Acoustic panels that actually look GOOD
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ม.ค. 2022
- In this video, we try to make some acoustic panels that don't look like tacky 70's sci-fi movie props. And we do it using a product called Sonopan, a sound insulation material that I've never seen used in acoustic panels before. The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/zacbuilds01211
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I would attach Led strips behind the fabric. Might look very cool.
How much did this project cost?
isnt trial supposed to be free?
DUDE.....why not go for LOGIC: get large shawls or beach blankets or curtains or WHATEVER cheap fabric you like, and hang them to eat sound waves.
It would NEVER occur to me to use wasteful foam padding that costs money!
At the same time, if you are given a ton of those foam paddings that look like POTATO CHIPS with Ridges....just hang XMAS LIGHTS OVER THEM.
The shadows alone will be lovely!
There needs to be a clear distinction between SOUND PROOFING ... and ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT. They are entirely different things - and hence why different materials are typically used for each application. If you are trying to sound proof a room - you are largely concerned with sound transmission - and will largely be working at the level of room construction,. If you are trying to improve the sound within a room - you are largely concerned with sound absorption, and preventing the build-up of reflected sound within the space. The sciences and materials used in pursuit of each objective are distinctly different.
This product is used to dampen vibration through the wall assembly - not the best for wall absorbers... Okay solution but not effective for many locations.
That's why these kinds of videos are so frustrating to see get popularity, it's basically just acoustic misinformation.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
And, yet the creator in question doesn't bother to respond to the best comment on his video pointing out the misinformation is this video. But, he sure as hell responds to the ones praising his misinformation. Yet another example of why removing the dislike button is a terrible decision.
I mean, these are easy approachable projects to do, so they gain a lot of traction and views. But if he was worried about audio quality then he would start with carpet... that is the qucik-and-easy cheap fix. Even a short area rug will provide a huge amount of benefit for that kind of room just because it would be on the largest and most reflective surface in the room.
But I whole-heartedly agree, this is just the wrong product for the project. In an open room you want something dense, movable, and with lots of air space, dense foam is stupidly expensive, which is why rockwool is such an easy 2nd place (but still extremely good!) option. And I believe there are some thinner rockwool batts out there if you need something with a lower profile - It won't perform as well, but it would work better than light-weight fiber board. Heck, he probably could have bought cheap foam board and put fabric around a few layers of it for similar results, and no need for woodwork at that point.
"Better to be too big than too small." My man why you gotta do me like that.
😂😂😂
It's true my friend 😅
Zac, a few suggestions. 1. Float your panel a few inches off the walls. 2. Place your panels for primary reflections (think of mirror reflections from you to microphone off walls…if you’re not already doing this. 3. (Perhaps the last large improvement) Put panels on the ceiling (and thick rugs on the floor).
Very curious my guy, why off the wall a few inches? Spare no detail (that youre willing to share). And by the mirror are you referring to directly behind him or directly in front ?
you can also use layers of towels instead of sonopan behind picture frames. cheaper and much better than most materials.
@@Straixin Hi Straixin, basically you want to space the panel with a gap between the wall because it will absorb more sound. The sound not only goes thru and returns back through the panel, but the more sound traveling in parallel to the panel can be absorbed. Gapping can vary based on material and thickness, but most sites seem to recommend 3-6 inches. More is better but become impractical for small rooms as it eats up so much space. Experiment with gap distance if possible, considering what is still practical (eating up too much space or wide acceptance factor, etc.)
The placement should be for first reflection lines from each speaker off of one “bounce” to each ear. This means from each angle (primary reflections), from front, sides, floor, rear and ceiling. For example, for your left speaker to you left ear, you will need to cover six reflections: L. Speaker to front wall to L ear; L. Speaker to rear wall to L. ear, L. Speaker to L. Wall to L. Ear; L. Speaker to R. Wall to R. Ear; so on and so forth from ceiling and floor too. Also remember to not only do right speaker to right ear, but also the cross from L speaker to R ear and R. Speaker to L. Ear.
This sounds like a ton, but usually panels can be positioned to hit multiple reflection points, so hopefully you do not need to make 24 panels, but hopefully can be managed with as few as six panels.
From there, every reflection after that is also reduced because you reduced the primary. Think of all reflections in your room as a form of noise that interferes with (boosts and attenuates with varying frequency phase/timing of) your original sound/signal.
Once those are addressed to help as much as easily possible, treating corners with bass traps can also tame rooms. Unfortunately, small rooms like bedrooms (8x10’ and up to I believe 14’ wide) will have a difficult time sounding really good due to length of low frequency sound waves , but these starting tips can help make a room much more useable.
