How I Built My Corner Bass Traps

[Classic]

During my studio build last summer, I decided to build my own corner bass traps for the control room and tracking room. Figured ya'll might like seeing how I did it!

1. Cutting the Rockwool
I cut a wood triangle template to lay on top of the Rockwool sheets to get consistent triangle sizes. I used a handful of cheapie exacto knives, extended out pretty far, to cut the Rockwool. Slices pretty clean when the knife is sharp.

2. Stacking the Rockwool Triangles in the Corner
I alternated eye hooks, floor to ceiling, and zigzagged string up as I stacked the rockwool to hold it in place.

3. Front Panel
I used gazebo lattice wood to build the frame, using metal brackets to connect the strips. I then wrapped each frame in Guilford of Maine Fabric, using a staplegun. Pricey, but looks amazing.

4. Putting It All Together
I used four black finishing nails to attached the front panel to the wall on top of the Rockwool.

Besides getting itchy from the Rockwool , the building of these was extremely easy, and the rooms sound amazing.

Here are the photos:

[PaulP]

Beautiful space you've got there thumbsup.

Were the sound clips on your website produced in this space ?
They sound great.

Paul P

[Classic]

Originally Posted by PaulP

Beautiful space you've got there thumbsup.

Were the sound clips on your website produced in this space ?
They sound great.

Paul P

Thanks Paul!

The first 4 songs were produced in this space. The rest were at my old studio location, which was much smaller (220 sq. ft. then versus 960 sq. ft. now).

[Yeah, right...]

Yeah, really nice looking rooms.

Songs sound great too - well arranged, played and recorded.

Congrats!

Mike

[pianogineer]

What was the specific type (density?) of the Rockwool you used for this? Great stuff! Looking forward to stealing your ideas on these and the panels...

[audionerve]

Yeah, thanks for the insight!
I have a question regarding the Dual 15 you got there. Are you satisfied? I want to order mine this week. And did you try to place the speakers behind the Dual 15 on stands and maybe found out that they are too far away?

Would be cool to get an opinion if you tried that.

Cheers!

[Weasel9992]

Really nice. I can't get over that floor...I love it.

Frank

[azzzy]

Really nice! A great idea with the hooks and the string! I've been trying to come up with a way to hold the fiberglass in place without putting too much wood in front of it. The string is such great solution! Thanks!

[Classic]

Originally Posted by pianogineer

What was the specific type (density?) of the Rockwool you used for this? Great stuff! Looking forward to stealing your ideas on these and the panels...

There was only one place in town that carried it, and they only had one type in stock. It came wrapped in bundles of 7-10 sheets (can't remember which), had "Fireblankets" written on the side somewhere, but was "Rockwool" brand. Only thing I remember vividly is how itchy that stuff is!

Originally Posted by audionerve

Yeah, thanks for the insight!
I have a question regarding the Dual 15 you got there. Are you satisfied? I want to order mine this week. And did you try to place the speakers behind the Dual 15 on stands and maybe found out that they are too far away?

Would be cool to get an opinion if you tried that.

Cheers!

I absolutely LOVE my Dual 15. It's exactly what I was looking for both looks and functionality... definitely has that WOW-factor when you walk in. Worth every penny, and the company's customer service was good, too.

I had speaker stands and thought about using those instead, but I tried out the shelves first (out of curiosity), and once I got everything setup and worked with it a bit, I really enjoyed the sweet spot it created. I'd recommend at least trying it while mixing a handful of songs.

Originally Posted by Weasel9992

Really nice. I can't get over that floor...I love it.

Frank

Thanks Frank! The floor, sign and bathroom sink are customer favorites.

Originally Posted by azzzy

Really nice! A great idea with the hooks and the string! I've been trying to come up with a way to hold the fiberglass in place without putting too much wood in front of it. The string is such great solution! Thanks!

Glad you like it! It works like a charm.

[hirocaster]

Hi,

Do you think it can be done in non-super chunk bass traps?

Only thing i didn't understand...how did you fix the frame in the wall using nails?

I mean, it's not a good angle to do this right? from the picture, the frame is flat...

[Glenn Kuras]

Do you think it can be done in non-super chunk bass traps?

sure

Only thing i didn't understand...how did you fix the frame in the wall using nails?

I am not sure how he did it but you could put the nails right through the outer frame or use Velcro to hold it into place.

