Want to set up your own home studio?

Ideally, 100% of the sound from your voice would go straight into the microphone. But sound has a habit of going in all different directions, and bouncing off everything else in the room! Those reflections are called reverb, and we want to reduce them wherever possible, so we get a nice clear vocal recording.

You can try this - gather soft furnishings, cushions and clothes around the back and sides of your microphone, and listen to how the sound quality is affected. Try changing distance of the microphone from everything else, especially flat walls. How does that sound?

Any musician will tell you how low-pitched sounds (e.g. double bass, trombone) have low frequency (measured in Hertz), whereas high-pitched sounds (e.g. flute, violin) have high frequency.

As all frequencies travel at the same speed in the same room, this means that lower frequencies form the "largest" sound waves, and higher freq have "smaller" waves. (This is related to the particle oscillations.)

Practically, it means that a thin layer of acoustic foam on the walls will only absorb reverb of around 5000-10,000Hz, whereas a big absorbant object like a fabric chair or a foam trap will absorb booming sounds at around 200Hz. The thicker the item, the lower the frequency of sound it will absorb.

For the human voice, which has a frequency range from around 60Hz up to tens of thousands of Hz, the thicker objects (e.g. a chair, mattress, or foam trap) are useful for the low end, and you can combine with thinner items (acoustic panels, clothes, foam on the walls and ceiling) to control the high end of the voice's reverb.

Now it's time to strategically place sound-absorbing items around your space, ensure the mic is positioned optimally, and that you have a comfortable place to sit or stand in for hours at a time!

Top tip: using a big wardrobe won't work because the flat front will reflect lots of sound... but if you open the doors, the clothes inside could be great absorbers! Just keep on top of your laundry.

I can't advise more as such, because every space will be different. I'll only remind you that appearance doesn't affect audio quality - unless it really puts you off being in the space. I didn't worry much about that at the start, and that gave me more freedom to experiment.

If you are going for aesthetics, just be realistic about compromises you're making in sound quality to make your space look nicer. Find your balance. Good luck!