The original video by Zac may have already considered these, and I have not watched other videos of his, and it looks likely he did. Just wanted to chime in if those wanting to do something like this want to try and get more mileage from their effort. Hope this helps!
@@1stontario if you go this route, get cheap towels at GoodWill or the like.
good advice. Many overlook the 5th and 6th wall. (ceiling and floor). Every music studio I have seen has a large persian rug.
I've seen this video a hundred times by a hundred different creators. This is by far my favorite because you took the time to research the plausibility of using a different damping material. Good job.
Hey Zac, fellow Canadian checking in! Appreciate the videos, but I'd like to clear up some misinformation for people reading the comments!
The foam panels you show at the beginning only reduce flutter echo and are a cheap, not-so-great solution. They are not similar to the diffusion panel you made because diffusion and absorption are different concepts. As an aside, the wooden diffuser could've been improved by using an online calculator for proper block lengths and placement rather than randomly gluing pieces.
Back to the panels, there's a reason why thicker panels are used and that's because they're meant to absorb sound waves. Sonopan is a material used for sound proofing, which is different than sound treating. The purpose of Sonopan is to keep the sound from travelling through the wall, but if you use it in a panel, it's like covering up a wall by adding another wall. Rockwool does a much better job letting sound waves bounce around and get "trapped" in the panel.
Finally, flutter echo is not the only thing you're trying to fix with sound treating. A major issue is bass build up, which is at its worst in triplanar areas (corners). Panels should be placed where you're likely to have first reflections, but also in corners to mitigate bass build up. Your room has multiple windows and tall ceilings which is kind of a nightmare for acoustic treatment. You could certainly do it, but you'd need a lot more panels and better placement for more effective treatment. There really isn't a huge difference in your audio test.
Hope this helps you and other people reading and if you want to hear my own DIY acoustic panels at work, feel free to check out my music. Cheers!
Hey! Thanks for the insightful comment. Got a link to an online calculator for a wooden diffuser? Thanks!
+1
also, 'i think ...' is never a good way to discern if something is better or not... always measure or at least compare technical specification
Just my two cents here. I wouldn't call it a bass build up, but it's reflections in the corners that cause issues. It makes you pretty much hear the bass 3 times. It's best, if possible, with a normal listening setup, to move the sub forward (same with speakers, move them a bit away from the wall). Depending on the sub size, order, specs, room setup, it can be a third of the length of the room inwards to really improve the sound, to improve sound quality and sharpness of the bass. Especially for bass, it really matters if it's a second, third or fourth order design. If it's a fourth order, where is the vent located, etc. But on the other hand, build up might be a nice way to put it.
Bass traps do work, and work well. Not only on the vertical parts, but also horizontal, at the bottom of the wall.
I fully agree with everything else you said here.
_"Sonopan is a material used for sound proofing, which is different than sound treating"_ -- can you elaborate? Here's my thinking: the problem is sound reflections off the smooth wall surface. If Sonopan is designed to block sound (and it seems you agree it is), then it's preventing sound from reaching the reflective wall surface, preventing echo. And of course, if some sound does make it to the wall, it has to come back out through the sound-blocking Sonopan, further attenuating the sound.
As long as Sonopan sheets aren't _reflecting_ the sound back into the room, isn't "blocking" really the same as "absorbing" (i.e. what rockwool does)? How are those two things actually different? How would a material block sound without actually absorbing it or vice a versa?
@@harvey66616 accoustic panels are not designed to block sound. Accoustic panels are designed to diffuse sound. These panels now block sound, not diffuse sound. They take audio out of the room, instead of spreading it around. Let me give an example. Let's say you have headphones on. The headphone you bought have 100% separated channels. The left signal is only in the left ear, the right signal only in the left ear. After 30 minutes or so, you start feeling tired. That's because audio isn't supposed to work like that. These headphones are blocking the sound to the other ear. Now modify the headphones to let, let's say 10% of the audio pass to the other ear with a 2ms delay. Suddenly you can listen to it for hours and hours.
Both rockwoll and sonopan are therefor kind of a problematic way of solving something. The wooden structure behind him in the beginning would do a much better job. It still reduces echoes, but by diffusing not by absorbing.
Recently found your channel and been binge watching. You attention to detail is how I work myself. Im not a professional carpenter but a retired auto body tech so perfection is still how I approach any projects car/home related. Love the channel dude keep on rocking!!
Thanks Kevin, thats really nice of you to say and I hugely appreciate the support. Thank you so much man!
