How to make a Bass Trap Acoustic Panel (Tutorial)

[killermagnet]

Hang it like a picture / use a fabric that does not allow particulate matter to escape. (try to blow through the fabric while holding it to your lips - if it is even a little hard to blow through, it should work well)

[604psysutra604]

Well, I've heard that corners should be covered by foam bass traps- triangle or quart-cylinder. Sorry 4 my english :)

[uhaveachode1]

what material did you use to prevent the insulation fibre from getting into the air? my sister has athsma and it is a bit of a concern.

also how di you hang it on a wall?

[timviolin]

What type of fabric would be ideal for eliminating higher frequencies?

[bucket47]

I can't find these rockwool slabs!! help me!?

[NortheDominator]

ok... so that rock wool.. is that a brand or type of insulation.. i went to get some they only have insulation for different areas of the house...ie. R13, R29, R30 so i cant find it.. what would be the closest to it in regular insulation.??

[WoodA1985]

FYI....The PDF Link is actually...basstraps(dot)net\D­IY-BASS-TRAPS-MADE-EASY(dot)pd­f

[boatswainrich]

Thanks for the video!

[jmvmain]

will this absorb higher freq. waves as well?

[123decoeli]

@jmvmain Yes

[killermagnet]

@jmvmain Yes, however the density of your fabric may impact how much of a given frequency will be absorbed.

[IBMClynes]

You got a lot of hits you need to add some naration !

[monoseb]

its like mini couch!



[FTE666]

I was under the impression that you needed a considerably larger gap in order to reduce frequencies as low as 100hz.

[secretpros]

this is GREAT info ... we used Ready Acoustic panels for a serious session recently and they are amazing! we have a world-class designer talking about this on our channel if you are interested ... check out SecretPros ... enjoy! =)

[runawayvealmusic]

did you glue the insulation pieces together to make 4 inch or just stacked 2 -2inch on top of each other? also what are the corner braces of the frame?

[blueboyblue]

The fabric on the front of the panel must be Acoustically transparent. If you hold it up to the light, you should be able to see through it. I'm not sure about rock wool, but OC-703 is compressed fiberglass & doesn't particulate like soft fiberglass.

If you are worried about particulate matter in the air, cover the rockwool/fiberglass with at thin layer of poly batting.

The front must be acoustically transparent in order for the sound to reach the absorbing rockwool/fiberglass.

[shore500]

Instead of cheap material, I used plastic painter's tarp found at any hardware store to place on the back panel.. Its about $2 dollars and can make up to 6 of these traps. Remember, the primary purpose is to prevent fibergalss fibers from being released.

[CubaseGuru]

shame the pdf link no longer works - great video :)

[SurveyofFilmMusic]

osnaburg fabric was recommended to me.

[SurveyofFilmMusic]

what is the backing material? you didn't mention anything about the 4 inner supports for the corners that I see in there?

[HankVanTank]

It's rather a broadband / mid-frequency absorber than a bass trap.

the fabric which has contact to the rock wool will absorb nearly all high frequencies as well.

[sdmfer100]

Thanks for this video. My room is 11.5x26', with 90 degree corners. Whats the best way to determine how many of these I need and where to place/hang them for maximum performance? thanks again!

[worldfullofcunts]

How the hell would get one of these on the cielung or indeed high up in the corners? What would you stick it to the wall/cieling with? Dontt fancy it smashing down on my head..

[Nogert]

Is this super low cheap?

[mxdvotion]

what is the cost for the build one one of these bass traps in the dimensions provided?

[FEMAPCO]

@djsufferthing I just peed a bit after reading that.

[terry947]

isnt this pretty much an acoustic panel not just a bass trap?

[8B6EB8]

has anyone built these and do they give off asbestos or fine dust ??

[MrCbolden]

does anyone know where I can get the printable pdf version? The link listed in the video is not working.

[HereticSkepticMKS]

@djsufferthing Hahaha!

[MatAaronOfficial]

@djsufferthing genius, pure genius. The deep south wins again!

[SCHULTZEH]

Nice bass trap design. lite weight, clean, easy and not to hard on the wallet.

[djsufferthing]

No problem. ;)

[randalljames1]

@djsufferthing you owe me a keyboard... I just blew coffee all over mine...

[limetwig2007]

great video!

