Home Studio Setup: Desk, Speaker Placement and Acoustic Treatment
Where your desk and your speakers stand matters more than most people think. A bad spot can ruin the sound of even very good gear.
Where to put your desk
- Put the desk against the longest wall in the room. You get fewer reflections from the side walls than on a short wall.
- Keep it in the middle, left to right. The same distance to both side walls. Then you can treat the room the same way on both sides.
- Leave at least half a meter to the wall behind you. Bass likes to build up and bounce off a wall that is too close.
Where to put your speakers
- You and your two speakers should form an equal sided triangle, seen from above.
- Turn the speakers in, so they point at you. Not straight into the room.
- Don’t put the tweeter exactly halfway between the floor and the ceiling. Move it a little up or down.
Find the spots to treat: the mirror trick
Sit in your mixing spot. Ask a friend to slide a mirror along the walls and the ceiling around you. Every place where you can see a speaker in the mirror is a first reflection point. The sound bounces off exactly that spot on its way to your ears. That is where an acoustic panel helps the most. Usually on the front wall, both side walls and the ceiling. A small trick that reflects well on your mixes. 🪞
Frequently asked questions
Why not just put the desk by the short wall?
It often fits the room better. But a long wall gives the sound more space before it bounces back from the side walls. That usually gives you a more honest listening spot.
What does the mirror trick actually find?
The first reflection points. These are the exact spots on the walls and the ceiling where the sound bounces on its way from your speakers to your ears. Those bounces blur your mix. So that is where acoustic panels help the most.
Do I need professional acoustic treatment to start?
No. Even simple panels on the first reflection points (front wall, side walls and ceiling) make a real difference. The perfect room can come later.