@@ZacBuilds my pleasure 💪🏼
I’ve just made similar panels but using 3-4 bath towels, stretched and stapled into the frame, covered with a quality black bed sheet. They work great. I had the wood from old bed slats and the towels were $2 each (from a hotel) so they cost me around $10 each to make. They are very large.
Ha! That's an awesome idea and something I never would've thought to do. Nice one Craig!
@@ZacBuilds someone else on TH-cam gave me the idea. He did tests with towels and they were the most effective
Commenting so I can come back. Thanks for the idea!!
Recyclable ♻️ cotton is the best for acoustic panels and ceiling clouds. And you'll never have an issue with harmful particles in the air. Demin is the way to go. Nevertheless, it's more expensive, but just buy cheap bath towels, and you have it.
The corners are always the worst part of covering frames with fabric. But always start each side in the center of all sides and work your way toward the corners. It makes it much easier to keep it all smaooth and straight
Appreciate the tip man! I'll keep that in mind for next time
Ok, first the big problem with the foam panels, besides their being ugly, is that they only absorb in the very upper frequencies, which definitely helps but is not ideal. The reason why Rockwool is chosen is due precisely to it's thickness. The thicker the panel, the greater the sound absorption and the better it performs at absorbing a wider range of frequencies (but not bass, that is a whole other story). The other thing most folks do not do is to mount the panels a few inches off the walls, which when measuring shows significant increase in sound absorption across a maximum frequency range. And the viewed below is entirely correct that sound absorption and sound proofing are very different goals requiring different materials. Those stiff, flat panels may reflect sound waves as much as they absorb them, which is not that much help, whereas rockwool will not tend to produce any reflections. It should also be mentioned that sound diffusion panels should be constructed and installed along with absorption panels, at nearly 50/50 ratio, and some will suggest mixing them along any given wall space. But hey, much better to treat your walls with something vs nothing. I have seen so many pictures of extremely expensive top line hifi systems set up in entirely untreated rooms, which likely sounded horrible.
Hey Zac, great idea! Sound tech here and I see so many people in the DIY space turning to definitely less safe options like fiberglass insulation in their home-made panels. It was great to see an alternative use for something like Sonopan. Honestly, and this is probably due more to how perhaps have your Yeti set up with its back/rejection towards the windows (particularly if you have it set to any thing other than omni), I heard the most monumental change on your lav mic even before you started doing the tests so it’s definitely doing the job! Though it still did help tame some of the mids/upper mids for a definitely cleaner sound over the Yeti. Great idea!
Thanks Matt, unfortunately I think I'm a bit of an idiot. I forgot I had my yeti set to automatically apply a light reverb reduction to all recordings. (It saves time before the wall treatment haha) So ya the lav mic actually gave a much more realistic demonstration of the effect of these panels. Ahhh well you live and you learn right?
Nothing dangerous about rockwool panels , especially because they are covered in fabric
Rockwool isn’t fibreglass.
From my laptop, I wasn't able to hear a difference. However, when I put in my headphones, it was a big difference.
Great work man!
There’s a trick for getting upholstery tight and wrinkle free. Start with one staple tacking down each side, then do opposite sides working from the middle outwards. For the tacks, put a small scrap of cardboard in there so you can easily pull out the staple if needed. I’d start with the two long sides, pulling tight both across and away from the tack. Pulling both ways will keep it nice and taught the whole way across. After that, you might find that the ends are too loose and need pulled tighter, you can rip off the cardboard and there’s space to get a flat head in without damaging the fabric.
For the corners, stop a few inches from the corner. This is where cutting off the extra really helps, all that excess makes it harder to keep it looking nice. What you want to do is cut off the corner at a 45, leaving the sides longer. This is one of those spots where you need to fudge things, the less excess you have the easier it is to hide the extra in the back. Cutting off the extra also keeps bulky fabrics from getting too thick. If you think of something like leather, it’s about 1/32 to 1/8” thick, having 3-4 layers at the corner can be enough to prevent staples from biting the wood and creates enough bulk to keep the seat of a dinning room chair from sitting flush against the frame (think about posts and apron pieces).
With the trimmed corners, fold up the long side. You can tack it on the back and on the short side to keep things nice and smooth. The staple on the short side will get covered when you fold up that side. With that side done, you can take your time folding up the last edge until you get it looking nice. Don’t worry about anything more than 1” past the corner, you can cut that off and ignore it (that’s where you’re fudging it, only the actual corner needs to look good).
Great info, thank you! I'll definitely keep this in mind for next time.
Mr. Rogers used to say to look for the helpers. Found one :)
This is such solid advice, the only thing I'd add to it is that you can steam as you go, this will help the fabric stretch and sit crease free.