[kaih8941]

Excellent tutorial - thank you :)

[mcentertain]

hi, nice vid ;)

what frequencies does it cut? as it has porous fabric on top and no plywood, it should theoretically cut the mid/high frequencies a lot. the traps you built should be good for early reflections in the room i guess?!?

[MrDigitalTrix]

@mcentertain i agree, i think that hardwood or plywood backing somehow suspended from the actual frame wud be better at reducing lower freq's

[rjduval]

Thanks for the Video. One question...Is there any reason why I couldn't skip the back fabric and use 2'x4' 1/2" plywood? would it affect the sound?

[agentsteell]

nice video ;)

at around what frequencies is the bass trap effective?

have you tested it somehow?

[SapphireProd]

The reason I suggest cutting the smaller pieces to 22.5" - 23" is mainly due to the 1" thick wood actually being only about 11/16" - 3/4" thick due to the cut and cutting the smaller pieces a little longer makes for a more flush long edge. I found that this helps to keep a nice tight pull on the material without over tightening and "mashing" the rigid fiberglass. Makes a cleaner edge to me. Although all measurements in these ranges will work without any major differences in the final product.

[SapphireProd]

Great design for these traps and they are easy to make. However, one suggestion I make that I found better for me when making my traps.... I would suggest cutting the smaller pieces of wood 22.5" - 23" depending on how flush you want the sides with the rigid fiberglass. The 21" pcs. left too much of the fiberglass hanging off the sides for me. I would also suggest cutting an 8' foot piece of wood in half (48" for one and about 47 3/4" for the second due to the blade cut).

[HereticSkepticMKS]

@SapphireProd I bought all my ply before doing the measurements of the fiberglass myself. As soon as I got home, I realized how much smaller the frame was than the fiberglass. I'm gonna have to get new sizes. No harm though. I see it as a small loss ($15), which beats the large sums of money others often lose when investing in other ventures. Thanks for the measurements! Mine matched up with yours. Did you go 22.5" or 23"? I'm thinking 22.5" will be solid.

[sdmfer100]

@HereticSkepticMKS

why didnt you just cut the fiberglass to fit the frame? Just wondering...

[rillloudmother]

@sdmfer100 it says in the video that the space between the wall and the insulation could increase the acoustic absorption.

[sdmfer100]

@rillloudmother

Yep, not sure what I was drinking when I commented. When I made mine, I just used 1x2's layed flat (not on edge) then cut batts to same size. this still provides a gap etc. Same thing pretty much.

[rillloudmother]

@sdmfer100 In theory the more space you have between the wall and the front of the batt the more low freq absorption since it intercepts the lower frequency longer wavelengths.

[sdmfer100]

@rillloudmother

makes sense., I was somewhat limited as I didnt want big things sticking too far off the walls, thus I also did floor to ceiling bass traps in the 4 corners of the room (superchunk style etc).

[rillloudmother]

@sdmfer100 yeah, i'm about to start making some of these for my home studio, i think i might make a couple of these type and then some ones like you made for the mirror points.

[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?

[maleeyang]

I thought u were s'posed to leave a 1/4" gap between the panels of 703?

[pilofree]

mine turned out great!!!!!

[specialistsound]

thank you

this is great

[Samixelo]

Nice tutorial. Thanks for sharing!

[Systemlord30]

Excellent tutorial, I have already made my wood backer frames measuring 24" x 48" outside diameter, but I'm building my acoustic panels from 2" inch Owen's Corning 703 material and NOT 4" inch. Question, how much shorter do I cut my burlap fabric since there are four edges?

Thanks, Systemlord.

[iamwilliepee]

the wood appears to be 1/2" thick...so cutting the pieces one inch short and accounting for the width would give you a 24 x 48 frame....right?

[Bonitabonitabonita]

the..acoustic..insulation..is.­.48..long...........the..long.­.piece..of..wood..is..47..the.­.question..is..where..is..that­..1..inch..mising

cause..on...the..picture.min.3­.00..it..looks..like..theres..­nothing..missing...,,,,,,,on..­the..sides..there..is..also..1­..inch..mising..21..plus..1inc­h..from..each..side..23

[kaveh1983361]

this was quite helpful . but i have a question . actualy im building myself a home studio and a room is a bit small so if i use 2 layers of rock wool there will be no room left for my mixer, monitors,instruments or even myself :D now i would like to know if i could use one layer but all the walls from floor to ceiling . does this work ? does this have the same effect on the sound ?

