What Is The Best Wood For A Recording Studio?

Constructing a recording studio is a delicate matter because it involves adopting certain materials and disregarding others.

Not every type of material will work in the construction of a recording studio setup,

therefore you have to choose the right material or hire an expert to point you in the right direction.

The best wood for a recording studio is hardwood like maple and oak for the floors and the walls. For a live recording studio; knotty pine and some good sound absorbing walls will work perfectly.

You should take into account that wood is a light weight material therefore it will not do any sound insulation performance thoroughly well,

therefore this post will explain how you should go about using wood for your recording studio.

Floors

For the floors, hardwood flooring will get the job done.

Hardwood flooring will work best when there is a thick layer of concrete underneath it.

the reason is that,

when it comes to recording studios a bare concrete floor is the best because hard surfaces tend to work best in sound absorption/ insulation when they are paired with treated walls and ceilings.

There is a misconception that hard surfaces are particularly bad,

this is not true when the hard surface floor is paired with acoustic treatment material on the walls and ceilings and professionals and expert will admit to this fact.

What would typically be a bad idea is having a concrete floor, concrete walls and a concrete ceiling without acoustic treatment material.

In such a situation you would have sound reflections all over the place,

and these reflections would not only make it hard for you to record clean takes, but they would make it hard to mix and master your tracks.

therefore concrete floors paired with acoustically treated walls and ceiling is the right route to go to avoid any headache.

Walls

The good part about using wood for walls is that you can use custom made wood absorbers.

You could use a popular wood like pine, that can even add to the visual aesthetic of the studio.

In addition, some good sound absorber’s on the wood will work perfectly fine.

Ceiling

Soundproofing your ceiling will be paramount especially if you have set up your recording studio in an apartment complex,

where you have people living in the rooms above the ceiling.

footsteps, loud radio and television sets can easily creep into your recordings if you don’t sound proof your ceiling adequately.

To sound proof a ceiling you can easily add soundproof material on top of the wood,

this will work best if there exists some mass beneath the wood.

Why do studios have carpets?

Studios have carpets because they are very efficient sound absorbers.

Carpets are made of fibrous material that is able to absorb and diffuse and dampen sound waves,

concrete walls and floors tend to reflect sound because they are hard surfaces.

It is for this reason that you’ll find carpets in recording studio floors other than the fact that they can be used decoratively.

Does wood paneling absorb sound?

Wood paneling is pretty much dense material and when sound hits a wood panel it will be pretty much reflected and not absorbed.

Additional layering of acoustic material can help dampen sounds and ensure fewer sound reflections.

How can I make wood paneling look better?

You can use these ideas to improve the visual aesthetic of wood paneling.

Paint – You can use a paint color that you deem fit on your wood paneling to make it look better.

Art – You can cover the wood paneling with art,

which is a pretty good idea, especially if you can get a good color scheme to go with the rest of your room.

Curtains – This can be a great way to hide your wood paneling plus it can give a warmer feel to the room.

Do rugs help absorb sound?

Rugs are as good as carpets when it comes to sound absorption,

they are both made from pretty similar material, therefore they can make for some good sound dampening material.

Conclusion

Wood is a great construction tool for any recording studio and has a pretty good visual aesthetic in that kind of environment.

The best wood for a recording studio is hardwood like maple and oak for the floors and the walls.

You’ll find that this would will generally work best if a concrete or drywall floor is layered beneath.

Furthermore you’ll need to carry out the right soundproofing to be able to keep wanted sounds in the room and unwanted sounds out.

Good acoustic treatment will make your recording studio the perfect hub for good recording.

Carpets and rugs are also a cool way to dampen sounds.

You can easily place them on the wood floors to ensure that you have fewer or no sound reflections in the room.

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6 Reasons Why Recording Studios Have Wood Floors – Home Studio Expert