Acoustics & Monitoring
The room is an instrument you did not choose. This section covers treating it on a budget, placing monitors, and knowing when headphones are the smarter call.
Guides
Acoustic Treatment on a Budget: What Works and What's A Myth
Acoustic treatment controls reflections and bass buildup inside your room; it is not soundproofing.
Headphones vs. Monitors: Which Should You Mix On?
In a well-treated room, monitors are the more reliable reference; in an untreated room, good headphones usually win because room reflections distort what.
Studio Monitor Placement: You Can't Mix What You Can't Hear
Set your monitors and head in an equilateral triangle, tweeters at seated ear height, angled toward your head.
Recording in an Untreated Room: Damage Control That Works
To record vocals in an untreated room, control the space around the mic instead of the whole room: sing 4-6 inches from a cardioid mic, hang a duvet or.
Room Modes and Bass Traps: Why Small Rooms Boom
Small rooms boom because parallel surfaces create standing waves (room modes) at specific bass frequencies.
- First reflection points, step by step
- Diffusion vs. absorption
- Calibrating monitor level