VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[David Swinehart]

Hello, all! I thought I would share a little picture-story of a recent DIY project I completed for the home studio. As my voiceover rig is banished to a small alcove off in a corner of my home, I have been battling some pretty wild reflection problems. I decided to build some acoustic panels to wrap around my voice "booth" with the prerequisites that:
a. They had to look presentable - My recording area is visible from the living area, so I couldn't just attach the foam all over the wall
b. They had to kill the early reflections I was getting. (Duh)

I decided to "frame" some standard acoustic panels. The panels I used were UL 94 Foam from Parts Express. These come in 18"x24" panels that were the perfect size for my space.

I have a friend who owns an art & framing shop here in town, so I had him make a couple of basic 18"x24" frames to give me a 1" wood border around the panels. To hold the panels in place, I used 3/8" foam core board from an art supply shop:

I cut the foam core board to fit snugly within the frame backing - just a little larger than 18"x24", and ran a dry fit to make sure everything lined up.

The foam board I found had an adhesive surface on it, so next was removing the protective film and placing the foam core board into the frames. I used a little carpenters' glue in the frames to keep the foam core board firmly in place.

Next came the acoustic panels themselves. While the foam core board had a tacky surface, I didn't want my panels moving or peeling off, so I used some 581 Foam adhesive (also from Parts Express) on both the foam core board surface and the back of the acoustic panels. Once I had the adhesive sprayed on, I carefully laid the panels in place inside the frames.

From here, it was just like hanging a picture. I used a couple of small mirror hangers on the backs of the frames, centered them on my studio walls, and up they went! The foam core board is surprisingly light, so the panels hardly weigh anything at all.

My last disclaimer is that since this space is just used for voice tracking - editing, production, & mixing is done through headphones - I wasn't really concerned about tuning the space for mixing... just killing the reflections. While the photo shows just two panels, there are two more hung behind me and two smaller ones on a strip of wall to my right. The finished product kept the room looking nice, and the early reflections were dramatically reduced!


_________________
David Swinehart
an actual Dave
Kinetic Sound Labs

[bobsouer]

Dave,

This looks truly fabulous. Thank you for posting these photos and comments.
_________________
Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[Chrissy]

Dave that looks great. I have a similar situation, and I like the frame idea. Thanks for posting this.

[Gareth]

Yeah, thanks for this Mr S.

Simple, effective and easy on the eye. And that's just me. Though the same could be said of your acoustic panels.

I will keep these in mind.
Good job.
Thanks again.

[Jowillie]

Very nice. Well done.
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Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com

[Mike Sommer]

Since you are using a 416 the foam might be enough. But you'll find better results with traps made from Owens Corning 703 (or Johns Mansvill equivalent).
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/bass-traps-acoustic-panels-foam-etc/87464-how-i-built-my-bass-traps.html

[todd ellis]

these are very spiffy! are you paying attention d3? windows?
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Edo]

[David Swinehart]

The 703 is absolutely correct. I zipped a PM at Mike to give a little more background... The project was originally the idea of another fellow I know who made giant panels for his music recording studio. He used 1x6" board to make frames 2'x5' - there was OC703 sandwiched between plywood backs, and Auralex on the fronts. In my case, the space was just way too small to make panels that came 6" off the walls. I used the foam core board as a compromise - if I had it to do over again, I would use much thicker foam board than 3/8". And yes, one or two of these would not have had anywhere near the impact of six (plus two bass traps in the rear corners). Here's the total setup:

_________________
David Swinehart
an actual Dave
Kinetic Sound Labs

[Frank F]

I have not commented on this post for several reasons, but since there is a lot of incorrect information being written I feel I must add a comment or two...

First, Auralex panels have their place. Yes, they are not designed to be "bass" traps. Added to this information is the fact the "panels" are literally ON the wall makes them highly inefficient as traps of any kind, broadband, high or low frequencies.

Auralex foam used in the configuration which Dave S. has created offer more diffusion rather than trapping of sound frequencies. In the confined space which is apparent in the photos, this is a good choice. A GOOD choice not a great choice, as is evident by his post on the "better design" drawing.

The concept of small corner traps would be an added benefit to his small recording space.

Second, the utilization of O.C. 603 or 703 in such a tight space means the formaldehyde smell would be outrageous. I don't know about you, but I would not want to have that in my air intake as I am trying to read. Johns-Manville formaldehyde-free InsulShield would be my choice or "rock-wool/mineral wool" (whatever your choice of names for the product) panels. However, since Auralex, not Furalex, was on hand -- "use what you got" is a simple and inexpensive idea.

Sound and acoustic design is an individual preference, not a science. There are ways to determine the amount of reflection, the X,Y,Z curve ratio, and the amount of deadness in a room by computational analysis. But in the end, it is the person who uses the room who will determine what is right and sounds good to him or her. Not a computer or analyzing tool.

Although the panels are not my ideal preference, Dave S. did a good job with simple tools and thought to create a workable design for his use. Kudo's Dave.

Toodles

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[Monk]

when I teach live sound at the National Guitar Workshop, I try to get students to visualize sound as water and waves. Drop a rock in the pool and watch the ripples.

In your room, the microphone is at the water surface, you voice the rock. imagine how that wave skips past the microphone, hits the wall and bounces.

When I first saw your frames, I thought cool. It would have been great if there was a gap behind the foam, let some portion of the wave get through the foam and get "trapped" behind it.

back to the wave, imagine the wave and where it bounces.. now add in the 3D space, that bounce goes up, down and everywhere....

It's when those waves gather that you get problems, kind of like moving back and fourth in a bath tub, if you do it in the right rhythm, the wave gets higher and higher... sound is kind of like that, but the medium it moves back and fourth in is air, but the wave is still there.
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Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...

www.monksvoice.com

[Mike Sommer]

I personally use the the Johns Mansvill material, since it's the only material available here in So Cal (that I can find). Bottom line it is all about what sounds good to you, and since it is a very small area it wont take much to change the dynamics of it - heavy curtains would have done the trick. Looking at the layout it's the panels and corner base traps behind the chair that did the trick.

[Chuck Davis]

In my previous room I used the egg-crate foam for my first attempt at "bounce control"....limited results. Auralex in the same room....a bit better...not great.

Current setup if the OC panels 1" with 1" airspace behind them. Best so far...still could be better. I think I might try a cloud over the mic area.

I love Dave's panel framing though. You can always experiment with other sound absorbant materials within those frames as time goes by too.
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Wicked huge.....in India.
www.chuckdaviscreative.com

[billelder]

David, nice job! DIY is the best and you're kind to share this.

[todd ellis]

the thing i like about the panels, without regard to the material, is the portability. the ability to create as many as you wand, then move them around the room until you get the desired result.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?