. Fire Your Speakers Along The Long Wall
In a rectangular room, there are two ways you can orient your speakers:
1. Fire them along the short wall (like the image on the left), or…
2. Fire them along the long wall (like the image on the right)
In most cases, you’ll get better results by firing your speakers along the long wall. This
placement moves the back wall farther away from your listening position, which makes
the sound that bounces off it less of an issue. It also gives the low end more space to
develop, which typically leads to a flatter frequency response.
If your room is a square or irregularly shaped, experiment with firing along different
walls. One orientation will often sound better than the others.
2. Maximize Symmetry
The left and right sides of your room should be as symmetrical as possible. This way,
your speakers will react similarly and produce a balanced stereo image.
If your room is not symmetrical, each speaker will sound different. Your stereo image
will be unbalanced, which will cause you to make poor panning and balance decisions.
For starters, your listening position should be equidistant from the left and right
walls—not in a corner or off to one side. Your speakers should also be equidistant from
the side walls (see the image above for details).
And this principle doesn’t just apply to your speakers and listening position. Take every
opportunity to maximize symmetry in your room. If you have a couch, put it directly
behind your listening position (so it sits between the speakers, instead of off to one
side). Same thing with windows, doors, and wall furnishings. Set your room up so the
left and right sides are as symmetrical as possible.
While you should try to do your best here, no room will be perfect. That’s okay—just do
the best you can.
3. Form An Equilateral Triangle
Your listening position and speakers should form an equilateral triangle. The distance
between your listening position and left speaker, your left speaker and right speaker,
and your right speaker and listening position should all be the same.
If this isn’t the case, your stereo image will be unbalanced. For example, if the left
speaker is closer to you than the right speaker, tracks that are panned left will sound
louder than they should. As a result, it will be nearly impossible to make the right
balance and panning decisions.
Measure this out. Make it perfect. This will ensure a balanced stereo image.
4. Check Your Speaker Orientation
Some speakers are designed to lay flat, whereas others are designed to stand up.
This varies by manufacturer, model, and even within editions of the same model. For
example, some versions of Yamaha’s NS10 speaker are designed to lay flat, whereas
others are designed to stand up.
Check the manual and make sure you’ve got this right. If not, you’ll hear all sorts of
artifacts as you move your head around the listening position.
5. Place Tweeters At Ear Level
If your tweeters are higher or lower than they need to be, you may hear an inaccurate
representation of the high end in your mixes.
Tweeters should be at earlevel. Put your speakers on stands and raise or lower them
as needed. You can also angle your speakers using wedges, so the tweeters point
directly at your ears.
6. Get Your Monitors Off Your Desk
Yes, I’m telling you to buy speaker stands.
In fact, this is one of the most significant improvements you can make.
If your speakers are on a desk, the desk will resonate (vibrate) at certain frequencies.
This can make even the best monitors sound like a muddy mess.
By placing your monitors on stands, you minimize any interaction the speakers have
with their surrounding environment. The stands will still resonate slightly, but the impact
will be negligible.
7. Use The 38% Guideline
In a rectangular room, the best spot for the listening
position is:
● 38% out from one of the short walls
and ● Centered between the two long walls
For example, consider a room that’s 10’ x 8’.
38% of 10’ (the length of the long walls) is 3.8’.
50% of 8’ (the length of the short walls) is 4’.
Measure 3.8’ out from one of the short walls, 4’ out from one of the long walls, and mark
the spot where these two points converge.
Easy, right?
Now this is a guideline, not a rule. It doesn’t work in all cases, but it does hold up most
of the time.
If you’re in a squareshaped room, you can also apply this guideline. Since your walls
are of equal lengths, you’ll have several choices of where to put your listening position.
Choose the spot that maximizes symmetry between the left and right sides of your
room. For example, in the room below, it’s best to choose the spot that places the
window behind the speakers, instead of off to one side.
