It doesn’t matter if you’ve got the best gear money can buy if your studio isn’t properly set up. I can’t tell you how many home studios I’ve seen with improperly positioned monitors, uncomfortable workstations, and a poorly tuned room. What you end up with is a sound that might be fine in your home studio but doesn’t translate at all to the outside world. And you’re left scratching your head, wondering why you just bought the best gear you could afford but it’s not sounding right? Well, you’ve got to set it up correctly in order to truly hear what you’re doing. This doesn’t mean you have to build your own room from scratch, or spend a ton on acoustic material, you just need to understand basic acoustic principles and apply some common sense.
When I did consulting I used to go into home studios and help clients set up their gear for the best results. When I saw Grammy award winning audio engineer Francis Buckley’s Studio Rescue series (sponsored by Rode Microphones) on YouTube, I said to myself, “Wow, that’s exactly what I would have recommended. I’ve got to tell my students about these YouTube videos.” They’re really excellent. Buckley knows what he’s talking about and offers practical advice on working with the space you have, and how to tune it using furniture placement and a few strategically placed Vicoustic foam panels. Watch this video series if you’re not sure about how to position all the gear in your home studio. I guarantee you’ll learn a ton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02qpJt0hsL0
There are twelve episodes posted so far. Here are a few direct links:
Studio Rescue – Episode 1
Studio Rescue – Episode 9
Studio Rescue – Episode 12