DIY Bass Traps: Home Studio Room Acoustics
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- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- I've spent the past few weekends working on DIY room acoustics. The first part I knocked out was bass traps. This method was influenced by many of the knowledgeable room acoustic professionals I've learned from online, most notably Ethan Winer.
I chose to use Roxul Safe N' Sound because it is very effective and seems less messy than other insulation alternatives. You can purchase Roxul Safe N' Sound at Lowes, but most stores only carry the 16" width batts. However, you can order 24" from their website, and if you buy 3 or more packages you get free shipping to your local Lowes store.
I wanted to build mine in such a way that the insulation would fill the whole corner, but they could be stacked up without building anything into the walls. After some trial and error, this is the most cost effective and efficient way I came up with for what I wanted. I shot some video while building one of them and put together this tutorial.
Remember to investigate your room for any obstacles or obstructions, and to measure the distance from your floor to ceiling. I recommend going with 8 layers of Roxul per section, and possibly one section with fewer layers on each corner to accommodate your ceiling height.
~ Music Credits ~
Song 1: Jazzhar - Friends
Song 2: Alec's Band - Young Adult Friction
Song 3: Daniel Veesey - Beethoven's Sonata No. 13 in E Flat Major
Song 4: Revolution Void - Line of Flight - Hudba
Protip: For fabric other than fleece, such as burlap or muslin, don't tack the fabric at the corners first. Tack it across the center instead, then work towards the corners. This will make sure you don't have any bunching along the edges while maintaining a clean surface.
this guy is really good but 1.5 playback speed is a must
i had it on 1.5 as my default but it still seemed too slow!
1.25 is sweet spot for me
1.5 is perfect, thank u
I use 1.5 on normal guys. but this guy becomes normal at 1.5 lol. So 2.0 is best
I'm watching at 0.25 because I'm a slow learner...
You really want to cover the invisible sides of the trap as well. And just maybe arrange for an air gap behind them. I found that the gaps actually helps a lot. The trap won't go lower in frequency but it will attenuate more in the frequency range it covers. Thanks for the video, almost 4 years after the fact :)
I think they actually will attenuate lower frequencies, depending on how large the gap is. At least that what I found when researching this topic. Either way, a gap is definitely advisable because you're effectively allowing the air to permeate into an open space, before rebounding back into the trap. This is better than if the insulation is flush against the wall, in which case you're only getting the benefit of reduced pressure at the boundary, not the benefit of reduced velocity at that area as well, which you do get when there's a gap.
Thanks a lot. You've solved my 45 degree question for the 2 outer corners and the inner corner. Now I'm set.
Thanks Homie... years later you're my hero!! :)
No problem! Thanks for watching!
One of the best videos on this subject I've found yet.
Thank you!
thank you so much! very detailed tutorial, seriously one of the best I've seen for acoustic panels on yt 👏🏻👌🏻
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Thanks for the help. Easiest follow along I have seen. Snapped together like legos.
Amazing! Thanks for taking the time to make such an in depth tutorial :)
dude was smokin some of that wool
@@laurabrown6073 An even better idea is 4 ft thick Bass Trap curtains. Grandma won't be able to open them but that's fine.
duuude
Todd, I dont subscribe to many channels, but I did to yours. First let me say you have some really great DIY ideas for the small home studio and they have helped me in constructing my own. Second, your positive and respectful delivery in the content just makes you a class act. Thank you Sir!
Thanks a million David! I really appreciate you taking the time to send this message and let me know! I enjoy running the channel and sharing the advice. It is amazing how much you can do to improve a home studio workflow or make it more efficient.
agree 100%
Todd, that was awesome! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
No problem Nick! Thank you, and hope you found the video helpful!
These are the ones I’m gonna build. Thanks bro. This is the detail I needed.
Nice work! Ethan is indeed an amazing resource and a very friendly and helpful guy. He's forgotten more about acoustics than a lot of his competitors know.
Thank you! Agreed! I've seen many of his forum posts and articles. He also has some interesting videos on his CZcams channel, including one I really liked where he shows his home theater acoustic setup! I appreciate the feedback, and have a good week!
