A space where you can practice, record, and compose is essential for any musician. A music room will help you get the most out of your practice sessions without disturbing your neighbors or roommates. Even if you don’t have very much space, you can still set up a practice room and get excellent results. If you have the the luxury of building a practice room from scratch, you’ll have even better control over acoustics and sound-deadening. Here are some essential tips for setting up a music practice room in your home.
Find a Good Location
A practice room’s location depends on the space you have available and your day-to-day activities. A spare bedroom or a finished basement are excellent practice rooms that you can tailor to your needs. However, many people have limited space and can’t dedicate a whole room to just music.
If you need a practice space for one or two people, consider setting up in the corner of your bedroom or home office. Try to avoid high-traffic areas like the living room. This will cut down on interruptions. Since only one or two people will be practicing at once, you won’t have to worry about being too loud.
If you’re setting up a home studio or a band practice room, you’ll need to dedicate more space to get the best results. A basement, windowless room, or garage space will offer the best results. When you’re practicing with several people or recording music, you need a room that you can acoustically isolate. This will help with volume-control and improve the quality of your recordings.
Control Your Sound
Whether you’re practicing in a closet or an auditorium, its important to control how sound behaves in your area. Once you’ve picked a space, assess how much sound leaves through the walls, ceiling, and floor. Your goal is to block noise from getting out and coming in.
Keep in mind that sound reflects off of hard surfaces like tile floors and windows. The first thing you should do is minimize reflections off hard surfaces using items that you already have in your home. A large rug will help keep sound from passing through the floor and it will reduce echos. If there are windows, install some thick curtains to muffle reflections. Corners tend to trap and reflect sound, so positioning a bookcase or an upholstered chair in the corner can help quiet down a room.
If you want to have more professional soundproofing, consider investing in acoustic panels to cancel out background noise and minimize sound transfer through walls. If you’re working in a smaller studio, hanging insulated curtains around the perimeter of the room can be an effective method of deadening sound.
Set Up Some Lights and Furniture
No one likes practicing in a dingy room. A few floor lamps and an overhead light can do wonders for the ambiance of your practice space. Not only will it help with reading sheet music, it’ll make your music room a nicer place to be. If you have overhead lights, consider using LED lights to cut down on your power bill while producing a brighter glow.
Along with good lighting, comfortable furniture is a must-have for any studio or practice room. Consider getting some purpose-built musician’s chairs that can be adjusted to suit your playing posture. A nice sofa or a few extra chairs will also make the room more cozy.
A desk with a computer can add a lot of utility to your music room. It’s much easier to look up sheet music and songs if you have immediate access to the Internet. You’ll also have a great practice space for lessons over video chat. Make sure you leave some space to properly store your instruments. Keeping your instruments safe and clean should be a top priority.
Schedule your free online introductory music lesson
Adam’s Music offers a free, half-hour introductory music lesson over video chat. If you’ve always wanted to pick up a new instrument, or brush up on your technique, now’s the perfect time! Contact us today to arrange a free online music lesson with one of our teachers.