Broadcast Studio Acoustic Design for China Media Group Guangzhou
China Media Group’s Guangzhou broadcast facilities bring radio production, television recording, technical control and supporting workspaces into one professional media environment. The project’s broadcast studio acoustic design needed to support clear speech capture, reliable monitoring and controlled sound decay while integrating cameras, microphones, lighting grids, displays, ventilation and dense production technology.
The completed rooms use extensive perforated and grooved wall finishes, restrained ceiling systems and carefully organized equipment zones. Together, these elements create a consistent architectural language across studios and control rooms while reserving large surface areas for acoustic treatment.
Project Overview
| Item | Project record |
|---|---|
| Project | China Media Group Guangzhou Broadcasting Studio Acoustic Project |
| Location | Guangzhou, Guangdong, China |
| Facility type | Radio, television and broadcast production facility |
| Visible spaces | Television studio, radio studio, broadcast control rooms, technical workspaces, corridors and reception areas |
| Acoustic focus | Reverberation control, speech clarity, sound isolation, low background noise and monitoring consistency |
| Visible treatment | Perforated and grooved wall systems, integrated ceiling finishes, carpeted or resilient floor areas and acoustically coordinated doors and glazing |
| Project evidence | Seven user-supplied completion photographs |
Official China Media Group reporting states that its Guangdong station and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area headquarters began operations in Guangzhou on April 26, 2023. The supplied project images display CMG and Greater Bay Area Center branding, establishing the institutional context for the broadcast environment shown here.
The Design Brief: Build Rooms That Support Production Decisions
Broadcast spaces are not ordinary offices with acoustic panels added at the end. Every microphone, monitor loudspeaker, camera movement, presenter position and production decision depends on the room’s sound field.
For spoken-word recording, uncontrolled reflections can color the voice and reduce intelligibility. In a control room, room reflections can change how an engineer perceives balance, frequency response and stereo imaging. In a television studio, the acoustic envelope must also coexist with lighting rigs, cameras, cable routes and flexible production layouts.
The design brief can therefore be summarized in four priorities:
- keep speech and program sound clear at the microphone;
- prevent sound transfer between simultaneous production activities;
- maintain low, stable background noise from building services and equipment;
- integrate acoustic treatment without restricting production technology or maintenance.
What Is Broadcast Studio Acoustic Design?
Broadcast studio acoustic design is the coordinated control of sound reflections, reverberation, background noise, sound isolation and monitoring conditions inside radio, television and production rooms. It helps microphones capture clean program audio and allows operators to make consistent technical decisions without the room masking or exaggerating what they hear.
International Telecommunication Union Recommendation ITU-R BS.1596 groups the principal recommendations used for broadcast sound production. European Broadcasting Union Tech 3276 similarly treats the listening room and sound control room as controlled acoustic environments for critical assessment of program material. These references show why room acoustics, equipment geometry and operational use must be planned together.
The Main Acoustic Challenges
Reflections Close to Sensitive Microphones
Broadcast microphones are designed to capture detail. That also makes nearby wall, ceiling and desk reflections important. If strong early reflections arrive shortly after the direct voice, the recording can sound colored, hollow or less focused.
Sound Transfer Between Active Rooms
Studios, control rooms, offices and circulation areas may operate at the same time. Doors, glazing, ceilings, service penetrations and cable paths can become weak links if the isolation strategy is not continuous.
Mechanical and Equipment Noise
Ventilation, cooling, lighting control, computer fans, rack equipment and door hardware can all raise the noise floor. A room can have extensive absorption and still be unsuitable for recording if building-service noise remains audible.
Different Rooms Need Different Acoustic Responses
A speech studio, television floor and critical control room do not share one universal acoustic target. Each needs treatment coverage, decay characteristics and equipment placement appropriate to its program and volume. Exact criteria should be documented in the acoustic brief before construction.
Television Studio: Absorption Around a Flexible Production Floor
The television studio photograph shows multiple broadcast cameras on mobile pedestals beneath an open technical ceiling packed with lighting fixtures. Large wall surfaces are finished with a textured, jointed treatment rather than exposed hard construction.
This arrangement supports two practical needs. First, wall treatment can control reflections without taking up valuable floor area used by cameras, presenters and temporary sets. Second, the exposed overhead grid remains available for lighting, rigging and cable changes.
For a comparable TV studio, the acoustic build-up should be coordinated around:
- broadband wall absorption distributed across opposing surfaces;
- impact-resistant finishes at camera and equipment height;
- controlled reflection zones where production monitoring requires them;
- sealed service penetrations and perimeter junctions;
- vibration isolation for mechanical or suspended equipment;
- dark ceiling finishes that reduce light spill while allowing technical access.
