Treatment FAQ

how large should acoustic treatment be?

by Mr. Rod Steuber Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Although the size and shape of a room can have a big impact on the effectiveness of acoustic panels, a good rule of thumb is to target covering around 20% of the wall’s surface area with panels that are 2ft by 4ft, and at least 2in thick. There’s a lot to unpack there. How do you know what 20% of your wall’s surface area even is?

Typically, acoustic panels are 2 feet wide and 4 feet long (or 61 cm by 122 cm). They're also usually 2 or 4 inches (5 or 10 cm) thick. But if you want different measurements, that's fine. Larger panels will absorb more sound.Aug 12, 2021

Full Answer

How much acoustic treatment do I need for my home?

Jun 15, 2010 · There are two common types of acoustic treatment. One is the porous absorber, the other is the panel absorber, also known as the membrane absorber. Any material that is soft and full of air-pockets will function as a porous absorber. Examples include curtains (drapes), carpet, glass fiber loft insulation and mineral wool. Of these, mineral wool ...

What is a beginner's guide to acoustic treatment?

Jan 13, 2022 · The number one acoustic treatment company Primacoustic offer tons of solutions for home studios. But the best one is a home studio package called Primacoustic London 12 which is awesome. It includes: Eight 12″ x 48″ x 2″ Columns. Two 24″ x 48″ x 2″ Broadband Panels. Twelve 12″ x 12″ x 1″ Scatter Blocks.

Where should I put my acoustic treatment?

Step 1 was to install a sound-absorbing finish to the rear wall of the space. Rear wall after installation of (nearly invisible!) FabriTRAK acoustical panels on the upper rear wall. This single change has made a noticeable and positive improvement to speech intelligibility in the space! Congregation members were surveyed about sound quality ...

What are the benefits of acoustic treatment?

Mar 06, 2021 · A good rule of thumb there is to cover 22-30% of the main wall behind your desk, focusing on the small area behind your monitors. Stick some bass traps in the corners for bass frequencies. Put some isolation pads underneath your studio monitors. Treat the ceiling directly above your desk for high frequencies.

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How much acoustic treatment is needed?

In most cases you will be happy with 15 - 30% coverage. For a home theater or very noisy room (think concrete walls or a gymnasium) up to 50% will be necessary. You will at that point even consider treating the ceiling as well.Apr 23, 2019

How thick should my acoustic foam be?

The 2" thick profile is the most popular and a safe bet for anyone planning a DIY vocal booth, studio, home theater, rehearsal space, or a broadcasting area. 3 inch thick acoustic foam will help absorb high, mid, and low end frequencies.

How thick should sound proofing be?

So, here's how thick walls should be to be soundproof: A standard stud wall built properly, and consisting of 2 sheets of drywall with an air cavity 5 to 6 inches thick, is good enough to make the wall soundproof. A concrete wall would have to be around a foot thick to be completely soundproof.

How much space do you need between acoustic panels?

The minimum perimeter occurs if all 4 panels are placed so that their long sides are touching, with only 48′ of perimeter. By spreading them out with 4′ gaps in between the panels, the perimeter of the entire set of panels increases to 72′, and the efficiency of the layout increases by 50%.Sep 26, 2019

Is Thicker acoustic foam better?

Each thickness absorbs sound waves at different frequencies. Thinner acoustic foams will absorb the high and mid spectrum sound waves while thicker foam panels absorb high, mid and lower end sound waves. 1 inch thick acoustic foam will give you the most bang for your buck.

Is 2 inch acoustic foam good?

2 inch thick acoustic foam offers more sound absorbing power overall, and will take care of the mid to high frequency ranges. The 2" thick profile is the most popular and a safe bet for anyone planning a DIY vocal booth, studio, home theater, rehearsal space, or a broadcasting area.

How thick should walls be for soundproofing?

5 to 6 inches thick
To make a soundproof wall, a standard stud wall built properly, and consisting of 2 sheets of drywall with an air cavity 5 to 6 inches thick, is good enough. To be soundproof, a concrete wall has to be around a foot thick.

What is the size of acoustic foam?

Acoustic Foam
Usage/ApplicationSound Absorbers
Shapecustomized
Density32
Sheet Size1' X 1' and 6' x 3'
Thickness50 MM
1 more row

How do I choose acoustic foam?

Ultimately, it is up to your preference and project, as there is no “best” acoustic foam shape. Much like the uniqueness of content creators, each project, studio, or office space is different. Its best to read up on what to look for when buying sound reducing foam as well as where to install the panels.Oct 18, 2021

Should I space out acoustic foam?

Part of a video titled How should I position my acoustic panels? General tips how to space ...
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For overall echo reduction we'll want to space the panels out evenly along the wall rather thanMoreFor overall echo reduction we'll want to space the panels out evenly along the wall rather than clump them together.

How do you layout acoustic panels?

Best Placement Plans for Improving Acoustics
  1. Place acoustic panels at the first place on the wall where sound waves tend to hit before reaching the listeners ears.
  2. Place 3' to 6' up from the floor in areas where much of the sound is produced by people sitting or standing in enclosed spaces.

Where should you use acoustic panels and soundproofing?

It's recommended to place acoustic panels on the ceiling to reduce floor-to-ceiling slap echo, height modes, SBIR and reflections.

