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Q: What carpet do you recommend for a studio floor?
Leaving aside questions of color and pattern, what type of carpet works best in a recording studio environment?
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Question from an RP reader: “What carpet do you recommend for a studio floor?”
This is actually more complex than it seems at first. There are at least two questions here - one is what carpet is recommended for the recording area, the other is what carpet is recommended for the control room?
Conventionally the answer has been for a long time that no carpet is recommended - just bare wood or laminate flooring.
One reason for this is that carpet quickly wears out or becomes 'tired' looking, particularly in the control room under the engineer's chair, and in areas where equipment is loaded or stored. These areas should not be carpeted, for purely practical reasons.
The other areas can be carpeted if you wish. But there is a 'but'. Carpet is a great absorber of high and high-mid frequencies. Compared to other forms of absorption it's quite cheap too.
But carpet has little or no effect on low frequency sounds - it's too thin. So a room that is carpeted will have a lot of absorption at high and high-mid frequencies, a little at mid frequencies and none at low frequencies, unless other measures are taken.
This room will sound very dull because of the imbalance towards low frequencies in the reverberation of the room.
There are two solutions to this. One is to reduce the area covered by carpet and use a thinner carpet. The room will be more lively, but there will be a better balance of frequencies. The other is to provide low-frequency absorption, which can be done using proprietary modules, or by constructing panel or membrane absorbers.
You can actually make a low-frequency absorber out of carpet. Hang the carpet on the wall supported by a wooden batten spacing the carpet 50 mm or more away from the wall. Now fix similar battens all around the edges of the carpet, and nail the carpet down. Such an absorber will still have more high and mid absorption than low, but it's better than just carpet alone, and it can be balanced out with other acoustic treatment methods elsewhere in the room.
Publication date Monday May 24, 2010
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Discussion on this article's topic...
Vinny, Port Richey, United States
Because my studio was built in a 2 car garage, I have carpeting throughout the studio. Not because of acoustics but it cuts the sound that you hear in the other parts of the house. I do sacrifice those frequencies but it's a small price to pay for not having the family or neighbors upset with me.
Friday May 28, 2010
Steve Humes, Tampa, USA
Some instruments, such as grand piano recorded solo might beneift from a bare floor/high ceiling situation.
I installed a glued down industrial office carpet in my studio simple to control sound reflection.
Throw rugs can also help.
I prefer to track as sterile a sound as possible, so that then adding effects such as compression and delay, reverb, I am not enhancing any artifacts.
I installed a glued down industrial office carpet in my studio simple to control sound reflection.
Throw rugs can also help.
I prefer to track as sterile a sound as possible, so that then adding effects such as compression and delay, reverb, I am not enhancing any artifacts.
Friday May 28, 2010
Billyjoe Starbie, Oakdale Ca, USA
I have always wondered about the different effects of recording in a cattle field..on a quiet windless day. the speakers would have nothing but potential hamburger to reflect against..but would this be an ideal monitoring area? is there an advantage to having no room at all.. this is more a question than a comment..
Tuesday May 25, 2010
Fakeplayerhater, Georgia, Lamebeatfinder
Quincin D, my studio is pretty busy and has wooden floors. I was interested to hear why your sound is so much better but I couldnt find an example on your myspace. I can hear the reflections of your straight colored carpet. The straight color really shines through the mix hahaaaaaaa
Tuesday May 25, 2010
Karan, India
@ Zaher Aljaffar
im sure you will find a software that translates the language for you.. so you can copy paste the information there and read it in arabic.
im sure you will find a software that translates the language for you.. so you can copy paste the information there and read it in arabic.
Tuesday May 25, 2010
David Suazo, Architect And Music Producer, Guatemala, Guatemala
i agree with the issues regarding carpets in a studio or/and control room, maybe in a classroom full with children you can have a environment totally carpeted and you can say it has higher purpose with absorption, you dont want to spend so much time lestening to loud high and mid frecuencies that children tend to produce, but in a studio you would have a frecuency limitation and it could become unbalanced, and therefore your sound if you are recording could become colored, and the same with you control room, yur mixes could become colored and bassless because you have less absorption on lower frecuencies.
Monday May 24, 2010
Quincin D. Williams, New Orleans, U.s.a.
I beg to differ. When people come to my studio they ask all the time why do I use carpet. Well if you are a studio head like me, you'll notice that carpet absorbs the sound that you want full vs bare wood floors that makes the sound flat. I never had any problems with frequencies. I don't use pattern carpet just an ordinary straight color household carpet. In my opinion it makes the studio look incredible. Bare floors is just for bathrooms, and kitchens in my opinion. Anyway if you want to hear why my sound is so much better than others then visit www.myspace.com/quincinwilliams, peace...
Monday May 24, 2010
Count, Sydney, Australia
What kind of carpet? The type you can roll up and put away!
Monday May 24, 2010
Tellit Asit Iz, Everywhere, Yes It Is
Arabic translations. 2 funny
Monday May 24, 2010
Zaher Aljaffar, Dubai, Dubai
im so glad to use this siet becos its verey nice but i have some broblem idont speek english good so its defecalt to me ihope u have some one translation in arabic thanks
Monday May 24, 2010
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