The supplied image confirms the finished wall treatment and production grid, but not the material layers concealed behind the visible fabric or textured face.
Radio Studio: Perforated Wall Treatment for Speech Recording
The radio studio uses microphones on articulated arms, a central broadcast desk and repeated perforated or finely grooved wall panels. Light wood tones create a calm visual environment while the regular surface pattern makes the acoustic treatment part of the architecture.
Perforated wood acoustic panels typically work as a facing over an absorptive backing and air cavity. Sound passes through the openings and is dissipated within the porous layer behind the panel. The complete assembly—not the decorative face alone—determines the absorption behavior.
For speech production, this type of system can provide three advantages:
- It distributes absorption over a broad wall area near the microphone zone.
- It offers a durable, cleanable finish suitable for a technical workplace.
- It gives installers a modular grid for coordinating doors, windows, trims and equipment.
The panel perforation pattern, open-area ratio, backing, cavity depth and mounting method should be selected from tested data. Those details were not provided for this project and should not be inferred from the photographs.
A Balanced Acoustic Interior Around the Broadcast Desk
The wider radio-room view shows how the wall system wraps the room rather than appearing as isolated decorative patches. The principal microphone positions sit away from untreated corners, while the broadcast desk organizes participants around a shared working center.
Consistent treatment around the room helps avoid a single highly reflective wall dominating the recording. However, a studio should not simply absorb every surface. Excessive high-frequency absorption without corresponding low-frequency control can produce an unbalanced room. The design team should use calculations, material data and measurements to establish the required balance across frequency bands.
The ceiling also deserves attention. Lighting panels, ventilation outlets and access points can fragment the available treatment area, so their locations should be coordinated before the absorptive ceiling or backing is installed.
Control Room Acoustics: Reliable Monitoring, Not Maximum Absorption
Control rooms require a predictable listening environment. Engineers must be able to judge level, tonal balance, speech quality, stereo position and technical defects without the room introducing misleading reflections or strong resonances.
The project photographs show console positions, monitor displays, loudspeakers, equipment racks and observation glazing distributed across several production rooms. Perforated or textured wall finishes continue into these technical areas, creating visual consistency with the studios.
A control-room acoustic strategy should address:
- loudspeaker and operator geometry;
- reflection control around the listening position;
- low-frequency modal behavior;
- rear-room absorption or scattering where appropriate;
- symmetry between left and right monitoring paths;
- equipment and ventilation noise;
- isolation from adjacent studios and corridors.
EBU Tech 3276 describes controlled listening conditions for critical assessment and includes design guidance for listening and sound control rooms. Project-specific monitoring requirements should be established by the broadcast consultant, acoustic consultant and system integrator rather than copied from an unrelated room.
Sound Isolation Through the Complete Construction
Interior absorption and sound isolation solve different problems. Absorption controls reflections within a room. Isolation limits sound transmission between rooms or from the building exterior. A broadcast facility normally needs both.
Even a high-performance wall can be compromised by an unsealed door, a shared ceiling void, back-to-back electrical boxes, a cable opening or a rigid mechanical connection. The isolation design should therefore follow the entire boundary:
- wall and floor junctions;
- studio doors, frames, seals and thresholds;
- observation windows and perimeter glazing seals;
- ceiling interfaces and structural penetrations;
- ventilation ducts and cross-talk paths;
- cable trays, conduits and equipment penetrations;
- floating or isolated constructions where required by the design.
The corridor image shows full-height wall modules, substantial doors and observation glazing coordinated as a continuous interior system. Their exact tested ratings are not visible and are not stated here.
Controlling Background Noise From Building Services
Broadcast acoustic quality can be limited by noise that never appears in a completion photograph. Airflow turbulence, fan vibration, transformers, dimmers, computers and equipment racks may be audible to microphones or operators.
The mechanical design should use low-velocity air distribution, appropriately sized ducts, attenuators where needed, vibration isolation and careful terminal placement. Equipment that does not need to remain in the studio should be moved to isolated technical rooms when the production workflow allows it.
Commissioning should test the facility in realistic operating modes:
- ventilation operating at normal production settings;
- lighting and display systems powered;
- racks, consoles and computers running;
- doors closed in their normal recording position;
- adjacent rooms carrying out representative activities.
This operational test is more informative than measuring an empty room with most systems switched off.
Coordinating Acoustic Finishes With Broadcast Technology
The completed spaces contain microphones, monitor arms, loudspeakers, cameras, production lighting, observation windows, display screens and dense cabling. Each item can interrupt an acoustic surface or introduce a path for noise and vibration.
