5 Ways to Make Your Studio Look As Good As It Sounds

The main function of a recording studio is to track
and mix audio accurately. Ideally, it should also be a source of inspiration
that fuels creativity for the artists and producers that use the space. You
spend long hours in your studio, and the way the room looks and feels is
important. As acoustical consultants, we are focused on acoustical accuracy
when designing a studio, but we also try to ensure that every room is unique
and tailored toward the client’s aesthetic goals. In this article, we will
discuss five ways that you can make your studio look as good as it sounds.

Find Your
Inspiration

Everyone has an opinion on what makes a recording
studio look amazing. You can show the same photo of a well-designed space to 10
people and get wildly different reactions. It is important to figure out what
you like and to find the inspiration that will guide your decisions throughout
the design process. At the beginning of every project, we ask our clients to
compile a folder full of images that inspire them. These could be photos of
other studios, living rooms, museums — anything that makes them feel good. This
allows us to have a starting point and a good idea of their sense of style.
Browsing photos of recording studios on social media (Instagram, Pinterest,
etc.) or even just doing a simple Google search can really spark your
imagination. Are there certain color schemes that motivate you? Do you want the
room to be fairly dark and moody or light and airy? Will you go for an ultra-modern
décor or for something that is more rustic, utilizing natural wood elements?

Address the Mess

The recording gear, speakers, furniture, acoustical
treatment, and instruments should be the focal points of your room — not the
trash on the floor, the stacks of old CDs, or the rat’s nest of cables hanging
out from behind your equipment. Taking time to clean up the room, to get
organized, and to think about cable management will go a long way toward
creating a space that is comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Research shows
that there is a direct correlation between productivity and clutter. Time in
your studio should be fulfilling and productive, not stressful and inefficient.
A good start is to reduce the number of unnecessary items that you have in the
room. Getting proper studio furniture (desks, racks, instrument storage, etc.)
will streamline your gear and will create a functional environment where you
can focus. Making sure that your cables are tidy and hidden from view will go a
long way toward an amazing-looking room. Taking care of these steps will make
all your other visual choices stand out even more.

Light Up Your Life

Good lighting design can have a positive impact on the
health and wellbeing of those who use your studio. There are studies that show
that good lighting can help regulate your circadian rhythm, improve your mood,
reduce depression, and even increase cognitive performance such as reaction
time. On top of all these benefits, it just looks so cool! We use LED lighting
in many of our designs, which allows our clients to change the mood in the
studio from session to session. Spacing acoustical treatment off the
wall/ceiling to create an air gap behind the panels can improve acoustical
performance. This also gives you an opportunity to backlight these panels with
LEDs to create a glow that can enhance the look of your studio. Planning ahead
and running the proper electrical wires to the locations where the LED lights
are needed can create a seamless and clean look. If you are retrofitting an
existing space, then the wiring can be hidden behind acoustical treatment to
conceal it from view.

Shape Your Sound

One way to make your studio look unique is to
implement acoustical panels that are different from the standard rectangular or
square panels that you typically see. We designed the room below for two-time
Grammy Award–winning singer/songwriter Tori Kelly with custom, hexagon-shaped
FulFill Panels and PERF Panels from Acoustical Fulfillment. This allowed us to
vary the depth and panel type as needed for acoustical performance while
creating an attractive space for Tori’s home studio. With custom acoustical panels,
almost any shape is possible, so the possibilities are endless. If it can be
cut on a CNC machine, then you can have an acoustical panel made in that shape
(circles, trapezoids, triangles, etc.).

Diffuse the
Situation

Diffusion panels can scatter sound while retaining the
“life” within the room. They are acoustical tools that we use often in our
designs to obtain the desired results. Diffusers can also add an interesting
aesthetic element to the room due to their unique designs. The image below was
taken in a studio we designed for Tyler Joseph, the front man for Twenty One
Pilots. The rear wall has an eye-catching quadratic residue diffuser array, and
located on the rear side walls is the Flex-48 Adaptive Treatment System from
Acoustical Fulfillment, which has a clear shield that plays well with the
lighting in the space. There are many intriguing visual options when it comes
to diffusion that can also really enhance the acoustical performance of your
studio for both tracking and mixing applications.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it is important to have fun when designing your studio! This is a space where you will spend many hours creating the music that you love. Your studio’s vibe should reflect you and should be a tool that will inspire you to produce your best work. We can’t wait to see what you come up with for your space!

If you’re ready to get to
work but aren’t sure where to start, then contact Sweetwater for friendly,
knowledgeable, and professional help to design,
build, and install the studio of your
dreams!

Design. Build. Install.The key to great results is starting in the right place. You have big plans, and we’re here to help make them a reality! From the home recording studio to live venue sound and lighting, our experts can help design, program, and install audio, video, lighting, and acoustics solutions for projects of any size.
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