soundproofing

[pandamonk]

What kind of wood should be used?

Anything really, i'm guessing. Just go for something cheap. I'll leave this for someone else 'cause it almost 2am and i need my sleep night

 

[antispatula]

Why would you cover the very thing that you want to ABSORB sound I think you better do some reading about RESISTANCE ABSORBERS before you make some decisions.

http://searcht.netscape.com/ns/boom..._url=http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

Haha I think I should! That idea has always confused me. In the Home recording for dummies book he said to use 1/8"-1/4" plywood, depending on the freqs you wanted to absorb.

 

[Shout It Out]

I jsut want to be safe and ask this question...the net recommends burlap for bass traps and absorbers....what I want to know is if i can use the standard household cotton bedsheet for the fabric over the 703? Dumb question maybe, but i need to know if it is breathable enough...

 

[Innovations]

The only reason to do frames is for the crisp edge. If a slightly softer edge is fine then unframed saves time, expense and weight.

The prefered mounting for unframed panels in 'impaling clips'.

http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/products/hardware/impaling_clips.asp

While theoreticall these are 'damaging' the fiberglass the actual effect is miniscule. If you want your panels to have an air gap behind them then mount 2x4s to the wall and then screw the impaling clip to the 2x4s

Covering Fabric
The choice of covering fabric only requires that the fabric be permeable. In other words put it across your mouth and try to blow through it. You should get near zero resistance. I don't think that a high thread count sheet would pass this test. My personal choice is usually felt. It is cheap and in a wide variety of colors. Ideally you should treat it with flameproofing afterward.

 

[apl]

Haha I think I should! That idea has always confused me. In the Home recording for dummies book he said to use 1/8"-1/4" plywood, depending on the freqs you wanted to absorb.

That construction is for membrane style bass traps.

 

[bpape]

If you want a relatively easy to build, inexpensive frame that exposes a lot of edge, try using metal drywall corner bead. If you rivet it together, it makes a pretty light very open framework that will still give you nice edges - albeit with a little radius on the corners.

You can use the lip of the back to hang them or use a small sheet metal screw to attach some picture hanging wire. To space them off the wall a little, just use some rubber screw on feet.

For straddling, just attach 2 wires top and bottom (or side to side) to hang on hooks wall and ceiling.

Bryan

 

[Shout It Out]

Off to the store to buy stuff for monitor stands and acoustic treatment frames...pictures later.

 

[Shout It Out]

Well Framing + Burlap + 703 cost me a nice 100$ i got 2 4'' bass traps for the corners and 2 2'' absorbers for the walls. (3 shown)

And Monitor stands (35 inch tall) cost me 20$ to make. 2 2'x4' blocks and a 2'x2' was all I needed and some cloth for the fronts.

I'll post a picture later when I hang up the Absorbers.

 

[Shout It Out]

rfz

if i have a 2 x 4 frame with rigid fiberglass and the top of the woofer on my monitor is 40 inches off of the ground and 3 feet away from the wall, where should my frames be hanging on the side wall in height relation and to the speaker and distance relation from the wall??

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

If you want a relatively easy to build, inexpensive frame that exposes a lot of edge, try using metal drywall corner bead.

Exactly what I'm doing!!! Lightweight, stiff, perfect corners, L angle, $1.50 for 10'..what more can you ask for

f i have a 2 x 4 frame

TWO X FOUR...are you out of your mind Damn,, thats gonna be one heavy frame...
what happened to..

yea I'm going frameless. One less thign to worry about and less weight on the walls.

And you chose TWO X FOUR's???...doggone. I hope they're balsa wood

where should my frames be hanging on the side wall in height relation and to the speaker and distance relation from the wall??

Good question. Position speakers in an equalateral triangle, approx 30 degree angle from the engineering position axis. That will form a 60 degree angle along the speakers firing axis. For sidewall location of treatment, sit in the engineering position, and have someone move a small mirror around on each sidewall. If you can see the monitors in the mirror, thats where the treatment should cover, which may or may not be larger than one panel. It depends on your width of the room. However, speaker distance from the FRONT wall is VERY important. Because of ports(if ported), and because of this...(to quote from Thomas Barefoot, Acoustics forum moderator at the link below)

Freestanding speakers have -6dB shelf filter in their high frequency response. This compensates for an effect know as "baffle step" or "diffraction loss". At wavelengths longer than the width of the speaker cabinet , half of the acoustic energy wraps around the front baffle and radiates towards the back. The high frequencies with shorter wavelengths are forced to radiate in the forward hemisphere only. The -6dB shelf filter gives a flat anechoic on-axis response, but the total acoustic power emitted into the room is +6 dB heavy in the bass. Now, when you flush mount a freestanding speaker, all the frequencies are forced into the forward hemisphere. So, the on-axis response exhibits a +6 dB step in the bass in accordance with the power response imbalance.