If you’re in an oddshaped room with irregular walls, the 38% guideline won’t apply.
Instead, experiment with different positions by applying the listening test described in
the next section.
How To Find The Best Spots For Your Speakers
Now that we’ve covered the basics, I want to show you how to find the best spots for
your speakers.
You’ll need:
● Masking tape
● A pen
● Measuring tape
● The room layout ranking chart (in the back of this eBook)
● Speaker stands
You’ll also need three reference mixes. These can be tracks that you’ve mixed
personally, or commercial recordings by other artists. Choose mixes that you know well,
and make sure they have a good amount of low end.
Mark Your Positions
First, follow the instructions above to find and mark the 38% spot in your room with
masking tape. This is your listening position .
Next, mark a series of potential spots for your studio monitors.
Each set of markings should form an equilateral
triangle with your listening position (see the image
on the next page). Your first set of markings
should be 2 3 feet away from your listening
position. After that, make markings every 6 inches
until you hit the front wall. Again, use the masking
tape for this.
Finally, label each set of markings—A, B, C, D, etc.
Perform The Listening Test
Place your studio monitor stands on the “A” markings, and your chair on the listening
position marking.
Grab your ranking chart and pen.
Play each reference and rank it on a scale of 1 10 in the following categories:
1. LowEnd Consistency : How even and controlled is the low end? Does each
bass note sit at a similar level (high
ranking), or do certain notes jump out
while others disappear (low ranking)?
2. Stereo Image : How wide is the
soundstage? Does it feel expansive and
threedimensional (high ranking), or
small and narrow (low ranking).
After ranking your references in these two categories, move your speaker stands to the
next set of spots and repeat the process. Continue until you’ve ranked all of the spots.
Analyze Your Results
Here’s an example of a completed ranking chart:
Notice any trends?
I’ll give you a hint...
When the speakers are close to the listening position (spots A and B), you’ll see high
marks for low end, but low marks for stereo image.
As the speakers move farther away from the listening position (spots D and E), the
lowend rankings will plummet, while the stereoimage rankings will rise.
Take a look at your ranking chart, and you’ll probably see the same trend.
If you think about it, this makes perfect sense.
The closer your speakers are to you, the more crosstalk you get between the left and
right speakers. Your left ear hears more of the right speaker, and your right ear hears
more of the left speaker. This narrows the stereo image. But as you move your
speakers farther away, each ear hears less of the other speaker. As a result, the stereo
image widens.
When your speakers are close to you, you also hear more of the direct sound from
them, and less of the sound that’s bouncing around your room. This minimizes the
effects of room acoustics and makes the bass sound more even and consistent. But as
you move your speakers away from you, you hear less of the direct sound, and more of
the sound that’s bouncing around your room. This makes the low end sound less even
and less consistent.
Find The Sweet Spot
Both of these things—lowend consistency and stereo width—are important. A
consistent, even low end will help you make the right decisions about foundational
tracks in your mix (like the kick and bass). But a wide stereo image will help you
properly apply panning and effects.
The bottom line?
There’s a tradeoff to be made, and you have to find the sweet spot.
There will likely be a spot near the middle of your ranking chart that offers a good
balance of lowend consistency and stereo width. Once you’ve determined where this
spot is, you’ve found the ideal placement for your speakers.
Taking It Further
While the 38% spot is often the best location for your listening position, don’t be afraid
to try other options.
For example, move your listening position back a foot. You’ll have to remeasure
potential speaker positions and rerun your listening tests, but this can sometimes lead
you to great spots that you might have otherwise missed.
Step 2: Add Acoustic Treatment
At this point, you’ve found the right spots for your speakers and listening position.
Make no mistake—this step alone can dramatically improve the sound of your room.
And if this is where you stop for now, you’ll still have an advantage over most home
studio owners.
But if you’re looking to dive deeper, acoustic treatment is the next step.
How Acoustic Treatment Works
Imagine using a Xerox machine to
make a copy of a copy of a copy of
a…well, you get the point.
