What Is LEDE Room Design? - Home Studio Acoustics Setup Guide
A lot of people ask us, what is the best way to set up my home studio? In reality, there is no single cookie cutter answer. However, the LEDE room design concept is a great framework for developing an acoustic treatment plan for your home studio!
What does LEDE mean?
A LEDE (Live-End-Dead-End) room is an acoustic design concept for a room that aims to achieve an even sound distribution throughout the listening space. The acoustic treatment for a LEDE room involves creating a balance between the sound-absorbing materials, acoustic diffusion, and reflective surfaces in the space.
The first step in acoustic treatment for a LEDE room is to address the "live end" of the room, which is the side where the sound is generated. This end of the room should be acoustically treated with sound-absorbing materials like acoustic foam panels or DIY fabric covered panels. The purpose of this treatment is to reduce the amount of sound reflections, which can cause the sound to become muddled or distorted.
The "dead end" of the room, which is the opposite end of the room from where the sound is generated, should be treated with sound diffusing surfaces such as a bookcase, wood diffuser panels, or PVC diffuser panels.
In order to avoid strong echoes from the back wall, it is treated with diffusion. Diffuser panels the sound so the energy stays in the room, but the sound waves are not all reflected in a single direction like they would be with flat drywall.
Lastly, bass traps are added to the room to address low end frequencies. Bass traps are placed in the corners of the room and help to reduce boominess and standing waves in your room.
Below is a diagram showing the basic LEDE home recording studio setup plan.
- Full absorption on the front wall
- Spot treatment with absorption on side walls
- Spot treatment with absorption on the ceiling
- Acoustic diffusers on the back wall
- Bass traps in the corners
Acoustic Treatment Options
Full Line Of Acoustic Foam Panels
Acoustic Diffusers
Bass Traps
In addition to the treatment of the walls, floors, and ceilings, other elements such as furniture, curtains, and carpets can also be used to help absorb or reflect sound in the space.
Overall, the acoustic treatment for a LEDE room is a careful balancing act between sound-absorbing and sound-reflective materials to achieve an even distribution of sound throughout the listening space.
