So my subject line says it all. I’m “finally” looking at making my panels. Have my plans and layout all drawn up.
I’ve been reading a lot about different types of insulation. I know that OC 703/705 is the “go-to,” but I’ve been hearing great things about Rockwool Safe’n’Sound. It’s markedly less expensive, more to a package, and the acoustic qualities are quite good. In fact, esp if two-layers (3" x 2) it is particularly good for bass traps. Sound attenuation is better at 125 Hz and below, without the compromised high end that you see in 705 FRK.
I have one concern, and one only: it is not a rigid panel. If I use this stuff, am I eventually gonna see bumps in the covering fabric cuz it starts to sag? That would not make me happy.
Has anyone used this stuff? Could you speak to the sag issue? Maybe it’s fine if you use good fabric and pull it taut.
I’m very eager to hear what kind of experience y’all have had with this stuff.
Literally, all my ‘proper’ bass traps have been 1/4" ply (with holes in) over 8-12" thickness of OC703, but usually more … Like, whole rolls (often still in the wrapper) or rigid slabs, smashed into a triangular / rectangular style plywood box structures between each flat surface (wall and/ or ceiling).
I have some Safe’n’Sound I haven’t used yet, so I don’t think I can give you any advice but I’m interested to watch this thread develop. The ‘sag’ factor is part of my concern too. I guess my holdup is finding the right kind of framing that I want that’s not too heavy or cumbersome, but can keep this stuff under control. I think especially for a “cloud” absorber the framing would have to be particularly solid.
My point being that if you solidly mount a piece of thin (1/8" to 1/4") plywood over at least 80% of the front of the insulation in the box, it won’t sag horribly and still be a decent bass trap, killing most of the low mids and a good amount of extension of the bass end, without killing the top end and the BALANCE completely…
For a ‘cloud’ over mix position I would get a 1" to 4" collection of ‘hole saws’, and make pretty patterns in the plywood / plexiglass / whatever.
Do they even make/sell 1/8" plywood? That might work, though even that might be a bit heavy. Any other materials that might work as well as that and be light/strong?
That’s a good idea. That might work for the other ones too, just to lighten the weight at least. You just need enough coverage to keep the ‘stuffing’ from bowing or sagging through.
plywood, vinyl or other panel flooring, or whatever… you decide. Make it, glue it (if necessary) and cut some nice, concentric, ever decreasing circles in it. It will be awesome
Possibly pegboard? I think it’s about 1/8" thick, not very heavy, already has a bunch of holes in it (for pegs) which reduces the weight and perhaps makes it acoustically absorbent yet somewhat permeable. It’s fairly rigid, and if attached to the frame would be quite solid I think.
well, maybe Stan, but i wouldn’t ever do it, Im really looking for something hard and dense with much bigger holes in it, to reflect a lot more of the higher stuff, and retain much more of the lower stuff… which is the whole point of going up to 1/4" thick. Pegboard is kinda like cardboard and has tiny holes, it might barely reflect a little bit @ 6 to 10kHz, if you are lucky. Weight is never a consideration, for me really.
From what I’ve read, something similar to this is good for a bass trap, but not for broadband absorbers, because it reflects back too much of the high frequencies.
I also read an article by Ethan Winer that suggested not using paneling for corner traps, per se. It said that the physics behind the absorption is different, such that paneling over a 6" trap would be suitable in a corner not where the panel is diagonal, but actually only when each piece is flush with the corner itself, such that it forms a corner.
I’m no expert on this stuff at all. But that’s per Ethan. FYI.
Thanks, Eric. This is helpful. Could you share just a brief description of how you covered them?
I’m looking at a frame around the outside of the panel and just fabric stretched over the top. It sounds like you would not be concerned about sag or “lumps” from settling for those that are flush against the wall. How long have you had your broadband panels?
I think the next time i will do a nice wood frame, then make 2 smaller thinner ones that slide in each side and wrap the fabric around those before tacking them into the bigger wood frame.
Honestly, ‘broadband’ absorbers barely interest me, as I WANT the room to be bright, to a certain extent… Abbey Road even brought out a plugin to fix DEAD Rooms, that you take off afterwards, so as not to overload your mixes with reverb… WTF.?.. Ethan is full of shit… oh wait , he is selling broadband absorbers and ALSO plays classical music… well, that explains that, then.
Also, his broadband absorbers resemble high mid-band and high-band absorbers… which is pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum that I’m interested in.
