CURTAIN ADVICE
Turn a spare room into a podcast studio with curtains
Plan a podcast room around microphone technique, useful curtain locations, repeatable recordings and light control.
Originally published 2025-05-03 · Updated 19 October 2026
Listen before choosing fabric
Record a short spoken passage at the intended desk using the normal microphone. Listen for reflections, traffic, ventilation and computer noise separately. Curtains can help with reflections; they cannot be assumed to isolate the room from the rest of the home.
Sketch the recording positions
Mark speakers, microphones, windows and bare walls. Choose treatment positions that can be trialled without blocking doors or equipment. A backdrop visible on camera is not necessarily the only useful acoustic location.
Keep a controlled comparison
Repeat the same passage with source position, microphone distance and gain unchanged. Compare the untreated and trial arrangements at similar playback levels. Automatic processing in a call app can obscure differences, so retain a local recording where possible.
Make the specification repeatable
Select a fabric with relevant test evidence, then document coverage, fullness and wall spacing. Plan stack space, light leakage and track support. Save the final dimensions and chosen positions so the room can return to the same setup between sessions.
Evidence & next steps
Use the original manufacturer specifications and test reports for the selected material. The testing section keeps results beside their installation conditions; the document library links to the source PDFs. These guides support specification and do not certify a particular room or installation.