Ive been working all summer for this!

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mikeeb

Whats the best RAP MIC??!
Hey guys. I do not make much money where I work, only 7.50 an hour.
Buttttt I have been putting in like 40 hours a week which is pretty solid considering im only 16, and have saved up like $1200-1500 for treating my room.
My question is, where do I start and are there any packages out there meant for the guy like me?
In my many hours of research I have found that Broadband trapping is the most important, while the higher frequencies are more forgiving to mixes.
I have come across this site, http://www.gikacoustics.com/gik_244.html from one of the members on this forum who I would trust in a second after reading countless posts by him.
I have also read about OC 703 and how that would help. I am bias to any fiberglass 703 though, because my mommy says that if the particles break apart and I breath it in, It can hurt me :eek:.
I was leaning towards spending $1000 at GC for a bunch of 2'x2' Auralex panels and a bunch of the basic Auralex bass traps.
However, I feel it would be a much wiser investment to get a bunch of those GIK acoustic bass traps (Like 15) and throw them around the room.
Then I would get a bunch of Auralex 2'X2' acoustic panels and use those (only a few though like 10 or so.)
All in all though, I know this will all come out to much more than my budget, so I figure you guys here know whats best to buy and any packages that I could get to save myself money.
I do not want to waste all my money I have worked really hard for because now I know how hard it really is to make money. If anyone could please give me any reccomendations, I would be very thankful!.
Thanks again!!!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, the walls of the room are approx. 400-500 sq Ft.
 
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I agree with your mother about the 703 being crumbly and flaky. I recommend the Johns Manville Spinglass board. It's about the same thing as OC703, hwever, it does not flake or crumble or breakdown like OC703. Here's a thread where I compared the two. (Scroll most of the way down)

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=279814

You should look at getting either the 2" 24x48 or the 4" 24x48. The 4" will give better sound absorption, but costs more. The links here are a supplier close to where I believe you live.

http://www.atlantech1.com/products/product_details.aspx?ID=10756


http://www.atlantech1.com/products/product_details.aspx?ID=10830

When you get the boards, buy some cheap fabric from walmart to cover the boards. Cheap for two reasons; 1) so you don't have to spend a lot, 2) you want a very thin fabric so the sound will not reflect off of it. Find something in their bargain bin. I got mine for $1 a yard. The test is if you can blow through it easily, then sound will pass through easily and into the fibreboard where it will be absorbed.

Doing it this way will give you better acoustic performance than the Aurelex stuff and it will be much cheaper. I think I did my whole room (16 panels) for less than $250. But that does include some 703 panels which are a little cheaper. Still, nowhere near $1000.

Have fun.
 
Awesome man, thanks a ton.
I just have a few questions: First off, should I still buy a bunch of bass traps or will this do well on the lower frequencies? I know broadband trappers are really important.

Also, would I just make a bunch of these and hang them on the wall with like 5 feet in between each of them (or maybe 2 feet, or maybe 10 feet) Also, would these be okay behind the drums and in the same room I will be playing acoustic guitar? My tracking room is not huge so all the instruments are in the same area.

I know you want SEMI live room for drums and acoustic guitar so these would be good spaced out right? Lastly, would one of these be okay in my small makeshift vocal booth?

Thanks man, and sorry to bombard you with questions! Then again, you are a moderator :D

OH btw I live in Marlboro NJ so Edison is right here!! YAYAYAYYAYYAYY
Have a nice night Chili.

Edit: I don't even know how to hang these =[ No one in my family is really willing to help me out with building frames or buying plywood or anything so I just need a way to hang these or a frame I could buy. Thanks and sorry for being so picky =/.
 
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Be sure to check out my thread that I linked earlier, it will show you how to hang the panels. There are better methods that involve building frames. For the most part, my method is working, but just have to add nails where you can bump into them.

As far as how many to hang and where, I'm not an expert and really don't know how to do a live room with drums. This is where my setup is different from yours. Search through the threads here in the Studio Build Forum. I'm pretty sure others have talked about how they did it. You might have to go back a few years. :eek:

You can use these for bass traps. Like I said, 4" panels work better. You have two choices, the first is called Superchunks. Do a search to find out how to make them. The second is panels straddling the corners floor to ceiling, like in my thread.

Have fun.
 
Auralex offers several "kits" containing foam and bass traps that are specifically designed for situations such as you describe. They also provide instructions for properly installing the components. Check out their web site...
 
