Mattress Pads as acoustic treatment?
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Posted on Sep 27, 2007 09:44 pm
Studio 512
Studio 512
Member Since: Sep 27, 2007
I'm on very strict budget and I'm always looking for new ways to save money. So I thought I would try mattress pads as acoustic treatment. Has anyone else tried this? *** I read that if a foam absorbs water it's a good foam for acoustic treatment. *** So I soaked a piece of mattress pad and it absorbs pretty well.
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Sep 28, 2007 05:43 am water and air behave differently...
they'll work fine for higher frequency's and early reflections...but darn near anything below 1khz, they'll be useless...
which means if you sing, the room will still reflect the lower frequency's as if your foam wasn't even there. basically, the higher the frequency, the easier to tame. it's getting the lower frequency's out that's hard to do, and that's where thicker (or better) foam excels in the task....you need density....full bookshelves work wonders, mattresses, couch cushions, quilts, and winter coats work great for a temporary solution. don't bother wasting your time with egg cartons, and mcdonald's drink holders...they barely affect anything.
Sep 28, 2007 11:42 am Thanks for your reply. I live in military housing and it has all tile floors so I was trying control the sound from bouncing around the room. I put down a rug and this helps a lot. I'll look into getting a couple of bass traps too. Thanks again for your help.
Sep 28, 2007 11:48 am Carpet padding will work better, mattres pad, unless VERY dense won't do much.
phkwww.officialphrak.comMember
Since: Sep 18, 2007
Sep 28, 2007 01:12 pm i have a similar situation, im using corregated foam, its not sound proofing foam, but like protective foam i got from work that usually cushions circuit boards and etc, it does the job pretty well as far as im concerned certainly deadens the sound quite a bit...
Sep 28, 2007 01:18 pm Not all "mattress foam" is the same, some is denser than others. The denser the better. Carpet padding tends to be all different densities, it's pretty unique that way, and hanging a few sheets back to back works well.
Padding/mattress foam can work, just don't get the thin, lightweight garbage foam...it'll be virtually useless.
Oct 29, 2007 06:32 am The actual material of the foam is important rather than the purpose on the label. For acoustic absoption it should be Open-Cell foam (foam also comes in a closed-cell variety). This is so that air can move through the foam, but experiences friction - which is how the sound loss is achieved. Foam also usually displays its density - denser material will tend to absorb more sound.
All foam will absorb some sound, but keeping to these principles will help.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 29, 2007 09:48 am I've used packing blankets with great results.
I have a few hung near the walls (2 adjacent) and it's been doing a grand job.
JeerbsMember
Since: Aug 05, 2020
Aug 05, 2020 06:27 am I tried something similar a few years back and it didn't go great in the end I caved and bought some acoustic foam from here. Wish I had done it in the first palce and saved myself the headache tbh.
www.gbfoamdirect.co.uk/fo...sound-proofing/
