Corner storage closet as bass trap?

[666666]

I know it is common to place flat bass traps in corners at 45 degree angles. Doing this of course "wastes" some degree of usable space, most apparent if your room is small.

I'd like to try to utilize the space BEHIND the bass traps. I was going to build shelves into the corners of the room (triangular shelves so that the front edges of the shelves are at a 45 degree angle to the walls) so I could store things there such as extra snare drums and such, and then hang flat absorption panels / bass traps (such as Real Traps or the like) in FRONT of the shelves. So in effect, I'd have bass traps hanging in the corners at 45 degree angles as most folks do, except I'd have assorted items stored behind them.

My question here... in the name of bass trapping and overall absorption, is there anything wrong with storing items (such as snare drums) BEHIND the corner bass traps? Will this noticeably hurt absorption performance in the corners? Or perhaps not hurt at all? Or maybe even help????

If this is an ok idea, then I see this as a great concept for studio furniture manufacturers... build corner storage chest units with shelves within (triangular / 45 degree angle), with a Real Trap type front door / panel. Essentially a corner bass trap with built-in storage. Did I just give away a million dollar idea here???

[jenkel16]

I'm by no means an expert but as I understand it a bass trap's functionality is based on that air space. Meaning that filling it with other mass would reduce it's effectiveness.

[666666]

Originally Posted by jenkel16

I'm by no means an expert but as I understand it a bass trap's functionality is based on that air space. Meaning that filling it with other mass would reduce it's effectiveness.

I would agree, but something like a snare drum doesn't have much "mass" really... it's hollow... it's not like we're packing it full of solid concrete. I agree with what you're saying, but would think that a couple of snare drums and some other smaller odds and ends probably would not have TOO much of a negative effect. Or maybe I'm wrong

[jenkel16]

I'd be worried about them humming and rattling all the same.

[666666]

Originally Posted by jenkel16

I'd be worried about them humming and rattling all the same.

I'm not too worried about that. As for rattling / buzzing, well, my snares are all in excellent perfectly tuned condition, plus I always sit them on a foam pad so that the snares are pressed against the bottom head for zero buzzing. So I have no rattling or buzzing issues.

As for humming (shell or top head resonance)... top head resonance is easily killed by placing something on top of the top head. As for shell resonance, if the snare drums are behind a 4" thick heavy-duty bass trap, I'd think that any shell humming would be almost completely masked... because it is never too intense to begin with. Plus whatever low frequencies would get through the trap might not excite the snare shell anyway.

In sum, I don't think snare noise would be an issue if care was taken to reduce / eliminate it.

And if snare drums WERE a problem, you could still store other items behind the bass traps... like microphones or whatever.... etc.