I do all of my recording in my basement, mostly because of the privacy, the space, the natural soundproofing, and the artistic inspiration that comes with watching cockroaches mate. Only problem is, the room is acoustically DEAD, and I don't understand why. Two-thirds of it is exposed brick, with the remaining third made of simulated woodgrain paneling. The floor is vinyl tile over concrete, and I've got a very flat, office-style carpet over half of it. Admittedly, the ceiling is pretty low (maybe 7 or 8 feet) and covered with those square office ceiling panels, like thick cardboard. And there's a three-seater couch. But this rooms is a SONIC BLACK HOLE. I play mostly acoustic instruments, especially a lot of ethnic wind and percussion, and this room just sucks the life and the tone out of otherwise deep, rich and beautiful-sounding instruments. I really thought that all that brick and wood (well, fake wood) and concrete would give the room at least a LITTLE reflective character, but, no ... this is where sound waves come to die. Moving everything upstairs to another room is an option, but an ugly one ... my wife puts up with a lot as it is. I was already pushing my luck with the Bulgarian bagpipes ...

Short of prohibitively expensive acoustic paneling, what kind of tricks have y'all discovered to alter the sonic "color" of your studios?