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hey guys,

i need bass traps for my control room. since money is scarce, i'd like to build my own. anyone have links to a well planned bass trap assembly guide?

thanks!

here are some photos of my control room ... the walls are BARE and i want, nay, NEED bass traps in back ...this room is LOUD!

You need more than Bass Traps friend! Braodband absorbtion and diffusion would probably do wonders, with traps to smooth the low end. The room looks really nice, but I'm sure it sounds slap-happy in its current condition.

Ethan Winer has some plans on his site, but if bass is the issue, resonant absorbers may be called for. F. Alton Everest's books have formulas and graphs for frequncies of absorbtion, but as I am sure Frodo can attest, acoustics is only part science. As has been said in other arenas, "Trust, but Verify."

I made some pretty nice broadband panels when I built my last studio.
See: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=21099

tis true. I need all of the above. It's loud and loud in here and my ears doth get tired. What about DIY?

wowo that looks tight(small) in there bro !!

whats on the right side of the desk? Guessing the size is about 8x12x8'?

That CR window (and I hope its angled properly?) must be giving you some serious slap back with the rear wall

T

edit: P.S. Pacific Insluation has Roxul -Rockwool 4" in 3 packs at about $30 a pop. The price might have escalated since uuh maybe laster year-I dont remember the last time I got some from the San Diego branch.

its not too small. I have a full desk in there, keyboards, another rolling desk, 2 book shelves, and enough room for about 5 band members comfortably. its small ... but not THAT small.

I just moved in and am going to start with treatment tomorrow. ANY thoughts and links would be appreciated!!!

HCMarkus wrote:You need more than Bass Traps friend! Braodband absorbtion and diffusion would probably do wonders, with traps to smooth the low end. The room looks really nice, but I'm sure it sounds slap-happy in its current condition.

Ethan Winer has some plans on his site, but if bass is the issue, resonant absorbers may be called for. F. Alton Everest's books have formulas and graphs for frequncies of absorbtion, but as I am sure Frodo can attest, acoustics is only part science. As has been said in other arenas, "Trust, but Verify."

I made some pretty nice broadband panels when I built my last studio.
See: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=21099

Nice work HC. killer look too!

what about the bass traps Ive seen in some studios that look like tall wooden slots? are those diffusers? they look like tall cubby holes.

I know you're looking to keep this inexpensive, but the panels they sell over at GIK Acoustics are really nice and helped me out a lot:

http://www.gikacoustics.com/gik_244.html

What's amazing is he hasn't raised his prices too much since I got mine and they're very well made. I bought 8. I have to standing on top of each other in the corners of my room and then two units as clouds. I'm thinking of ordering a few more though for where the ceiling meets the walls in front and to the sides of my room.

http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm
http://www.bobgolds.com/DifuserKgveteran/home.htm
http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/stud ... design.pdf

http://www.realtraps.com/diffusor.htm
http://www.hunecke.de/en/knowledge/diffusors/qrd.html

Thats start you out.

T

Wonder, I may have mis guessed the actual size of your CR, no harm meant.

BTW , I would be careful using QRD's in a "smaller" CR. Diffusors (temporal diffusion) could cause comb filtering at close proximity. Less than 10' of listening position may be futile, or a waste of time/money. Diffusion would be better for the live room.

http://www.acousticsfirst.com/articles/ ... fusion.htm

T

we get defensive when people talk about our "size"

anywho ... so you'd suggest absorption rather than diffusion?

true dat
yes absorption would be best, since you should consider the low end a "bigger" problem to deal with. Sicne OC 703 or rockwool is kinda fluffy anyway, it tends to tame across the whole spectrum-hence broadband. You just have to be careful not to overdo the high end (and its easy to) or it could get too dead.
Corners and triheadral locations w/ thick treatment 4" plus and thinner treatment on the 1st reflection points is a good start.

Heres a good comparison of whats out there as far as absorptive material.
http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

Folks tend to use OC 703 the most since its easier to work with , but John Mansville is just as good and maybe less expensive. For the pirce however, Roxul maybe a better bet when it gets to 4" material, but is floppy.

If you have the space to cover over 10" of insulation to get down to below 100hz its best to use a less dense material R11 or R13 would do better than +5pcf not to mention the cost difference.

T

I'm seeing a few different options for Bass traps (absorption).

1. with a wood frame, compressed fiberglass, and a CLOTH front.
2. with a wood frame, compressed fiberglass, and a THIN WOOD or PARTICLE BOARD front.

what do you guys suggest?

wonder wrote:Nice work HC. killer look too!

It's all in the fabric... flame-retardant treated, too. I used Guilford. It's not cheap, but when you compare the cost of pre-built and you factor in the time investment and fire safety , quality fabric is well worth the money.

wonder wrote:I'm seeing a few different options for Bass traps (absorption).

1. with a wood frame, compressed fiberglass, and a CLOTH front.
2. with a wood frame, compressed fiberglass, and a THIN WOOD or PARTICLE BOARD front.

what do you guys suggest?

I think many overbuild their absortion frames. If using Roxul, you need the extra rigidity, but 703 and equivalents are quite sturdy on their own. Many commercial products use 703 with resin-impregnated edges, some adding metal angle struts on the back. When you start building heavy frames, your support structures become critical. Your typical drop ceiling is simply a few metal cross pieces hanging from scattered wires... which reminds me, don't forget the ceiling reflections! Consider inviting a few clouds to your party.

Definately go with a light weight framing for clouds.

i would'nt go with panel traps - plywood covered bass traps. The ones I posted a link to (John Sayers) are slat resonators, and ther are calculators out there to figure out how to construct them to you liking of the added diffusion.

Go with light framing and just wrap fire proof-breathable fabric nicely wrapped around the panels. The OC703 and most rigid/semirigid materials come in 2x4'.

HC, I found an outstanding modular broadband/reflective design I had in my book marks, unfortunately not on my home puter. I'll send you the link tomorrow. You may have seen it before, but it would be great if you have the time and tools. Alot- o elbow grease though.

T

http://www.runet.edu/~shelm/acoustics/bass-traps.html

A nice easy description to make a broadband panel. It did not read it so YMMV, it look s generally ok.

A better corner bass trap is cut them in triangles and fill the corners- all of them , from floor to ceiling. Budget and sense of esthetics is all in your imagination.

T