Acoustics Of A Professional Mastering Studio
acoustic treatment mastering mastering studio room acoustics studio tour Mar 20, 2023This week's video and article is a bit different from my usual teaching. I recently had coffee with my new friend, Duncan Ferguson who is a professional mastering engineer and owner of the studio, The Voltage Exchange. We toured his studio and talked about his acoustic treatment build out. Here are some key takeaways.
1) His Studio Is Not Soundproof
Duncan weighed his costs with this build and decided to put his money into the acoustics not the soundproofing.
2) This Is A "Beta" Studio Design
Duncan says it himself, this design was born from his experience with a masters degree in acoustics, running sound testing for stadium shows and his years as a professional mastering room. He does have a lot of knowledge, but this was his first studio design.
3) Mastering Studio Acoustics
Acoustics vary depending on the usage of the room. In Duncan's case he needs an extremely flat and accurate frequency response in his room. For this reason it may be more dead or in some cases "boring" than a live room in a studio. His studio design is based off the control room principal where all acoustic decisions are made to get the most accurate listening experience possible. It is good to keep this in mind as you watch the video, since not all rooms should be acoustically treated the same way. I also find that acoustic design is more of an artform than a science in much the same way mixing and mastering is. Ultimately, we need to follow some ground rules, but the real beauty of the sonics of a room is in the ear of the beholder.
If you are designing a recording studio then check out my FREE Acoustic Treatment Guide to get all the best tips on acoustically treating your home recording studio.
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