Ethan is a charlatan who's ONLY involvement in audio has been hawking ugly absorbents to an uneducated client base. he didn't even know what diffusion is until i mentioned it to him. then he was all over it. anytime someone name drops Ethan's name i know they are idiots.
The stackable part is straight genius! I just prepared tonight to build one in the corner so I didn’t need to move it. I’m changing directions after watching this.
Hey, do you know how people hang the floating panels from the wall? Like what is the hardware I’ve been searching for a few days. Home Depot and Lowe’s workers don’t really have any ideas.
I’m wondering why some people will do bass traps all the way from the floor up to the ceiling? Do you know what the benefit would be taking a beast trap all the way up to the ceiling?
Todd you are so crafty and good with your hands! A real mans man!!
Haha thank you DopeRed tv!
Great idea creating stacks brotha I was about to build permanents but this won me over thanks for shedding some light
+David Casto No problem. Glad the video was helpful! I have already moved mine to another room once without any problems.
Alex / Australia
Thank you so much for your video.
I had just bought some expensive (for me) speakers, but was disappointed with the result. However, I built your traps to only halfway up the ceiling for domestic reasons, and then packed them with some spare limp fiberglass wool I had, to the density roughly near your rock-wool.
The sound is now superb!!!!!!! Lovely firm bass and such beautiful detail in the music.
And video is so much fun to watch too.
Good on you Todd.
Thank you Alex! I'm so glad to hear they worked out for you! It is amazing what something like this can do to clean up the sound and make a nice set of speakers really shine!
"For domestic reasons"... I laughed!
Great video, thanks for the design advice. Just what I need for my room.
Found that really useful. Will use this design myself. Thanks from the UK. Subscribed.
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful! The stackable design was worthwhile for me because I've already switched rooms twice and they are still good as new!
Hey man, thanks for taking the time to make this tutorial. I learned a lot!
No problem!
One of the Best Ideas of SoundProofing is "SoundProof Curtains" it actually Block outside Noise coming from Windows. Check Here: livesoundproof.com/best-soundproof-curtains/
I still have a foldable vocal mobile booth from years and years ago that Ethan made with his company RealTraps and it is so excellent for voice over in a semi-treated or even untreated room, but do a little work yourself and then throw this booth into the mix = clean vocals to mix. Wonderful products.
Thanks for the vid. I wish there was a before and after test for acoustic performance so we all can appreciate the difference.
Nicely done. I appreciate how simple you kept things. It's a good idea for those on a budget and listen for "listening" purpose - just enjoyment of the source. :)
I agree! Thanks for stopping by!
Great tutorial! If you use fiberglass screen mesh around the whole thing it will get rid of the lumpyness on the front and keep the insulation in the back from coming out.
+Glassic Gamer great tip! And thank you!
Thanks for the video. I'll have to employ this style for my builds.
Great Video!! Thank you for making it. Not an easy to make them, thank you for taking the time!!👍
No problem! Glad it was helpful.. Thanks for watching!
People talking about the way you talk but I have to compliment you on your sound quality. It sound amazing in there. I'm just hanging up some panels against reverb though, it just takes sooooo much insulation to fill up such a large volume.
Nice job dude. gonna make some pretty soon.
Great stuff man! Looking to do something like this for the corners in my new studio
thank you. I plan on building these for my drum room. Nicely done video easily understood.
Thank you! They will likely be a huge help getting clean recordings of drums. If your room is currently untreated, this can really help tighten things up.
You should totally name this channel "Toddio." Rad vid: excellent design and tips, and great design. Just subscribed, with notifications. Thanks!
Love the jazz in the background, too.
haha I might do that one day! Right now I like having "Audio" in the name so it makes it clear for people have haven't found it yet. Thanks for the suggestion! People call me Toddio sometimes. Maybe in one intro I can experiment with saying "Heyyyy, it's Toddio with Todd Audio!" Very much appreciate the subscribe and comments. Thank you for stopping by and hope you enjoy the videos!
hahaha I had the same thought!
the best video about diy triangle corner bass traps! thanks
+Fokushi no problem and thank you for your feedback!