[matthalllars]

I always thought bass traps had to be at least four inches from the wall? This looks easy. Thank for sharing.

[saeroner]

This was my 1st attempt to build panels. This way is way easy. I used a simple corner brace to help build the frames. It's actually FUN. I hung 2 bass traps and 6 2" side reflection panels (left, right and rear walls) and the room sounds a lot better. I plan to add more later... this was for home theater.

[TehKeytar]

how do you recommend temporarily installing these in corners or on ceilings?

[bkpenta]

Just made my first one using the technique in the video and it turned out great!! 3 more to go and the best part is in total it has only cost $23 each to make em!! Sweet!!

[darkultra]

My local home improvment store could only order a huge load of them, so I'll go with what they got: two 50mm 65kg/m3 acoustic panels PAROC NRS 2t. With a dense layer of glass fiber on one side, these will hopefully work the same as owens corning with foil reinforced kraft paper.

[Lahange]

You shouldnt follow this tutorial and then switch one of the components, there is a reason they are the ones chosen. good tutorial btw

[darkultra]

You can't get exactly these products in other countries. That way it is good to read up on the science behind this. Again, Google for Rigid Fiberglass Density Tests by Ethan Winer.

[mikebell07]

Been trying to get good sound out of my bedroom for recording...found this and gonna give it a try! THANK YOU!!!

[elijahlucian]

oh. i meant to comment. i did these . they work great!

[SOULSHACKMUSIC]

how much better has your sound improved, is it mostly for the bass, or does the mid & highs brighten up also..

[elijahlucian]

well the thing aobut broadband trapping is that since the bass isnt flooding your ears anymore, you have better definition in the mid and hi frequencies. also you are more clearly able to determine what the bass will actually sound like in a mix.

[SOULSHACKMUSIC]

I totally get where your coming from,thanks so much on the reply,i think i'm gonna put a couple on my ceiling over my listening point and a few behind my desk, and the corners of course.....once again thanks man..

[elijahlucian]

no prob. its the best way to treat a room in a house you rent (which is the case with me too) good luck!

[statictrashcan]

I have to come here and comment on your  video. I watched this last week and put 10 of these together in 5 hours over the weekend. Great video! Thanks for sharing.

[alynmearns]

I followed these instructions and now have a beautifully treated room! Thanks so much for your help!

[sytnh]

Great video, thanks!!! They also look neat! I've got a question. I'm in México and i've looked everywhere for 703 or 705 panels, with no luck. But there's plenty of 704.. will those work as well?? I'm confused since everyone uses 703 or 705, and as far as i'm aware, the difference between them is the density so 704 is something in between? I've never seen 702 or 704 in absorption coefficient charts. Can someone help?

[DonJuanDeMarco2]

Yea actually i found it last night, thanks for your help man.

[DonJuanDeMarco2]

Great diy tutorial and some excellent advice.

I recommend checking out their website, they have a ton of information up there.

I wonder, i once found a piece of software that could measure the acoustics of a room and give you an idea of any problem spots you may have. I will have to do some mroe searching, but does anyone know of a program that does this ? Oviously without paying out huge sums of money !

[Pepn]

Thank you, Excellent 5*

[meritalong]

question: Is this good for absorbing rebound from drums?

[jimmynpuppy]

wow thx,

another question:

should i use thicker woods to leave more depth for air gap between the wall??

[jimmynpuppy]

Do i have to seal the back?????

[kaffeinsuchtiger]

If using it in a corner, leave the back open.

[deelnyc]

Can anyone tell me what kind of fabric should be used for the panel? Professional recommend burlap cuz its fine grade {insulation won't seep out} but still absorbs sound waves. Any cheaper alternatives?

[TheIbanezGuy]

Where can i find acoustic insulation? and the bass trap backer (whatever that is)

[jessegimbel]

Search online and it'll turn up plenty of places to get acoustic insulation. Some home improvement type places sell it too. As far as the "bass trap backer", they're referring to everything built so far at that point in the video, meaning the frame with the fabric attached.

[hayabusafmw]

do you need to wear protection for itchyness???

or those material isn't like ''insolation material?''

[MISSEDHERSIR]

cool.

[teefeey]

can i use 2" of Owens Corning 705 instead of 4" of 703? thanks for the video!

[jewkr2]

thank you~ much

[Alantek8]

good advice!