Soundproofing vs. Acoustic Treatment

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The 3 Elements of Acoustic Treatment

Getting your room to sound great with acoustic treatment requires of a combination of 3 items: 1. Bass Traps – to absorb the low frequencies 2. Aco...

3 Great All-In-One Packages

If you haven’t figured it out by now…buying all this stuff individually can be a HUGE hassle.Which is why companies like Auralex and Primacoustic o...

The 3 Key Points in Any Room

Once your acoustic treatment has arrived in the mail, you’re almost ready to start putting it up.First though, there are 3 key areas of the room wh...

Control Room vs Live Room Strategies

In pro studios, where control rooms are used for mixing and live rooms are used for recording…different acoustic treatment strategies exist for eac...

What to Do If The Money’S Already Spent

When setting a budget for your studio, you should ideally set-aside a BIG chunk of the money (possibly as high as 50%), for acoustic treatment alon...

Is acoustic treatment an after thought?

In most cases, acoustic treatment is unfortunately an after thought that rears it's ugly head after construction is complete or the budget is otherwise depleted. Let me be clear that no two rooms are ever the same and the exact numbers can fluctuate. But don't get paralysis by analysis, you have to start somewhere.

How thick should acoustic bass traps be?

Bass Guitar / Drums and other lower frequencies would best suited with acoustic bass traps at least 4" thick or acoustic corner traps which are 13" at the deepest point. However, if you are treating a call center with loud voices or a space with other mid to high frequencies then 2" acoustic panels will do the job properly. ...

Do bass traps absorb mid frequencies?

And here’s why: Though commonly thought of as specialized tools for absorbing bass frequencies…. Porous bass traps are actually broadband absorbers, meaning they’re good at absorbing mid/high frequencies as well. Which is why sometimes…bass traps alone can be enough to get the job done.

What happens to sound when it is made in a room?

Whenever a sound is made in a room, here’s what happens to it: Starting at the source, it projects outward in all directions. A small portion of it (known as direct sound) travels in a straight line to the microphone. The remainder (known as reflected sound) bounces randomly between the surfaces of the room.

What is acoustic treatment?

While acoustic treatment is the process to control the room reflections for better recordings. Both of them are a valuable process for a recording studio. Where soundproofing gives you the freedom to record without worrying about the neighbours, acoustic treatment makes the room sound recording friendly.

Do you need acoustic treatment in scenario 2?

If your result is closer to Scenario 2 then you don’t need a much acoustic treatment in your room. Its fully practical process to evaluate your room how much acoustic treatment it needs. When you start to install the absorbers and diffusers, with each new addition evaluate the acoustics with the clap test.

What are acoustic panels made of?

Acoustic panels are not just foam panels. They are made of composite materials to effectively absorb the sound reflection. You can paste them on the walls of your control room and vocal booth to absorb the sound wave reflections.

What shape is used for acoustic panels?

They come with various shapes from a triangular pyramid shape to egg crate shape. The triangular shape is the most popular shape in acoustic panels. They are very effective as well as cheaper than other shapes.

What is the most popular shape in acoustic panels?

They come with various shapes from a triangular pyramid shape to egg crate shape. The triangular shape is the most popular shape in acoustic panels. They are very effective as well as cheaper than other shapes. You can buy acoustic panels in different sizes like 1′ X 1′, 2′ X 2′, 1′ X 4′ etc.

Is Auralex the best brand?

In recent years Auralex made a huge market because of the quality they give. In fact, Auralex is the best brand in the acoustic treatment market. Several pro studios, theatres etc are using Auralex products. They have a standard package for home studios. Auralex Roominators Pro Plus Kit.

What is the Auralex SFS-184?

Auralex has one more package for the home studios – Auralex SFS-184 SonoFlat System. If you don’t like the traditional look of standard foam panels then you should definitely try this package. It has sleek looking stuff which can give your studio a stylish look along with the best acoustic treatment.

Do acoustic products have a consultation service?

Most manufacturers of acoustic products also offer a consultation service, and they often have free on‑line calculators to help you decide on a suitable treatment option, too, so even if you choose the DIY route this can be a sensible place to start.

What is acoustic design?

Andy Munro, acoustic design specialist, remarks, "acoustic design is the science that restores a neutral sound balance”. Applying that science means interfering with the path of sound to control the sound energy. Jorge Castro, chief acoustician at Vicoustic, says that "in the case of affordable treatment, we need to control the energy ...

Why do untreated rooms have uneven frequency response?

Untreated rooms have an uneven frequency response, which means that any mixing decisions you make are being based on a sound that is 'coloured', because you can't accurately hear what's being played. In short, you can't possibly tell how your mix will sound when played back anywhere else.

What does it mean to apply science to sound?

Applying that science means interfering with the path of sound to control the sound energy. Jorge Castro, chief acoustician at Vicoustic, says that "in the case of affordable treatment, we need to control the energy of the sound first. Then we can take care of the sound quality.

Do you need to pay attention to the space in which you use your recording equipment?

No matter how much you spend on instruments, amps, speakers and recording gear, you still need to pay attention to the space in which you use them. The treatment of home studios is tricky, because of their size and the construction materials used, not to mention the budget of the average home‑studio owner.

How to keep early reflections on a tight leash?

To keep early reflections on a tight leash, the 'mirror points' of the room should be identified and treated . To do this, sit in the listening position and 'guesstimate' where a mirror would have to be placed to enable you to see each monitor cone from the sweet spot. Then apply absorption to these points.

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