VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Rick Riley

I’ve made my own acoustic panels in the past from OC 703, framed in Oak with black fabric used for speakers as a covering. But now I would like to make some panels that are a little more decorative. Is there a specific fabric to use as covering that I should be looking for?

We have a store called Fabric Depot here in Portland, which is pretty much the largest fabric store in the free world. So whatever it is, I should be able to get it or order it.

Anyone have any experience with one fabric over another that allows for better sound transmission?
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todd ellis · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:58 am Post subject:

i would say any loosely-woven fabric will do --- do the "can i breath through it" test & pick any paisley pattern you like.

*i could be completely wrong on that ---
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Rick Riley · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:09 am Post subject:

I ask because Guilford of Maine seems to be the go to for fabric over panels in recording studios. They have tested specific fabric and you can order a number of different styles from them. Just wondering if specific is really ‘specific’ for an acoustic application or if any breathable fabric will fit the ‘specific’ category.
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Deirdre · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:12 am Post subject:

I used upholstery fabric because it looks super sweet.
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vkuehn · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 2:40 pm Post subject:

People like Guilford will sell you fabrics that are "fire rated". Most of us probably don't worry much about that in our little home based studios. The folks that I converse with who are debating building their own or buying ready-make acoustic panels are folks doing house-of-worship treatments. These are public spaces and now your local fire marshal may get involved. When doing public/ commercial spaces that is a big issue. In a home studio, there are other furnishings that may be more to worry about in case of fire... like the big over-stuffed sofa I have over on the spare space side of my room... or the off-season wardrobe rack over in the back corner. (I assume both of those 'foreign objects' are making a good contribution to the acoustics.)

For the panels I built, I used burlap from the local fabric store. We didn't have a fire rating discussion. Some of my panels are in "gunny sack tan" (what I always assume to be that native color of burlap, having grown up on the farm) and some are in black.

DougVox · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:14 pm Post subject:

You can also get pretty much any design your heart desires from sites like these:

http://www.fabricondemand.com/

http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome
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Bruce · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:22 am Post subject:

I'm guessing holes in the fabric are important for letting the sound through to get trapped, but if you're hanging your panels a few inches away from your walls and ceilings then a totally exposed backside of absorbent material will do a lot of your trapping for you.

B
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Rick Riley · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:32 am Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:34 pm Post subject:

None of the fabric covered surfaces in my booth needed to allow the sound waves to penetrate them, so this may not apply to your situation. But I went to the fabric store (where unaccompanied men are often ignored in the same annoying way unaccompanied women are ignored at car dealerships or Guitar Center) to price some decorative fabric. Even the relatively cheap stuff seemed awfully expensive for my needs, so I went to Lowe's and bought a painter's drop cloth -- a canvas one with no plastic. It was way cheaper than what Jo-Ann would have charged me for something similar.
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Rick Riley · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:36 pm Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:49 pm Post subject:

You'll have to go to SteinMart for that. Gasp

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Bruce · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:06 pm Post subject:

Because upholstery cloth is supposed to breathe I'd be sure to check that out for its holiness.

B
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todd ellis · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:15 pm Post subject:

for mine i bought the cheapest cotton sheets wal-mart had --- 1 twin sheet makes two 2'x7' panels.
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bobsouer · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:16 am Post subject:

I did the same thing Todd did, except I went to K-Mart instead of Walmart.
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todd ellis · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:28 am Post subject:

bragger.
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