I built some with rockwool insulation in a wooden frame, then I got burlap coffee bags from a local roaster and stapled them over it. They looked fantastic and worked a treat.
We did this with rock wool and about 180 panels. Stripping down wood from our old pews to use as frames for my church sanctuary. It took a long time. We used thicker material and took two people per panel to stretch fabric as we stapled it and got it down pretty well.
Great Effect 👍
I did some "Bass Traps" out of cheap foam mattresses and made the frames out of drywall frames. Reason for these frames is that I needed to shape the absorbers triangular to fit floor to ceiling in my funny shaped "under the roof" listening room 🦇 and I didn't have woodworking tools.
Keep on spreading ideas in your very pleasant style and thank You 💚
The thing with sounds is the"frequency" wave length absorptions of the material used.. So the thickness and material density has a great absorption. High pitch is easily absorb, because of small wave length. The lower frequency like bass are longer wave length, therefore need more material to be absorbed. So rockwool versus sonopan and how thick you go. Both would the best but at different wave length. The ultimate would be using both, and varying the thickness.
Nope. Its like saying, on a trip you sometimes drink allot, sometimes little. So therefore you need to varying the size of waterbottle you bring.
Thick material also absorb the high frequencies. The "ultimate" is thick panels combines with diffusors. Thin panels often do more damage than good.
@@haknys I meant you can go thinner depending on the frequency you want to absorb... but definitely the thicker the better.
@@sebastiendesormeaux1853 Yep, 100% agree! The deeper the material, the better it is at absorbing lower and lower frequencies. Absorption where room boundaries meet (corners especially) is the best way to absorb at lower frequencies.
It definitely improves the sound, but you can only go so far if you want to keep it minimal. Cause there's still quite clear echo from it just being a small room with parallel surfaces.
Some random easy things to improve it could be carpet, close curtains, open closet.
You could try tackling some nice basstraps in another video.
Great idea! I'm always on the lookout for new sound absorption materials. I'm going to give this one a try!
Those panels indeed look very good. However, I would suggest that to make the difference more noticeable in the test recording, you should record from a slight distance to the microphone so it has a chance to mix up with the room sound too. At a closer distance, the primary sound source (your voice) is too strong to be affected much by the room reflections. Cheers
Probably will apply effects later during mixing and mastering.
For the microphone I agree it's no problem. But to do a correct mix, the room acoustics will affect that..
Instant sub! My entire entertainment room is done in nautical and the whole reason I've had the panels for 9 months and never installed them, is I don't want to ugly-up my Atlantis vibe. I understand that if you have a couple inches of air between the doubled panels, they're more effective, but that would defeat your goal of the low-profile anesthetics.
Great video. I've been having to record at home for nearly two years and my main room for recording can always do with more panels to absorb reverb.
I'm not handy so I love watching your videos. This time I watched with my 8 year old son, who also enjoyed it! Keep them coming!!
That makes me really happy to read! Thank you for the feedback :)
This definitely looks so much better! I love how sleek they look! I gotta get some Sonopan next time I’m in Canada! I also love the sign and the backlighting! That plus the sound absorption panels makes the office look really clean and nice! I need to make some, and the fact that I’m not working with loose insulation is something that sounds great to me! I can’t stand working with insulation! Great video
Sound better! Nice. Thanks for sharing the build!
Curtains make a huge difference as the windows will be causing a lot of reflections. Some sound blankets (from B and H) up on the ceiling make a huge difference in my home project studio, too and they never appear in the background.
Love the video thank you! Just an FYI if you have thicker panel’s then they will capture more low end frequencies. You would also prefer to float them off the wall about an inch so sound can get behind the panels and be captured as well.
Nice concept. I did something similar for my home studio a few years ago. I used 2x4 ceiling tiles for my acoustic dampening material. Framed them with 1x2 pine, so there would be an empty space behind the ceiling tile material. Much of the sound is absorbed by the ceiling tiles at first contact. Any sound that gets through the ceiling tile (transmission) hits the wall, and has to go back through the tile again to affect the room acoustics. Covered each panel with felt from the fabric store (alternating between black and dark red panels). Ceiling tile is not quite as efficient as Rockwool or other materials (I started with Rockwool but the project would have been very pricey). However, my budget solution still made a big difference in my studio, and the cost was very reasonable. The stiffness of the ceiling tiles made them much easier to work with compared to rockwool. I made 10 total panels, used primarily on 2 opposite walls. Thought about making some panels for the corners of the room, too. I have wood-laminate flooring, so another huge help was laying a large area rug on the floor.
old school tip: start stretching from the middle, outward to the corners -- while pulling fabric flat/wrinkless. don't pull too tight, dependings on fabric.
