DIY Bass Trap

[MrJeffEstrada]

I bet you didn't think 9,951 people would watch this.

[Detvanliga]

703 is mineral wool. Wool made out of glass or stone fibres is called "mineral wool". And that is probably why you are wearing a face mask when making them :)

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@Detvanliga

You're saying rigid fiberglass and mineral wool are synonymous?

I specifically chose fabric with a tight enough weave to keep fibers in. Had I used burlap or something, that would be much more likely to leak fibers.

If you're worried about it, you can put another layer (like cotton batting) between the absorption material and the covering.

[Detvanliga]

Yes, mineral wool is a "collection name" for fibres made out of glass or stone.

And my point is that when the manufacturer ship it (and the reseller stores it) then they cover it completely in a thick layer of plastic, which is probably the only way to keep the fibres in.

NOT saying you are doing anything wrong, mate, just pointing out that mineral wool might not be something one´d like in one´s listening room, except for when hidden behind plastic or inside a sealed wall.

.

[Detvanliga]

A) This is not a bass trap but a broadband sound absorber and B) a layer of cloth will not hold the mineral wool fibers in - when delivered and stored by the hardware store it comes in thick plastic and stays that way when at the store. Usually it is even stored outside the store.

Unprotected mineral wool in your home can cause all sorts of negative side effects.

.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@Detvanliga

A) Yes, I made sound absorbers in general, but just about every place to buy these broadband sound absorbers that are capable of absorbing bass frequencies are referred to as "bass traps", so I'm following that convention.

B) These are not made of mineral wool.

[AdenTallon]

I'm doing some work on Slim Productions Studio and you have aided in my research. I hope you'll be able to see an improvement on the shows we work on in the future.

[philly2dabay]

Just finished my first bass trap acoustic panel...5 more to go! Thanks for all your help man! It's much appreciated.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

Excellent.

[FiSTFigHT09]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello Would this sound proof a room?

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@FiSTFigHT09

No! :)

[FiSTFigHT09]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello Would you know how to soundproof a room like completely?

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@FiSTFigHT09

I haven't done it myself, but from what I understand, the most effective way to do this is from the construction phase, where the goal is to isolate the room from the rest of the building.

From a fellow forum member (vi_edit):

If it's a typical house, a "room within a room" with an insulated staggered stud, decoupled walls using a hat channel and RSIC clips, and multiple layers of drywall with green glue between them is going to be about the best you can get.

[jazzbass321]

@FiSTFigHT09 hey man, i just finished building my studio witj my brother. If you want to see how we sound proofed go to my video's and check out the video i posted. Take care

[jazzbass321]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello How does the scrim side down help with the acoustic absorbtion for the bass frecuencies??

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@jazzbass321

Scrim side down in the construction actually means that the scrim will be facing the room when mounted.

From what I understand, the scrim reflects some higher frequencies, so it helps balance out the absorption for the whole room (the scrim traps focus on bass without overdoing higher frequencies).

There are also particular low frequencies that the scrim helps with, not sure why.

This is based off some of the links I have in the linked Anandtech Thread (if you want more info)

[philly2dabay]

Hey wussup man. I had a question about how the step involving the Spray Adhesive and Foil Scrim. I'm using two 2inch sheets of 703 to make a 4inch panel. How many sheets of foil scrim am i suppose to use? One for the front....or two piece (one piece of foil scrim on front of each 2inch 703)? I hope what i wrote is understandable.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

Hi.

Just a single layer on the surface facing the room.

[bobfishypants]

that metal frame is gonna reflect sound and hum like a hoard of bees at low frequencies. you dolt.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@bobfishypants

The frame is reflecting some sound of course, but I believe it's much less than the common full side frame design. Seemed like the best compromise of structure vs. reflection.

Fabric is holding the frame tightly against the fiberglass, so any vibration is getting directly transferred to the 703. I've done 10Hz-20kHz frequency sweeps, "shake and rattle tests" and a lot of actual content. No bees.

Also, a number of professional companies use metal frames in their designs.