Successful coordination begins with a combined drawing set. The acoustic elevations should align with the architectural module, while equipment and MEP drawings identify every penetration before panel fabrication. Removable panels or access zones should be planned around serviceable components.
Key installation checks include:
- confirm wall flatness, panel setting-out lines and finished levels;
- install concealed absorbers without gaps, compression or moisture damage;
- maintain the specified cavity and backing behind perforated finishes;
- seal isolation boundaries before decorative trims conceal them;
- coordinate panels around glazing, doors, outlets and equipment mounts;
- protect perforations and grooves from paint, dust or adhesive blockage;
- verify that removable elements can be accessed without damaging adjacent finishes;
- inspect the completed room before acoustic testing.
Project Outcome
The China Media Group Guangzhou broadcasting project presents a consistent family of production spaces rather than a collection of unrelated technical rooms. Light-toned perforated and grooved wall finishes establish continuity across radio studios, control rooms and connecting areas, while the television studio uses a darker technical ceiling and neutral wall treatment suited to camera work.
The visual result demonstrates three important principles:
- acoustic treatment can be integrated into the architectural finish;
- each room can retain its functional identity within one material system;
- technical equipment and acoustic surfaces can coexist when penetrations are coordinated early.
No reverberation, background-noise or sound-isolation test report was supplied for publication. The result is therefore presented as a completed design-and-installation case, not as a quantified compliance certificate.
Broadcast Studio Acoustic Specification Checklist
- Define the production use, room volume and critical microphone positions.
- Separate room-acoustic targets from inter-room sound-isolation requirements.
- Establish allowable building-service and equipment noise.
- Select wall and ceiling systems using complete tested assemblies.
- Coordinate low-frequency control as well as mid- and high-frequency absorption.
- Map loudspeaker, operator and reflection geometry in control rooms.
- Detail doors, glazing, ducts and cable penetrations as part of the isolation envelope.
- Coordinate cameras, lights, screens, speakers and equipment mounts before fabrication.
- Approve representative wall and junction mock-ups.
- Measure the completed rooms in normal operating condition.
- Archive test positions, equipment settings and occupancy conditions with the handover record.
Conclusion: Broadcast Studio Acoustic Design as Production Infrastructure
The CMG Guangzhou project shows that broadcast studio acoustic design is part of the production infrastructure, not an applied decoration. Distributed wall treatment, room-specific acoustic planning, controlled service noise and disciplined technical coordination help create spaces where presenters, engineers and production teams can work with greater confidence.
Planning a radio studio, television studio, podcast room or broadcast control suite? LEEYIN can support acoustic design development, material coordination, installation detailing and project delivery for professional media environments.
FAQs: Broadcast Studio Acoustics
What is the difference between studio sound absorption and sound isolation?
Sound absorption reduces reflections and reverberation inside a studio. Sound isolation limits sound passing through walls, floors, ceilings, doors, glazing and service penetrations. Broadcast rooms usually need both, but they require different materials, details and verification methods.
Why are perforated wood panels used in radio studios?
Perforated wood panels can provide a durable architectural face over a porous absorber and air cavity. The openings allow sound to reach the concealed absorption layer. Performance depends on the complete tested assembly, including perforation ratio, panel thickness, backing and cavity depth.
How should a broadcast control room be treated?
A control room should be designed around the monitoring position, loudspeaker geometry, early-reflection control, low-frequency response, symmetry and background noise. The goal is reliable listening, not simply covering every surface with maximum absorption.
How can HVAC noise be controlled in a recording studio?
Use appropriately sized low-velocity air paths, quiet equipment, vibration isolation, duct attenuation and carefully positioned terminals. Commission the room with the complete ventilation and production equipment operating so microphones and operators experience the real noise condition.
What should be measured when a broadcast studio is completed?
The handover plan may include background noise, reverberation or decay characteristics, room response, inter-room isolation and equipment-noise checks. The exact metrics and targets should be agreed before construction and recorded with test positions and operating conditions.
References
- CCTV News: CMG Guangdong Station and Greater Bay Area Headquarters Begin Operations in Guangzhou — official institutional and location context.
- ITU-R BS.1596: Guide to Recommendations for Broadcast Sound Production — broadcast sound-production reference framework.
- EBU Tech 3276: Listening Conditions for the Assessment of Sound Programme Material — controlled listening and sound control room guidance.
- ITU-R BS.1116: Methods for the Subjective Assessment of Small Impairments in Audio Systems — reference listening-condition context.
