My first attempt at controlling room acoustics

...
The framing is going to be at least half the weight, and most of it in the case of fiberglas, because the frames will be heavier due to the thickness of the material. In fact, I'm curious about what the total weight of one of your R-30 framed panels is going to be. I'll weigh one of mine when I build some more later this month. (They're all fastened to the walls/celing or anchored in corners right now.)
...
P.S. Be careful stacking these things. They don't weigh much, but if one decides to topple, it can take out a couple mics and guitars on the way down. (Not planning to stack mine, ever.)

I'm going to use some heavy cardboard and cut that into 10" wide strips for the boxes, so that won't add a terrible amount of weight. Then there's the landscaping fabric. The 10" depth should make them fairly stable for stacking - as long as I don't bump into one.
 
I can get Roxul R30 unfaced at my local Lowes. Package of Qty = 4 : 23" x 47" x 7.25" - - That's 20 lbs per sheet.
Not sure where you got that weight from - it's not 80 lbs per package, I know that! If Keith's numbers are correct (under 4 lbs per bat) that's a density of about 0.3 lb per cu ft. Compare that to OC703 at 3 lbs/cu ft or even Roxul AFB at 2.5 lbs/cuft. Density is the key thing when it comes to low frequency absorption. Even if you can squeeze the S&S down to half its thickness (doubtful) you'd still only be at 0.6 lb/cu ft.
Remember that the 'R30 rating is about temperature insulation, not sound.

ATS materials: Acoustic Insulation - Order Online, Ships UPS

I just remembered something that was mentioned in an earlier post. The R30 faced Fiberglass I mentioned... is 7.25" thick. One layer of that with the facing outwards means the waves would travel through the glass then reflect back outward through the glass again - (theoretically) doubling it's effect, behaving like a 14.5" deep layer. For what that's worth..

The paper backing will not reflect low frequencies at all, may reflect higher frequencies, but if you have the trap against or near a wall (it's better to have a small air gap for diffusion) then the reflection is already happening.
 
I decided to begin with the Roxul instead of fiberglass. The stuff I got is: 1 pkg = Qty 12 - - Size = 3 x 15.25 x 47 inches - - Weight = 3 lbs per batt. I don't know where I got that 20 lbs per batt I mentioned earlier..

I also got some fairly stiff cardboard (large, unassembled moving box) to cut into strips for framing the Roxul. I'll cut 3-inch strips and assemble them into a flexible frame of 30 x 46 inches. I want to keep the framing smaller than the batts to help keep them stiff and, hopefully, stackable on edge. Each frame will hold 2 batts side-by-side, then I'll wrap the frame with weed block landscaping material. I'll duct tape the ends of the cardboard strips together, as well as the edges of the wrapping material.

This Roxul is definitely a dust producer. Very fine powder. No doubt inhaling mass quantities of it would clog your lungs for sure. I'll be working outdoors in a breeze, so It shouldn't be too bad for me.
 
Last edited:
I spent nearly 1-1/2 hours this morning cutting up one cardboard box into 3-inch strips, then duct taping them into 46 x 30 inch rectangles. I completed 2 frames and will do several more tomorrow morning.

I only bought one cardboard box to start, I'll have to pick up a couple more to complete this project.

The cardboard is easy to work with, just cut and bend like a piece of drywall, then reinforce with duct tape. Once the Roxul is in place the frame will sit square, then I can wrap 2 pieces of tape - 1 vertically and 1 horizontally - across the center to firm it up even more. Then wrap that with the landscaping material.
 
From one 18 x 24 cardboard moving box, I managed 5 complete frames : 30" x 46" x 3" D. The remainder came up short of a 6th frame by about 10". With a second box, and what's left over from the first, I should get at least 6 additional frames.

The boxes come flat and unassembled, which makes it easy to carve up into strips.
0OzSGXS.png
 
Last edited:
I've got power tools! :D

If I were using 1 x 4s, I'd be puttin' a V-6 in my cordless (AHH! OOH! OOH! AGH!)

What's holding me back is the space I'm using to construct these things is a multi-purpose facility, and I have to allow for other's usage.

I'm still not taking as long as a healthcare ad on cable..
 
Last edited:
Now remember... you guys MADE me do this! :drunk:
______________________________

1. See previous post. I cut cardboard moving box into 3" strips, then duct taped them into 6 (wobbly) 46" x 30" x 3" rectangular frames.

lp6mmak.jpg

2. 1-Pkg Roxul: 12-pieces 15.25" x 47" x 3" : First piece in frame.

mZdTHbk.jpg

3. Second piece of Roxul inserted into frame.

qwXPOZd.jpg

4. Taped across corners to square them up.

JyBDAZg.jpg


5. Wrapped fabric around - folded and taped like a gift package. Then ran a single strip of tape around the whole thing.

m9l1fhB.jpg

6. Et voila!

J3nIO2o.jpg

4Mi4eDY.jpg

Wrqr9Np.jpg

psC1faH.jpg

nV49V1e.jpg
 
Value Village....or any other recycling or used chain of stores. I asked nicely, for them to put aside any towels they received which they thought they couldn't resell. A week later I got a call saying they had 14 boxes of towels that turned out to be cleaned and folded. Cost = zero. Twenty to thirty towels per panel. Incredible affect. Don't believe me....just make one up and see.
 
