Towels

Orson

Well-known member
We use acoustic Rockwool where we are which is a board version of loft insulation but much denser at 60kg instead of around 38kg for loft insulation. I know acoustic foam does high frequencies and acoustic fiberglass is used for mid/lower depending on thickness.

I saw a Youtube video for an experiment of towels used for sound treatment. I found that quite interesting and in ties in with the old duvet idea and acoustic curtains.

I just wondered if anybody had tried towels for mid and lower range frequencies either as base traps or as acoustic panels/screens.
 
So long as you can source rockwool in sizes needed for broadband and bass traps and can make those, just stick with it.

The other big advantage is it’s nonflammable. Towels, not so much.
 
I agree entirely. I just thought it was interesting. Hate the itchy stuff though it's always one of those jobs I try to put off.

I have often thought about if the fibres can get out of the fabric could they do harm. But then water and fresh air is dangerous nowadays so........:rolleyes:
 
Even more interesting. So it is possible that cotton toweling can be used.
 
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Of course you can use towels, but have you seen the variation in price? Look at it scientifically and practically. You have repeatable and reliable figures for acoustic products. You buy X, it does Y, and it does Y at Z dB. Physically you cut it to size and pop it in a cavity, it fits. In six months or even six years it will be doing exactly the same thing. If you pick a towel or a duvet, then what about its performance. Is the large bath size acrylic mix towel going to give you certain dB figures at particular frequencies. Maybe the cotton one has 3dB more at 300Hz? Is the cotton towel hygroscopic? Probably, so will it's performance change significantly if it gets damp. Will damp rot it? How about the man made fibre towel, can you compare it's audio performance with the hygroscopic cotton one? Can you make a system to allow you to fit it into a cavity? Is a bit of string and two hooks enough? The brilliant folk at Sound on Sound magazine go and do their studio fixes with a pile of duvets. They can string them up on mic stands and experiment. If they work, then they can go out and source proper sound products to do the same thing. They don't tell people to hang duvets up permanently, because vertically, the filling sags over time. They also look like somebody has hung a duvet up in the room. Sound treatment tends to be predictable, stable and long lasting. Soft furnishings, duvets and towels may well work - but I don't know of any studio tests between different domestic towel types, because they're not the best tool for the job - just a quick fix.
 
I just thought it was interesting that's all. There are other alternatives to heat insulation so an eco one is good if it works even if it doesnt last as long.
 
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