There is More that Meets the Eye....and Ear (1st Lesson) - Posted on 2013-10-01 by Cierra Harris

When you go into a studio, the first thing you probably look at is the equipment. You might not notice what's around within the studio and why it may be there. When I walked into my mentor's studio, of course,  I noticed the equipment, but then I noticed the bookcase, the panels on the ceiling, and what i thought was wooden art on the wall as well as a couch. I knew the obvious, that the wall were probably padded to keep the sound in the room and to keep sounds from outside out. I also knew, after reading, that they have speakers on each side of the room, because it helps to create a stereo image. What I didn't realized until my mentor explained to me is that those things were not just put into the studio for good feng shui, but to level out the sound in the room. Each piece of furniture helps absorb and diffuse the frequency for optimum manipulation to the mix. There were also other things that helped level the sound that didn't meet the eye. The ceilings were arched so the sound doesn't bounce directly up and down. He also let me in on the secret of how he kept the frequency of the bass of his music leveled. He had two thick panels of plexy glass that was built on both ends of the back of the room in order to absorb and diffuse some the frequency of the bass. Something like this you wouldn't have noticed because it was made to look like it was apart of the wall. He also let me know that the floor was floating. Of course in my mind I was confused as ever, but he explained how the floor was not the actual floor. It was a rubber pad  that went over the actual floor to keep sound from traveling to other rooms. After the conversation, I had a whole new perspective and look on studios. And I don't know if you will have a different perspective about studios, but I know you will know now that there is more that meets the eye....and ear.