With each copy, the image
deteriorates. Sharp text becomes
fuzzy. Clear pictures get blurry.
After a while, the image is barely
recognizable.
Sound works in the same way. As it bounces around your room, it changes—just like
the copies made by a Xerox machine. Certain frequencies build up and become louder.
Other frequencies become softer. This phenomenon creates peaks and valleys in the
frequency response of your room. And at a certain point, the sound that’s bouncing
around your room hits your ears again. Which makes it hard to determine what’s really
going on in your mixes.
But acoustic treatment provides a solution.
Acoustic panels are made of thick, dense material. Sound has a tough time traveling
through them. When it hits these panels, a lot of it gets absorbed and converted into
heat. This process minimizes the amount of sound bouncing around the room. Which
reduces the impact of room acoustics.
The result?
A flatter, more balanced sound. Which will help you make better mixing decisions.
But this only works if you get the right acoustic treatment.
So before you buy a truckload of acoustic panels for your studio, let’s talk about what
you should steer clear of...
What Acoustic Treatment To Avoid
The biggest problems in most rooms are in the low end.
For acoustic treatment to make an impact here, it needs to be able to absorb these
frequencies.
Lightweight, waferthin foam panels won’t do the job. Neither will DIY solutions like egg
crates, blankets, and mattress pads. At best, these fixes are ineffective. At worst, they’ll
make your room sound worse.
The acoustic treatment you need is big, thick, and heavy. While it can be an eyesore to
look at, it’s the only stuff that really works. There’s no getting around physics here.
On the other hand, you don’t need to spend thousands on custombuilt panels,
Helmholtz resonators, or other exotic acoustic treatment solutions. While these can offer
benefits, they’re overkill for most home studio owners.
So where do you start? Well, I’m glad you asked…
Broadband Bass Traps
Broadband bass traps are big (typically 2 by 4 feet),
thick (preferably 6+ inches) panels made of
fiberglass or Rockwool—insulation material typically
used inside the walls of houses and buildings.
These panels do a great job at absorbing low end.
Adding a few to your room can lead to a flatter, more
accurate sound.
Since low end builds up in the corners of rooms,
you’ll get the most bang for your buck by putting
broadband bass traps there. Start with the front
corners (the ones behind your speakers). Since
bass traps are typically 2 by 4 feet, you can usually
stack two in each corner. Orient them so they
straddle the corner, instead of placing them flush
against one wall. This will create an air gap behind
the panels, which will make them more effective.
Where To Get Broadband Bass Traps
While there are many companies that manufacture broadband bass traps, I recommend
GIK Acoustics and RealTraps . Both make great products, though GIK’s are more
affordable.
If you’re on a budget and want the most bang for your buck, you can also build your
own broadband bass traps. You can find the right materials at home improvement stores
like Home Depot or Lowes. It may be difficult to source fiberglass or Rockwool
insulation, but you can often find it with a bit of digging.
To learn how to build your own bass traps, check out this stepbystep guide .
Treat Your FirstReflection Points
After you add broadband bass traps to the front corners of your room, you’ll likely want
to treat the firstreflection points.
These are the shortest paths that
sound can take from your
speakers to your ears.
You can find them:
● Between your speakers
and listening position on
the side walls and ceiling
● Across the back wall of
your room
Cover these spots with thinner
panels (2 4 inches thick is fine),
as you won’t need to absorb as
much low end here.
Add More Bass Traps
After treating your firstreflection points, add additional broadband bass traps to the
back corners of your room. If you have a door in one corner (like me), you can mount
the panels on stands. This will allow you to move the treatment away from the door
when you need to open it.
You may also want to consider adding bass traps wherever walls meet the floor or
ceiling. Go as far as you can given your budget and space limitations.
