Acoustic treatment: what do you advise ?

[androne]

Hi there,

I'm starting a home studio in a 4 x 4 meters space with one wall a bit tilted because of the roof.

Here's one doing it the correct way: FIRST implementing acoustic treatment !!

I'm seriously looking into all alternatives but I only know very few:
Realtraps
Auralex
....

Could you please inform what is worth to look into, what product types of what manufacturer based on either experience or reliable mouth-to-mouth feedback between gearslutz ?

Please note: I am not really interested in DIY solutions, as I dont have the time....
unless it's pretty easy to do.

And extra question:
what is advised to use to acoustically decouple my Focal monitors from my desk ?

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Jack Pettit]

I'm not a big fan of acoustic foams.
Realtraps are good.

[Melodioso]

A square room will cause you trouble. Buy as many bass traps as you can, put them in every corner from floor to ceiling, at 1st reflection spots and anywhere else. Better to have a room on the dead sounding side than to have problems associated with a small 4x4 m room.

For decoupling, either buy stands for your monitor, or use something like the Auralex Mopad.

And go read everything at RealTraps - Home

[reactr04]

@ Melodioso: THANKS...I have similar issues and that site RULES. I love these forums for reasons like this and pros like yourself

[springer]

These work FABULOUSLY! I cannot say enough about them for mobility, diffusion, broadband absorbtion, etc... The only hard part was locating the pipe insulator compressed fiberglass. The rest was pretty easy...

DIY Tube Traps


I use them in my mastering room and in my home theater along with some large diffusors. For a few hundred dollars and a few hours (days) in the garage, you will make HUGE difference in imaging and neutrality.

[amd]

Don't throw away your money on Auralex - buy some realtraps! If you change your mind on the DIY, Owens Corning 703 or 705 is the way to go!

[vernier]

When deadening is needed I use sheet of acoustic foam, lay it near or slightly wrapped around whatever's being recorded ..looks akward but works.

[Bubbagump]

Here is a quasi DIY solution. Ethan makes a great product in Real Traps, but the principles applied are easily done much cheaper. Take a look at

Ready Acoustics Home

They make kits and you supply the insulation which takes the construction hassle out of the equation but the cost savings remain.

As for where to get insulation, check these guys out:

Insulation World - Thermal Insulation Products for Pipes, Equipment, Ducts - Asbestos and Lead Abatement Products for Industrial, Commercial and Residential Applications - Hopewell, Virginia

I linked to mineral wool boards which are cheaper than 703/705 by about 50% and are as effective if not more so due to their higher density. (8pcf versus 3 or 6 pcf respectively)

See typical 8pcf mineral wool specs here:

http://roxul.com/graphics/rx-na/cana...ENG-6-2-06.pdf

versus OC 703/705

http://www.owenscorning.com/comminsu...=&id=45e3341ea


This supplier also has all the pipe insulation needed to build the tube traps above if you want to go that route. However, from my understanding the tube traps don't have quite the low end extension that a panel trap does. A mix of 4" or 6" traps with a few 2" at first reflection points plus other trouble spots will do you right. Small rooms (as I would consider yours pretty small) pretty much don't have usable "good" reflections, so you are on a mission to deaden the thing for the most part. Just remember you can likely not over do bass trapping. So if you are choosing between putting money and material to mid/high absorbers and bass traps, go with the bass traps.

For decoupling, ugly as it may be, good old fashioned cinder blocks stacked make a great speaker stand. Get some flat black paint and dress em up or maybe drape them with some hip animal print. For further decoupling, cut a piece of the mineral wool from above to put between the cinder block and speaker. Even better, a few marbles work better as to that whole low resonant frequency deal. Good speaker stands are all about low resonant frequency and cinder block gets the job done.

Can you tell I am all about the guerrilla studio construction?

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by bubbagump

Ethan makes a great product in Real Traps, but the principles applied are easily done much cheaper. Take a look at ...

Not to start a dfegad contest, but there's a very big difference between what RealTraps sells and the typical DIY stuff including insulation stuffed into a cloth bag. In this case you really do get what you pay for. That said, insulation in a bag works, and when someone is working with a low budget, DIY is infinitely better than doing nothing. Which, sadly, is what far too many people do.

--Ethan

[Bubbagump]

I didn't mean to imply the contrary. I was just speaking to the principles applied (specifically the use of fiberglass and/or mineral wool). I hope someone doesn't take my comments to mean that they are the same thing. They aren't. Realtraps are a membrane trap which are more effective than insulation in a sack. Perhaps I should direct the original poster to your articles:

Build a Better Bass Trap
Acoustic Treatment and Design for Recording Studios and Listening Rooms

Specifically check out the second article and the "Better Bass Traps" section where Ethan discusses the difference between just insulation, a Helmholtz resonator, and a panel trap.

[Joel DuBay]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Not to start a dfegad contest, but there's a very big difference between what RealTraps sells and the typical DIY stuff including insulation stuffed into a cloth bag. In this case you really do get what you pay for. That said, insulation in a bag works, and when someone is working with a low budget, DIY is infinitely better than doing nothing. Which, sadly, is what far too many people do.

--Ethan

Yeah right,



All,

Acoustic Treatment is not rocket surgery. Almost all of the vendors who traull around forums sell acoustic treatments that work. Some work better than others and are a better value. Choose that which meets your aesthetic and financial preferences, and you should be fine. Choose a custom fabric, or thick craft paper, it's really up to you. They are all made from acoustic insulation, and some sort of packaging (custom fabric or even thick craft paper, even custom made). In any case, most options work. No magic, no genius. The truth is, you can make bass traps on your own (without anything from any acoustics company) that perform as well or BETTER than any commercially made acoustics absorption treatments.

Cheers,

Joel DuBay
Ready Acoustics LLC
Custom Made Bass Traps

[R3k]

Bought some readytraps recently.

Simple yet elegant solution, works very well in our rooms and looks just as great...They have this slick textured material covering, kinda akin to velvet, for lack of a better word.

Imaging has improved heaps, and Im mixing bass far better since they where installed in our room - bass blur pretty much gone now

Also, hands down sublime customer service... nay, probably the best and most responsive Ive had in years, to be completly honest.

_r3k

P.s. oh to further answer your original question androne, I put 2 x 426's floor to ceiling in each corner of the room (8), and then a bunch of 424's, center front wall, side wall 1st reflection points, back wall center and on ceiling above head (6).

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Joel DuBay

you can make bass traps on your own (without anything from any acoustics company) that perform as well or BETTER than any commercially made acoustics absorption treatments.

Yes Joel, I understand why you'd say that.

--Ethan

[yumdrum]

F everyone (just kiddin') and DIY it baby. VERY simple!(not kidding)

My DIY bass traps