Appreciate the tip Scott!
I really enjoy all your vides. It makes me sad that you don't have more followers and views. The quality of your content deserves so much more.
Magnets !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh heck Zac, that's THE answer to cover my metal door. The noise in and out of door gaps are the worst. Now I can cover the gaps easily and simply release the magnets if I need the door. Brilliant.
They're truly magic! Great for covering any metal surface. Thanks for watching Thomas
I'd recommend the Bessey Corner clamps, each side have their own little clamp so you can prefit your test piece and keep one side clamped so you can get a tighter fit between the seams
Nice! I'll check those out, thanks for the tip
The new panels definitely look better. When it comes to acoustic treatment. Different thicknesses of the panels and a variation of material affect the different represented frequencies which cause the reverb. And the placement of the panels is just as important especially when we live in square or rectangular rooms.
I have various canvas prints on my wall - if the frames are 1" thick, presumably I can just put this Sonopan straight into the back of the frames and get some acoustic dampening from those, which seems great
That's an interesting idea, though I worry that the canvas wouldn't be transparent to sound. Probably depends on the type of canvas used, but hey it's worth a shot!
well done Sir. and thank you! for ironing those panels. really helps the OCD not seeing creases everywhere
Haha ya it made a big difference in making them look nice and uniform
This is fantastic. I need a few panels like this.
Great job again Zac, nice touch with the material and the mounting.
Kobe 💜💛
Thank you for including your mistakes, It makes the videos more realistic and relatable.
My pleasure! Its all part of the process and an important part of how things get done.
Very nice video. Hopefully you get great use out of them for many years ahead. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work zac. Keep making. God bless.
Thank you Jared :)
@@ZacBuilds you're welcome.
I bet cutting sono pan at a 45° angle and mounting in the panels would help a bit, but then they may not hold in as well as yours did. Awesome build and good way to show everyone that it can be easier to do than most people think, if you have some tools or at least access to them. I would love to give this a shot, as I like the lower profile compared to rock wool. Keep up the amazing content
On my phone, the difference in audio was very minimal. But I definitely agree that the wide open windows are an issue, too.
Fabric can definitely have a huge impact on reflected acoustics. There's a reason speaker grill cloths look the way they do.
This is not very true. Grill cloths mostly never affect the sound coming of the speakers since the thickness is so thin that it is not an obstacle for most frequencies. It could maybe only disturb the very high frequencies (but then you’d need some thick cloth).
The key is that the sound hits the dense sound absorption. If the fabric isn’t breathable then yes it would but if it’s breathable, then no.
@@NewHopeAudio If you ever visit an old movie theater, or most stage theaters, you will find that they have great big deep 10-15" rockwool or foam absorbing panels wrapped in huge heaps of thick dense velvety cloth. It has fallen out of style, but mostly because of the look rather than the effectiveness. Free moving mass is the key to great sound absorbtion, nice thick padded blankets are actually the perfect topper for sound panels. They don't need to 'breathe' because you are not passing air 'through' the panels at all. What you want to do is absorb reflections of vibrations in the air, and those vibrations move in waves. Literally a thick padded blanket hanging on a rod would probably do more good than these panels... but it would look like a granny youtuber space which is probably not what he is going for?
The idea of wanting thin and light breathable material on your sound panels is actually the wrong move, especially with a sturdy wooden frame. You want to pad that thing out as much as possible with heavy material. Big loose sheets and layers of jean, denim, or other such materials may look a little odd, but would help more than the board he is using.
Great video once again Zac. Keep up the awesome content!
Thanks Ryan!
LOL, "a little fussing and a lot of swearing...", I can relate. I found a replacement for an overused expletive, "fork".
I'll have to remember that next time I'm in a rage 😂
ZAC is proof that communication is 90% of success.
There may be an added benefit by spacing the panels about 1" from the wall. The space would act as a trap and the exposed surface area of the back side may add a tiny bit more. This is usually done on ceiling panels.
You had me at "I'm just ironing my sound panels" LOL!😂😂😂
I was caught myself doing it and just thought "this is so weird..." 😂😂
Great video! I've got a bunch of sonopan I want to use to make a sound dampening box for my compressor at the shop!
Thanks bro, It will 100% work for that application. I once saw a boom box sealed in Sonopan that was completely muffled at max volume. A compressor should be a walk in the park in comparison
One way to make those panels even more special is you can get some custom printed fabric (printful is one company that does this, but there are many) and you can cover them in that fabric with any pattern you want to use.