Additional Resources
While there’s a lot more to acoustic treatment, these steps will get you started. But if you
want to learn more, I recommend checking out these resources:
RealTraps
Ethan Winer—the founder of RealTraps—has lots of great information about acoustic
treatment on his site. One of the best resources available on this topic.
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics also has some excellent information on their site. Their phone support is
great too. If you’re looking for advice on how to treat your room or what stuff to buy, I
recommend giving them a call.
Acoustic Design for the Home Studio by Mitch Gallagher
This book is a deep dive into acoustics for home studio owners.
Step 3: Add Room Correction Software If you’ve applied the process I’ve outlined so far, your room should sound killer.
For many people, this is enough. In fact, I used to stop here too.
But over the last few years, I’ve been exploring ways to take things further...
The Power Of Room EQ
Professional acousticians have been using EQ to “tune” studios for years.
The basic concept is simple: Strap an EQ across your monitoring chain and set it up to
counteract the peaks and valleys in your room. Wherever there’s a peak, you add a cut.
Wherever there’s a valley, you add a boost. Do this right, and you’ll flatten out the
frequency response of your room.
But until recently, this was hard to pull off. It required a fancy measurement mic, special
software, a hardware EQ, and the knowhow to set it all up.
Not too practical for the average home studio owner...
But over the last few years, a number of plugins have been released that make this
process easier.
These “room correction” plugins come with a measurement mic, which you place in your
listening position. The software runs some tests, measures the frequency response of
your room, and automatically creates the right EQ curve. You add this curve to your mix
bus, listen through it while working, and turn it off when you print your mix.
But Do They Work?
Over the last few years, I’ve tried a
number of these plugins, with varying
degrees of success. Some made things
better, but some made things worse.
However, the newest room correction
plugin on the market, Sonarworks
Reference 3 , is a slam dunk. I’ve now
used it for years in multiple different
rooms, and the benefits have always
been significant. At this point, I wouldn’t
mix without it.
Disclaimer
With that being said, don’t get too excited.
Room correction software has its limitations. It can’t fix certain types of acoustic
problems. And it can only correct a small spot in the room, which can often make other
areas in the room sound worse.
I find it works best after you’ve applied everything we’ve covered earlier in this eBook.
Don’t use it as a substitute for acoustic treatment or proper placement. If you skip steps,
you’ll have limited success. Instead, think of it as the cherry on top of a room that
already sounds great.
One word of advice—if you do end up trying Reference 3, I recommend using their
measurement mic. While they say you can use any mic, I get much better results with
theirs.
5 Strategies For Mixing In A
LessThanIdeal Room
No room is perfect. And if you’ve had to make some compromises, you’re not alone.
Maybe you’re living in an apartment, and your landlord won’t let you put acoustic
treatment on the walls. Or maybe your studio is in your living room, and your wife or
roommate doesn’t want it to look like the cockpit of a spaceship.
Either way, don’t worry if you can’t apply everything we’ve covered. Just do the best you
can. And in the meantime, use these strategies while mixing to achieve better results…
1. Use References
Referencing is the process of comparing your mix to other recordings while working.
This powerful technique can offer you an instant reality check, help you make better
decisions, and keep you on the right path. I highly recommend referencing throughout
the mixing process.
Module 3 of Mix By Design covers referencing in detail. Check it out to learn how to
make the most of this technique.
2. Use Headphones
While I don’t mix on headphones exclusively, I do use them to supplement my studio
monitors. I recommend doing this too, especially when mixing in a lessthanideal room.
Remember—the biggest problems in most rooms are in the low end. Since headphones
remove acoustics from the equation, they can offer you a more accurate picture of
what’s going on in this area of your mixes. This is why I often rely on them to make
decisions about the low end in my tracks. I also use them to apply my “Sweep and
Destroy” technique, which is covered in Module 2 of Mix By Design.
3. Use A Spectrum Analyzer
They say “don’t mix with your eyes.”
I agree…sort of.
Don’t get me wrong—what matters most is
always what comes out of the speakers.
