Beyond Soundproofing and Acoustics: How To Wire Your Studio Like A Pro
Sep 09, 2024Since building my home recording studio, I’ve learned a lot—especially about what really matters in the long run. One thing I often see first-time studio builders overlook is focusing solely on soundproofing and acoustics, while missing the bigger picture: how you’ll use the room and how to set up your audio lines for the best workflow.
The truth is, you’ll eventually care more about how efficiently your studio runs and how comfortable it feels than about perfect acoustics or obsessing over specific soundproofing materials.
Yes, soundproofing and acoustics are important. But the point of this article is to encourage you to think bigger and design like a pro. Consider how you want to use your studio and what audio setup best supports your needs.
1. Clearly Establish Your Main Goals
A single room can’t be perfect for everything. If your primary goal is mixing, your design approach will be vastly different from someone using their room for band rehearsals. Sure, your room can have multiple purposes, but it should be optimized for what you’ll use it for 80% of the time.
With this focus, everything else—soundproofing, acoustics, lighting, audio wall boxes, cable runs, electrical, and HVAC—will fall into place more easily. Trying to build a room for mixing, rehearsing, live recording, and Dolby Atmos all at once is overcomplicating things.
If you’re lucky enough to build multiple rooms, you can dive into the more complex world of designing spaces for specific purposes, much like traditional studios where the live room and control room serve very different functions.
2. Think Through Your Cable Runs
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in designing soundproof walls that you overlook how you’ll actually wire your studio. From my experience, there are three main ways to manage your cabling:
A) Using a Snake or Individual XLR Cables
This is often the simplest and most cost-effective solution. Running a snake or individual XLR cables to the back of your room lets you easily connect instruments like drums and guitars to your interface by your desk.
While this is my current setup, it does have drawbacks—namely, the constant challenge of tripping over cables. Careful cable management is required to keep things organized, but the upside is easy access for repairs and re-routing.
B) Snake in the Wall with Custom Wall Boxes
If you want a cleaner, more professional look or are working with multiple rooms, consider running a snake through the walls to a custom wall plate. Companies like Redco make it easy to connect your XLR cables directly into the wall near your instruments, making for a clean and efficient setup.
This approach is more complex and expensive but ideal for higher-end studios or anyone prioritizing a polished aesthetic. You can even add a patch bay to easily route different audio signals to your interface—a great option if you want to reconfigure your channels depending on the session.
For more advanced setups, check out Redco or ProAudioLA, and take a look at SoundTools’ audio-over-Cat5 system for an innovative option.
C) Ethernet System with Specialty Interfaces
The most advanced and versatile option is to run audio over ethernet using shielded cables and specialty interfaces. This system allows for flexibility, especially in larger homes or studios with multiple rooms.
For instance, I’m working with a client who will run ethernet from his studio to different rooms in his house, allowing him to record from any room while controlling everything from his main mixing desk in the garage. It’s a powerful, but highly technical, solution.
Popular Ethernet-Based Audio Systems:
- Dante by Audinate – Scalable and compatible with major audio brands like Focusrite and PreSonus, Dante is perfect for growing home studios.
- AVB (Audio Video Bridging) – An affordable and straightforward option, especially with MOTU and PreSonus gear.
- SoundGrid by Waves – Designed for real-time processing with plugins, great for studios already using Waves.
- AES67 – Ideal for studios with equipment from different manufacturers, providing universal interoperability.
- Q-SYS by QSC – More than just audio, Q-SYS integrates control and video for advanced studio setups.
Conclusion: Think Holistically
The most important takeaway here is to think holistically about your studio design. Don’t leave critical infrastructure like audio cabling until the last minute—it should be integrated with your electrical system from the start. Plus, you’ll need to consider electromagnetic interference (EMI) between audio and electrical lines.
I recommend beginning your research on audio networks alongside your soundproofing and acoustic plans. This way, you’ll end up with a home recording studio that truly meets your needs.
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