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How to Acoustically Treat a Room

Acoustic treatment is typically installed in a recording studio; however, acoustically treating a home theater or home recording studio will improve your entertainment experience. Treat a room acoustically by adding absorbers and deflectors to the walls. This will improve the acoustics by preventing sound waves from bouncing around the room.

Things You'll Need

  • Stud finder
  • Pencil
  • Chalk line
  • Tape measure
  • Rigid insulation
  • Utility knife
  • Drywall screws
  • Washers
  • Power drill
  • Black fabric
  • Scissors
  • Staple gun
  • 1/4-inch ply plywood sheet
  • 1-inch by 1-inch board
  • Circular saw
  • Screws
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Instructions

  1. Absorbers

    • 1

      Find the location of the wall studs in the room with the stud finder. Mark the location of the studs on the wall with the pencil. Repeat this step around the perimeter of the room.

    • 2

      Run a chalk line from the ceiling to the floor at your first pencil mark. Pull the chalk line tight and then snap a line on the wall. Move to the next pencil mark and snap another line. Continue this process for each wall stud.

    • 3

      Measure the width of the first wall with the tape measure. Transfer the measurement to a sheet of the rigid insulation. Cut the insulation to the measurement with the utility knife.

    • 4

      Place washers over the drywall screws and then set the insulation at the top of the wall. Place a drywall screw where the chalk line indicates the location of the stud and tighten with the power drill.

    • 5

      Measure and cut another piece of insulation and secure it to the wall. Repeat this step for the remainder of the wall.

    • 6

      Repeat steps 3 through 5 to install the rigid insulation on the remainder of the walls.

    • 7

      Measure the width and height of each wall with the tape measure. Transfer the measurements to the black fabric and cut the sheets to fit with the scissors.

    • 8

      Lay the fabric up on the first wall and secure with the staple gun. Set the remainder of the fabric in place and secure it to the walls.

    Deflectors

    • 9

      Measure the width and height of the wall with the tape measure. Determine the amount of open space you have on the wall, such as 5 feet wide by 4 feet high.

    • 10

      Cut a sheet of 1/4-inch plywood to the measurement from step 1.

    • 11

      Find the location of the studs in the wall with the stud finder. Mark the location of the studs with the pencil.

    • 12

      Transfer the width measurement from step 1 to the wall; make a mark at the midpoint. Attach the 1-inch by 1-inch board to the wall with screws, using the power drill.

    • 13

      Set the cut piece of plywood on the wall over the 1-inch by 1-inch board, so that it will bend slightly. Secure the plywood to the studs in the wall with the screws. Place a screw every six inches on each side. Repeat this process on each wall to keep the sound from bouncing directly onto another wall.

Recording Music

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