Studio Design | Part 1: Acoustics
Home Studio Acoustics
In this tutorial, we'll be looking into one of the most powerful and cost effective ways to achieve professional studio quality sound in a home studio. Spoiler alert; it’s not about the quality of your speakers. In fact, even with the most expensive monitors money can buy, your mixes will still sound like they were done in a cardboard box if your room isn’t acoustically treated.
We're talking acoustic treatment, speaker placement, soundproofing, room modes – all the stuff that makes the difference between guessing what your track sounds like and actually knowing.
Let's get into it.
| In this tutorial |
|---|
| 1. The problem: Reflections |
| 2. What reflections do |
| 3. Why room shape matters |
| 4. How to solve the problems |
| 5. Filtering & resonance |
| 6. Stereo, width, depth & height |
Part 1.1
The Four Waveforms
Synthesising sound is the creation of a waveform. Waveforms are a pattern of vibration, or deviation, from a central ‘zero’ point over time. Ripples on the surface of a pond are a waveform, as are the wobbly lines drawn out by seismographs when recording earthquakes. There are four fundamental waveforms that form the basis of all sounds. These are; sine, saw, square and triangle.
Sine
The sine wave is nature's original waveform, characterised by rounded, smooth edges. It's often shortened to "sin" in synth interfaces.
Saw
The sawtooth, or "saw" wave has more 'presence' than a sine wave. It works well when layered with another saw wave of a similar frequency.
Square
The square wave is a popular choice for bassline synthesis. It often has a resonant low pass filter applied to create a classic garage sound.
Triangle
Similar in tone to a sine wave, but with more artifice, the triangle wave is often layered with other waveforms to build interesting timbres.