Built My 24"x24"x34"x8' high Superchunks Today!!

[bountytracker]

I finally finished my 24"x24"x34"x8' high Superchunks today. I bought all my stuff from my local hardware store. 24 pieces of 1"x3"x8' furring strips and 3 rolls of JM R-30 insulation. I had a lot of leftover from the insulation also.


1. Materials at local hardware store (24 pieces of 1"x3"x8' furring strips and 3 rolls of JM R-30 insulation).

2. Cut leftover 2x4's from other projects. I cut (8) 33-15/16" and (16) 19-1/16".

3. I made a total 8 tops and bottoms for the 4 sets of Superchunks.

4. This is what they look like with the top and bottom and a total 6 of furring strips attached 2 at each corner.

5. I cut the pieces of insulation with a template and picked up this 14" scissor which makes cutting a lot easier than the razor blade. It was only $2.99 at Harbor Freight.

6. I had some leftover speaker carpet and decided to create a two tone color for two of the Superchunks.

7. This is what it looks like when i start dropping the insulations in.

8. This is what it looks like when I started stacking the insulation up higher. I also stapled each layer at the corners so they wouldn't settle/compress down too much.

9. These are what two of the two tone colored Superchunks look like.

[bountytracker]

10. Here are the solid colored Superchunks that will be placed at the back of the studio.

11. Here are the two tone Superchunks in the front corners. I'm going to iron out the wrinkles.

12. Here are the solid colored Superchunks in the back corners of the room.

It only took me one day to completely build these things. I'm moving on to wall panels now.

[bountytracker]

After installing them, I played a few CD's and the low ends were tight. The room sounds a lot better than it did previously.

[Glenn Kuras]

Great job!! I bet they work pretty well.

[avare]

Thanks for the build diary.

Andre

[DanDan]

Well done. A portable SuperChunk. You might be able to get the fabric to shrink/tighten using water spray and a hairdryer. If you are doing it again, a couple of strips about halfway will deal with compression/sagging.
DD

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

Great job!! I bet they work pretty well.

They do. I didn't realize how important and what a difference they can make.

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by avare

Thanks for the build diary.

Andre

No problem at all. It was fun doing it. I couldn't have done it without all the help and advice from everybody on the forum.

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by DanDan

Well done. A portable SuperChunk. You might be able to get the fabric to shrink/tighten using water spray and a hairdryer. If you are doing it again, a couple of strips about halfway will deal with compression/sagging.
DD

Thanks DanDan. I'm going to try the water spray/hairdryer trick and when I build my next Superchunks I'm putting in the strip halfway also.

[ciro]

Nice!

There´s absorption in the rear wall or just fabric?

Ciro

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by ciro

Nice!

There´s absorption in the rear wall or just fabric?

Ciro

Not yet. That's just fabric. I just put it there so you couldn't see the ugly walls. I'm building panels soon, so they'll be in that area at the back.

[TooManyToys]

So now the current thinking is that plain R30 is all you need for the traps in the corner? No advantage to 703?

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by TooManyToys

So now the current thinking is that plain R30 is all you need for the traps in the corner? No advantage to 703?

I still think the 703 and other comparable products still work very well . I just took the advices and chose to use it from other members on the forum. My original plan was to use 2" Minwool 1240. These are my first build for sound treatment.

[PaulP]

For absorbers at least 8" thick regular attic insulation is both better and a lot cheaper.

Paul P

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by PaulP

For absorbers at least 8" thick regular attic insulation is both better and a lot cheaper.

Paul P

Would not go as far as saying better but both will work pretty darn well.

[Elug]

so the r-30 isnt compressed? the overall pcf is ~.8? is that effective? then why the recom. higher pcf material?

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by Elug

so the r-30 isnt compressed? the overall pcf is ~.8?

It's not compressed. I just stacked them on top of each other and stapled the 3 corners to the frame so it doesn't settle too much. Don't know the PCF on it.

[Elug]

Originally Posted by bountytracker

It's not compressed. I just stacked them on top of each other and stapled the 3 corners to the frame so it doesn't settle too much. Don't know the PCF on it.

kudos on the reply. im evening think of doing the same thing but i have another question , how much of a factor are the dimensions( especially the height) of the bass trap and/or are they based on the mode(i.e. dimesion of the room which give the speicifc mode)?

