The acoustics in small rooms are much more tricky than in large ones and the home music practice room is a good example of this because this type of room must be able to accommodate a wide range of instruments and musical styles.

Ideally, these rooms need to give an idea of what the sound may be like on stage but, usually due to budget constraints, these rooms often receive little or no treatment at all.

The diagrams to the right show an ideal way to help simulate the acoustical environment that a musician might experience during a live performance.

Diffusers are used on the rear and two side walls surrounding the musician.

Since the reflective boundaries are typically located a greater distance from the performer while on stage, the diffusers help establish a more diffuse sound field than would be experienced by the musician during a live performance.

Diffusers on the ceiling also lend to the psycho-acoustic impression of performing in a larger space.

A thick (50-100mm) absorptive front / front side wall simulates the effect that one would experience when playing into a larger volume space, much like a performer on stage playing into the audience.