Acoustic Isolation

Posted on

Member Since: Sep 30, 2009

Been thinking about doing something to at least reduce the sound for now. I can't really get into treating my room at the moment. I'm still living at home and...eh. I'll be patient there. But i would like to cut down on the reflection at least, for the tracking. And also, my computer is in the room. That constant fan making a bit of noise that my ears get all too accustomed to hearing.

So, anyway. Any posibilities here? I was thinking of getting something like this, and then recording as far away from the PC as i can, "testing" the reflections as i get closer to the walls.

www.guitarcenter.com/Prim...098-i1532537.gc

But...idk. I don't really understand how this little thing can help as much as the reviews and such are saying it helps. My mic's pattern picks up hardly anything from behind it anyway. I'd reason that deadening the area behind the singer would be more important, and treating the entire area, floor to ceiling, would be most important. An "only strong as the Weakest link" type of deal?

Another thing i've seen done (in crappy youtube videos...) is building a movable "Vocal booth" out of some kind of acoustic treatment blanket, and pvc pipe. Any logic to this madness?

[ Back to Top ]


http://www.unitedmusicians.info
Contributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007


Sep 29, 2010 07:20 pm

I always fantasize about buying acoustic treatment, but I end up just running a 25' XLR into a different room when I track guitar. I have a million feet of headphone extension cables if I need a click track. Certainly the cheapest and most effective option for me.

Member
Since: Sep 30, 2009


Sep 30, 2010 08:51 pm

Haha. Funny thing is, last night I spent about half an hour "designing" my future basement while on the phone. Kinda sad when the first thing i think about planning is my recording studio. Not marriage, job, area, house/neighborhood. Nope, i think about how much space i'll need to comfortably fit a band into my mixing room :P

Anyway, has anyone ever had any experience with one of those mic mounted things? Or any suggestions on keeping noise/reflection to a minimum?

http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007


Sep 30, 2010 09:14 pm

make some bass traps with rockwool for the corners of room.
thats what i did, works good. maybe some egg carton foam on some of the walls to stop it reflecting as much too.

Typo Szar
Member
Since: Jul 04, 2002


Sep 30, 2010 09:57 pm

I have no experience with the little panel u linked above but i dont konw, to me it seems like acoustic treatment is not something u do half-assed. Its either u treat to good sound, or u just dont delude urself and that small little panel seems like a placebo imho.

Ive had pretty ok luck just putting sheets adn blankets and experimenting wiht the spaces i have for the best results and its always worked out ok... i guess if i were u id go to a shop and try one before picking it up coz it seems a gamble

Formally Hydrial69
Member
Since: May 06, 2009


Oct 01, 2010 11:44 am

thats a lot of money for something you could probably rig up yourself with a trip to a hardware store for about 20-30 dollars.
i just made some sound pannels out of insulation and MDF instead of real wood to make it cheaper,
like 150 for 4 that are 4feet by 2 feet,
and i still have 4 pieces of insulation left lol

my advice is to try to rig it up yourself, because thats a lot of money for what seems to be a clam and a piece of foam.

Uh, at least one more time . . .
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007


Oct 13, 2010 11:29 pm

The funny thing about that mic contraption? That's the cheap one; the expensive one is about $249.00! I'd go with the rockwool (insulation) baffle thing; I made about eight of them, each one about two feet wide, four feet tall, and 3.5 inches deep. The depth is determined by the stock number 2 pine I used--you could go deeper, or taller, or wider. You need a nail/staple gun, some cheap sheets (IKEA), fiberglass insulation, and a miter-saw. And the skill to do it,I suppose. The toughest thing is stretching the sheet over the frame, and nailing it, though practice makes perfect. I use thin steel rods (used for holding insulation in place in a joist cavity), cut to length (a hacksaw), fit into holes I drill in the sides of the frame, to hold the insulation (R-19, paper back removed, 24 in. wide) in the frame
If I find the time, I'll post up pictures here that illustrate how they're made--it's not that tough, and once you get rollin' it gets easy.
They work!--I'm able to bookend two together, or stack them behind the mic. I made a couple of baby ones--half size, perfect to stack on the big ones, or to put on surfaces to catch side reflections. I'm going to put them behind the monitors, in the corners of the rehearsal space (I did that already), etc.
I've seen the Reflexion filter attached and in use in pictures in S.O.S. magazine, and I immediately saw that they can be unwieldy and awkward, and cause the stand to tip over. SOS tested it, and found that it works, but why bother? I've always had good luck with army wool blankets, strategically placed, and now I use the Insulation Frames (IFSolution-soon to be trade-marked?!) to get the desired results.
I use other rooms to record, specifically the bathroom, with panels and blankets (and towels, natch) set up where I think reflected sound is gonna be a problem--unless I want that sound, which sounds cool for a "distant" acoustic guitar. I put the mic way up in the corner, and used no damping to get the natural reverb. But the panels work. I store them in the hall, stacked up. They actually don't look bad--maybe I should decorate them. . . .

Byte-Mixer
Member
Since: Dec 04, 2007


Oct 14, 2010 02:41 am

Tim, I'd be interested in seeing those panel designs as well, for if/when I ever get to set up my own room someday. I've seen a few different ideas for building frames and using the 705 Corning rockwool. (think it was about 4" worth of insulation)

Here's one site I remembered that had acoustic materials for DIY projects: www.acoustimac.com/index....n-material.html

I can't remember if there was another I looked at though. And I'm not sure if those are the best prices or not. My father-in-law does some woodworking, so when the time comes, I may enlist his aid in building the frames.

On the movable vocal booth, not sure how much a blanket and PVC would stop hehe. You could definitely do something like building 3 sets of panels, set them on hinges so the wings fold inward. (kinda like a dressing screen or something) That might work decently.

http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007


Oct 14, 2010 07:30 am

i made 5 decent sized ones a while back outta soundscape/rockwool 4 inch.

I used some 2x4 pine slats from an old double bed for framework and some weedmatting for covering, used a holesaw to drillout as many holes as i could down the sides of the framework for a little more exposure.
Works well.

Member
Since: Sep 30, 2009


Oct 14, 2010 05:19 pm

Same here! thanks Tim! and jbot. and deon.

Related Forum Topics:



If you would like to participate in the forum discussions, feel free to register for your free membership.