Using Window Coverings to Help With Setting Up a Home Studio

Setting up a home studio is no easy feat. Whether you want to record yourself playing music or you’re an aspiring EDM producer, creating a dedicated workspace for editing and producing requires smart equipment choices and a room set up to help create great audio. Luckily, any home studio challenges can be met with a little research and some smart acoustic tricks to design the perfect space.

When it comes to equipment, there are a lot of different options based on your personal goals and style. Of course, depending on what you’re doing there are a few basic things every home studio needs: a computer; software such as Ableton Live and Serato; a controller such as the DDJ-1000SRT from Pioneer, an audio interface, a microphone, and speakers and headphones. However, another crucial factor when setting up a home studio is the space itself. You need a room that’s set up to maximize the acoustics and to avoid common pitfalls that can negatively affect any recordings you make.

Every space is different, and there are many factors that can affect the sound of any music you play and record: room shape, room size, wall material, number of windows, location of equipment, and more can define the sound of your home studio. And while they aren’t hard and fast, there are some basic rules you can follow to make the best of whatever room in your home you’ve chosen to be your studio.

• Ideally, your studio shouldn’t have a lot of reflective hard surfaces. Too many reflective surfaces can lead to poor acoustics when you’re playing or recording. That’s why many studios are outfitted with panels on the walls to help absorb sound.

• But windows can actually be okay (depending on their location). As popular YouTuber Musician on a Mission explains in this video about home studios, when placed in an ideal location, windows aren’t as bad for acoustics as other reflective surfaces and can even have some positive effects. However, in other locations, windows can definitely be bad for the overall sound in your studio.

• If you can, pick a room that isn’t too loud and isn’t too square. A square-shaped room can be awful for acoustics, because square rooms create a buildup of standing waves, which negatively impact how things sound. So it’s much better to have a rectangular room for a home studio. And obviously, you don’t want a room that is loud with noise from an AC unit or nearby car traffic.

Of course, not everyone has the luxury of being able to choose the perfect room for their home studio, but there are ways to mitigate any issues of an imperfect room. One easy way to optimize a home studio is with window treatments. Here are a few ways the right window covering can make setting up a home studio much easier.

Covering windows can lessen their acoustic impact.

If your studio has a lot of windows that will affect the acoustics, window coverings can help. The best option is drapes made from a fabric that is dense and thick, so the sound waves won’t penetrate them and hit the glass.

Controlling the temperature of a room can make it quieter.

A noisy A/C or boiler can mess up any recording you’re doing. But window treatments such as cellular shades or solar shades with reflective backing can help insulate a room and keep it at a comfortable temperature so you can leave the appliances off for a while as you record. Unfortunately, though, window treatments won’t be able to completely stifle out other noises like cars. For that it’s probably best not to record during rush hour.

Reduce glare on the screen or in your eyes.

When you’re sitting down to mix or master your work, the last thing you want is blinding light from windows in your eyes or reflecting off your computer screen. Drapes, blinds, or shades can block out the sunlight so that you can edit your recordings without having to wear sunglasses indoors — unless, of course, channeling your inner Blues Brothers helps your creative process.

Unless you luck out with a perfect room, chances are that to create a perfect home studio, you’ll need to make a few adjustments and add some treatments that help optimize what you’re working with for your musical pursuits. Smart window coverings can help solve some of the most pressing issues that come from unwanted windows.

If you want to learn more about how a home studio can benefit from custom window coverings, schedule a free consultation with one of our experts today..