Yet Another How I Built My Bass Traps (in the UK) thread...

[richardswag]

I decided to go the route of mikedevelta and make 20mm frames rather than solid sides.

This gives you a little problem of how to get a screw in the bottom and side at each corner so we went with glue and a nail gun. Here's my carpenter pal (and occasional drinking partner) Bert with the first half of the first one.



We're in metric here and I was using 'the green stuff' from Wickes which is 1200 x 600 x 50mm, so I made the OUTSIDE dimension of the frames just about 1cm larger than this and cut slots in the fibreglass to drop it in and it then rests on the frame.



Here's a few with the frames complete.



I was trying to get some coloured muslin for the fabric but couldn't find any locally (and was too impatient for mail-order) but found something called 'scrim' which is like a heavy duty muslin but very breathable. Unfortunately it's also a bit too transparent...





I'll be installing them over the weekend so I'll have another photo update after that.

[NobleWordz]

Wish I had a Bert

Wish I was able to saw a piece of wood properly, I'm useless.

If you don't mind me asking how much did the materials set you back?

PS: think you got a shot of the wife's knickers on the 3rd pic lol.

[Glenn Kuras]

Wonderful job!!!!!!!!!!

Glenn

[richardswag]

Originally Posted by NobleWordz

Wish I had a Bert

Wish I was able to saw a piece of wood properly, I'm useless.

If you don't mind me asking how much did the materials set you back?

Everyone wants a piece of Bert when there's a job to be done...

Cost for 3 x 4" bass traps and 2 x 2" side absorbers was £30 for rockwool, £30 for timber and £77(ouch!!) for fabric. I definitely need to find something cheaper for the next lot...

Originally Posted by NobleWordz

PS: think you got a shot of the wife's knickers on the 3rd pic lol.

Oops...

[NobleWordz]

Thats still a pretty good price compared to buying retail. Though I think I'd definitely find a cheaper material.

[richardswag]

A little snap of how they were stapled at the back...

[richardswag]

And, as promised, here's the hanging process...

I have a major problem in that it's an old house and the ceiling is 'lat and plaster' - ie. you can't hang anything from it (and don't even think about trying unless you want to spend the next few weeks cleaning up 100 year old black plaster dust - this is the voice of experience speaking from my previous, even older house where that very thing happened)!

The loft is above the studio and isn't boarded-out, so the genius Bert and I came up with a plan to drill holes in the ceiling, push picture wire through and attach it to wood battens spanning two rafters.

So, eyes screwed into the back of the frames ready for hanging:



I held the traps up where they should be and marked where the corners touched the walls and ceiling. Then drilled holes in the ceiling inset a few inches towards the corner. Then push the picture wire through and into the loft to try to find them. Nice...



I then have the fun of crawling across the beams in 100 years of filth trying desperately not to put my foot through the ceiling! Eventually - Eureka! - find them. Here's the piece of wood with the picture wire wrapped round it...



...and the view from underneath with the wire passed back through. The walls are (reasonably) solid, so I rawlplugged one eye in to pull the bottom end back in.



First one hung!



This is a shot from underneath.



For the side absorbers I used right angled brackets on the back and L-shaped cup hooks in the wall and they just slotted in.





A couple of shots of the finished job.





I decided to put the third 4" panel in the back right-hand rear corner rather than in the centre of the room.

And the end result is a MASSIVE improvement in the sound. Still not stellar by any means - but I can tell you that it was so bad before that I couldn't even bear to listen to anything in there it was that bad. I'd been really lucky with the shape and dimensions of my rooms before and this was the first time I'd experienced a square room and was seriously shocked. Once I get all the gear wired up properly and the window blinds installed I'll be pushing the workstation as far back as possible to try to get my mix spot away from the centre and closer to the 38% position. That's going to make a big difference too I think.


I'll be tapping you all up for advice on the back wall very soon - but I'm ready for my well-deserved beer right now!

Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this topic over the years for their brilliant help, advice and experience. I hope this is useful to some other people too.

[Old Goat]

Very good work, and excellent pictures. Thanks much for sharing. I think I'll go with that same open-side design for my traps.

[tonymite]

This one goes out to RAT!

[guitarwes]

Awesome job!

[Jam]

Great stuff !!

James

[richardswag]

Slightly better photo...

[thewolfman]

Great work!

Just a little tip about getting hold of fabric cheap...

See if there is a set building or exhibition contractor near you or even an exhibition hall or conference centre ect..

LOTS of fabric is used in this industry and most of it is chucked away after one job. It must also all be fire retardant.

If you are in the London area you are spoilt for choice :) A lot of 2x1 timber is also thrown out.

[mikedevelta]

Thank you for the credit Richard, seeing your lovely traps almost bought a tear to my eye. Very pleased.

[AdamWathan]

Those traps look fantastic! Probably my favourite DIY traps that I've seen Thanks a lot for posting!

[AdamWathan]

Just curious, why did you decide to hang the corner panels in the tricorners instead of just the wall to wall corners like people usually do? I'm just wondering what the benefits of one way vs. the other are so I can decide how to hang mine!

Edit: One more question actually! What desk is that that you're using? Did you make it yourself as well?

[richardswag]

Originally Posted by mikedevelta

Thank you for the credit Richard, seeing your lovely traps almost bought a tear to my eye. Very pleased.

Ah you singer/songwriter types are so emotional...

But seriously, thanks for the inspiration - I think your frame idea as opposed to solid wood sides makes a huge difference to the weight - even the 4" panels were incredibly light.

[richardswag]

Originally Posted by AdamWathan

Just curious, why did you decide to hang the corner panels in the tricorners instead of just the wall to wall corners like people usually do? I'm just wondering what the benefits of one way vs. the other are so I can decide how to hang mine!

Some of the professionals such as Glenn or Ethan would be able to give a better answer than I could, so I'll leave it to them rather than fill the board with my mis-information!

Originally Posted by AdamWathan

Edit: One more question actually! What desk is that that you're using? Did you make it yourself as well?

Yes - another Bert & Richard™ creation. I'll post some more pics if you like (just let me tidy up a bit first)!

[AdamWathan]

Originally Posted by richardswag

Some of the professionals such as Glenn or Ethan would be able to give a better answer than I could, so I'll leave it to them rather than fill the board with my mis-information!




Yes - another Bert & Richard™ creation. I'll post some more pics if you like (just let me tidy up a bit first)!

Yes please do! Looks like a great workspace!