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by Elug

kudos on the reply. im evening think of doing the same thing but i have another question , how much of a factor are the dimensions( especially the height) of the bass trap and/or are they based on the mode(i.e. dimesion of the room which give the speicifc mode)?

I was originally going to build a 17"x17"x24"x8' high Superchunk, but took the advice from other members on the forum that a larger Superchunk (24"x24"x34"x8' high) would work better and also reading from the forum, I had the idea to build it from floor to ceiling.

[TooManyToys]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

Would not go as far as saying better but both will work pretty darn well.

But not 705 in a superchunk?

[Elug]

Originally Posted by bountytracker

I was originally going to build a 17"x17"x24"x8' high Superchunk, but took the advice from other members on the forum that a larger Superchunk (24"x24"x34"x8' high) would work better and also reading from the forum, I had the idea to build it from floor to ceiling.

roughy what size of the room, in which u bulit the traps for?

[DanDan]

I used the bigger 34 inch wide SSC's in my White Room. A pesky 37Hz mode reduced from 1.3S down to 0.7S long. Please be aware that these big ones require twice as much fibre. The lighter insulations actually work better at these depths so some cost saving can be had there. However the lighter insulations are more difficult to contain.
Corner traps are a sort of catch all. They address the length and width modes, but not exactly directly. An axial mode causes high pressure over the entire containing surface, of which the corners are only a fraction.
In real rooms, there can be different surface materials, e.g. concrete does not soak up any bass, while sheetrock will. A complex pattern can easily develop.
For these reasons I recommend playing sine waves in the room. Sweep the frequency slowly until resonance is established. Walking through the room one will pass through nulls and peaks. This will confirm which mode at what frequency. Do this for the lowest 3-5 modes. Write down the hotspots. Measure the SPL if possible or give them a audible level number 0-10.
Looking over this data will give clear indications where to put Bass Traps.
Expect surprises.
DD

[DanDan]

Just a reminder. The devices in question should probably be called Studiotips SuperChunks, out of respect. Their home is studiotips - tips on studio design, acoustics, and wiring
Lots of great DIY and other info there.
DD

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by Elug

roughy what size of the room, in which u bulit the traps for?

My room is about 19'x14'x8' high ceiling.

[Elug]

Originally Posted by DanDan

Just a reminder. The devices in question should probably be called Studiotips SuperChunks, out of respect. Their home is studiotips - tips on studio design, acoustics, and wiring
Lots of great DIY and other info there.
DD

great stuff thanks and i understand. for my room have literally a 4" inch air gap between my wall and brick and for the moment i have no true 4th wall to enclose it. i see where the complex patterens will arise

Originally Posted by bountytracker

My room is about 19'x14'x8' high ceiling.

so roughly it should work for mine since mine are 20' x 10' x 8'. and if so thanks for i will be doing the same of at least hopfully

[JLiRD808]

impressed by ur Superchunks and contemplating doing the same now. I like that two-tone!

Can I ask how much sq. footage of R-30 u needed? How much did the whole project cost?

[bountytracker]

Originally Posted by JLiRD808

impressed by ur Superchunks and contemplating doing the same now. I like that two-tone!

Can I ask how much sq. footage of R-30 u needed? How much did the whole project cost?

To make four 24"x24"x34"x8' high Superchunks. In the first picture up top, at the local hardware store, those materials (twenty four 1"x3" and three rolls of JM R-30 15" wide x 9.25"deep x 39'-2" long unfaced) I paid $65.00 total. I had leftover 2"x4"'s, but it would take four 2"x4"x8' to make the top and bottoms = $12.00; two 9' x 12' beige cloth canvas = $28.00; two 4' x 8' beige cloth canvas = $12.00 and I had leftover black speaker material. So maybe you would spend in an approximate range of $120.00 not including the screws and staples. Hope this helps you. Note: Prices on materials may be different in other areas.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by TooManyToys

But not 705 in a superchunk?

I have never used 705 but have tested 4 pound and it worked very well.

[JLiRD808]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

I have never used 705 but have tested 4 pound and it worked very well.

Glenn did I read u correctly in another thread that if ur gonna go fluffy it should be AT LEAST 17" x 17" x 24" for a superchunk? just wanted to confirm.

thanks!

[TooManyToys]

Thanks Glenn.