Real World Digital Audio

Speaker Placement

Like real estate, speaker placement has three rules: location, location, location.

Speakers are affected by proximity to other objects, like walls or your desk,

and proximity to your ears. To get the best sound, follow these principles:

• Keep your setup symmetrical: Place each monitor at an equal dis-

tance from other objects to maintain even sound throughout the room.

Move furniture if you have to.

• Don’t put speakers in a corner or against a wall: Walls artificially

enhance bass; put a little bit of space between your speakers and

the walls.

• Mind your ears: Generally, speakers should be approximately at ear

level, and far enough apart from each other and your ears that you

achieve correct stereo separation (Figure 3.2). Surround sound

requires additional adjustment to create the proper surround field.

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Sound Treatment Resources

Information about sound treatment alone could fill a book (and has), but you can find some great resources online:

Auralex (www.auralex.com) is the largest manufacturer of sound-treatment products, and its Web site is a treasure. It’s

the most comprehensive resource online, with tutorials, room calculators, and links to lots of information.

Primacoustic (www.primacoustic.com) carries a full range of acoustic-treatment products, including studio-in-a-box solu-

tions (starting at about $500), which contain everything you need to treat a room and are ideal for a home or

project studio.

Studiotips (www.studiotips.com) is an ideal first stop before you build a studio. It offers in-depth information on

acoustics, soundproofing, and wiring, plus a file area, various calculators, an active forum, and more.

Several sites aimed at improving home theater and music listening environments are just as useful to digital-audio

hobbyists and pros. Art Ludwig (www.silcom.com/~aludwig), an engineer and audiophile, has an extensive guide to

acoustics theory, including some practical information on do-it-yourself sound treatments. AudioRevolution

(www.audiorevolution.com/equip/cheaptreatments/index.html) has a DIY guide for sound treatments for under $100.

Sound on Sound magazine (www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul00/articles/faqacoustic.htm) has newbie-friendly, frequently

asked questions on sound treatment. For a printed reference, Paul White’s Basic Home Studio Design (Sanctuary Press,

2000) is indispensable. It’s a simple guide aimed at home and project studios, and it doesn’t assume an extensive

grounding in acoustics or a big budget.

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• Consider a stand: Placing a speaker directly on a shelf or desk creates

two problems: frequencies are transmitted through the surface and

reflect off it, impacting the sound, and the height of the speaker may be

incorrect. A speaker stand can resolve both these issues.

• Experiment: No rules can completely describe the many minute

details of your personal audio space. Try moving speakers and other

objects to different locations, and see how changes impact the sound.

Better sound from monitors:

One of the cheapest, easiest ways to improve

sound in your studio is to add acoustic foam beneath your monitors.These isolate

your monitors, so that sound doesn’t travel into your desk, shelf, or stand. Auralex’s

(www.auralex.com) MoPADs, or Monitor Isolation Pads, cost about $30 a pair and can

be configured to tilt your monitors up or down if needed (Figure 3.3). Even if you’re

using a stand, isolation pads can be a worthwhile investment.

Figure 3.2 The general rule

for determining stereo speaker

placement is to imagine an

equilateral triangle between

the listener and the two

speakers, so the distance

between the speakers is

about the same as the

distance from the speakers

to the listener.