Deteriorating Effects of Horizontal Producer Desk Surfaces on Control Room Sound

Nearfield speakers placed upon horizontal desk surfaces are a familiar studio view in times of ITB studios. Clients and fellow producers ask me why I utilize a perforated plate on my producer desk. So I did some measurements for you.

Comparative Measurement

Solid Wooden Surface vs. Thin Perforated Plate on Producer Desk

Measurement data show the influence of desk surface on frequency response. Removing the surface flattens the plot. As a consequence there are massive improvements in the presented soundstage: Localization and spatial precision are heavily increased once surface combfiltering is disposed.