Great vids man, hope your channel grows!
Thank you Michael! I really hope so too haha. I appreciate your feedback. I'm actually working on picking and planning the next video currently.
Thanks for the tut, fairly in-depth. But for the love of Larry, pls demo safe shop practices: wear a dust/fibre mask and long sleeves when handling rockwall, never ever ever ever reach over a table saw while cutting (!), and while your at it, put some wood or foam padding on a concrete floor to kneel on. My aged back and knees are still recovering after watching that segment. Plus, as someone also pointed out, an air gap = to depth of material is likely to improve acoustic performance. That said, those are fairly nice looking bass traps and the stackable approach is pure bueno :)
I work with rockwool a lot in my garden and I would strongly suggest wearing a mask and gloves. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we are all tough guys and don't need no stinking saw guards or masks but that first time I used rockwool without gloves, I spent the rest of the night with hands that felt like they were full of tiny splinters. Make sure if you do make your own panels that you wrap the wool completely on all sides especially if you have children, old folks, or pets in the home.
Dear Todd - I love that you use something other than the standard red or black fabric that every panel seems to be made with.
Thanks so much for the feedback! Haha I enjoy the variety I guess. I don't have a ton of space in the room I'm in now either so the lighter panels make it feel more open. Have a good night!
No one is too manly for PPE
Please be careful when using a table saw without the guide. You did a good job at telling people to be careful, however this is one of the most dangerous ways to use the tool.
Great bass trap! I may do this pretty soon.
Thank you and great advice! I appreciate the consideration and reiteration because you can never be too careful!
Yah, you should have gotten a miter gauge with your table saw. Free handing wood one a table saw will result in wood being thrown at you at the speed of a bullet. Take it from a person with practical experience!
The table saw is the number one finger chopper of all wood working equipment, bar none.
I'm working on a music studio for my son now. I ripped all of the walls out so I can insulate the walls to sound proof as much as I can. I'll be putting all of this on my channel. I will let you know when I'm done and after I build these traps you document. I just subbed.
That's awesome, I bet he will be super excited! Roxul Safe n' Sound is a good choice for soundproofing as well. Have you thought about leaving the drywall off after insulating and just covering it with fabric so you still get the absorption in the room to cancel out the reverberations? Although, the room would probably be really dead sounding.. except that could be a good thing for home recording depending out the setup and what he is doing. Thanks for letting me know you will be building these. Awesome to hear when something I posted helps someone else out! I look forward to checking out your studio videos on your channel!
excellent tutorial!
Thank you!
Can't wait to make mine
Super tutorial, thank you!
DUDE!!!! Awesome Video bro im building my bass traps now based off this. Thanks again for all the tips !
Great to hear man! Let me know how it works out!
Hey, how did the traps work out?
Awesome guide
I don't like his voice but i also love his voice.
Vocal fry, slow, but so chill and kind sounding
Don't change anything
Great video!
Very informative and inspirational, I'll do it exactly the same, greetings from Germany
Nice one. I'll make one myself after seeing your video. One tip is using a Dacron fabric before the finishing fabric. It will make it look smoother.
That's a good idea! Thanks! Just make sure it is a breathable fabric. A rule of thumb is you should be able to cover your eyes and still see light through it.
Great video, cheers
awesome job! really informative, in-depth instruction & relaxing voice over. thanks a ton!
Thank you! Glad you liked the video and I appreciate the feedback!
Good tutorial mate thanks
Nice tutorial! I think i may build a couple of those, but i would wrap the 3 sides in foil before attaching the fabric. (Agree on those safety concerns many people have here, i have been a carpenter myself, and a finger may be cut badly much quicker than you can react. Though that little saw you are using is unlikely to kick back. You gotta be more careful when using real powerful machines though.)
Great video! Thank you!
Thanks Todd, You made everything easy, cheaper and it took care of my bass problem, thumps up
Great to hear! Thank you. One person commented recently that people have had even more success by putting a layer of craft paper on the front. It should help reflect some of the higher freqs to keep the room sound a bit more live and apparently also helps flex and absorb the really low end a little better. Im pretty happy with it already but it is worth a try I think. Easy mod for the price of craft paper.. and easy to remove if I don't like it. Haha thought I'd share the tip. If you end up trying it first and have any luck let me know! Thanks!