This is cool. I love building my own things vs. buying them. It saves money and custom is almost always better.
I think the size of the room plays a big factor with sound deadening. (think of the referee in a football stadium echo!)
If you covered the walls and ceiling with these panels in a small closet, the sound would be perfect.
You still have lots of area that will bounce the sound around. Many people overlook the floor and ceiling. Have you ever talked inside an empty room with hardwood flooring? 6 faces of echo!
If I am not mistaken, isn't there mathmatical equations of how many panels are needed in a room depending on size?
I've heard putting panels on a 45degree angle on wall corners top to bottom really helps.
You would also benefit from bass traps where any two or three flat surfaces (two walls > ceiling or floor) meet. They absorb rogue low frequencies where they gather up in corners. I see you have an RPG diffusor, which is great. You can also use bookshelves at empty wall spots filled with books on the shelves at random depths, to form a non-uniform face of spines on each shelf. Parallel surfaces are the enemy, so if you can slightly pitch your ceiling or use an acoustic ceiling cloud, it helps a lot.
I just lost it over your shop! So dope
Try to do sound acoustic with the same basic frame but inside put 5/8 layers of towels... I saw this experiment on some YT channel i dont remember but the sound was so stupid good that i was blown away! Even better than professional acoustic panels . The sound was perfect , no reverb and a perfect straight line from lows's to high Freq. !
Looks Good! some full wall height heavy curtains over the windows will also make a big impact
This was really well produced, very entertaining 👍
Thanks Ben, always appreciate your support bro!
Thats got to be one the coolest staplers I've ever seen
When you attach a fabric to a frame, *start from the middle* of the length, a couple stapples, then do *the opposide side,* also couple stapples, after you've _stretched the textile_ a bit.
Then do the two other sides thes same way.
Then, stapple some more spots, each time going from center to corners and stretching the fabric a little bit.
Stapple the corners in the end.
Beautiful build. I like the sleek look. Add one more panel above your recording PC. I did this on my setup and it helped a lot with reverb and echo, when I play at night times and could here myself talk. Also I will try to find that material here in Germany and build one for myself.
Thanks! And that's a good idea about having one above, I'll have to see if that's feasible some how. I'm slowly starting to wonder if Sonopan might be a Canada only product, so let me know if you have any luck finding it locally
This is a very nice alternative to those who dont want the fire prone polyurethane foam, the expensive melamine foam, or the idea of having fibreglass or rockwool with only a cloth barrier in their room.
Yeah, yeah! Need good looking acoustic panels! 😍
Pro tip, get a helper to hold a mirror up against the side walls. Sit where you will speak. Move the mirror panels across the wall until you can see the mic in the mirror reflection. This is your primary reflection point and most effective place to put your sound deadening. If using a cardoid, directly in front and behind the mic also.
Anything is better than nothing! Looking great :)
Something to note, you do want something thicker to absorb lower frequencies/more frequencies. Having something on the walls will help with super high frequencies and get rid of the “ping” sound some spaces have. For watchers, before making a similar project make sure to research materials, frequencies and absorption coefficient(you could get super nerdy about this stuff but for most, there’s no need to). This controls how the room sounds, not if the sound gets out of the room. Cheers
Nice video Zac! Now I just need to get a table saw and other toys! 😛
Nice option for sound panels. I haven’t seen that material before. For sure those blinds will help.
Thanks Dave, and ya blinds are definitely down during normal recording for optimal performance 😀
Great panels, I used dollar store towels in a canvas for my panels but I like this better. Might even make a few DML speakers and put it all together.
Great video! Love the end result!
Looks great and works well!
Hey! We seamstress gals LOVE to see guys buying stuff in fabric stores! I always wonder about what their project is and how close they’ll come to actually replicating their ideas. This would reflect on newbies and DYI-ers…….I would never question the outcome of a professional upholsterer - I don’t think!! Glad this turned out - it might be the solution for our echo-y family room.
I'm going for a minimal, all-white '2001: A Space Odyssey' look for my studio and it's hard finding white acoustic foam (that doesn't yellow). I think I'll follow this tutorial to make my own panels. Thank you
you could just spray pain the panels/acoustic material white after assy
I definitely interested in knowing how the sound gets effected relative to other minerals. I would also love to know how to mount a panel with some space from the wall like an inch or two out for the mineral to capture more with less material contents but still remain sturdy and safe for home appliance or startup office. I'd also love to know how that effects the sound and if it rivals commercial bass traps.
Your a genius! Love your design!
i'm glad this was in my recommendations, you're so cute! and this was an interesting build
The timing of this video is perfect, I was just thinking about getting some acoustig panels
Nice! Might be fun to make your own :)
@@ZacBuilds Oh definitely gonna make some now, thanks!
