Acoustic Foams: Misunderstood or Underrated ?

[ThisCorne]

Hello to the HomeRecording community,

I'd like to kick off a discussion on a topic that often stirs debates online: acoustic foams. Negative critiques can be found here and there, but my personal experience leads me to believe that they deserve a place in acoustic treatment for home studios and semi-professional studios.

Based on my experience, as long as acoustic foam is sufficiently dense (which is generally not the the case ), it proves highly effective in absorbing unwanted sound reflections. Furthermore, it adds an aesthetic dimension to your space, a significant asset for both yourself and your clients, much more so than conventional acoustic panels.

[link removed ]

After a thorough analysis, I noticed that melamine, when used on foams with a 5 cm density, brings little improvement over polyurethane. This led me to consider that more affordable acoustic foams are a cost-effective option to enhance your acoustic environment, rather than doing nothing at all.

I'd like to gather your opinions on acoustic foams. Do you think they are ineffective, or have you successfully used them in your studio? Please share your feedback and opinions on this subject, and let's explore together the advantages and limitations of acoustic foams in the pursuit of the best sound possible.

Express yourselves and share your experiences !

 

[Random dude]

It's not a matter of "opinion". It's science. "Acoustic foam" simply does not touch lower frequencies. And 99% of the problem in 99% of rooms is bass frequencies. You can put all the foam you want, as thick as you want, and it will usually just make your room sound worse because all you're doing is dampening high and mid-high frequencies. So, now the low end becomes an even bigger problem.

The reason some people think foam is useful is because they'll put it up, and then they'll clap their hands and notice it doesn't echo as much. But that has nothing to do with lower frequencies, which are the hardest and most important to tame.

So, my "opinion" (based on fact) about foam is that it's pretty much useless.

 

[Random dude]

I just realized that the OP is probably actually spamming a company he has some kind of affiliation with. His first post and he's pimping a foam company uder the guise of a "discussion"? I don't know, man. Looks a little fishy to me. But hey, what do I care?

This paragraph makes me a little suspicious as far as the motives of starting this thread:

'll draw from my recent experience with HollowSound to illustrate this point. I was pleasantly surprised by the density of their foams, which never goes below 5 cm. Moreover, they are incredibly easy to install thanks to the provided adhesive, in contrast to some foams available on Amazon or even pricier models on Thomann that require special glue potentially harmful to walls.

Also........"I was pleasantly surprised by the density of their foams, which never goes below 5 cm". Wow! 5cm??? That's like what? 2 inches? LOL! Ok.

 

[Chili]

I just realized that the OP is probably actually spamming a company he has some kind of affiliation with. His first post and he's pimping a foam company uder the guise of a "discussion"? I don't know, man. Looks a little fishy to me. But hey, what do I care?

This paragraph makes me a little suspicious as far as the motives of starting this thread:



Also........"I was pleasantly surprised by the density of their foams, which never goes below 5 cm". Wow! 5cm??? That's like what? 2 inches? LOL! Ok.

I agree. He's spamming his product. Let's see if foam genius comes back to defend himself.

 

[Random dude]

I agree. He's spamming his product. Let's see if foam genius comes back to defend himself.

Yeah, good idea. Not to dwell on it, but looking at the "About" page in his profile, he literally lists "Hollowsound" as his website. So, I think it's safe to say........you know....

 

[Chili]

Yeah, good idea. Not to dwell on it, but looking at the "About" page in his profile, he literally lists "Hollowsound" as his website. So, I think it's safe to say........you know....

Ha! I didn't look that deep. Eh, we'll remove this thread soon enough.

 

[JamEZmusic]

It's not a matter of "opinion". It's science. "Acoustic foam" simply does not touch lower frequencies. And 99% of the problem in 99% of rooms is bass frequencies. You can put all the foam you want, as thick as you want, and it will usually just make your room sound worse because all you're doing is dampening high and mid-high frequencies. So, now the low end becomes an even bigger problem.

The reason some people think foam is useful is because they'll put it up, and then they'll clap their hands and notice it doesn't echo as much. But that has nothing to do with lower frequencies, which are the hardest and most important to tame.

So, my "opinion" (based on fact) about foam is that it's pretty much useless.

I normally get scowled at when I mention how overrated treating your room is.

So many people out there think it's the 1 thing that will make your mixes go from good to great.

Grab some headphones and mix, if you still can't do it. Treated room aint gonna help

Edit: I do prefer a treated room for recording though, and wouldn't change mine. But I do recognise it is not dong the job it is supposed to do, but it does help me get dry recordings. The calibration software says my room is still all over the place though, just as much as if I had none. And so are pro-built studios. It's snake oil bullshit that everyone has fallen for.

 

[mjbphotos]

I normally get scowled at when I mention how overrated treating your room is.

So many people out there think it's the 1 thing that will make your mixes go from good to great.

Grab some headphones and mix, if you still can't do it. Treated room aint gonna help

Edit: I do prefer a treated room for recording though, and wouldn't change mine. But I do recognise it is not dong the job it is supposed to do, but it does help me get dry recordings. The calibration software says my room is still all over the place though, just as much as if I had none. And so are pro-built studios. It's snake oil bullshit that everyone has fallen for.