You can always cover the 703 in fabric, which is what I did and it worked great and you can make it in varying shapes and thicknesses. I don't remember what I spent on the whole thing, but I know it was well below your budget.
 
I will check out the thread chili. As for my budget, it is about getting the best that I can for the money. Is it possible to use 703, JM, and Auralex? What if I also use a bunch of those bass traps from GIK or will it be too dead and ruin my sound. Also, what about a vocal booth? I have read many posts but am unsure if bass traps should be in a vocal booth or if this JM is good in a vocal booth?
 
I am bias to any fiberglass 703 though, because my mommy says that if the particles break apart and I breath it in, It can hurt me .
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Well, yo mommy is an idiot.


Quote:
Direct contact with fiberglass materials or exposure to airborne fiberglass dust may irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Fiberglass can cause itching due to mechanical irritation from the fibers. This is not an allergic reaction to the material. Breathing fibers may irritate the airways resulting in coughing and a scratchy throat. Some people are sensitive to the fibers, while others are not. Fiberglass insulation packages display cancer warning labels. These labels are required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) based on determinations made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

1994- NTP listed fiberglass as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" based on animal data.

1998- The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists reviewed the available literature and concluded glass wool to be "carcinogenic in experimental animals at a relatively high dose, by route(s) of administration, at site(s), of histologic type(s) or by mechanism(s) that are not considered relevant to worker exposures".

1999- OSHA and the manufacturers voluntarily agreed on ways to control workplace exposures to avoid irritation. As a result, OSHA has stated that it does not intend to regulate exposure to fiberglass insulation. The voluntary agreement, known as the Health & Safety Partnership Program includes a recommended exposure level of 1.0 fiber per cubic centimeter (f/cc) based on an 8-hour workday and provides comprehensive work practices.

2000- The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reported that epidemiological studies of glass fiber manufacturing workers indicate "glass fibers do not appear to increase the risk of respiratory system cancer". The NAS supported the exposure limit of 1.0 f/cc that has been the industry recommendation since the early 1990s.

2001- The IARC working group revised their previous classification of glass wool being a possible carcinogen. It is currently considered not classifiable as a human carcinogen. Studies done in the past 15 years since the previous report was released, do not provide enough evidence to link this material to any cancer risk.
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However, if you eat it for breakfast she may be right.:rolleyes:
 
I would seriously consider going the DIY route. For the most part, it's pretty easy to build stuff with similar acoustic properties for a fair bit less. Have a look around, there's some very interesting threads at the John L Sayers forum, including a cracking thread about home-made broadband absorbers.

As for design, for a tracking room I would prefer a bit of liveliness to it. Me and the other engineer redesigned this room:

l_f99bba6b21ac4ce584e12b3a9d67afd5.jpg


Those things with graffiti on them are broadband absorbers, and there was a big bass trap in the corner behind the photographer. The room used to have about 5mm of foam with a fabric cover of it, with carpet on the floor and sounded not too pretty. It was an easier job as the room was well built (no parallel walls, sloped ceiling), but I was VERY impressed at how well it worked. We hung a picture rail to attach them to the walls, which meant you could move them around as you wished to or indeed remove them to really change the sonic character of the room.

All this is assuming the room sounds nice to start off with ;)
 
You know that small room with carpet on the floor and paralell walls? Yeah I own that. This being true, I think I would need much more absorbtion because your room looks like godlyness and you want the actual room to color your sound. For me, I just want to put some sugar on garbage. But either way, that room looks so sweet. What are the specs for it?
 
mikeeb said:
Hey guys. I do not make much money where I work, only 7.50 an hour.
Buttttt I have been putting in like 40 hours a week which is pretty solid considering im only 16, and have saved up like $1200-1500 for treating my room.
I have also read about OC 703 and how that would help. I am bias to any fiberglass 703 though, because my mommy says that if the particles break apart and I breath it in, It can hurt me :eek:. .
Click to expand...

Well that rigid fiberglass is safe...all you need to do is go to a faberic store and get some cheap t-shirt material and cover it...Ive got the 2x4 cieling tiles on the walls of my tracking room and they work fine...at arround $5 each...cheap rolls of carpet remnents cut to length of your floor to cieling and rolled up in a 10" diameter cylinder...covered with the same t-shirt fabric and placed in the corners of the room will effectively solve problems too...and if you look...those can be had for cheap.
 
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