This is good for the highest frequencies and reflections, but like others have said, for a more even frequency response space from wall and I’d even double up those pads. With sound waves, distance matters. Only the shortest waves will be affected up against the wall
I subscribed because of the “Kobe!” And also because you do a lot of amazing builds.
Haha thanks Andrew! Happy to have you onboard :)
Although the panels reduce reverb, there is still significant reverb. It's largely because you are only covering a relatively small portion of the wall surface.
… A fraction of the total room reflective area, walls but also floor and ceiling
nope, you can only cover 10-50 percent of a wall before benefits to the impact on sound starts start rolling off
What was the weight of your fully-constructed panel? I'm considering mounting mine with magnets attached to washers drilled into the wall.
I enjoyed your video (and another recent one with ceiling panels). When I looked up Sonopan, they seem to be CA only. This led me down a rabbit hole of other options, and I'm seriously thinking about getting an 8-pack of 2'x4' acoustic ceiling tiles (which are cheap) and framing around them. Getting photos printed on fabric would be more expensive, but fun and a great options for restaurants looking to make their dining rooms quieter.
th-cam.com/video/Un1fqRmKxV0/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your time and sharing
good job
here in germany we can buy rockwool in plenty different thicknesses, 4cm to 10cm in 1cm increments. that's 1.6 inches up to 4 inches in 0.4 inch increments in imperial units.
but wood fiber acoustic panels are absolutely a thing even in recording studios. they are generally speaking more efficient in absorbing bass frequencies though. towards the highs they are less absorbant and more reflective, atleast compared to rockwool.
This is true of plain fiberboard, which we manufacture also. SONOpan is less dense than normal board and has over 17,000 impressions to create differing densities within the panels to absorb a wide range of sound frequencies. Right now though they're only available in Canada, US and Japan. Stay tuned though, we have big plans :)
The point of Rockwool is mass absorption, and it works AMAZING when you install it right. Inside walls it is mostly going to kill midrange and bass noises, and won't be as effective for higher frequencies, but that isn't what they are made for, and those are going to leak through the 2x4s rather than the rockwool.
The green board sits between drywall and 2x4s, which allows for sound isolation more than absorption. Hang some heavy drywall on one side, and use isolating screws, and rockwool between the studs, and you have true sound-proofing for a room.
When hanging sound treatments ON the wall instead of behind, you actually want loose dense material that covers a broad even spectrum of sound. Rockwool is truly the best application for this kind of stuff as it will absorb most frequencies pretty evenly. I'm sure this also works pretty well too, but I would bet that rockwool would work better, and cover more frequencies more evenly.
Lastly, don't forget the floor and ceiling. You have a big fat bass-trap (couch) sitting directly behind you, which is probably your best audio treatment. But adding a short carpet, and having a couple diffusers or absorption panels to the ceiling will probably make a larger overall difference in the room than your panels.
Neat project though! And they do look nice and seem to help at least a bit! I'll have to look up that material for my upcoming project. I'm in a 1950s style basement space, and it makes for a very live room with lots of concrete, cinderblock and aged hardwood... it's live down here lol. But I also hate working with rockwool, but keep using it because it is like magic for my house! Every time a wall is opened up, some rockwool goes in, and it makes a small house feel so much larger! Just that audio distance of not hearing every word that everyone says at all times from anywhere really makes a difference! Anywho, if the price on those panels isn't too bad, I might have to try backing a rockwool panel with them. The fabric will keep it in the front, and the paneling can hold in the bakc, and add a little extra depth and rear transparency so it can more effectively be used to 'double absob' audio without needing a literal air-gap behind the panel.
But seriously, people don't give enough thought to their audio environment. Having a nice quiet 'dead' sound space... you can just feel the tension melt when it is done right. It is so nice, even if most people don't have any idea why.
Love the videos! I can see you have definately caught the audiophile bug, love from Ontario.
Thanks Taylor!
I have made 4 panels of 1.2 x 2.5 meter with 80mm rock wool, standing from floor to ceiling dividing the living room in 2 separate rooms but are only friction fit with foam and is easy to move. I plan to move 1 or 2 panels to the wall making a passage and join the two rooms during the summer. The difference is a lot bigger than your smaller panels, it's almost completely dead. Just some window and ceiling reflections remain but these are caught quicly and don't bounce around in the room anymore. I also saved 1000 euro's of the energy bill per year, so the cost was recovered two fold in just one year. The rockwool isn't so bad, just unroll in the frame, fix with some screws, cover with canvas, very little dust while building and no dust when covered. And no saw required to cut panels, just a sharp knife, drill, hand saw and a stack of 90mm wide boards. I've placed 3.6mm plywood boards as backing to make it airtight.
