The importance of soundproofing recording studio doors

Recording studios.  Places where wonderful things are created … and for entirely understandable reasons possibly the most demanding environment of them all when we’re thinking of acoustics and soundproof doors.

Before we delve into recording studio doors, we simply can’t resist listing some of the top studios in the world:

• Sun Studios – Memphis – “the birthplace of rock n roll” – used by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison

• Muscle Shoals – Alabama – used by Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones

• Sunset Sound – Hollywood – used by the Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John

• Chess – Chicago – used by Chuck Berry, Willy Dixon, Muddy Waters

• Hitsville – Detroit – the home of Motown! Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, the Four Tops

• Hansa – Berlin – used by David Bowie, U2, Depeche Mode

• The Record Plant – New York – used by John Lennon (Imagine was recorded there), Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run was recorded there) and Jimi Hendrix

and last, but my no means least, our very own

• Abbey Road. Unashamed to reveal our personal favourites, amongst all the numerous fantastic artists who’ve recorded wonderful things there, while The Beatles were recording Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – possibly the greatest and undoubtedly one of the most influential albums of all time – Pink Floyd were next door recording their first album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Think about that for a moment …

What is a recording studio?

As the name implies, it is a facility for recording sound, but also what is termed “mixing” in the industry, i.e. working on what has been recorded to ensure that the finished product is fit for purpose.

The finished product, incidentally, isn’t only music, but could be voice-overs for advertisements; dialogue for films, television or animation; and also what is called “foley” (the addition of everyday sound effects to what’s been recorded to enhance the listening experience.  Foley can also be used to cover up unwanted sounds, such as the noise of a plane inadvertently recorded while filming a costume drama – it’s a very interesting topic in its own right!).

A typical studio will consist of three types of room:

1. the main studio itself, where most of the recording is created (sometimes known as the “live” room)
2. the control room, populated by sound engineers and producers, where the sound from the studio is recorded and manipulated or “mixed”
3. isolation booths or machine rooms, sometimes containing loud instruments (such as drums) or other noisy equipment, which could interfere with the recording process; or alternatively a “dry” room for recording vocals or quieter acoustic instruments

Designing a sound studio

You’ll understand that it’s crucial to get the design of the studio absolutely right – and this is where the “acousticians” come into their own.  In addition to soundproofing (between the internal rooms and also between the studio and the outside), absorption and diffusion materials on the surfaces of the studio will be factored in.  The overall dimensions and layout of the studio will also be designed to ensure that the room responds to sound in the desired way.

Recording studio doors

All in all designing a sound studio for optimum performance is a complex process, and several things need to be considered.  One of the most important of these is the fact that people will be (naturally enough) constantly moving between the different rooms in the studio, and in and out of the studio itself.  As a consequence there will be an absolute requirement for soundproof doors.

 The type of soundproof door used in a recording studio, for the reasons mentioned above, will be highly specialised.

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Make sure you use the experts

You’ve read how complex the design process can be, and it’s self-evident that you’ll need expert advice and guidance to get it right.Vvisit our home page or contact us,  you’ll be straight in touch with people with a highly successful track record (no pun intended!).