#Smooth sound studio how to#
#Smooth sound studio pro#

Post-production often involves a whole crew of people with various talents that all have to work in synchronicity to produce a film. In the world of music production, studio recordings are made with a small handful of people - an engineer, producer, artists, and record executives. “It would be nearly impossible to write a catch-all article detailing all the things that might help someone through the process of post-production sound.

#Smooth sound studio pro#

The topic is a big one, and Parnell went into some detail, drilling down into pro tips for every aspect of quality sound production:

We went to James Parnell, Sound Editorial/Re-Recording Mixer of such high profile projects as Get Out (Universal/Blumhouse), Moonlight (A24), The Mist(Netflix/Spike) and Happy Death Day (Universal/Blumhouse) for some best practices for improving your post-production sound workflow.

#Smooth sound studio how to#

Here are a few insights into how to make sure your sound is fully serving your story. You can always improve the room sound later by adding acoustic treatment ( and we’ll get to that part in a bit).īut if at all possible, it’s best to use a room with great natural acoustics, as it will be less work for you later.When it comes to quality sound production, you get what you pay for. You on the other hand, will most likely need to compromise.ĭon’t expect perfection, just choose your best option. Pro studios have them, but only because they spent tons of cash to DESIGN them. However, the chances of having access to a room just like this are virtually ZERO. Ideally what you want is a large room with high ceilings, asymmetrical walls, and lots of irregular surfaces. Sadly for us…it just so happens that ALL those features NEGATIVELY affect acoustics. If possible, choose a downstairs room instead.īedrooms in a typical family home look something like this: The other problem to watch out for with upstairs floors especially is excessive foot noise. If and when you need carpet, such as for a drum kit, you can always lay down an area rug instead. carpet absorbs high frequencies, but not low ones, which hurts the acoustics.studios get a lot of foot traffic, and carpet wears out quickly.Poor Flooringįor your recording room, hard flooring such as concrete, tile, or hardwood is ideal.Ĭarpeted rooms often cause problems for two reasons: Some degree of soundproofing may be required in order to create a useable workspace for yourself. you can make as much noise as you want.Ideally, you want a perfectly silence space where: In addition to avoiding outside noises, you must also realize that YOU will undoubtedly be a source of noise for OTHERS.

So pay close attention to which rooms are the worst noise offenders, and choose the quietest one with the fewest neighbors. But once you hear it through a microphone, all that noise is magnified 100x.Īll these things are common sources of noise that can easily ruin your recordings: In everyday life, you forget how much noise is actually around you. While beginners might prefer the privacy and coziness of smaller rooms, my advice is…īe smart…and choose the bigger one. Not to mention…they sound better ( more on that topic later). More space for your ever-growing collection of gear/instruments.

More space for multiple musicians, and….

The general rule of thumb is: the bigger the room, the better. Otherwise, you have a decision to make.Īnd since some rooms are better for recording than others…here’s what I recommend you know to make the best choice: The Top 4 Recording Studio Design MistakesĬhoosing room is less about finding good qualities, and more about AVOIDING bad ones. If you only have one option…then just use that. In an average household, you might have the option of 2-3 rooms to set up your studio.