Acoustic panels or acoustic foam? Room treatment

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MusicianMagician

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This probably gets asked a lot but I need advice on how to acoustically treat my room. I did immersive research but some things still don’t make sense. My goal is to be able to record in my studio room to get the best recorded vocals as possible and additionally I will also be mixing and mastering in my room. Consider me a bedroom artist minus the bed and nightstand.

My first thought was building my own acoustic panels but I hate to say it, I can’t find any sort of insulation that won’t be out to kill you or won’t dent my wallet.

For acoustic foam I heard it just deadens the higher frequency’s of the room and that’s basically it. It might not be the best option for the lower bass which i am into some EDM so bass control is a must. I thought about bass traps but again, money doesn’t grow on trees unfortunately.

Ideally I’d like acoustic panels but I happen to like my lungs (big suprise)
Any help is super appreciated or tips.
 
The thinner the higher cut is the usual rule. Fibreglass isn't as good as rockwool, but cheaper, and you can always wrap the surface with fabric to make it pretty and keep fibres in. The important thing for health is leaving them alone. Asbestos is not good, but it's the dust that does damage, so it's not hard to control. Same with the glass based products. Bass traps have quite a few DIY possibilities - loads on line, but they have a physical size, that relates to their low frequency efficiency and usually some kind of membrane over the opening that has low enough mass to physically move when bass hits it, robbing it of energy. Ceiling or roofing felt, rubber, and other materials seem popular. One fella I seem to remember rated floor carpet tiles, suspended at the edges. The carpet side did a bit of HF reduction but the thick backing trapped the bass. I'm sure you'll find it if you search. The important thing is to determine where your problems are - so pink noise will give you a pointer to big peaks and troughs in the room response.
 
This kind of depends on what space you have in your room. What size is it? Are the corners open space?

Small spaces and square rooms are the worst for controlling low end. The room modes can make it virtually impossible the get rid of peaks and nulls. That does not mean it can't be improved.

There are ways to help with low end more efficiently and actually less expensive with pink fluffy stuff, but only if you have the space for it.
 
"Space" as JimmyS says is the operative word. You can just buy plastic bags of GF or other insulation and stash them wherever there is room, under stairs, behind a sofa, floor to ceiling (you will need to cobble some kind of support. If your room is say 8ft high you don't use the top 18" so 'GF' it! Corners and wall ceiling junctions are the most efficient. You don't need to open the bags and if you give up audio in a few years, flog 'em to a builder!

You can make 'mirror point' panels from 4"x1" timber and perforated hardboard. Fill the space with Kapoc or "Bonded Acetate Fibre" as used in hi fi speakers. Neither are harmful. Space panels 2-4" from wall, gets you double duty.

Dave.
 
There is a ton of info online about making acoustic panels, and if you wear a good mask with cartridges, you need not worry about the fibers getting in to your lungs, and as mentioned above, once they're covered with fabric and left undisturbed, all will be well (keep that mask on during all stages of building!). This is assuming you have the technical skill and tools to make the things.
 
MusicianMagician said:
Ideally I’d like acoustic panels but I happen to like my lungs (big suprise)
Any help is super appreciated or tips.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Rockwool is pretty much inert unless you are sawing it up all the time. Once enclosed into a baffle and covered with a bit of cloth, it doesn't off gas any chemicals unless you're heating it to about 400F, nor does it release particles into the air. Cutting it in a well ventilated area (like an open garage) with a dust mask and a pair of safety glasses will take care of the minor dust created.

As with many things, restrictions are based on people working in an potentially hazardous environment 8 hours a day every day. Spending an hour making a couple of panels doesn't even qualify, and if you size the panels properly, you don't even need to cut anything. Just open the bag, pop in the sheets of rockwool, and wrap things up with some nice looking cloth to make them look pretty.

I think fiberglass is much more irritating than Safe N Sound rockwool.
 
TalismanRich said:
. . . I think fiberglass is much more irritating than Safe N Sound rockwool.
Click to expand...
It is. I fiberglass paneled our practice basement and spent the week taking 2-3 showers each day to remove as much of it as possible. More recently, I have cut up a bundle of Safe-N-Sound Rockwool using fabric shears. The Rockwool cuts like butter with little to no shedding. Sawing with a knife or other tool will create more airborne particles.
 
MusicianMagician said:
This probably gets asked a lot but I need advice on how to acoustically treat my room. I did immersive research but some things still don’t make sense. My goal is to be able to record in my studio room to get the best recorded vocals as possible and additionally I will also be mixing and mastering in my room. Consider me a bedroom artist minus the bed and nightstand.

My first thought was building my own acoustic panels but I hate to say it, I can’t find any sort of insulation that won’t be out to kill you or won’t dent my wallet.

For acoustic foam I heard it just deadens the higher frequency’s of the room and that’s basically it. It might not be the best option for the lower bass which i am into some EDM so bass control is a must. I thought about bass traps but again, money doesn’t grow on trees unfortunately.

Ideally I’d like acoustic panels but I happen to like my lungs (big suprise)
Any help is super appreciated or tips.
Click to expand...
Wear a dust mask when working. The wool style acoustic insulation at Home Depot does not really create a lung issue either. I did my garage with no problems.


 
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