Whether recording music, instruments or voice, it is common knowledge that any room being used to record audio should have some level of sound absorbing material installed so that it sounds as professional as possible.
When starting a project of this nature, a common mistake is to try to look for “sound proofing foam”, when what you really want is acoustic foam. Sound proofing a room will diminish noise pollution that is entering or leaving the room, and while it is definitely something worthwhile to look in to, it is another project entirely. Acoustic foam does not prevent sound from entering or leaving the room, it instead helps to nullify echoes and reverberation, allowing for recordings to be much cleaner sounding.
To accomplish this, you will need to cover some of your wall space with acoustic foam panels. The exact percentage of your wall that should be covered depends on what you’re doing. For example, if you’re recording a rock band you will need more coverage than if you’re just singing softly into a microphone. Typically, your coverage needed will fall between 25% and 75%.
The advantage should be clear as soon as you hear the recording for yourself. You’ll still need to perform some basic audio cleanup, and adjust levels to remove unwanted sounds, but the result should be a much clearer focus on whatever sound is being recorded. For best results, try recording each instrument in its own session. This allows you to have full masters of every track, combining them together for perfect results.
Bio: The Foam Factory, Inc. is the largest provider of foam and foam accessories in North America.