Quick answer: Home studio acoustic treatment means panels at the reflection points around your listening position and bass traps (thick corner panels that soak up deep, boomy sound) in the corners, so you hear your speakers and not the room. Start with the walls beside you, behind the speakers and the corners. It won't soundproof the room from neighbours, but it will make your mixes translate to cars, earphones and phones.

Key takeaways

  • Order: side walls at the mix position → wall behind speakers → corners (bass traps) → ceiling.
  • Small bedrooms build up bass, so bass traps matter more than more wall panels.
  • Treatment helps your mixes; soundproofing is a separate job for noise.

Why do mixes sound different outside the room?

In an bare room, sound from your speakers bounces off the walls and arrives at your ears a fraction later, colouring what you hear. Small rooms also trap bass in the corners, so some notes boom and others disappear. You mix to fix problems that are really the room's. More on this in do I need bass traps?.

Where should panels go first?

  1. Side walls at the mix position (the first reflection points). Sit at the desk; anywhere you could see a speaker in a mirror on the side wall is a reflection point.
  2. The wall behind the speakers.
  3. Corners: [bass traps](/blog/do-i-need-bass-traps-singapore), floor to ceiling if possible.
  4. The ceiling above the desk (a cloud).
  5. The back wall if the room is small.

See also where to place acoustic panels first.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our acoustic panels for homes and recent projects.

Home studio treatment order

  • 1 · Where: Side walls at mix position · Why: Removes the first echoes you hear
  • 2 · Where: Behind the speakers · Why: Cleans up the front of the stereo image
  • 3 · Where: Corners (bass traps) · Why: Controls boomy, uneven bass
  • 4 · Where: Ceiling cloud · Why: Removes the bounce above the desk
  • 5 · Where: Back wall · Why: Helps in small rooms
Treat your home studio in this order infographic

Do I need bass traps?

In most Singapore bedrooms used as studios, yes. Small rooms build up deep, bassy sounds in the corners. Thin panels won't touch it. Our Soothe™ bass trap panels are designed for this.

What about recording vocals or podcasts?

For recording, you want less room sound behind the microphone: panels behind and beside the vocalist, and a treated wall in front. The same panels help both mixing and recording, but placement changes. For a podcast room, treat the walls closest to each microphone first.

How much does a home studio need?

A typical 10–15 m² room needs 8–14 panels plus bass traps in the corners. At S$185 per panel supplied and installed, 8–14 panels is about S$1,480–S$2,590. Bass traps are priced separately. See acoustic panel prices.

Mixing room, recording room or both?

Mixing: your goal is to hear the speakers accurately, so treat the reflection points around the listening position and control the bass.

Recording vocals, podcasts or instruments: your goal is less room sound in the microphone, so treat the area behind and beside the performer.

Both in one bedroom: treat for mixing first, then add a few panels you can position behind the microphone when you record.

Common home studio mistakes

  1. Foam everywhere, no bass traps. The room ends up dull at the top and boomy at the bottom. See foam vs panels.
  2. Desk in the middle of a wall with a window on one side. Aim for symmetry left and right of your listening position.
  3. Speakers pushed into corners. Bass gets even worse.
  4. Expecting treatment to stop noise complaints. That's soundproofing.

What we see on real jobs

For a home music studio, we fitted corner bass panels and wall panels in black fabric in half a day. The corner panels deal with the boomy bass, and the wall panels deal with echoes around the listening spot.

Get a straight answer for your room

WhatsApp a photo of the room (+65 8930 1905) and tell us what you use it for: calls, TV, music or mixing. We'll suggest a layout, a colour and a price, including no-drill options where your walls allow.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

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