[pimpinchaldo]

im random

[DaveKingMusic]

I'm in the process of building some of these traps. SOme of them I will mount flat on the wall. I guess all I will need is a couple of nails in the wall to hang them by their open backs. But, I haven't figured out a good way to hang them diagonally in corners. Any ideas? Thanks!

[mattcoffay]

killermagnet,

i wanted to be able to hang these using hook and eye type bolts. so, i'd be screwing a hook into each of the four corners of the back of the panel, and four bolts into the walls of the room into which the hooks would sit. do you think this approach would work? thanks.

[unplumbedgibbon]

This looks like a pretty neat way of doing it! I'm assuming the bass frequencies exite the cloth at above resonance, so tension in the cloth is mostly irrelavent.

[ReincarnationEmily]

i used sound/fire insulation, works great, it is 33 a bag, but i did the walls corners, everything

[ChrioN2]

How do you attach this panel to a corner?

[killermagnet]

YES, the frame in this tutorial is made slightly smaller to leave a less noticeable footprint. You can make it any size you like however. Remember, this tutorial is based on the StudioTips Corner absorber and that model has seen many, many, many variations since it's inception. This is just one version of it.

[Knucklesound]

Thanks Killermagnet.

I made a couple last night and they turned out great! Slightly noticeable that the back looks a bit off, but not a big deal at all.

I bought enough Rockboard to make 12 more 4" thick panels, so i think i'll go for an extra 1/2" on the frame and give that a try on the next 2.

Any advice on the fabric? Got some thin black cotton sheets and they work ok, but i think they may be a bit reflective. The cheapest i've found coloured burlap in Toronto is $7.99 per sq. metre.

[emmetfox]

Try some "Painters Canvas" that you throw on the floor for spills. I bought it at Home Depot and seems to give you more bang for the buck. Works great too. Lets the sound waves flow through. Thanks Killermagnet for the tutorial mine turned out great!

[Systemlord30]

@killermagnet

Can you name a few fabrics that are acoustically transparent? Is 100% Polyester acoustically transparent enough to be effective? I have six yards of burlap but am not sure it can hold in the glass fibers...

Tank you, Systemlord.

[HereticSkepticMKS]

@killermagnet I bought the lumber in the dimensions you suggested in the video, and the frames are much smaller than the dimensions of the OC703. Is there a reason for this?

I was thinking of going back to the store to get longer lengths, since it isn't that expensive at all. It just appears to me that the panels would have a strange shape with that size of wood frame. What are the lengths you'd recommend so the frame matches the width and length of the fiberglass, if you know?

[nathanhw]

Is there a kind of insulation one can buy at Home Depot or Lowes for this? The Owens Corning stuff is impossible to find.

[Knucklesound]

Need to go to building supply company...Home Depot, ect don't usually carry this stuff.

I got Roxul Rockboard 60 in Toronto Canada for $1.03 /square foot.

ATS acoustics in the States has a good site and sells the stuff at reasonable prices. Good luck.

[emmetfox]

Just type in "Owens Corning 703" on ebay the stuff is cheap.

[Hej413]

Thanks man! I love the internet for providing this sort of stuff! Really saved me a lof of time (and probably money)!

[mikewhitla]

Thanks for this great video!!

[blake18]

Thank you for this video! I am looking to building some acoustic panels and bass traps for my home theater, this was very very helpful! :D

[pestronia]

thanks joel be doing more business with you soon at readyacousticsdotcom though i prefer the ready made panels they are lot more easy.

[fulltato]

thanks

[deelnyc]

Hi could you tell me the dimensions (wood...fabric)of a panel that would measure 24 X 24....great video, I learned a lot and saved money.

[JamesGregory2007]

A very helpful video - thanks. However, in this video you appeared to use only 1 of the small fabric sheets and 1 of the larger sheets. If this is true, why did the beginning of the video say that you needed 2 of each? I think I missed something.

[JamesGregory2007]

Ok, never mind. I got it... materials for 2 bass traps. I thought I might be missing something simple.

[nwofhm]

Fantastic tutorial, thank you!

[redmcmannus]

Thanks for the tips.

Filled the corners of my room already but couldn't think of an adquate way to make a panel that will hang easily.

[blackwatchstudio]

Awesome job my man! This is very useful!

[firewall2006]

Hey is this also good for vocal booth??

[cpeeltienre]

Great stuff, shame they cannot hear the difference it makes.

[funkulankula]

Grrrreat video. I wonder how thick it must be if I want absorption down to 40Hz.