Acoustical Panels

Jam10

I have pretty much completed my soundproof music room and now I find that there is a huge, huge echo in there because the room is really soundproof and it is a perfect rectangle. I'm looking at purchasing or making acoustic panels for the walls to absorb sound. Does anybody know of any really good companies where I can purchase acoustic panels to get rid of the echo or how to make my own acoustic panels to hang on the wall. I have heard about hanging a carpet on the walls but I don't really like that idea. I want this to look like a professional studio. I put a lot of time and money into this project and I want it to look really good. Does anybody have any experience or ideas on this issue?

Thanks

mccreadyisgod

Carpet on the walls can look pretty tacky, but there is a modified solution. Get some plywood or MDF and cut some panels to place at intervals around the room. Cover the panels with carpet to make neat sound panels (aka gobos), and then attach to the walls. You can even make simple frames for the gobos, and then have them sit off the walls by placing a couple 2x2" spacers in between the gobo and the wall.

You can also make some portable gobos that work really well for drums, guitar amps, and even vocals by making similar carpet-covered panels that can sit in the room. Usually, these are made by building a small frame out of 2x4"s, then insulating for sound before covering in ply and then carpet. You can not only make a smaller acoustical space for whatever you're recording, but can also use them for separation when you record multiple sources in the same room at the same time.

I was also just in a professional for-hire studio over the weekend, and they found some industrial foam panels used to ship aircraft parts and installed them on the walls. What I'm talking about is similar to the formed styrofoam pieces used to protect things like appliances and electronics within a cardboard box, but made out of high-density foam instead of styrofoam. They actually looked really cool, and were very helpful for acoustic treatment. You might look at any manufacturing businesses in your area, let them know you're looking for used high-density foam.

One last point: spend the money and get good bass traps for the corners. No home-brewed acoustic treatment will effectively do the same job that a professionally-produced bass trap will do. A big rectangular room will give you lots of trouble in those frequencies.

lucylespian

Eggshell foam sheets are effective, and look good.
Carpet is OK, if it is new, and installed properly.
Using second hand carpet randomly tacked up might evoke memories of fledgling Metallica, but even they thought it was gross.

What is a bass trap ? Sounds interesting, the rehersal room go to has NO bass control.. The walls of teh rooms flex and act like a bass amplifier actually, and the guy who runs it has no idea how to fix it.

mccreadyisgod

lucylespian wrote:

What is a bass trap ? Sounds interesting,

A picture is worth a thousand words...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Bass+Trap&st=

They are triangular-shaped pieces that fit into the corners where bass frequencies tend to get amplified. They're very important, especially around a drum kit or bass amp.

kitfoo

I use Auralex in my studio. They have kits that come with everything you need to mount the pieces. They're easy to set up, and can even be taken down and moved. (Great for people like me who move a lot) Best tip for using it is to stand behind your amp, (or sit at your drums, if you have them) and mount the pieces in every corner that you see from that angle. That's where all your sound is going to go, and then bounce around the room. I had the same problem you did with the giant echo. But, after using the Auralex, you can hear a pin drop and not echo!

FinsburyParkCarrots

Back in 1968, John Lennon's mate Magic Alex pointed at Ringo playing the drums at Abbey Road. "One day, John, there will be no need for big thick studio screens around him. I will create sonic cloaking, if you just give me a little bit more finance, finance ...."


Is Magic Alex still alive? Get him.

lucylespian

mccreadyisgod wrote:

A picture is worth a thousand words...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Bass+Trap&st=

They are triangular-shaped pieces that fit into the corners where bass frequencies tend to get amplified. They're very important, especially around a drum kit or bass amp.

So, how do you know where to put them, or do they just go in the corners ?

Jam10

Thanks again guys! I have heard and done a lot of research on Auralex and I was actually thinking of using there products. So is worth the money spent on Auralex products. Do they do an excellent job to get rid of the echo?

mccreadyisgod

lucylespian wrote:

So, how do you know where to put them, or do they just go in the corners ?

If you have a really small room, focus on the point where two walls join the ceiling in a 3-way corner. You can either mount the bass traps on the wall-ceiling joint, or the wall-wall joint. If the room is larger, and you're not worried about taking up floor space, you can mount them lower. There are also purpose-built traps that will fit right into a wall-wall-ceiling corner.

If you plan on putting a drum set tucked into a corner, or at least near a corner, I would focus a bass trap at a level to split the kick drum and toms. I would also use a trap if a piano was used near a corner. Otherwise, you just use as many as the room needs. This varies based on the size of the room, the size of the bass traps you're using, and the desired level of reverberation in the room (how "live" you want it).