diffusers/dampening

[swayofpendulums]

I was browsing the show me yours type thread there. and a common thing in alot of the pictures of home setups are panels and what seems to be foam padding on the walls.

now I've see this before, and I know what it's used for... for the most part. however I'm just curious as to what the material actually is, and where I can get these things.

heres some pics to reference what im talking about,

NOTE: THESE ARE NOT STUDIOS OR MY PICTURES, THEY ARE TAKEN FROM THIS THREAD: https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=70931

In the first pic there I noticed the padding on the walls. that looks like general use packing foam that you sometimes get in boxes of fruit. is that what that is?

In the second pic there seems to be curtains behind his studio monitors, i noticed curtains behind or around monitors in other pics as well. why is this?

 

[danny.guitar]

In the first pic there I noticed the padding on the walls. that looks like general use packing foam that you sometimes get in boxes of fruit. is that what that is?

I'm no acoustics expert but it looks like auralex or some other type of foam to tame high frequency reflections. Probably for tracking, or both tracking and mixing.

High frequency reflections can cause nasty reverb sounds on recordings, especially for acoustic instruments.

In the second pic there seems to be curtains behind his studio monitors, i noticed curtains behind or around monitors in other pics as well. why is this?

I don't see curtains? They look like absorber panels hung or mounted onto the wall.

Absorber panels are usually made either 2x4" or 2x2" depending on what frequencies you want to absorb. OC 703 rigid fiberglass is usually used, or rockwool/mineral wool.

You may want to read up a little more in that forum as there are a lot of questions like this that get asked.

You should also read this article which should explain everything:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

 

[swayofpendulums]

alright, thanks.

 

[mikeh]

Room trreatment (absorbsion/diffusors/bass traps. etc.) are an important part of any room in which you are tracking (recording sounds) or mixing. As danny.guitar indicates an important part of room treatment is to control the reflection of sounds bouncing off walls (reverb). An equally important need is to contril bass frequencies.

You can purchase commerical treament materials on line at numerous sites (Auralex is a large supplier of materials) and most music retail stores (Guitar Center, etc) also carry materials.

Buying the stuff is easy - knowing what combination of absortion, diffusion and natrual room sound is needed and where to place materials to achieve the best sounding room - that is a combination of art and science that few can master. There are complex calculations, sound metering equipment, etc.

A starting point (the "poor man's approach to sound engineering) is to stand in various parts of a room and clap your hands - you can quickly tell if a room have too much reverb (echo).

There are various books, magazines (Electronic Musican, etc.) and web sites that provide some basic guidelines - but most of the science is waaaay over my head.

 

[bennychico11]

A starting point (the "poor man's approach to sound engineering) is to stand in various parts of a room and clap your hands - you can quickly tell if a room have too much reverb (echo).

which obviously tells you VERY VERY little about the rest of the room. Just as playing a single note on piano tells you very very little about how the rest of the notes sound on it.

Read the link danny gave you, sway. Great stuff.

 

[apl]

Actually, there are some rules of thumb that will get you a very long way down the road to a nice sounding room.

1. Install broadband absorption covering about 1/3 of the area of the walls and ceiling.

2. Install as much bass trapping as you can.

3. Install a reflective floor.

4. Create a reflection free spot for listening to your monitors.

Another source of good materials is www.realtraps.com

You can also use Owens Corning 703 panels like I did here.