Homemade sound panels


In the mitts of making my own homemade sound panels.Was wondering if anyone tried this before?I have been doing alot of research on the subject but like to here from some excperience builders.Any tips on material used.Or any thing you whould of done different in your own designs..Any help would be great..
spaz

Showing 4 responses by magfan

OC703 is the material of choice for many DIY panels. It comes in 1" or 2" and maybe even thicker 2'x4' sheets, usually in '6 packs'.
You Tube (no kidding) has a couple vids on such constructions.

My plan is to treat '1st reflection' points and the back wall of my listening area. This will reduce the echo type effect while leaving the rest of the room fairly live.

Don't overdo it!
I guess the catagory would be 'broadband absorbers' or some such. certainly NOT tuned, i would use panels such as I describe to treat excess 'liveness' in any listening area. Placed on the wall between speakers, you may be able to modify the image.
My use will, again, be to damp out the first reflection point of each speaker, Magnepan 1.6s.
My first pass effort will be to make some panels on stands to move around and see....listen actually! If I can make a few specific improvments in image/staging while damping out the back part of the fairly long (25' or so) room, I'll call it quits. When I decide on location....maybe a 4 month project, I'll do a permanent mounting.
Owens Corning 703 is some kind of boiler insulation which has gained a decent DIY reputation in the audio catagory.
I suppose with only a little ingenuity, you could make panels in any desired shape or size. I'll stick to the 'as issued' 2'x4' and multiples of that.

Next step is to find some accoustic fabric....maybe a trip up to the fashion district in LA and see the sights. Since I share the space with spouse, I must consider WAF and even make new drapes part of the negotiations. You can't be too careful!
Just my opin......I would lose the pegboard. Also, foam doesnt' transmit sound. the object is to either aborb, turning sound energy into heat, or to diffuse/reflect randomly. The 705 will absorb, since it is 'transparent' to sound. If you can't breath thru it, the foam will tend to reflect.
Mounting away from the wall is a good idea, it'll give you incoming and outgoing 'treatment'.
Again, just my opin, but I'd either make diffusors or absorbers. The local fabric outlet has a real open 'fabric' which would be good for covering 703/5 doing as you suggest, keeping the fibers in. Cover the whole thing in accoustic cloth and your there.

As a sidenote, an anachoic space is NOT what you want. I've been in a very dead recording studio and it is ...funny sounding..... Many normal audio 'q's are simply gone missing. Don't do that to your listening space.
Ngjockey, The pegboard could be damped by either its natural internal friction or by a sheet of something laminated or layered with it. If the holes are 1/4", it will pass frequencies above about 50,000hz, clearly in 'Bat' territory.
Either way, it will still reflect and the OC705 behind it will be wasted.
Why just cotton? It will absorb moisture and be more sunfade prone. A good poly synthetic will have acceptable acoustic properties while having a better, longer lasting finish.

I think Spaz needs to answer a few questions, starting with what he wants to make.....Reflector/diffusors? Absorbers or some kind of single frequency resonator? Is his room Too live? Boomy? Shrill/glassy?

When I start down this path, I've already found a source for 2" OC703 and a selection of fabric covering and a Very open white scrim to prevent fiberglass bleed thru. I would like to find an upholsterer to do the finish work and make a complimentary drape set. WAF, you know! I won't even buy a nail until I know what I want to make, how many and how to keep it neat.