Hi yes part of the fun is to tweak and test when you are DIY kind of person. so I will definitely test the craft paper. By the way, you have this fantastic dialect, were in the states do you come from? Me, well I am from Sweden, Stockholm
Great video… I found nothing wrong in this video and the narrating was spot on.
Thank you!
An electric bread knife works REALLY well for cutting the insulation.
Good to know! I've been wondering what to use.
cool concept!
Good video man. Thanks!
Great video
Thanks, great video. Can you tell me why you made the bass traps those particular dimensions?
Great video . I thought low frequency will go through hard surfaces.
I'm not sure how well it's going to work on just fiberglass.
Please let me know how your mix is coming out . Does it sound the same in your car or other systems like it does in you room the low end. Thx .
Great video.
Pretty sure this is the best bass trap video! thanks a lot will help with my uni project loads :)
Also if anyone here can tell me if this type o bass trap is a Velocity bass trap ( porous/ broadband absorber?) Thanks
+Lewis Amoroso hello, thank you! Yes it is porous and broad band. It will absorb a broad range of frequencies and not just bass, unless you were to make modifications to reflect higher frequencies, which I haven't tried myself. In my experience they tighten up the bass a great deal and also deaden the room sound.. some people prefer a dead room for mixing while others still like some reflections.
+Lewis Amoroso If you look up "super chunk bass trap" this is pretty much it!
Thank you so much! Subbed for any future videos!
Very good video,I would love to know how you placed them on the wall,did you nail them on the wall?
Thx for sharing. How well do they work .
Thx again
Hey Todd! I see you have 3 bass traps for each corner. Does the item list cover the items needed per whole corner (all three bass traps), or per bass trap? Great vid!
@Todd Audio- Great video, but I have a load of questions. I want one corner trap-really don't want to stack. The height is approx. 80". Could I make my frame that long or should I make two frames at 40"?
Also, I don't have a table saw-Do you think Lowe's or Home Depot would make those 45 degree cuts if I purchased the 2"X 2" strips?
I'm trying to wrap my head around how you made those triangular cuts? How did you calculate the measurement of the 3 sides?
Awesome tutorial. Curious, how many of these traps can you make with one pack of roxul?
THANK YOU!
Like the fabric on your panels!
+eggfooyuong thank you!
what kind did you use?
Fleece
great video, thanx for share!
great video. but how did you mount them in the corners? and what about leaving an air gap?
holy crap! never cut anything on a table saw like that!!! super dangerous. Ive been a carpenter for over 20 years and I would never even think of cutting anything like that. That could bind on the saw and pull your hand right into the saw.
Other than that, good vid!
+Christopher Kent haha thank you! Yes I have had several comments warning of this. I might add more precautions to the description about what to do different from what I did when using th saw. Thanks!
Might be a good idea. Didn't want to post a negative on your video, just made me nervous. I'm building a small practice room/recording studio. Thanks for the vid!
:D - and as a carpenter for 20 years, you have never done this? hundreds of times maybe? :). Of course it's not the safe way to use a table saw - but there are limits to how super careful you need to be. Sometimes it is just more practical to saw things freehand. Every carpenter knows this :). No use denying that :D But you gotta be very aware of what you do when freehand sawing like this, and from what I can see in the video, mr. Todd Audio have no problems with this.
But hey, safety police are always lurking around these kinda videos hehe.
Don't get me wrong - it is not safe, but it most certainly isn't as dangerous as many want it to be. From the way he handles the saw and wood, there is no chance that things just fly off in the wrong direction out of control. It might bite a bit, but not out of control.
best regards from a long time furniture maker that also knows his way around table saws.
No, I dont do this!!! That is what band saws, routers, etc, are for. Use the right tool for the job. When I started in carpentry, I had a boss that would have kicked my ass if I did this...and now, I would never let any of my employees do this!!!! Very stupid and very dangerous. DON'T DO IT! I dont want anyone to think in any way this is something they should try or might get away with. This is how you loose fingers. Ive seen some very bloody injuries on the job site from guys who "didnt like to listen". Ask any REAL wood worker or carpenter, they will tel you the same.
it's totally fine to do use the table saw like this.
if you don't care about your appendages.
