Anybody Know What Acoustic Tile/Insulation This Is?

[Spindrift]

Hi All,

Picked up about 300 sqft of this acoustic insulation material from an insulation contractor here locally. It came out of a local theatre and was used to dampen sound behind the movie screen. He says its mineral wool (rock wool) but its itchy as heck and I think its fiberglass in fact.

Anyone know what it is off hand? I figure I can double it up and wrap it for some nice big gobos or sound dampening panels.

Is there anything good to wrap it in to keep the fiberglass fibers from leaking through?

Thanks,
Spindrift

[Ethan Winer]

It looks like rigid insulation, which is good for making absorbers. As for how to cover it, there are literally 100 threads here that discuss that. You want porous fabric, as explained in my Acoustics FAQ:

Nearly any porous fabric is appropriate, and one popular brand is Guilford type FR701. Unfortunately, it's very expensive. One key feature of FR701 is that it's made of polyester so it won't shrink or loosen with changes in humidity when stretched on a frame. But polyester is a common material available in many styles and patterns at any local fabric store. Another feature of FR701 is that it's one of the few commercial fabrics rated to be acoustically transparent. But since you're not using it as speaker grill cloth to place in front of a tweeter, that feature too is not necessary.

Shiny fabrics having a tight weave should be avoided because they reflect higher frequencies. The standard test for acoustic fabric is to hold it to your mouth and try to blow air through it. If you can blow through it easily, it will pass sound into the fiberglass. Burlap and Muslin are two inexpensive options, but nearly any soft fabric will work and also keep the glass fibers safely in place.

--Ethan

[Glenn Kuras]

One way to test it is to roll around it it. If you itch really bad then it is fiberglass.

[Spindrift]

Glenn, I'll try that...better yet, I'll get my "friend" to test it for me!

Thanks also for the ident Ethan.

Spindrift

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Spindrift

Glenn, I'll try that...better yet, I'll get my "friend" to test it for me!

Thanks also for the ident Ethan.

Spindrift

What are friends for!!!!!!

[fabricaudio]

It is rockwool with thin glassfibre cloth. The color can be preordered in black and beige.


Nikolas

[Spindrift]

Thanks guys!

What do I use these babies for?

I'm recording in remote fairly LIVE rooms and I can see where it will be necessary to have some treatments and separation near the drums. I'm already building some stackable gobos which will do a good job of eating lots of sound (highs & lows). I'm envisioning cutting these into 4x4 panels with 1x6 edges covered in some muslin.

Backing ideas? Pegboard or 1/4" plywood?

If anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.

Thanks for reading.

Keith