Getting Studio Acoustics Right Before the Winter Schedule

The weeks after the clocks change are when most studios settle into their winter routine: longer evening programmes, more interviews, more guests in the building. It is also when problems with a room tend to surface. A space that sounded acceptable all summer can start to feel boomy or harsh once the heating runs, windows stay shut and the schedule fills up.

I spend a good part of every autumn walking into rooms where someone has said the sound is off but cannot say why. Usually nothing has broken. The room has changed around the microphones: new furniture, a different layout, a set moved for a seasonal look. The ear adjusts quickly, which is exactly why a measured check is worth more than a quick listen.

If you plan one acoustic task before the winter schedule begins, make it a baseline measurement of the studio and each voice booth while they are quiet and in their normal working state.

A baseline is a record of how the room behaves before anything is changed. We measure reverberation time across the speech range, note where low frequencies build up, and log the background noise with equipment running. Each figure is taken at the positions where presenters and guests actually sit, not in the middle of an empty floor.

The result is a short written summary rather than a wall of graphs. It says which frequencies are ringing, whether the room is too lively or too dry for speech, and which surfaces are doing the most harm. Owen Tregear, our acoustic consultant, usually pairs the figures with a plain sentence about what a presenter will hear.

Keep that record. When you treat the room, repeat the same measurements at the same positions and you can see exactly what improved, rather than relying on a feeling that it sounds better.

• Reverberation time at presenter and guest positions
• Low-frequency build-up near walls and corners
• Background noise with lights and racks running
• Notes on hard surfaces close to microphones

Winter brings its own sounds. Heating and ventilation work harder, and the hum of a fan or the tick of pipes warming up can sit just under speech, where it is easy to miss until a quiet interview exposes it. Wind and rain on lightweight roofs or rooflights can also leak into rooms that are otherwise well isolated.

Walk the space with the production running and listen at the microphone position, not at your desk. Switch the air handling between its settings and note which one is quietest while still keeping the room comfortable for guests under hot lights.

Doors matter more than people expect. A gap under a voice booth door or a worn seal lets corridor noise straight in, and fixing it costs far less than adding more panels to the walls.

There is a sensible sequence to acoustic work, and skipping ahead wastes money. First deal with noise sources and leaks, because no amount of absorption will hide a fan that sits in the microphone signal. Then address the large reflective surfaces nearest the speaker, since early reflections do the most damage to clarity.

Only after that do we look at broader absorption and low-frequency control. Corners are where bass collects, so heavier treatment there tends to give the most noticeable improvement in how natural voices sound. Thin foam on its own rarely does the job; it softens the top end while leaving the muddy middle untouched.

The aim is a room that is controlled but not dead. Presenters should still hear themselves comfortably, and a guest should not feel they are speaking into a cupboard.

• Remove or quieten noise sources first
• Control reflections close to the speaker
• Add absorption to walls and ceiling as measured
• Finish with low-frequency treatment in corners

Voice booths are small, and small rooms exaggerate every flaw. Their dimensions create resonances that colour a voice, and a booth used for several people across a day can drift from its original setup as stands, screens and chairs move around.

When we treat a booth we measure it separately from the main studio, because the fixes differ. Dense absorption on the walls behind and beside the microphone, a treated ceiling and a solid, sealed door usually make the biggest difference. We also check how the presenter sits, since a reflective monitor or desk surface just in front of the microphone can undo good work elsewhere.

Ask regular users how the booth feels over a long session. Stuffiness and fatigue are acoustic and ventilation problems together, and both are easier to solve at the planning stage than after the panels are up.

Before the winter schedule is at full pace, there are a few checks that cost little and tell you a great deal. None needs special equipment beyond a quiet hour and someone who can speak at the microphone positions while another person listens.

If the checks show a problem you cannot place, that is the point at which a proper measurement visit pays for itself. We would rather confirm that a room is fine than treat it without evidence, and the written baseline gives you something to compare against next year.

• Clap once at each microphone position and listen for ringing
• Record a minute of silence with all equipment on
• Inspect door seals and gaps on every booth
• Note any furniture or set changes since last season
• Re-check after any treatment using the same positions