Acoustic Treatment Question

robgreen

robgreen

no face
Hey, I've been toying with the idea of making bass traps and acoustic panels for my little recording room for a while, but I've been put off by not knowing exactly what I should be buying for the main body of them.

I've kept nearly heading out to buy some acoustic panels, but I've got no idea whether they're a suitable spec. This is the stuff that I've had bookmarked for a while, but although I've done a bit of reading around the subject I can't seem to get my head around it: Wickes Acoustic Insulation Slab or even General Purpose Insulation Slab

The panels themselves seem easy enough to build once I've got all the stuff, but I'd be grateful if folks could give me pointers about whether either of these slabs spec looks suitable for panels/traps/both/neither?

...and if any UK based HRers have built their own stuff and were satisfied with it - where they got their slabs from if elsewhere?

Thanks. I feel like such a complete dummy trying to understand stuff like this :facepalm:
 
Hey dude... not real sure about the goodz in the links but there's a sticky up there /\/\ that's got what you're lookin for.
I used Roxul for my superchunks and bought my bass traps. Check that sticky and see if it helps.
 
Dogbreath said:
Hey dude... not real sure about the goodz in the links but there's a sticky up there /\/\ that's got what you're lookin for.
I used Roxul for my superchunks and bought my bass traps. Check that sticky and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointers dog! Yeah, I checked the sticky and most of the products referenced are US/Canada based. I just had a quick search and can't see much to suggest that Roxul is available over here.

Jonnydeep mentioned one product that he'd seen available to order online in the UK on that thread, but no mention of whether it was any good or not. There are also loads of Wickes stores nearby, so I could pick it up easily if the slabs were suitable.
 
well, I was lookin at some of the specs on the links you posted and I'm seeing 30 and 50 mm thick. I'd think you wouldn't want anything less than 100 mm.
That's about 4 inches, right?

I remember reading somewhere about specs on trap stuff and what works and what doesn't. I'll see if I can find that and post up.

:)
 
Thanks, that link's really helpful. Yeah 100mm is about 4", so on that basis, the Wickes stuff would appear to be only about half the thickness (unless it somehow, makes up for this in its density - which based on what you're saying seems unlikely).

Could doubling up on the 50mm slabs work or does that just represent 'muddling through' where there's no real need to? I just followed one of jonnydeep's links through and it brought up some UK suppliers of 100mm stuff: Insulation Direct 2 U. Rocksilk slabs RS45

Seems like this might be just the ticket? If he doesn't see this thread, I'll try and contact him directly to see how he got on.

Thanks for your thoughts so far Dogbreath, I appreciate it man :)
 
doubling up will be fine. I'd just look at 100 mm as the thinnest I would go.

Another thought would be to build "superchunks"

I built mine and it was basically cutting a shit-load of triangles outta the Roxul I bought (more rigid kinda stuff), and then just stacking em up from floor to ceiling in the corners. Put some nice fabric over with some wood trim and the corners are trapped. So easy even a dog with bad breath could do it. :D

Just a thought.
 
Yeah, you can double-up the 50mm stuff to get 100mm total thickness - that's what you'll want for bass traps. Single 50mm thickness can be used for first reflection point and cloud panels if you are short on money/space.
 
robgreen said:
Thanks, that link's really helpful. Yeah 100mm is about 4", so on that basis, the Wickes stuff would appear to be only about half the thickness (unless it somehow, makes up for this in its density - which based on what you're saying seems unlikely).

Could doubling up on the 50mm slabs work or does that just represent 'muddling through' where there's no real need to? I just followed one of jonnydeep's links through and it brought up some UK suppliers of 100mm stuff: Insulation Direct 2 U. Rocksilk slabs RS45

Seems like this might be just the ticket? If he doesn't see this thread, I'll try and contact him directly to see how he got on.

Thanks for your thoughts so far Dogbreath, I appreciate it man :)
Click to expand...

Hey Rob
I think the wickes stuff is very expensive, I ordered the RS45 from Insulation Express | Specialists in Insulation and Building products, they do 50mil & 100mil I think it worked out cheaper,fixed £20 delivery, the most expensive part was the covering material.

I have started building them but progress is slow with me due to arthritis in my back & neck

you can get 2x1 from B&Q sawn but not planed (that's good enough as it won't be seen when finished!) I think it's about £25 for 10x2.4M which does a few!
 
Thanks all, it's really helpful to get a general guide about the kind of thickness I should be looking at. I'll have a think about superchunks for the corners - all four ceiling corners in the room are a completely different (and slightly awkward) shape, so that's going to be fun!

Jiff, that link looks like just the ticket - you're right that the Wickes stuff would work out considerably more - especially if I'm doubling up. Cheers!

My dad's great at DIY, so maybe I'll try and co-opt him this summer for a bit of a project :D
 
Chili said:
Hey Rob, please remember to know what density your panels are. With limited space or limited number of panels, it is more important than thickness. Be sure the panels you buy are ~45kg/m3.

This might help:
Rigid fiberglass density tests
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Chili, I'll give that some proper thought before committing myself to any panels - useful to get some ballpark figures for the thickness and the density. Space is definitely an issue, as will be fitting the bass traps over odd shaped ceiling corners.

Thanks for the link too, I'll try and make some sense of it :thumbs up:
 
Hey Rob.

I'm just about in the same mind frame as you and have been looking to build some bass traps in the very near future. I had a scout around the net a couple of weeks ago to find some appropriate material, I found this, Rockwool RWA45 Acoustic Slab 45kg/m3 1200 x 600 x 100mm

Best I could find in the UK at the time and they have it in stock. Most places I've seen, advertise it but don't have it in stock. If you google Rockwool RWA45 Acoustic Slab 45kg/m3 Insulation UK you might find a better deal. I'll certainly be looking again before I purchase anything.

Hope this helps.

:thumbs up:
 
Thanks a lot fellas - it's easier to start scouting once you've got a better idea of density and thickness values isn't it. I just couldn't find practical entry level stuff that I could get my head around before.

Looking at both those sites, the delivery's about the same as the panels. Wickes have a 100mm slab for £38, but no mention of density - I'll try and get out to a store and look at the packaging to see if it looks suitable or not. I'll let you both know as it may work out cheaper once delivery costs are factored in. Cheers :thumbs up:
 
I found a review thread somewhere on the Wickes stuff & most of them said it was crap! :eek:
so look around before you buy! :)
 
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