Soundproof

[dirtyp]

I been using egg cartons,
Was thinking of using foam egg crates since there bigger and simalar to what I seen in studios..
other then that I have blankets up..
Do you think theses are cheap alternatives? I think there descent for cutting noise but im not sure they do anything for accoustics...
Poeple told me my music is boxy sounding so im hoping for some improvement with these techniques,
what you think?>

 

[dirtyp]

im not worried about sound leaving the room and bothering the neighbors, Just trying to get rid of the muddy boxxy sound.......

 

[therage!]

Egg cartons are worthless in a studio environment.

Egg cartons and non-acoustic foam: These do not work either. Egg cartons are far too thin to be useful, and non-acoustic packing foam lacks the porous "open-cell" structure needed to absorb sound waves.

http://www.realtraps.com/art_vibes.htm

I would start with Bass traps and go from there...go here
http://www.realtraps.com/articles.htm

This site has a ton of education in it's forums
http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

And do a search here at HR. The egg carton thing has been discussed here before.

The only way around this is to research it and plan on spending some money to treat your room.

 

[bubbagump]

Yup... check out Ethan Winer's site. Specifically this page: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html Semi rigid fiber glass and/or mineral wool is where it is at.

 

[dirtyp]

You dont think it will work at all? Not even short term? I didnt expect to get any accoustic out of it. Just less echo and reverb. Why do they sell studio foam? I dont see how thats any different

 

[mixmkr]

Man.. Blue Bears absence is really obvious now

 

[james123]

You dont think it will work at all? Not even short term? I didnt expect to get any accoustic out of it. Just less echo and reverb. Why do they sell studio foam? I dont see how thats any different

Go to the Studio Building and Display part of this site and do some reading.

 

[Massive Master]

The problem with cutting the extreme high end (with blankets and foam) is that you're actually *left with* the mud. Take care of the mud (with low end and broadband absorption) and the rest will almost take care of itself.

Save a piece or two of foam to tackle obvious flutter echoes.

 

[bubbagump]

You dont think it will work at all? Not even short term? I didnt expect to get any accoustic out of it. Just less echo and reverb. Why do they sell studio foam? I dont see how thats any different

Also, understand the difference between absorption and diffusion. Absorption makes the sound go away. Think of it as a vaccum cleaner for sound. Absorption is pretty cool as when you get near an absorptive surface it feels like you are in outer space as it does not reflect sound.

Diffusion just refelcts the sound in a different manner (usually in a more desirable and even manner than a flat bare wall). Egg cartons don't do a whole lot other than reflect/diffuse high frequencies. Especially styrofoam, no studio uses styrofoam for anything but coffee cups. Studio foam is very different in its density and basic make up and absorbs the sound. Really, check out Ethan's site above as you really probably want some broad band absorption. Again, semi rigid fiberglass and mineral wool are where it is at and a case of the stuff is probably $30 which will get basic treatment in a small room. Another $30 and you can build a lot of bass trapping and really do it up right.

 

[therage!]

Man.. Blue Bears absence is really obvious now

LOL, so true, so true!

 

[pandamonk]

I'm quite shocked that noone has mentioned the firesafety problems with using egg crates. This thread is entitled soundproof, it does not deal at all with sound "proofing". And to have in the first post "I think there descent for cutting noise but im not sure they do anything for accoustics..." with noone mentioning how wrong this is, AGHHH! Egg crates do nothing apart from create a fire hazard. They do nothing to sound "proof" and only slight in the very high end for acoustics. For sound "proofing", or should i say insulating, you need mass-air-mass, and preferably with the mass totally decoupled from each other. And for acoustics you need odd shaped rooms, absorbtion(especially bass) and diffusion. Absorbtion is best achieved, on a low budget, through the use of rigid fiberglass or mineral wool type materials.

 

[bubbagump]

Heh, yeah, mineral wool and rigid fiber glass are good to about 1200 degrees. Have you figured out by now that egg crates are not what you want to use?

 

[dirtyp]

can i get rigid fiberglass or mineral wool type materials from a hardwood store?
so muddy sound is from the low end?
I was thinking I didnt need bass traps because im only recording vocals and I didnt think there was much bass in voices.

 

[bubbagump]

Have you botherd to read the link I posted above? All of this stuff is answered in that link on Ethan's site.... what it is, where to get it, how to use it..... Short answer, no you can't get it from a hardware store usually. You usually need to get it from a place that specializes in insulation.

 

[jkokura]

can i get rigid fiberglass or mineral wool type materials from a hardwood store?
so muddy sound is from the low end?
I was thinking I didnt need bass traps because im only recording vocals and I didnt think there was much bass in voices.

It goes like this....

go get some rigid fiberglass (Owens Corning 703) and cut it into panels (2'x4' or 2'x2') wrap it up in some black fabric and then figure out how to attach it to you walls in the right place...put it over top of you corners, hang it on the walls, etc.

After that, the better option (but more intensive and expensive) would be to build some of these...http://johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm

Oh, and your post said soundproof...soundproofing is keeping sound from traveling through walls...what you acutally should have entitled this is sound 'treatment' - the actions for affecting the sound inside a room.

Jacob

 

[dirtyp]

I tried to explain I needed sound treating.
I checked out that sight but hes selling $150 a piece.
People told me they paid between $6 for a 2x4 piece to
$19 for 32 square feet.
heres a link for 703 and alternatives http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm
problem is finding them in your area.

 

[studiomaster]

Egg crates are solid. and how can solids actually absorb sound?

 

[dirtyp]

I was talking about the foam(mattres)
And studios use wood and extra drywall is supposed to help there both solids.
One of the links I went to had curved plywood on the walls.
Im not sure but I think it about reflecting a normal flat wall will bounce the sound back and forth.
Anyone in ct know where to get rigid fiberglass?
Im going to check hoke depot and lowes.

 

[Farview]

And studios use wood and extra drywall is supposed to help there both solids.

Wood and extra drywall will keep the sound from transmitting through the wall, mainly by reflecting it back at you or being too dense for the sound to vibrate. Don't confuse sound proofing with acoustic treatment. Soundproofing keeps sound from getting out of the room, acoustic treatment makes the room sound right.

 

[pandamonk]

They do, though, build bass traps out of solid material. The hardboard mounted and sealed in the corner, with insulation behind. It absorbs due to the hardboard vibrating, and the insulation dampening the vibrations. I don't know the details of it though.