Where should I start with acoustic treatment?

Start with bass traps in all corners (they have the biggest impact). Next, treat first reflection points on side walls and ceiling. Then add absorption panels to remaining wall areas. Finally, add diffusion to the rear wall.

What RT60 should I aim for?

Mixing rooms: 0.25-0.35s. Recording rooms: 0.3-0.5s. Podcast booths: 0.2-0.3s. Practice rooms: 0.4-0.6s. Lower RT60 means a drier, more controlled sound. Very low values (<0.2s) can sound unnaturally dead.

How thick should absorption panels be?

Thicker panels absorb lower frequencies. On ISO 354 random-incidence data (e.g. Owens Corning 703 / Roxul mineral wool), 50 mm panels are effective down to roughly 250-300 Hz and 100 mm panels reach down to about 125 Hz. For genuine bass control below ~100 Hz use thicker panels, a deep corner bass trap, or mount 50 mm panels on a large air gap (the quarter-wavelength rule pushes absorption lower).

Diffusers scatter sound energy rather than absorbing it, maintaining a sense of space while controlling reflections. They are most useful on the rear wall of mixing rooms. For small rooms (<15 m²), focus on absorption first — diffusion needs distance to work effectively.

Acoustic Treatment Calculator — Room Treatment Coverage — Free Studio Setup Tool

How We Calculate This

RT60 = 0.161 × room volume / total absorption (Sabine equation)

First the bare-room RT60 is estimated from the room volume and total surface area, assuming an untreated average absorption coefficient of about 0.10. The target RT60 (set by room use, or your manual value) is converted to the total absorption needed: required absorption = 0.161 × volume / target. Subtracting the room's existing absorption gives the deficit the panels must supply.

Panel count comes from that deficit: each 1.2 × 0.6 m panel adds (panel area × NRC) sabins, so absorption panels = deficit / (0.72 × NRC), rounded up. A higher NRC or a longer target RT60 therefore needs fewer panels. The budget tier sets a minimum wall coverage (minimal 25%, moderate 40%, comprehensive 55%) and the available wall area is the hard ceiling.

Bass traps are placed in the room's corners, where low-frequency pressure maxima accumulate. The count scales with budget level. The predicted RT60 shown is the Sabine result after the absorption panels are fitted.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are estimates based on standard formulas. Always verify results for critical applications.