Closet makeover - What on the walls?

[cincy_kid]

Hey all,

<DISCLAIMER: I am a complete noobie so please bear with me>

Click Here for Room Images

I havent posted here in a while and just now getting ready to get back into getting a decent room together to record in. I just got a new house and after all is said and done I end up getting this walk in closet to mess with my music in. It is about 6.75' x 6.50' and a little better than 7' tall.

Purpose: To have a place to lay down some tracks and eventually mix them into songs to make my own CD or mp3's for my soon to be website. I realize with my gear and room it will not be as professional as I would hope, but its a start and will be a nice learning process.

Gear: I will basically be using my PC with a soundcard and use either a drum machine or more likely loops for percussions and effects. I will be playing my acoustic/electric guitar and regular electric guitar as well as singing lead and backup vocals. I imagine I will be micing my guitar amp for the guitars and then using a condenser mic for vocals. I will be using ACID for now for software (I also have adobe audition if needed)

Ideally I would LOVE for this room to be soundproof. But this is not a reality because of the thickness Iwould have to make the walls and the budget involved with doing so (not to mention ventilation issues). So I will settle for as soundproofed as I can get it and at the same time having a decent sound when recording.

Currently the walls are basic drywall, carpet on the floor and a drop ceiling. The old owners had wire shelving up which I have taken down. My initial plan was to spackle the holes and put a cool color on the walls but now I am wondering if it might be better to just put some carpet on the walls or some other wall treatment. There are many screw holes in the wall so covering it with something would be best I think.

This is where the main question comes in. What should I put on the walls? Again, I am not expecting the highest quality, but as good as I can get for my budget. I am hoping to do the room for under $500. Carpet remnants? Foam? Other?

Any advice on this or any other suggestions that might help a noobie out is much appreciated. Let me know if I have left out any details that you may need to know.

Thanks again!

cincy_kid ~

[Nakatira]

I`m no veteran Myself, just gettin in to treating the room.

Check out the ohter post on this forum, many of these will answer your questions.

also check out this great resource

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html.

This is great info.

[notbradsohner]

whatever you do, do no use carpet remnants. Im going to assume your located in Cincinatti. Call this company . There is one in Cinci. They have a product called owens corning 703 Rigid Insulation. (Owens Corning is the manufacturer.) Basically, this stuff is a piece of insulation, but it is more rigid than the pink stuff. If you build a frame out of 2 by 4s or 2 by 2s and wrap that in fabric, you will have a far superior acoustic treatment than carpet or even auralex. Why? Because of bass frequencies. Carpet on the walls will do great at absorbing high frequencies. The problem is, that it does not absorb any bass frequencies, leaving you with low frequencies bouncing around everywhere unabsorbed. 703 will absorb the entire spectrum. This is what is called a Broadband absorber. Here are some links.

ETHAN WINER wrote a great article about acoustics, and you need to read it before you start ANYTHING. It will explain everything you need to know, so get reading. After you read that, post back here with any more questions.

[Nakatira]

here`s some vids explaning a bit

http://www.realtraps.com/videos.htm

[cincy_kid]

I am reading the articles and going to watch the vids but my initial concern is if I am building a frame to add some thickness to my walls, it will cut down on the work area. In an already small room its a concern, but I am sure its worth it. I will post more after reading the articles.

Thanks again for the replies

[cincy_kid]

Ok,

After reading some more and checking out some posts here I think I will go with the 703 rigid fiberglass stuff made by Owen Corning. I have read where some use fabric over it, some use garbage bags and some use other creative materials

Here is my next question. I am kind of a worry wart freak so my concern is now health issues with the fiberglass as well as fire hazzard with the panels I create. I read where someone was saying to spray some fire retardant stuff on the panles to prevent fires and also read that the fiberglass is too dense and will fall to the ground instead of float in the air and end up allowing me to breathe it in.

Is this accurate? Should I have these concerns or any other concerns about the panels? Which is safer? Garbage bags, fabric or other? Money is not a big concern when it comes to heath and safety for me

Thanks again for the replies!

[notbradsohner]

As long as you wrap the panels in a fabric that is tightly woven enough, you will be fine. A good test is to hold it up to your mouth and breath thru. If it is easy enough, it will be mostly acousticly transparent. Read this for further discussion.

[cincy_kid]

Thanks again for the reply Notbrad. So I will try and find some tightly woven fabric to put over the frames but maybe one that has some fire retardant properties or spray some 3M stuff on it.

Back to my original question, I have noticed that people are saying to NOT mount these panels directly on the wall and to give 1/2" to 2" or 3" between the walls and panels. If this is true, then is it better for me to just patch those holes in the drywall and paint them or will carpet be better or does it even matter? If it doesnt matter I will most likely use carpet for the "look" and sound dampening qualities (even if they are very low at best).

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions / tips

[notbradsohner]

mounting away from the wall will give you better absorbtion, but is not necessary. If space is an issue, you can simply hang your panels like picture frames. Whatever you do, do not put carpet anywhere. The acoustic properties are not so much low as bad. There is a difference.