Room Acoustics Calculator
Calculate room resonant frequencies, RT60 reverberation time, and acoustic panel recommendations from room dimensions.
Improve your home studio sound.
Room Acoustics Analysis
How Room Acoustics Are Calculated
Room acoustics determine how sound behaves in a space. The key measurement is Reverberation Time (RT60) — the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 dB after the source stops.
Sabine Formula:
RT60 = 0.161 × V / A
Where:
- RT60 = reverberation time in seconds
- V = room volume in cubic meters (length × width × height)
- A = total acoustic absorption in Sabins (m²)
- 0.161 = Sabine’s constant (metric version)
Absorption Coefficient Examples:
- Bare concrete: α = 0.02 (very reflective)
- Carpet: α = 0.35–0.55
- Acoustic foam panel: α = 0.70–0.95
- Upholstered audience: α = 0.80
- Absorption (Sabins) = Surface Area × α
Worked Example: A 5m × 4m × 2.5m home studio (V = 50 m³):
- Bare walls/ceiling = 80 m² × 0.03 = 2.4 Sabins
- Carpet floor = 20 m² × 0.45 = 9.0 Sabins
- Total A = 11.4 Sabins
- RT60 = 0.161 × 50 / 11.4 = 0.71 seconds
Target RT60 Values:
- Home studio / podcast booth: 0.2–0.4 s
- Live music room / rehearsal: 0.4–0.6 s
- Concert hall (classical): 1.5–2.2 s
- Cathedral: 4–10 s
Excessive reverb muddies recordings. Add bass traps in corners and broadband absorbers on first reflection points to reduce RT60.