Value Village....or any other recycling or used chain of stores. I asked nicely, for them to put aside any towels they received which they thought they couldn't resell. A week later I got a call saying they had 14 boxes of towels that turned out to be cleaned and folded. Cost = zero. Twenty to thirty towels per panel. Incredible affect. Don't believe me....just make one up and see.

I got that beat.
..I got that beat!

Eight or ten years ago I pulled the doors off the 'towel hamper in the hall -right next to the "Main Room" :laughings: (Maybe to refinish and new hinge, whatever..

Much later came "Well when you gonn'a put the closet doors back on..!?"
Me, "What? Au contraire. That has been repurposed, and now dual function- bass trap!"

Now, understand I'm not hanging that far out here. 'Her bass rig lives 15 feet away (...in tasteful Tolex and 10's'
 
When it comes to any thing related to sounds & insulation the first option that comes to my mind is of Sound Blanket Curtain they have a wide variety range & cost of quality products which suits our requirements. So i will recommend Sound Blanket Curtain to those who are looking for a quality product at an affordable price.

---------- Update ----------

When it comes to any thing related to sounds & insulation the first option that comes to my mind is of Sound Blanket Curtain they have a wide variety range & cost of quality products which suits our requirements.
 
I just moved into a one-bedroom apartment - up from a small efficiency. Living and bedrooms have windows which are set into the outside wall. There are no frames, casements or woodwork on the interior wall surrounds - just finished drywall. The worst part is.. both window units are single-pane, and street noise, when closed, is maybe fifty-percent of what it would be if opened. I'll need to get some free-standing curtain rods that will hold sound absorbing, blackout drapes - one for one window, a second for the shared interior wall.

The adjoining bathroom is large enough to use for vocal recordings, so the main room will be sound blanketed mainly to allow for the use of monitors and songwriting/practicing with acoustic guitars.

I'm waiting on some new furniture and have yet to decide which room will be used for what. I like the Idea of using the living room as my bedroom/living/dining area. Bedroom/bathroom as studio.

Of course, all this could flip in any direction when I begin setting up the furniture and bedding.
 
Note that heavy drapes will help tame the high frequency reflections, but do nothing for the low end - which are the ones you can't really hear, but mess up recordings. The 'natural reverb' of apartment/home bathrooms is seldom really pleasant in recordings - much better to use 'in the box' reverb, so you can control it.
 
Last edited:
Last night as I was staring at one window, half brainstorming, half daydreaming, a solution dawned on me..

The smaller bedroom window has a sill 6-inches deep - and a perfect rectanglular opening of 58" x 34.5" x 6"

I can fit up to 2 layers of 3" Roxul Safe and Sound in there to block outside noise. This will also act as a blackout
which can be easily removed as needed. I am going to try to deaden the bathroom to get it as dry as possible.
The only mic'd recordings (for now) will be vocals, and I can use the Roxul batts and drapes to cover most of
the bathroom areas to help tame reflections. Next items on my gotta get list are an SM58 and SM57.

s8uu8bl.jpg
 
I wouldn't bother trying to do anything in the bathroom, really. Might as well go into a closet. Just fix one room up, preferably the larger one, but if you can't seal the door well, the bedroom might be better, depending on the volume of things you'll be recording.

If you don't plan to open the window, you could just get a piece of plexiglas cut to fit and use some weather stripping to create a barrier - probably easier and less trouble that stuffing Roxul in there on a temporary basis.

I'd build a couple of decent gobos, maybe with a nice color or patterned fabric, that can be positioned for early reflections and dense enough to act as bass traps, too. Use blocking drapes on the windows if you have the freedom to install curtain rods. I just have a hard time imagining a "free-standing" rod of any kind being stable for something like heavy drapes, and not easily movable. Plus, as [MENTION=39487]mjbphotos[/MENTION] says, it's not going to do anything for bass trapping.

P.S. On looking through your postings, I think you're going overboard with the "deadening" thing if all you're micing is vocals. Close mic with early reflections addressed, and use mic positioning to minimize other noises. Get set up so you can mix optimally, and not have to move stuff around all the time. That is going to waste time and ultimately, IMO, limit how quickly you can turn an idea into something to work with in your DAW.
 
Recording aside, I want to block as much of the sound entering through the windows as possible - some of them
are louder than my TV at reasonable volume levels.

...If you don't plan to open the window, you could just get a piece of plexiglas cut to fit and use some weather stripping to create a barrier - probably easier and less trouble that stuffing Roxul in there on a temporary basis...

Inserting the plexiglass panel to create an air barrier? That's a thought.. Thanks! I've already got Roxul, so I'm going
to cover that with some material and see how that goes first. The plexiglass insert will be my backup plan.

Looking ahead some, I wanted to see if Rockwool was still in stock at my local Home Depot - where I got mine last
December. To my disappointment they no longer keep it in stock, and it can only be special-ordered by the pallet-load..
no single bales. Now that sucks. Soo... looked at Lowe's.. BINGO! They still keep the single bales in stock. Just hope they
still have them if I decide to get more next year.
 
Back
Top