You need to read the whole post though, as there is a
"wall bounce calculator" that you can download to help with this determination. Hope this helps answer your question. Oh, one other thing. Once you dig this deep, be prepared for more construction...of SOFFITS

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=766

 

[Shout It Out]

hahaha nah the frame is not a 2x4 it measures 2 x 4 though. i built the frams like the picture pandamonk posted. Very Lightweight my bass trap weighs about 10 pounds and the absorbers weigh about 7

 

[Reggie]

Here's my thoughts:

Pandamonk, that seems way overboard as far as framing. I like the way GIK does their framing and wrapping--they have the frame up against the BACK of the absorption panel and staple the fabric around to the back which is basically what hold the panel in place. This leaves you all the precious side space open for absorbing. I think they use 1"x2" 's to make a rectangle that is 4'x2' or just a little under (measuring the outside edge of it). Only thing, you might have to use a little bit sturdier fabric since it will have to hold some weight.

About fabric I have a question: What frequencies would a material such as canvas or denim be reflecting when used as a surface for one of these 703 absorbers. I can't imagine it would be anything too troublesome....or is it some random frequencies in the midrange? Anyone have any test results on such matters? The reason I ask is I found a fabric I really like the looks of for covering some superchunks and other panels (kind of a denim thickness and threading), but it is a little tighter weaved than "easy to breathe through".
I guess if it causes some kind of peak, I can always stick some wedges of Auralex on the fronts. Might look cool anyway.

And by the way, I don't see anything wrong with Auralex and other comparable foam absorption. I think it is just cool right now to say that it sucks. There is a big "bass absorber" craze going on right now (not saying it is a bad thing at all; it is great--thanks Ethan and others) and it is in fashion to poopoo foam because the thin strips of it don't help on bass. I like the looks of some of the Auralex stuff--much more fun to look at than a boring 703 panel; and it certainly helps tame reflections. And if you have the funds to afford something like MegaLENRDs, you might think differently about foam's bass absorption properties. So does it really "suck?" No, IMO.

 

[Shout It Out]

im still going to be using foam im mixing and matching with my panels foam is more flexible than the panels. You can stick foam in places that a big absorber cant go.

 

[HapiCmpur]

where should my frames be hanging on the side wall in height relation and to the speaker and distance relation from the wall??

This article by Ethan should answer that question...and then some: http://www.realtraps.com/art_room-setup.htm.

 

[CoolCat]

I was just reading another post on intital setup.

It recommended treating the wall the HR MixEng faces first,or behind the monitors in other words.

then the sides, 1st reflections. then put some diffusors on the back wall and of course trap the corners....i think clouds/ceiling was last.

I need some more damn 703 sheets....

 

[Shout It Out]

ugh....finishing the sound project is taking forever. I keep messing up. w/e I hope my studio is complete by the end of this coming week!

 

[JoeyPazera]

Hi
I'm trying to soundproof an existing room to use for my recording studio. The room is about 500sqft and about 8-10 ft high. My budget is kinda of limited, so i'm looking for a cheap but effective way to do this. I've been told that Pyramid Foam channels are the way to go. Most studios i hear start out that way. The studio will cater mostly to vocal recording and not much live or acoustics...maybe down the road.
Is the foams the way to go??

foam does nothing but nock down standing sound waves

 

[Shout It Out]

So I have one last important question for my sound set up.. I didnt mount the bass traps on the walls becasue i can't so i have them propped up on the wall and they still seem to help but my 2 2'' panels on the side walls seem to be really bulky on the walls and they might be sucking out too many highs...I'm not sure....Do you think I should just take them down and use 2'' foam for my RFZ instead of the 703 2'' panels??

edit...
if i took down the 2 703 panels I would combine them into one bass trap and put it directly behind my monitors o nthe front wall. 2'' foam would then be used on the side walls...Total of 3 4'' 703 bass absorbers (2 corners at angles and one on the wall flat) Then I would use the foam at the reflection points...

 

[HapiCmpur]

but my 2 2'' panels on the side walls seem to be really bulky on the walls and they might be sucking out too many highs

What makes you think so, Shout? You say you're not sure if that's what's happening, but something's happening that you don't seem to like. Can you describe it?

I really doubt you're going to improve your room's acoustics by using foam on the walls instead of 703. Is it possible that you've become accustomed to hearing the room sound a certain way and now you're uncomfortable just because it sounds different -- even though different in this case may be better for recording? My guess is (and this is a guess without a lot of evidence yet) that what you're really hearing isn't the absence of highs; it's the absence of slap echo and other reverberations common between parallel walls.

 

[Shout It Out]

well no..there is still echo which is why i bought foam in the first place since i have 703. YOu may be right, it definatly sounds different. the bass traps make the kick drum sound a lot clearer, but the side panels seem to make things even more bassy (the whole song lacks highs) The echo in the front of my control room is kileld but the room goes back another 20 feet and there is echo back there. I would still be using the 703 panels but as a single bass trap instead of 2 high absorbers..Foam would only be used to keep some of those highs that im missing in tact and tame the rest of the echo...what do u think?