Can You Put Acoustic Panels on a Door?
Yes, you can put acoustic panels on a door. It helps when the door sits at a reflection point or behind your mic, but it won't stop sound passing through the door. GIK's soundproofing guide says acoustic panels "do very little to block sound."
When a panel on the door helps
A door panel pays off when the door is a flat, hard surface bouncing sound back at you. That happens in three common spots.
Behind the mic
The door reflects your voice straight back into the mic.
Side reflection point
The door sits where a monitor's sound bounces to your ears.
Behind your chair
The door is the rear wall in a small room.
If your door is none of these, a panel on a wall reflection point does more. GIK's early reflections article covers how reflections bounce to the listening position, and where to place acoustic panels shows how to find them.
Stopping sound through the door
To keep sound in or out, seal the door and add mass instead. GIK says the door is "usually the biggest sound leak in any room" and lists gaps under doors among the main sound paths.
- Seal the gaps. Fit a perimeter gasket on the jamb and a door bottom; door seal maker Zero International notes that "sound travels through any opening with very little loss."
- Swap the door. Replace a hollow core door with a solid core one, which GIK recommends because hollow doors are poor at blocking bass.
How to soundproof a home studio covers isolation. Do acoustic panels keep sound out spells out how treatment and soundproofing differ. For treating the rest of the room, see the home studio acoustic treatment guide.
Related questions
Will acoustic foam on a door block sound?
No. GIK says acoustic panels and foam absorb noise within a space but do very little to block sound, so foam on a door won't keep noise in or out.
Why does sound leak through my door?
Hollow core interior doors are poor at blocking bass, and the gap under the door is a direct path for sound. GIK calls the door the biggest sound leak in most rooms.
Should I put acoustic panels on the door or the walls first?
Corners and walls first, unless the door sits at a reflection point or right behind your mic. The usual order is bass traps in the corners, then the side wall and ceiling reflection points.
More answers: Home recording FAQ