Studios (Broadcasting Halls, Recording Studios)

Studios, also known as broadcasting halls or recording studios, are the main venues for television program production, recording, and broadcasting. They are typically set up as a "two rooms divided in one room" layout, with the studio divided into a broadcasting area and a control room. In addition to recording images of the broadcasters at work and the background, studios also record the program's sound. Studios vary in size, ranging from small studios for recording programs for businesses and institutions to large studios for recording variety shows. Depending on the size and content of the program, corresponding sound and lighting equipment and other hardware are required.

Studios are relatively large spaces and house essential props. Large studios may even accommodate a number of audience members. The reverberation time is often difficult to standardize and must be determined based on the studio's volume, the amount of equipment, and the number of broadcasters or audience members. Since the sound recorded in a broadcast studio primarily consists of human voices, speech intelligibility is the primary consideration in the room's acoustic design. A short reverberation time effectively achieves this effect.

A broadcast studio requires a short reverberation time, so sound absorption is the main acoustic treatment. To enhance the broadcast effect, decorative fabric sound-absorbing panels can be used on the walls, and black fiberglass panels or sound absorbers can be suspended from the ceiling. Furthermore, due to the demands of recording, studios typically use a large number of lights during normal operation, generating significant heat. Therefore, high fire resistance is essential, and acoustic materials with high fire ratings must be selected.

Recording Studio

A recording studio is a professional venue for recording voice or music. Similar to broadcast studios, a studio usually contains two rooms: a recording room and a control room. Often, one control room controls one recording room; however, some instrument recording studios use a single control room to control multiple recording rooms in a multi-track recording studio.

A qualified recording studio requires a good acoustic environment. Firstly, it must provide adequate speech intelligibility and musical fullness. Secondly, it must be free of obvious sound quality defects such as flutter echoes and sound focusing.

The reverberation time in a recording studio should be relatively low compared to a typical hall, with a flat frequency response. A slight increase in high frequencies and a certain depth in low frequencies are permissible. Based on this, different reverberation times should be designed and determined according to the primary sound pickup type of the recording studio—speech, music, or a mixture of both. For example, in a speech recording studio, the primary consideration is speech intelligibility, requiring a short reverberation time; while in a music recording studio, sufficient musical fullness is essential, and the sound should not be too dry, thus allowing for a slightly higher reverberation time; a recording studio combining both speech and music should consider both sound types and set appropriate reverberation times.

Based on the sound quality evaluation and adjustment of the recording studio, the reverberation time frequency range is roughly between 60 and 8000 Hz. High, mid, and low frequencies must all be within the acoustic design considerations. Therefore, the recording studio primarily uses full-range sound-absorbing materials, combined with some mid-low frequency sound-absorbing materials. Simultaneously, to achieve better musical fullness and sound field uniformity, diffusers and reflectors can be installed on the walls or ceiling.

Live Streaming Studio

Live streaming studios are a relatively new type of recording venue, characterized by live streaming and immediacy. With the booming development of e-commerce and the continued popularity of the influencer economy in recent years, the demand for professional live streaming studios is increasing. Compared to studios and recording studios, the acoustic requirements for live streaming studios are not as high, but because they are often directly linked to commercial purposes, their visual presentation, i.e., decorative aspects, are much higher than those of general recording studios. Therefore, the acoustic design of live streaming studios is closely integrated with the interior decoration. Different acoustic materials are selected and combined according to the decoration style and material preferences of the live streaming studio to achieve both functionality and aesthetics.

Based on market demand, live streaming studios are mainly divided into professional studios and DIY (personalized) studios. The design concepts for both types are largely similar. Professional studios are dedicated rooms for live streaming, requiring a design considering the overall design and selecting acoustic materials that match the interior design concept and decorative effect. DIY (personalized) studios, on the other hand, are typically converted spare rooms or used for temporary live streaming. Their design demands flexibility and adaptability, and the materials used must be easy to install and disassemble, and highly decorative.