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Calcimator

Recording Studio Design Calculator

Calculate acoustic panel coverage, room ratios, and noise floor targets for recording studio design.

Inputs

Results

Acoustic panel coverage (sq ft)

379

Room volume (cu ft)3,000
Wall coverage (%)29%
Absorption needed (sabins)303
Good room ratios (0/1)1
Target noise floor (NC)20
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Length (ft), Width (ft), and Height (ft).
  2. Set Wall STC rating and Target RT60 (seconds).
  3. Review the Acoustic panel coverage (sq ft) result.
  4. Use Room volume (cu ft) and Wall coverage (%) (%) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Target RT60 (seconds)

Target RT60 (seconds)Acoustic panel coverage (sq ft)
0.19888
0.42363
0.69188
0.91121

What each input means

Length (ft)
Room length.
Width (ft)
Room width.
Height (ft)
Ceiling height.
Wall STC rating
Sound Transmission Class of walls (50+ for studios).
Target RT60 (seconds)
Target reverberation time (0.3-0.5 for control room).

What each result means

Room volume (cu ft)
Total room volume.
Acoustic panel coverage (sq ft)
Area of 2-inch panels needed.
Wall coverage (%)
Percentage of surfaces to treat.
Absorption needed (sabins)
Additional absorption required.
Good room ratios (0/1)
1 = dimensions in Bolt area range.
Target noise floor (NC)
Noise criteria rating for recording.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Length (ft) = 20, Width (ft) = 15, Height (ft) = 10, Wall STC rating = 50 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Acoustic panel coverage
    Acoustic panel coverage
    379 = 379
  3. Calculate Room volume
    Room volume = lengthFt * widthFt * heightFt
    3000 = 3000
  4. Calculate Wall coverage
    Wall coverage
    29 = 29%

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