[philly2dabay]

Hey man thanks again for emailing that dude. He shipped the 703 already. I have another question. When shopping for fabric, what am I looking for? I already read about the "air test" in which you blow into it and make sure you don't feel any wind on the other side. Am i looking for a soft fabric to soak up the sound or a hard fabric to deflect the sound like vinyl? Thanks!

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

You DO want the air to go through when you blow into the fabric. If the fabric doesn't let air through, the sound waves are more likely to bounce off rather than being absorbed. You want the air (sound) to get through into the middle of your panels, so the actual fiberglass can do sound absorption.

[philly2dabay]

I looked for Owen Corning 703 at my local Home Depot and Lowe's (Hardware store) but neither of them have it. i couldn't find 703. I only found R-13....and others starting with R. Got any suggestions for me?

[philly2dabay]

I looked for Owen Corning 703 at my local Home Depot and Lowe's (Hardware store) but neither of them have it. i couldn't find 703. I only found R-13....and others starting with R. Got any suggestions for me?

[philly2dabay]

I looked for Owen Corning 703 at my local Home Depot and Lowe's (Hardware store) but neither of them have it. i couldn't find 703. I only found R-13....and others starting with R. Got any suggestions for me?

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

I ordered mine from "Sensible Sound Solutions"

[philly2dabay]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I put in a order for 703. It's been a few days and the order is still pending. I emailed the store owner three times and still haven't gotten a response. How did your ordering process go?

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

As far as I remember, mine went smoothly. I was already in e-mail contact with Bryan Pape before i ordered though.

[philly2dabay]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello

damn this sucks. you mind emailing him for me man?

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@philly2dabay

I sent one. I'll reply if I get a response from him.

[philly2dabay]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I apprecaite it man

[Chitowndriver42]

frickin hilarious!! awesome job man!!!

[Systemlord30]

What do you think of using Burlap to cover up the acoustic panel? Also how did you find the wood that was not bent? The Home Depot's wood is all bent up and twisted thats impossible to assemble a flat strait frame,

Thanks, Systemlord.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@Systemlord30

I looked at some burlap, but thought that it looked tacky compared to the other fabrics I looked at. It might be too loose of a fabric too, which could mean fiberglass fibers might fall through it too. I saw some people recommending another layer of fabric between the fiberglass and burlap if that was the fabric used.

Rather than a double layer, I tried to use something that was the right density to look nice and keep everything together by itself.

[Systemlord30]

@YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I ordered some swatches of sample fabric from ATS Acoustics in Microsuede Fabric and could not blow through the Microsuede, that stuff is air tight! The Ivory burlap that I bought that has 15 threads per inch, spent $51 for six yards. What other fabrics would you recommend that pass the blow through teats?

Thanks, Systemlord.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@Systemlord30

The stuff I used was product "mul0008" from J&O Fabrics online. I have a link to it in the materials section of the thread on Anandtech. Follow the link in the forum and you can find it.

Other than that fabric (which I used for my own project), I've seen a lot of recommendations for various fabrics online, but I don't have a specific recommendation for you.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

@Systemlord30

As for the wood, I took one of those big lumber carts to the aisle in question and then sorted through an entire bundle of wood. I sorted them between the ones that were straight, semi-bent, and horrible. I was able to find enough straight ones for my entire project in one trip, but it meant sorting through a bunch of crappy ones.

[MustacheVerra]

Hahaha! 2 227 views now. ;)

I just have a small question: Are those corner the stuff we add to a giprock corner in "normal" constructions?

Thanks in advance.

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you click on the link in the description, there is a better explanation of materials and process used.

Specifically, the product I used was called "900 Vaneer Bead" from Home Depot. (It's corner bead)

The part number from Home Depot is "900TBVN08H"

I chose that particular model of veneer bead since it was the most "open", so sound would be able to pass through it and into the fiberglass rather than bouncing off. Not a big deal overall, but I wanted to maximize effectiveness.

[jollesen]

man you are fast! thanks for the vid :)

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I wish it went that fast in real life ;)