With that being said, tools that provide
visual feedback CAN help you make better
mixing decisions.
A spectrum analyzer is one of these tools. It plots a track’s frequencies out on a graph,
which allows you to “see” the sounds that your mixes are comprised of.
You can use this information to help you shape your mix’s tonal balance, identify
problem frequencies, and eliminate competition between tracks. Feedback like this is
particularly useful when working in a lessthanideal room, where you may not
completely trust what you’re hearing.
To learn how to use a spectrum analyzer to improve your mixes, check out this article .
4. Listen Outside Your Studio
Listening to your mix outside your studio can help you determine how it will hold up in
the real world. But you have to be careful.
A mix will never sound great everywhere. Attempting to pull this off is a waste of time,
and it will often make things worse.
For example, let’s say you listen to your mix on an iPhone. The bass is barely audible,
so you go back to your studio and turn it up. Now, your mix will sound better on small
speakers. But on big speakers—like a Jeep with subs—the bass will be far too loud.
You may have solved one problem, but you’ve created another.
This can be a tricky line to tow. Here’s a tip that will help...
When checking your mix outside your studio, always listen on at least two systems.
Ideally, these systems should sound very different from each other. For example, if you
listen on a basslight system (like an iPhone), counter that by listening on a bassheavy
system (like your soupedup car stereo). Do this before making any changes to your
mix. This way, you’ll avoid taking your tracks in the wrong direction.
5. Hire A Mastering Engineer
The right mastering engineer can be invaluable.
They’ll tailor your mixes to sound great on a wide variety of speakers. But they can also
provide you with feedback that will improve your mixing skills.
The trick? You have to ask for it.
Tell your mastering engineer you’re trying to improve. Ask them to share what you’re
doing well, and where you need to focus. Build a relationship with them. Give them
permission to help, and they’ll often be thrilled to do so.
Taking Your Room Further Congratulations! You’re now fully equipped to optimize your room for studioquality
sound. Apply the process outlined in this eBook, and the quality of your mixes will take a
massive leap forward.
When it comes to acoustics, however, you can go quite far down the rabbit hole. If
you’re looking to dive deeper, here are some ways to do so...
Use Measurement Software
Measurement software will provide you with cold, hard data on the sound of your room.
You can use it in addition to the listening test described in Step 1 to determine the best
spots for everything in your room. Combining these two approaches can often help you
make better decisions.
Don’t ditch the listening test, however. Optimizing your room is part science, part art.
Sometimes the numbers will look wrong, but the room will sound right. Your ears should
always be the final judge.
The best measurement software on the
market is Room EQ Wizard . It’s free,
and it’ll give you all the data you need.
You’ll also need an omnidirectional
condenser mic (preferably one like the
ECM8000 , which has a razorflat
frequency response) and an audio
interface.
To learn how to use measurement software, check out this article .
Ask A Pro
While there’s lots of great information floating around on the internet, sometimes it’s
best to talk to someone who does this for a living.
Plenty of acousticians offer consultations, room planning, and advice. Many will visit
your studio and tune it personally. If you’re serious about making the most of your room,
hiring a pro may be worth it. I haven’t done this personally, so I can’t make any
recommendations.
If you’re just looking for advice, many acoustic treatment manufacturers will answer your
questions for free. I’ve called GIK Acoustics several times, and their support has always
been excellent. One caveat—remember these companies are trying to sell you
something, so their advice may be biased.
Recommended Resources
Pensado’s Place Interview With Bob Hodas
This interview with worldclass acoustician Bob Hodas is packed with great advice.
How To Set Up A Room
One of the best articles on room setup around. Ethan’s other articles are worth reading
too.
Room Measuring
Great primer on how to use measurement software like Room EQ Wizard.
GIK Acoustics
Check out the “Education” section for lots of great advice.
DIY Bass Traps Made Easy
A stepbystep guide to building your own bass traps. This is how I got started, and I still
use many of the panels I built today.
