Home offices

What usually goes wrong

• Your voice sounds hollow on video calls.
• The microphone picks up room echo.
• Typing and chair noise bounce around the room.

The main noise sources are your own voice, speakers and keyboard. Sound bounces off hard walls, floors and ceilings, so it lingers and builds up. Absorbing panels soak up those reflections.

Where the panels go

1. Behind your monitor, where your voice hits the wall first.
2. On the wall behind your chair, which your camera and microphone face.
3. At the first reflection points on the side walls.
4. One ceiling cloud above the desk if the floor is hard.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting all the panels behind you and none in front.
• Using thin foam that only absorbs the very top of the voice.
• Treating the room but leaving a bare glass desk right under the microphone.

Fire rating and codes

Residential codes rarely regulate wall finishes, but a Class A rated panel is still the safe choice in any room with electronics.

Blocking sound between rooms

Panels make a room sound better, but they don’t stop sound passing through a wall. For that you need a wall assembly rated around STC 45, so calls stay private from the rest of the house. Read about STC ratings and soundproofing.