Room Soundproofing for Podcasters and Content Creators: A Comprehensive Guide
Podcasts have been around for over two decades and, as they’ve grown and developed, so have their listeners’ expectations for sound quality.1 Podcasting is now an $18 billion-a-year industry that’s still expanding exponentially—meaning it’s no longer an amateur’s game.2
With so much money and interest in the market, staticky sound and muffled voices aren’t able to compete with the crisp, clear audio of the medium’s biggest and best-funded stars. If you want that same lossless quality as Joe Rogan or Ashley Flowers, however, you’ll need to totally revamp your podcasting studio.
We don’t just mean buying high-end recording equipment either—we’re talking about eliminating background noise, echo, and other unwanted sonic interference. In this guide, we’re discussing how to soundproof a room for podcasting to achieve the best sound quality possible.
Understanding Soundproofing
Soundproofing means outfitting a room with the necessary fixtures to eliminate sonic transfer both in and out. For podcasters, that means:
- No one can hear you talking from outside your podcast studio
- No sound interference from equipment or street noise makes its way onto your recording
Soundproofing works through sound reflection: the act of bouncing noise back toward its source.
Sound absorption is another common technique used to manipulate noise within enclosed spaces. It works by absorbing sound to eliminate sonic transfer and echoes. While sound absorption won’t make your podcast studio soundproof, it can help you achieve better sonic quality on your recordings.
Starting with the Basics
The first step in room soundproofing is choosing an area to work with. Room size can have significant effects on the efficacy of your soundproofing efforts. Choose a space too large, and you’ll have increased echoes and reverberation to deal with—not to mention extra soundproofing materials to purchase.
On the other hand, smaller spaces have their own unique issues. Rapid reflections can cause some frequencies to be unwillingly suppressed or amplified. In turn, this can cause a “boxy” or “tinny” effect on your recordings, causing them to come across as low-quality.
The types of surfaces in your podcast recording studio also dictate how your sound will reverberate and travel through your space. In general:
- Soft surfaces, such as carpet, will absorb sound
- Hard surfaces, such as wood, concrete, and glass, will reflect sound back to its source
Depending on the size of your room and your desired audio quality, you may need to alter, cover, or change certain surfaces to achieve a fully soundproof recording space.
Practical Soundproofing Techniques
There are a variety of relatively easy, readymade solutions for room soundproofing. Here, we’ll cover some of the most trusted ways to keep sound locked in your professional studio.
Softening Reflective Surfaces
Putting soft material over your hard surfaces should be at the top of your list. For a basic, cost-effective solution, you can cover floors and walls with tapestries, curtains, blankets, rugs, and other absorbent fabrics. Doing so won’t totally soundproof your space, but it will cut down on echo and reverberation.
For a more effective, professional, and permanent soundproofing solution, consider acoustic panels. Thick, purpose-built acoustic sound panels absorb more sound than DIY solutions and are essential for totally soundproofing a space. To keep sound locked in, line your walls and ceiling with panels and seal off every crack and crevice.
Sealing Your Recording Space
Speaking of sealing, the closer a room is to airtight, the closer it will be to soundproof. That’s because sound works like water in a fish tank—even the smallest crack will cause it to come careening out.
The most common culprits for sound loss in enclosed spaces include:
- Doors
- Windows
- Air vents
To close up small holes or cracks, caulk in an acoustic sealant and allow it to set. For larger gaps, you may want to consider cutting pieces of acoustic insulation to size and stuffing them into place.
Using Specialized Soundproofing Solutions
Depending on the specifics of your space, you may also want to consider:
- Acoustic curtains – Windows are thin, making them a weak point for sound transfer. They’re also reflective and tend to vibrate, potentially leading to lower sound quality in your recording. To combat these pitfalls, cover them with acoustic curtains to absorb sound before it escapes.
- Door covers – Acoustic curtains are also useful for preventing sound loss through doorways. If you really want that ASMR quality recording, however, consider a soundproof entry door to completely seal noise into your recording room.
- Wall covering fabrics – Soundproof curtains can also be used to cover up any areas of your podcasting studio that are hard to fit with acoustic paneling. While they may not lead to total soundproofing, curtains are far more effective at absorbing sound than a bare wall.
Addressing External Noises
To prevent unwanted sounds from making guest appearances on your episodes, stop them at their source. If you record in an internal room, seal the building’s external window and door cracks anyway—you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes inside.
Another common issue for podcasters is interference from their Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. To deal with the clunks and thumps of noisy HVAC machinery, consider a soundproofing HVAC closet. Wrap your ducts, line them with sound-absorbing insulation, and, if possible, isolate noisy equipment far away from your recording area.
Investing in Quality Equipment
No matter how soundproof your room is, if you’re recording on your Guitar Hero mic from 2008, it’s going to sound staticky and muffled. Likewise, weak post-production software that compresses your audio files will cut their quality and throw off the natural timbre of your voice.
To that end, invest in high-quality equipment to complement your soundproofing efforts. Installing acoustic paneling, curtains, and new acoustic doors is already the bulk of the work when it comes to achieving professional-sounding podcasts—it would be a shame to let it go to waste on inferior recording equipment.
Soundproofing on a Budget
Not everyone has the funds to invest in professional soundproofing equipment. For those working with a shoestring budget, there are a variety of household materials you can use to help soften sound in your recording space.
Lining your walls decorative acoustic panels, for instance, is a cost-effective way to reduce noise transfers. Similarly, hanging any type of thick material on your walls (such as blankets) will increase your overall sound absorption.
Work with Acoustical Surfaces for All Your Soundproofing Needs
Listeners are spoiled when it comes to modern audio quality and expect the best out of their podcast experience. As a host, you’ll need to provide top-notch sound to compete in the modern podcasting market.
To achieve the highest possible sound quality in a professional-grade recording studio, partner with the experts at Acoustical Surfaces. With hundreds of soundproofing products and the know-how to put them to work, we’ll devise an ideal solution to meet your podcasting needs. Simply contact us about your noise issues to get started toward perfect sound.
Sources:
- The Harvard Gazette. The podcast revolution. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/10/the-podcast-revolution/
- Grand View Research/ Podcasting Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Genre (News & Politics, Society & Culture, Comedy, Sports), By Format (Interviews, Panels, Solo), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 – 2030. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/podcast-market
