Apartments are small spaces with limited room that sit in close proximity to other people trying to sleep and read and live. That combination of restrictions doesn’t make it ideal for music lovers. But it’s still possible to make yourself a comfortable, functional, fun music room.
For most of us, a full-blown recording studio or performance space in your apartment just isn’t feasible (and fodder for a different kind of article), but if you’re looking for a space to jam out on your axe or crank your fave band’s new album, you can certainly create an environment for yourself. Here are a few tips on how to make a music room in your apartment.
Pick the space
You probably won’t have a lot of choice as to what room you pick to create your music space. With your living room being a multipurpose space, you’ll most likely be relegated to a spare bedroom or office. If you’re lucky, you may have an unused walk-in closet or garage, but it’s probably going to be your second or third bedroom.
But that’s still great news! It’s a small, adjustable space away from the main living area, and usually with three walls not attached to your neighbor.
Soundproof the room
Real talk: Unless you can get in the walls and ceiling (and floor) and rebuild them for professional soundproofing, you’re never going to get a soundproof room. So, with that in mind, you need to cover the surfaces you share with your neighbors to minimize annoyance.
Your first thought might be covering the walls with eggcrate foam. Don’t bother. Eggcrate won’t help. Even the expensive type only reduces reverb inside the room, not noise outside of it. Instead, try lining your walls (and ceiling) with acoustic tile or plasterboard, or hang large pieces of textile wall art or drapery.
Got space? You can even set up sound-dampening false walls. Don’t forget to fill the corners, as sound bounces between walls more as they get closer.
To protect your neighbors downstairs, lay down a thick woolen rug to absorb sound, and place them over pads and even a layer of wall-to-wall corkboard. Cover your windows with honeycombed shades and insulated blinds.
Any seating should be upholstered (not exposed wood and certainly not metal), and large furniture like couches, if you have the room, absorbs more sound. And fill gaps and corners with bookcases and plants, which are both great sound dampeners.
For any permanent changes to a room from hanging tiles to painting a wall, make sure your landlord or building manager approves.
Soundproof yourself
There’s only so much you can do to your room to keep from giving your neighbors a concert every time you plug in. Whether you’re playing music yourself or listening to some tunage, headphones are your friend. Let the soundwaves fly during regular hours of the day, but come evenings and weekend mornings — or if you just want to give your neighbors a break — it’s best to keep your music to yourself.
If your music room is primarily for listening, don’t skimp on that great stereo, USB-connected record player or performance computer, but do make sure you get yourself a set of the best headphones you can afford.
As for musicians, headphones are easy for guitar and keyboard players, but not as much for brass players. But luckily, technology has your answer with state-of-the-art electronic mutes that feed directly into headphones. And, drummers, pads aren’t the most fun substitute for playing on a real kit, but they allow you to practice at all hours without rattling the rafters.
And whether it’s an amp or a set of awesome Hi-Fi speakers, cut down on vibrating your neighbors out of bed by controlling the bass (the frequency, not the instrument). Minimize your throbbing by setting your bass amp or subwoofer or even kick drum on top of towels, foam pads or blankets. And elevate them on cinder blocks or stands to save your downstairs neighbor from a ceiling plaster shower.
Decorate your music space
Setup and soundproofing are just great and all, but let’s be honest. Form is as important as function. You’re going to want to make your music room look as cool as possible to make it an inviting play or listen to music.
- Paint the walls vivid colors, and definitely add an accent wall. If you’ve hung plasterboard, cover that up with a lively paint job. And if you like the musical aesthetic of eggcrate foam, go to town.
- Cover wall space with music paraphernalia like framed vinyl discs and album covers and concert posters (use plastic frames, not glass, to cut down on reverb). Collect concert tickets or guitar picks? Create a montage and display it proudly.
- Put up bookshelves or set up a bookcase and fill them with sheet music books, music biographies, CDs, concert movie Blu-rays or even a set of bongos. Hang a reasonably-sized TV to watch music videos, collaborate with a remote partner or even jam some karaoke.
- Hang guitars or other instruments with wall hangers. Peruse garage sales and eBay for old instruments, even ones you don’t play, and hang them on the walls, too. Cheap finds that aren’t in playable condition still make for great decoration.
Even if you’re not a piano player, if you can afford a cheap keyboard and stand, nothing says “music room” than a set of keys in the corner you can tinker at, write with or tune on.
Don’t forget to add some cool lighting, both to highlight your workspace and to create a warm listening area. Use adjustable floor lamps or easy-to-install track lighting (and even blacklights), and have plenty of task lights that clip onto music stands. LEDs are a great choice to keep the temperature down in a room that can heat up with all the instruments (and rocking out). And if you’re careful, candles really give a space a concert feel.
Start jamming
If you’re lucky enough to have the space for a music room, don’t ruin it by making your neighbors hate you. Soundproof wherever you can and be respectful of quiet hours and early mornings. And be sure to invite them to your next jam session!
