# Time for Bass Traps



## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Hi All,

I've finished making acoustic panels out of R13 insulation and Burlap. They came out very clean looking and did an excellent job of eliminating my echo.

Now its time for some bass traps.

I've been reading a lot of forums, including this one, and about 10 others trying to find the ideal configuration so I only have to do this once.

I'm planning to use owens corning 703 or rockwool 60 and make 4" thick panels 24"x48". Anyone prefer one or the other?

I think i'll start with 6 of these. Is that enough to make a difference with the low frequencies? My listening area is ~14x23X7.

With 90% of the forums i've read (mostly home recording studio forums), people would post pictures of their "Bass Traps". The other members would say "Great job, but these are not bass traps, more of a multi-frequency absorber" I couldnt find much elaboration on why they werent considered true bass traps.

Will 6 4" thick panels do anything for me?

Thank you in advance.

Andrew


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

A 'bass trap' is a completely different thing than pretty much everything on the market. What is normally made/sold is either:

- Broadband bass absorber

- Broadband absorber that happens to reach down into the bass.

The difference between the 2 is that a broadband bass absorber restricts how much upper mid and high frequency energy is absorbed. Whether or not that's appropriate would depend on the location, room size, etc. A mix of both may be in order.

4" panels straddling corners (important) will certainly help some. They may not do everything but will help. 6" panels will reach lower into the deeper bass. If you want to restrict upper mid and high frequency absorption you can do something as simple as using the exposed layer of 703 with either and FSK or ASJ facing on it which will be reflective above a couple thousand Hz and somewhat reflective down as far as 500Hz while passing bass just fine.

Bryan


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Those look nice. That guitar looks a bit lonely however.  6 4" pieces will do something for sure. I think Bryan's advice is very sound--no pun intended.

Dan


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## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

thank you for the replies. that corner you see is the only traditional corner I have down there. Other than corners, can I put the 4" panels anywhere? I'm planning on putting 2-3 more on the back wall as I need a bit more coverage. will "bass traps" do anything on the ceiling? 

what do you think about the space behind the subwoofer? i could put a 6-8" thick panel back there with no impact on my floor space. should the panels be in front of the subwoofer?

thank you again for the tips...great information.

i've attached a very quick floorplan...the green dots are my high/mid frequency panels.


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## Crossblade (Jul 21, 2010)

A normal room doesn't have 4 corners only, but 12 - wall + wall, wall + floor and wall+ceiling. So, you have plenty of free corner space for bass trapping.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Your sub is effectively corner loaded which isn't usually a good thing. If you can absorb that corner/nook behind it, that would be a good thing - short of moving the sub.


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## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

thanks again! materials will be here early next week. bought enough to make 9 panels. will post pictures when completed. 

Thank you!

Andrew


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## dunkman23 (Aug 31, 2010)

that wall treatment you have looks great! any more pics of the room


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## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Thanks! 

Once I get all the panels up, i'll create a post with more pictures.

Nice little side business out of the panels as well....over 40 made so far!


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## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Thank you again for all the advice so far

I saw a few designs for broadband absorbers that had holes in the sides of the panels to allow more surface area to the insulation. 

I can't see what the frames of GIK, or other panels look like so was wondering if you subscribe to this build theory.

Thank you in advance,

Andrew


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Our frame is on the rear with a stabilizer around the front edge to keep things sharp and crisp. The sides, top and bottom of the absorption is basically fully exposed.

Bryan


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## Andoskyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Excellent...thank you again.

Ready to roll now. I've made 2 with the holes around the frames already, so will keep going with that design.

should have the other ones completed this weekend. I'm putting 3 panels on the back wall, and 3 total panels in that subwoofer corner. I have another 3 that i'll keep mobile and experiment with.


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