[hirocaster]

Hmmm, i think if i put a piece of wood of 45º behind the frame, let's say in...4 points, it'll help to screw on wall

I think i'll make my bass traps this way, but not superchunks.

[jeremyglover]

looks amazing and i'm sure the rooms sound great.
thanks for sharing.

jeremy

Nice build Classic. Came together very clean.

Originally Posted by hirocaster

Do you think it can be done in non-super chunk bass traps?

Not to detract from Classics excellent example, but maybe I can add a bit of a different take and start to create a corner focused resource, brother to How I built my bass traps...
My corner traps were built as resonators, but up to the addition of the slats elements of the process may be helpful to you. As my trapping was built into the room, parts of it using the space within the wall as part of the volume of the trap, my photos start looking far less finished than Classic's example above.
The photos are a mix of two different corners. Sorry if that becomes confusing.



I started by ripping 2x4 stock at an angle to eventually provide a surface to mount the slats over the face of the 703. The ripped 2x4s were screwed directly into the studs.



I used two layers of 703 and beveled the edges with an extendable razor to match the angles of the corners.



Once the pieces were positioned floor to ceiling I added a mirrored piece on the other side. These two pieces hold the panels of 703 compressed between themselves and the wall behind.



I fashioned two pieces of trim to fit on the insides of each of the mounted strips between which I would stretch fabric.



The wood was painted black as well. The trim pieces holding the fabric cover were secured directly to the pieces at each corner of the traps.





The the slates were affixed.

[Weasel9992]

Nice!

Frank

[Classic]

Originally Posted by hirocaster

Hi,

Do you think it can be done in non-super chunk bass traps?

Only thing i didn't understand...how did you fix the frame in the wall using nails?

I mean, it's not a good angle to do this right? from the picture, the frame is flat...

Yeah, basically the wrapped frame is flat and skinny enough to use just 4 nails to hold it in place (nailed straight into the drywall). The Rockwool chunks are held in place with zigzagged string.

BF_'s example looks great if you don't want to do superchunking style bass traps.

Originally Posted by BF_

Nice build Classic. Came together very clean.

Mad props BF_!!! Looks great!!

[johndykstra]

BF,

did you perform any acoustic measurements of the space, ideally pre and post slat installation? Looks incredible by the way, are those different wood species, or is the color contrast as a result of stain?

[johndykstra]

Sorry BF, one more thing.

I was under the impression that the fiber should be touching the back of the slats, to prevent resonance.

Sorry, I don't have pre and post readings to provide. Different wood species are in use in my implementation but this has no effect on the performance, as it is based on the height and depth of the slats and the spacing between them. I can't say that my slats resonate any more than the walls, which is to say nothing I can perceive.

[mikeyrad]

Great job bro! One quick quesion, what are the dimensions of the triangle template you used to cut the insulation?
I'm either gonna build my traps with this method or do the ready acoustics build.
Yours seems to have a smaller footprint as opposed to having a 24x28 rectangle put into a corner. Do yours absorb more or is it better to have the gap behind it to absorb more?

[Insulation Man]

Wow, both examples of the corner traps are awesome. Shows what a good idea and a little bit of work can result in. I bet those rooms sound great!

[Classic]

Originally Posted by mikeyrad

Great job bro! One quick quesion, what are the dimensions of the triangle template you used to cut the insulation?
I'm either gonna build my traps with this method or do the ready acoustics build.
Yours seems to have a smaller footprint as opposed to having a 24x28 rectangle put into a corner. Do yours absorb more or is it better to have the gap behind it to absorb more?

I wish I had the exact measurements, but basically, I created a square piece of plywood, 16"x16" (Since the Rockwool was 16" width), then cut diagonally to get the template. Top to bottom on a sheet of rockwool, it all evened out (no leftovers).

I went with the super chunking mainly because it seemed easier to build... not sure if it's more effective than having a gap behind it, but all I know is that my rooms sound great!

[4 the Max]

Any advice on using a 2x2x4 broadband bass trap straddling the corner (air space is behind the panel) vs. the superchunk (triangle filling in the entire corner)

see:
How I built my bass traps...
for the straddling kind

Thanks

[Classic]

I think if you wanted to leave space, BF's example (up above) is great. The superchunking was super easy to do and didn't take up a lot of time.