what kind of fabric for bass traps?

[erich]

i went to so many stores trying to find something suitable, but im stumped. anyone have any recommendations for places to get cheap, usable fabric for bass traps? im in boston, and id prefer not to pay for shipping.

[Almy]

I hear a lot of people say that if you can breathe through the fabric then it will be fine. I went with burlap myself.

[RedWallStudio]

Yep. If you can breathe through it easily it will be fine. Burlap works great, but itsn't very attractive is it? Go to a joanne fabrics or something similar and just spend an hour digging around. Odds are you kind find something cheap but nice. I picked up a 60 inch wide roll of red and gold paisley fabric for 50 bucks and it was enough to cover several traps. Search e-bay too... you can usually find cool stuff there as well.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by RedWallStudio

Yep. If you can breathe through it easily it will be fine. Burlap works great, but itsn't very attractive is it? Go to a joanne fabrics or something similar and just spend an hour digging around. Odds are you kind find something cheap but nice. I picked up a 60 inch wide roll of red and gold paisley fabric for 50 bucks and it was enough to cover several traps. Search e-bay too... you can usually find cool stuff there as well.

I am with you on that. Burlap looks like something that potatoes go in. I know you said cheap, but you should think about Guilford of Maine fabrics. It not only looks SUPER PRO, but also is fire rated. That is what RPG, us (as a upgrade) and a lot of other acoustic companies use.

Glenn

[Jacek Gawłowski]

What you need is FR 701 fabric - widely used in studio applications.
It is a Guilford fabric.

JG

Originally Posted by erich

i went to so many stores trying to find something suitable, but im stumped. anyone have any recommendations for places to get cheap, usable fabric for bass traps? im in boston, and id prefer not to pay for shipping.

[donsimpson]

What is the purpose of a fabric covering? Is it just for looks? If so, is there any reason not to use something like auralex pads or egg-crate foam?

thanx, D

[Almy]

The fabric is just there to help hold things together really. Foam and egg crates are a different thing entirely. You want to treat the biggest problem first, and that means low frequencies. Egg and foam won't help you there.

Oh and btw, the burlap I got came fire treated. I also had about 20? colors to choose from.

[erich]

a guy on a gig i just did mentioned you-do-it electronics in norwood, i'll probably check that out later this week. we'll spraypaint something on them regardless of what they look like, but flammability will definitely be a consideration- i want that really tight, warm combustion.

[donsimpson]

Originally Posted by Almy

You want to treat the biggest problem first

What do you mean by first, physically or temporaly? In front of other materials, or set up the bass traps first before doing the other soundproofing?

I hope I don't sound like an idiot.

Thanx, D

[Almy]

Originally Posted by donsimpson

What do you mean by first, physically or temporaly? In front of other materials, or set up the bass traps first before doing the other soundproofing?

I hope I don't sound like an idiot.

Thanx, D

Don't worry! I barely know more than you do :). First off you aren't dealing with soundproofing, but rather room treatment. Quite a difference. Room treatment is basically getting frequencies under control. And there are a lot of frequencies to look at, and a lot of ways they get mixed up.

So for room treatment you want to start by treating what is the most problematic. And that is bass frequencies. "Bass Traps" are for that specific purpose. 703, rockwool, et cetera. Foam and egg crates will do absolutely nothing to help with controlling bass frequencies. So basically I was just saying stick with bass traps so you can tackle the biggest problem stuff first.

[Doublehelix]

Almy: I think he was talking about *covering* his bass traps with foam rather than fabric. I might be wrong, but that is how I read it...

[donsimpson]

Originally Posted by Doublehelix

Almy: I think he was talking about *covering* his bass traps with foam rather than fabric.

Yep, that's what I meant. Since I'm sure I'm going to need foam anyway, I thought maybe I could use it to cover the bass traps and kill one bird and part of another with one stone (I hope that creates a nice visual image).

Thanx, D

[b05q]

i went with black burlap from joann's fabrics (they prolly have one up there, it's a chain). $3/yard, and it doesn't look like a potato sack. i actually noticed that my girlfriend had put up these shade/blinds deals for the glass doors to the back yard, from ikea, and they were . . . black burlap.

i'm sure it's not as pretty or effective as the guilford, but it's 20% the price. the way i figure, for a 4" trap that's ~$20 for the 703, ~$5-10 for the wood and backing (if that), so at most $25-30 bucks. guilford would practically double the price.

of course, i don't even have 5 figures worth of gear, or clients to impress, or a high maintenance girl who's gonna freak out if something doesn't look like rich-people-stuff.


here's what it looks like - more info here ("don't have clients to impress" was obviously an understatement)

[Almy]

Originally Posted by Doublehelix

Almy: I think he was talking about *covering* his bass traps with foam rather than fabric.

Ah! Gotcha.

[Glenn Kuras]

[quote][or a high maintenance girl who's gonna freak out if something doesn't look like rich-people-stuff.

/QUOTE]

Trust me they are all high maintenance sooner or later.

Room is looking pretty good.


Glenn

[Disjointed]

+1 for the Joann Fabrics black burlap

[sethmeister]

+2 for the Joann fabrics black burlap.

I caught it on sale and got a 40 yard bolt for 69 bucks or so.