Best Solutions for Mounting Speakers
It’s a fact. In today’s times, it is not only possible to start making music by setting up a simple studio with the minimum necessary equipment: it is possibly the best option. On the contrary, if you make the mistake of wanting to start in the world of music production with too many elements, and underestimating the value of them, you will have several problems. Perhaps, driven by emotion, you bought a set of wall speakers that you thought were great, but that, considering the dimensions and features of your studio, did not end up being the best choice. Now you have a budget problem, and you will lose money if you sell them now. Sounds familiar?
A quality recording studio can cost a few thousand dollars, even if we’re talking about a small one. Luckily, today’s technology makes things accessible that until recently were unthinkable for the common user, and this has led artists to look for the cheapest options to record their songs. However, there is a limit to how much we can save on necessary equipment and how cheap our investment could be to set up our own studio. Therefore, knowledge is power here: it is important to be strategic and choose the best option in price, quality, and technical features. In this post, you will find relevant information for your studio setup decisions, and we hope it will be very useful.
Let’s talk about a crucial element: the speakers. Choosing the right speakers is not as easy as it seems. You don’t have to be an expert but you do have to do your research. The fundamental principle is not only to balance visual aesthetics, space management, and budget, with a suitable high-quality sound (which is key) but to know how to strategically place it in a surround sound configuration. Let’s first compare the pros and cons of speaker stands versus wall mounts, as well as some helpful tips for proper speaker placement.
The most essential speaker will always be the center channel. Sixty to seventy percent of the sound will be perceived through it, thus proper placement of this speaker is crucial to not miss any detail. It is quite common for people to want to avoid thinking too much about the choice between stands or mounts, and so they simply place the center channel speaker inside a piece of furniture. It may work, but it can be a mistake. If the speaker is not connected, there is no issue; but, if your center channel has a port and must be placed in a cabinet, you will need (and never forget) to cover the port to avoid interference.
Now, if the center is located in a cabinet, it is always best to move it as close to the edge of the cabinet as possible (as close as possible!) Why? Because any ledge placed in front of the speaker will necessarily produce sound bounces, as well as unnecessary reflections that will ruin your work for sure.
For this reason, when it comes to the center channel, if you can’t fit it in a cabinet, a wall mount is best. If your studio requires a stand, look for one that tilts the speaker, or do your best to direct the sound upward.
The second most important speakers in your setup are the front channels. If you have a small studio, consider the following for the smallest rack space (if the rack is taller than the speaker): bring the tweeter up to the ear level. There’s no more useful advice than that. However, if you can mount it on the wall at ear level, everything will be much better. Take a good look at your budget and room conditions, and think about it. You can even mount them a little above this height and tilt them down, and the quality won’t change much. In-wall speakers cost on average about two hundred dollars, and some killer speakers are around three hundred and seventy.
Now, many people look up and think how wonderful it would be to take advantage of that empty space called “the ceiling”. But there are a number of things to keep in mind when we talk about this. In-wall speakers can be better than in-ceiling speakers for the simple reason that they project sound at ear height, and this is exactly what you need. On the ceiling, the speakers point toward the top of your head. So, if you definitely need ceiling speakers for space reasons, it may be preferable to buy an in-wall model including a back box: a sort of speaker box that snaps into the wall and makes everything look cleaner. The larger the room, the more difficult it will be to pressurize it with sound. Hence you will need a larger speaker, and this may be a problem for you.
We hope these tips have been helpful. If you need further advice, please do not hesitate to contact the experts at Enhanced Media Sound Studio, and we will be happy to help you make the right decisions for you.