Really? Acoustic treatment is 'snake oil'? If your room still has problems, its the room, the type of acoustic treatment you have, and where it is placed and how much you have. Not that it doesn't work.

 

[Random dude]

I normally get scowled at when I mention how overrated treating your room is.

So many people out there think it's the 1 thing that will make your mixes go from good to great.

Grab some headphones and mix, if you still can't do it. Treated room aint gonna help

Edit: I do prefer a treated room for recording though, and wouldn't change mine. But I do recognise it is not dong the job it is supposed to do, but it does help me get dry recordings. The calibration software says my room is still all over the place though, just as much as if I had none. And so are pro-built studios. It's snake oil bullshit that everyone has fallen for.

Treating a room is important for MIXING. Maybe less important for recording. If you find an un-treated room where your drums, vocals, etc....sound great, then of course record them there. Mixing is another story. You can't properly mix what you can't properly hear. To say that room treatment is snake oil is just idiotic. Foam is snake oil. Proper treatment isn't.

Mixing with headphones? No thanx. I have a nice, treated room and good monitors for that. If you think you can mix with headphones, knock yourself out. I would never do that, but I'm not going to get into a "my balls are bigger than yours" argument over it.

But, besides all that nonsense, this post wasn't even about "how important treating your room is" or "I can mix with headphones because I'm special".

The question was about "foam", which is useless. It's also about someone pretending to want to have a discussion when all he was trying to do was advertise for free.

 

[JamEZmusic]

I've taken room measurements before and after treatment, there is not much improvement at all. I've used the recommended density rockwool, I can't remember now, RW30? Can't go wrong with placement, i have the RFZ set up, and the corners are treated. The rooms response is still pretty shit.

How the fuck is the room more important for mixing and not recording? Recordings are where it's at. The more you know about mixing the less the room matters. Try that approach with recording, You think you're gonna get a dry tight up close recording in a non treated room? Go ahead.

If you know what you are doing you can mix in headphones, I'm not saying you should. i wouldn't give up my monitors or space for headphones either, that was not the fucking point asshole

 

[Random dude]

I've taken room measurements before and after treatment, there is not much improvement at all. I've used the recommended density rockwool, I can't remember now, RW30? Can't go wrong with placement, i have the RFZ set up, and the corners are treated. The rooms response is still pretty shit.

How the fuck is the room more important for mixing and not recording? Recordings are where it's at. The more you know about mixing the less the room matters. Try that approach with recording, You think you're gonna get a dry tight up close recording in a non treated room? Go ahead.

If you know what you are doing you can mix in headphones, I'm not saying you should. i wouldn't give up my monitors or space for headphones either, that was not the fucking point asshole

Oh! so since YOU weren't able to treat your room properly, you're going to speak for every single succesful mixing, recording , and mastering engineer in the world? That's so cute.

Next quote:

"How the fuck is the room more important for mixing and not recording? Recordings are where it's at. The more you know about mixing the less the room matters. Try that approach with recording, You think you're gonna get a dry tight up close recording in a non treated room? Go ahead."

So nobody records in "live" rooms? Seriously? You just proved that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Every single thing you said is the exact opposite of the truth. Wow! It's actually beyond comical. There's so much stupidity in that quote that I've decided to stop talking to you after this thread. Maybe someone else will educate you, but I can't lower my IQ enough to talk at your level.

("Dry up close recording"....LOL! Man, those Led Zeppelin guys (and hundreds of others) sure are a bunch of idiots. Imagine, recording drums in big, wet un-treated rooms. Nobody ever records in anything but a dry room so that you can get that "Dry up close recording" sound. It's the only way to go).

...and finally....."

that was not the fucking point asshole

Lol! Interesting. Nice keyboard you're sitting behind, isn't it? I can see it makes you feel safe and brave.

My better judgement is telling me to leave this thread. Have a good one.

Unbelievable.

 

[JamEZmusic]

Mixing in a perfect room doesn't help like you think it does, the proof would be to mix in headphones on the flattest cans you can find or use referencing software. Does this make you a pro? You'll be no better off. You reckon you could mix better than say...JJP if you switched studios? You reckon he needs a treated room to mix? no... you reckon he needs a treated room to record? yes...

We don't all want to listen to live sounding roomy mixes.

I wouldn't be worried anyway, behind a keyboard or not. I'm the top .01% in fitness, claiming world records doesn't take me much effort anymore.

Are you a Biden supporter or something? You come across like a complete imbecile, one that throws insults claiming the other side has a low IQ? Which usually means you feel like you have lost.

Yep, see you around then. I will enjoy living inside your head rent free.

 

[mjbphotos]

Are you a Biden supporter or something? You come across like a complete imbecile, one that throws insults claiming the other side has a low IQ? Which usually means you feel like you have lost.

Really, you think a certain political stance means someone doesn't know what they are talking about in a non-political subject?
I'm locking this thread now. TOO MANY IMBECILES!