Bass trap fabric

[ste20man]

Hi.

I have recently had to change my fabric choice for my bass trap as the Ditte cloth I was going to use is not long enough - 60". I now need a 66" cloth but can't find Ditte in that size so I'm gonna have to go with another cloth.

Can someone give me names of fabrics that are suitable for covering bass traps?

Cheers, Ste.

 

[miroslav]

Mmmm...hit any fabric outlet and pick out something you like, just go for tight knit weave fabric to keep the insulation particles from escaping.
Not sure why you have a problem with fabric lenght, as most fabrics come on a roll, so you just have them roll out the right lenght...???

 

[Capt Hair]

I've used cotton, cotton suede and cotton sateen being the specific names, they're strong, the girl that was helping me when I strolled into the unknown world of fabric, makes pants out of them so just by that you know it'd durable and not see through so a tight weave. You buy by the yard in almost every case, so just tell them you need 2 yards and they can cut what you need.

 

[diggy_dude]

Make sure the weave isn't so tight that the fabric doesn't "breathe'. If doesn't breath, it will reflect sound waves instead of letting them pass through into the absorptive material inside the trap. To test this, cover your mouth with a piece of the fabric and see if you can blow air through it.

 

[Chili]

Fabric comes in different widths; like 42", 54" and 60". So get something like 42" wide and cut it to length.

42" will cover your panels side to side, then just have them cut the length to 66". I bought all mine from the clearance bin at Walmart. $1 or $2 per linear yard (42" wide), that's cheap. So, in your case, you'll spend $4 per panel for fabric.

Look for the fabric that has a tight weave but you can easily blow air through it. If you can blow through it, then it won't impede the air movement and the 703 can do its job. You don't want the fabric thick enough to reflect sound waves.

Edit: Oops, Diggy posted the same time and said the same thing. Yeah, I'm long-winded... (Funny how we worded it almost exactly the same. lol)

hth

 

[diggy_dude]

I'm surprised Jeff didn't mention Ultra-Touch as a safer/cheaper alternative to 703. I've been following his thread in the other forum with great interest and have about decided to try it myself.

 

[RAMI]

LOL! Just go to a fabric store and pick out something you like. It's fabric, this isn't rocket surgery.

 

[diggy_dude]

I vote for purple paisley.

 

[RAMI]

I vote for purple paisley.

When you buy 6' of Purple paisley, they throw in a Raspberry beret!!!!!!!

 

[diggy_dude]

When you buy 6' of Purple paisley, they throw in a Raspberry beret!!!!!!!

Meh. I can find one of those in the second-hand store.

 

[Capt Hair]

I'm surprised Jeff didn't mention Ultra-Touch as a safer/cheaper alternative to 703. I've been following his thread in the other forum with great interest and have about decided to try it myself.

I figured he already would have bought something if he was looking for something to wrap them now, but yes Ste, ultra-touch is a cheaper and acoustically better for treatment than your standard rockwool and OC that are generally used for these. Though I don't think you could do super chunks out of the stuff it's not rigid enough to stack them effectively. On the other hand 2 layers may be just as effective as super chunks.

LOL! Just go to a fabric store and pick out something you like. It's fabric, this isn't rocket surgery.

Have you ever walked into a fabric store lol

 

[diggy_dude]

Though I don't think you could do super chunks out of the stuff it's not rigid enough to stack them effectively. On the other hand 2 layers may be just as effective as super chunks.

What about unconventional shapes, such as rolling it up or folding it to fit into an enclosure?

 

[Capt Hair]

What about unconventional shapes, such as rolling it up or folding it to fit into an enclosure?

I guess that would work. Folding it over itself once, with the thicker ultratouch 3.5" and 5" for bass traps, that'd be either 7" or 10" thick. I think that's more than enough lol, maybe even a little much. Even if you just double layered the 2in with the already improved absorption in the low end that should still be enough. It would just be determining which would be cheaper.

 

[diggy_dude]

Two of the corners in my studio room have doors right next to them, which would make placing bass traps a very awkward proposition in the first place. If I can get by with thinner traps, I would stand a better chance of not getting trapped (pardon the pun ) in the room.

 

[Capt Hair]

haha but yea, imagine making a frame that would come out but maybe 5-6 inches at most from the wall and stuffing that thing full. Could really do wonders for people who have a lot of space restraints in their rooms. Especially some I've seen who do bass traps panels that straddle corners, just takes up so much room.

 

[miroslav]

I don't think you need to worry about letting it "breathe" for the sake of sound waves.
Some commercial bass traps like the Real Traps use plastic membranes to seal in the fiberglass. There's no "breathing" involved.

It's a bass trap...cloth will not reflect bass frequencies, and probably nothing but the most ultra-highest (if any at all)...though I dount anything that might make a difference in the studio..IMHO.

Ask Ethan Winer...he makes Real Traps....he would know for sure.

 

[arcadeko]

The sound wave of low E on a guitar is like 12 feet long.

Just throwing that out there

I use fleece and felt for my traps. Making self contained superchunks today!

 

[ste20man]

This thread is hilarious. Has had me really laughing.

I was trying to buy fabric that would cover the longest side, 48" + the wrap around it needed. It makes sense to buy a smaller width and buy 'by the meter' for the longer length needed.

I can see why you say it isn't rocket science Rami, it's just always been that thing of blowing through the fabric. Is that really hard? Just a bit? Really, I don't know!!!

I just don't want to order 25m of fabric only to find out I've inhaled half of my insulation, or worse, the fabric just bounces everything off of it.

I can't believe Captain Hair has used cotton. It's widely available and cheap. Could be the perfect answer to my troubles.

I went to my local market today and found 100% polyester material 60" wide for £2 a meter. Looked really nice, could blow through it with a bit of force, I might stump for this. Gonna check out cotton on eBay now.

 

[diggy_dude]

I can't believe Captain Hair has used cotton. It's widely available and cheap. Could be the perfect answer to my troubles.

Read his thread in the studio building forum. The insulation he's using for his panels is made from recycled blue jeans, not fiberglass. And it's about half the price. I'm gonna do that myself.

 

[JimmyS1969]

I don't think you need to worry about letting it "breathe" for the sake of sound waves.
Some commercial bass traps like the Real Traps use plastic membranes to seal in the fiberglass. There's no "breathing" involved.

It's a bass trap...cloth will not reflect bass frequencies, and probably nothing but the most ultra-highest (if any at all)...though I dount anything that might make a difference in the studio..IMHO.

Ask Ethan Winer...he makes Real Traps....he would know for sure.

I just recently had an email conversation directly with Ethan. A bass trap can have up to 50% performance increase in low frequencies, with a simple layer of 'Kraft' paper, or unwaxed butcher paper on the front side, between the cloth and the chosen filler. It will be included on my next build.