Awesome video thanks dude!! :)
+Aaron Pelaez no problem! Glad you liked the video!
They look great but how well do they work at absorbing the below 100hz sound waves ?
Nice job
what a rad dude. You can probably do a rad Gump impression- JENNAY! thank you so much for this man, going to do this weekend.
+morrissey man hahaha thank you! Glad ypu liked the video and hope the bass traps are coming along!
Hey great video. What i couldnt find in the video is if you used hight density in kg for safe and sound or low density?what would you suggest in this section?
Maaaann your good, i can see the tips of all five fingers on the floor at my house...lol. great video man.
+Bob Tee haha thanks! Yes, I actually should have recommended using a stock miter gauge and fence where possible, as Andrew mentioned in his comment. Safety first!
If he did smoke some fine stuff then I like this video even more than I thought I did.
Seriously though, looks great and thank you for sharing
great video ! would fleece be the best option to avoid any kind of "leakage" of the fiber and create a bad environment for health (lungs .. etc) ?
I’m wondering about this too
LACONIC! Fantastically Laconic, I approve.
Thank you!
nice video man
Great video. Thanks so much! Btw, do you know roughly how much you spent per trap in parts?
+DJ IBG thanks! I estimate I spent about $100 to $125 per trap.
Great Video Bro
Thank you!
really nice
thats very helpful video thank you for that.
No problem!
Thank you! Great tutorial! :-)
Thanks!
Great job! Thanks. How much difference would it make to just have one piece covering the opening with space behind it?
It would still help, but not as much below 100hz. Compared to the bare wall it still makes a big difference in the overall sound. I have another video called DIY Acoustic Panels that shows how to make panels with just one sheet of the Roxul into a frame.
Thanks for the video! I'm looking at trapping my room but it's awkwardly laid out. I'm wondering why you need the frame? Seems like spray adhesive/hot glue, fabric and the safe and sound would make a usable trap?
No problem thanks for watching. Some people use shelves in the corners. Without a frame or support you eventually end up stacking enough to the point where it is too much weight on the bottom and becomes unstable.
Nice work, would have been nice to hear the difference! :)
Genius !
appreciate your effort, but did you actually measured if that has any impact on frequencies below 100Hz? I thought a simple acoustic mat can't do anything to low frequencies unless you use tonnes of it
Thanks for this!
+Spero no problem!
Thanks man!🙂
did you smoke fine stuff that you sound soooooooo relaxed?
hahaha nope I didn't, I'm just a relaxed guy I guess. Thanks for watching!
That slow talking is not too bad, because it makes it easier to understand for non native americans. I got every word.
juergen s, : agree
Just listening to him gave me the munchies.
@@juergens4169 lol, that slow talking makes it hard for us northerners in the U.S. to understand:))
Is it possible to use hemp wool instead of rockwool ?
Top Shelf Video. Nice 👍🏼
Thank you!
Hello Todd, great video! I'm considering building these for my room. I'm looking to do so more for rehearsal purposes, rather than recording. Have you found that they significantly dampen the sound to people outside your home?
+Justin Talley thanks! Not exactly with the way it is used here with building bass traps, but the Roxul Safe N Sound material is actually designed for soundproofing. However, to use it for it's purpose, you would need to insulate your walls with it entirely. If not inside your walls, you would need to cover all of the surface area on your walls, or nearly all of it with panels. I have another video on my channel showing how I made panels. They sell Safe N Sound in both 16" and 24" wide batts. The bass traps and panels used for accoustic treatment will help slightly to keep sound from escaping the room, but there is still plenty of areas for the sound to escape.
What about the before and after comparison?
Any simple measurements of RT60?
Awesome video sir! Any value in covering up the back? Worried about breathing in fibers.
Thank you! It is probably a good idea just in case and you can probably use a cheaper material than the felt.. The safe n sound material did pass several safety regulations though.