{"id":20962,"date":"2025-10-29T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=20962"},"modified":"2025-10-29T16:03:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:03:19","slug":"acoustic-treatment-home-studio-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/acoustic-treatment-home-studio-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Home studio acoustic treatment: An in-depth DIY guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Derek Abella<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to acoustic treatment for your home studio, every unique space brings a unique set of challenges.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At home, we might be looking to deaden reverberations from untreated walls, soundproof the room to be more courteous to roommates, or address phase issues that standing waves in the room can cause. Acoustic treatment can address all of these issues and ensure that your space sounds great\u2014but unfortunately for us, acoustic treatment costs money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there’s no need to break the bank to make significant improvements to your recording environment; in this article, we\u2019ll discuss effective DIY home studio acoustic treatment options for your home studio that you can employ within three different budgets: $0, $500, and $1,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Home studio acoustic treatment with no budget at all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all been there. You\u2019d like to have a more acoustically neutral room, but that costs money, and you can\u2019t really spend it on treatment right now. Not to worry\u2014even if you can\u2019t spend any money at all, it\u2019s likely that you can still achieve a decent-sounding room just by gathering and intelligently arranging things that you\u2019ve already got around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home studio speaker placement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First of all, it won\u2019t cost you anything to arrange your space in such a way that minimizes reflections. Your objective here is to reduce opportunities for the sound produced by your speakers to bounce off the surfaces in your room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, start by moving your speakers away from the walls. You\u2019ll want your desk to be centered on one dimension in your room, and at least a foot away from the walls on any side. It\u2019s also a good idea to orient your desk so that the sides are parallel to the longer walls of your room; this will give the sound waves more space to bounce around, instead of getting stuck between the two shorter walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want to hear as much of the signal coming directly from your speakers as possible, and as little of the reflections as possible. So, point your speakers such that the two speakers and your head form an equilateral triangle when sitting at your mix position. That way, you\u2019ll hear more of the sound going straight to your ears and less of the sound bouncing off from the walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on optimal desk and speaker placement, I highly recommend checking out this excellent article from PreSonus.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absorbing sound with household items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next step will be to find any soft fabric materials you\u2019re not currently using, and arrange them in your studio space. Start by looking around your home for any larger fabric items that absorb sound: old blankets, fluffy towels, comforters, pillows, window curtains, or Pok\u00e9mon<\/a><\/em> plushies, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, arrange or hang them on any flat, hard, reflective surfaces (like bare walls or windows) that are in your studio. Basically, you\u2019re just trying to find as much soft, absorbent material as possible that you can put all over the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a couple of examples from my own experiences treating home studios when I didn\u2019t have a budget to spend:<\/p>\n\n\n

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My studio in Rwanda, where I stapled donated blankets to the walls. Maybe don\u2019t try this one at home, especially if you rent. Also, don\u2019t try the headband thing (in my defense, it was really hot in there).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"acoustic-treatment-home-studio-in-post-example-02\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

My current apartment, where I\u2019ve stuffed some fabric bags with a couple of old comforters. Apparently, these are dry-clean-only, so in other words, I\u2019m never going to clean them. Might as well put them in a window?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Home studio acoustic treatment with under $500<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to effectively do some home studio acoustic treatment for under $500, I recommend making your own acoustic panels and \/ or diffuser. This is a great price point if you’re able to explore the DIY route, especially if you already have access to relatively common tools like a saw, power drill, and staple gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prices for this section are just estimates, since your costs will vary based on what you already have access to in your home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n