One more thing I highly suggest is putting foam in the 90° corners of the room. That should help significantly.
New subscriber here. Dude, love the videos. Binge watching lol.
Heck ya man, thrilled to have you on board!
This just made me think of Tech Ingredients "world's greatest speakers" video and I think you should make a pair
Wondering if you'd left the SANOPan panels single thickness and doubled the wall surface covered? IOW, do two layers give you double diffusion, or does twice the surface coverage of one layer give you more diffusion?
Killer job, Zac! Those sound panels should definitely help with our upcoming project 🤫
Exactly! 😉
Hey man! Looks like the fabric works fine for holding in the materials on the back, but I have tried things like very thin wood panels and screen (like patio type) on the back and it's worked some what ok. Maybe see if one of those helps if you ever make more, thanks for the video my man! I prefer your frame style over trying to miter and fit 1x3s
We're all in here rooting for your channel to blow up big time. Your production skills and extensive expertise combined with your ability to present and your conversational tone with the viewer is truly something to behold! Sub'd for more, and I can't wait!
Zac, you took the idea right out of my head. I have been wondering if Sonopan could be used effectively as sound absorption panel filler!
The potential issue with it is that it's designed to STOP sound from moving from one room to another (transmission). This could mean that, while the sound is prevented from making it through to the next room, it's bounced back into the room where it originated. That is exactly what you're wanting to avoid in this kind of application. It may be why the results of his test weren't as different as they could have been. What you need is a material that will most effectively ABSORB the sound.
I was not able to locate SONOpan in my area here in Dallas Tx. Is there an alternative you would recommend?
I wish I could source sonopan locally, but can't so I went with dense recycled foam. Tip... I ordered a few extra sound absorbing curtains when I did my windows so that I could use that fabric to cover the panels. They match/blend in with the window treatment and with their extra felt linings, it provided a bit extra sound absorption. Put the felt on first wrapping front and rear, then use the top layer of the curtain to finish the panels off. Make sure to mount the panels an inch or two off the walls if possible... improves performance.
I luck out... my main diffusion "panel" is a large 8x9' rubble stone fireplace directly opposite to my AV setup. Works perfectly to breakup the sound and I only needed a few acoustic panels opposite the sliding doors to the patio I put the curtains on (both to the sides of the AV setup).
Where can you buy this sonopan stuff and how does it measure up against owens 703 and rockwool?
I should definitely do somethings similar for the studio.
Not gonna lie- the bare room had a slightly brighter EQ that I kind of liked. That said, as a musician, this stuff is a major quality of life booster for anyone doing a lot of practicing or teaching.
At least you know they're acoustic panels.
I don't mind the industrial look. Makes me feel like I'm in a studio.
Nice video, looking to do the same thing. One thing to note, I have the yeti X microphone and the software is pretty good at noise cancelling. Was that switched on when doing the comparison because I could hear a difference but not massively. The video itself was a better comparison.
Good job either way. I like your recording style. Keep it up.
Oh damn thats a good question, I didn't even think to see if the de-reverb was turned on in the software. I've definitely got the compression turned on and a few other effect enabled. I thought the different in real life was way more noticeable than the recording showed and this could be a very good explanation for why
I have 80mm Rockwool Sonorock in all my walls (2x4's, 12mm OSB + 9mm plasterboard) and 120mm Sonorock in all my ceilings. I do not hear a sound from other rooms, except for contact noises. So mineral wool definately works for me in that application.
I'm sure someone already said this so throw this comment away if not needed 😊 but float those panels off the wall a bit. Air is the best dampener. Think about the angles of sound absorption like light bouncing off a mirror. Put panels up in the spots the "light source" (your mic) would bounce light back toward itself.. Also, treat your ceiling the same way. With the ceiling, however, you might want to angle the panels towards your mic set-up. I'm guessing you have hardwood floors so I would also put a nice big rug down (something with some plush or cushion) and maybe some stuff in the corners of the room. Bookshelves full of books work great if you're not trying to build bass traps 😁
All those "not a pro" suggestions aside. Awesome video. Definitely gives me ideas for my studio 😎👍
that hammer stapler though, that's something else. I just added it to my amazon basket. That looks way too much fun for a tool.
Haha it's funny, I love that tool, but for this job I think I wouldve preferred a normal stapler for thr accuracy. If you're ever install house wrap though, the hammer stapler is unbeatable 😂