This video offers a nice before and after comparison of DIY acoustic treatment for your studio.

If you want to read specifics on the Pretension’s DIY acoustic treatment, check out this post at the Pretension Music site.

via PretensionMusic:

This video shows the difference that acoustic treatment can make to your studio. This is by no means a hi-tech acoustic test but it does show what a little DIY and some acoustic insulation can do to an ordinary room. Throw your headphones on and hear the difference for yourself and if you want to know more about the project, check out my blog.http://pretensionmusic.blogspot.com

via the Awesome-Amplifying Torley

The Machine Room features three chambers that work together to handle the task. At the bottom rear, cool air is sucked into the Machine Room through a porous foam air filter, into an air distribution chamber. This dissipates the fresh air to provide an even flow around the computer inside the main chamber.

To reduce self noise, the inner walls around the computer are treated with absorptive open cell acoustic foam. Through natural convection, warm air rises to the top where it is then sucked into the output manifold by an ultra-low noise multi-blade fan. The manifold ducts are also lined with open cell acoustic foam to reduce noise from the computer and air-flow turbulence. Air travels around several corners before exiting. The warm air is then pushed out the rear top side leaving the noise behind.

“The challenge with using computers in the same room that you are recording in is PCB fan noise and hard disc whirr,” says Primacoustic’s Jay Porter. “The Machine Room helps reduce the noise by allowing the user to contain the computer and noise inside the enclosure.”

At $699, this is beyond the range of most, but this could be a problem solver for professional recording setups.

Air flow is controlled by a variable speed fan control located on the back panel. This also features an LED power indicator to provide the user with a visual status of the exhaust system. Front panel access to the computer is made possible via a see through door with heavy Plexiglas. A rubberized foam surround helps ensure noise is contained while the input and output connector cables to the computer pass through a rear-mounted sliding door with dense compressed neoprene to surround the cables and provide an air-tight seal.

To help monitor the computer temperature, the Machine Room comes equipped with a wireless thermometer. This provides the user with up to the minute temperature readout which can be monitored anywhere in the studio. Should the temperature inside the machine room exceed normal levels, the user merely adjusts the speed of the fan to increase air flow.

In effort to maximize the mass and noise containment performance, the Machine Room is made entirely from heavy MDF — Medium Density Fiber-board. Preliminary tests show that the Machine Room will reduce noise levels by more than 20dB depending on the frequency. The Machine Room ships flat to reduce freight costs and requires about 1 hour to assemble. Estimated retail price is $699.00.

“With most studio production moving out of large commercial spaces into smaller and more affordable self-contained rooms, incorporating a traditional vocal booth within a room is becoming increasingly difficult to do,” says Primacoustic President Peter Janis.

“Building a ‘room inside a room’ is not only cost prohibitive, but requires significant real-estate that may simply not be available. The FlexiBooth solves the problem by providing the engineer with a wall mounted solution that can spring into action by simply opening up two doors. This means that home based post production facilities and podcasters can now achieve studio quality sound at an affordable price.”

The Primacoustic FlexiBooth features a 24″x48″ wall print that when open, creates a large 16 cubic foot recording area. The FlexiBooth is equipped with three high density 6lb per-cubic-foot fabric covered acoustic panels that will absorb frequencies across the entire voice range to deliver a ‘dry’ voice track. This makes the FlexiBooth work for voice-over work and for recording vocals on music tracks.

The FlexiBooth is constructed from particle board with a washable black melamine finish. To save on freight costs, the FlexiBooth ships flat and it takes roughly 20 minutes to construct. Once built, the FlexiBooth  hangs on a wall cleat and can be relocated should the need arise.

2009 NAMM Show: At last year’s NAMM show, we were impressed by the technology behind KRK’s ERGO (Enhanced Room Geometry Optimization) room correction system.

It’s a system that automatically measures the acoustics of your listening room and adjust/corrects the output of your monitors to compensate. (See our video demo of the KRK ERGO system).

Just in time for this year’s show, KRK Systems has announced worldwide availability of ERGO. (It was originally expected in April of 2008). The ERGO system retails for $799.

Synergistic Research has introduced a collection of devices, the Acoustic A.R.T. System, that promise to make room acoustic treatement gorgeous.

The A.R.T. system is a small 5 piece room treatment kit consisting of metal spheres, bowls, and wooden block supports, designed to be placed on the rear wall between the speakers and on the side walls.

According to the company, the system is inspired by Tibetan prayer bowls and is based on the principles of Helmholtz resonators. 

The Acoustic A.R.T. System Components

• The main piece of the system is called the Vibratron. The Vibratron is placed on the rear wall just above the tweeters of the speakers, and consists of a two part metal sphere with a metal ring placed between the halves, and a vertical stack of magnets placed above the sphere.
• The next piece is the Bass Station, which is a spiked wood platform supporting a metal bowl, designed to be placed on the floor below the Vibratron.
• Finally, the Magnetron and Gravatron satellite bowls are placed on the first order reflection points on the side walls, and on the wall behind the listening position.

These are completely different than any acoustic treatment system I’ve ever seen, and leave me skeptical. Let me know what you think of them in the comments. 

The Vibratron, bass station, and satellites are available separately for $1495, $750, and $299/ea, or together as a system for $2995.

via audiojunkies

This video tour shows RealTraps partner Doug Ferrara’s “ultimate basement home studio”.

RealTrap’s Doug and Ethan Winer explain how the basement was acoustically treated and why.

This is good to see – not only is it great to see them thinking about cutting down on fossil fuels, but you have to think that sitting around in a studio all day with petroleum foam on the wall can’t be good for you.

Auralex also claims that, in making the conversion over to the new Soy-based hybrid formula, their products now boast improved durability over conventional petroleum-based foams.

The Eco-Friendly StudioFoam is available in the same color choices and cuts as the original. There is no increase in cost to either the dealer or consumer.

Both units ship flat for easy handling plus cost effective freight and then can be easily assembled and mounted in corners or on walls in minutes. They feature an attractive black wood-composite outer shell, fiberglass absorptive panel, inner resonating membrane and easy mount wall adaptors.

According to company president Peter Janis: “The challenge with bass traps is that for them to be effective, they must be large, deep and incorporate an air cavity where the bass can be absorbed. Because of the size, they become expensive to ship. For this reason, most acousticians tend to suggest a built-in bass traps as part of the room design which of course makes them somewhat expensive.”

“We looked at the huge success Ikea is enjoying by providing easy to assemble kits that the average person can put together with only a screwdriver, stapler and hammer. We then applied this concept to creating a bass trap and the result is our new Primacoustic Fulltrap.”

Two models are offered: The Fulltrap which is approximately 24″ wide x 48″ high and 8 inches deep and the Halftrap which is approximately 12″ wide x 48″ high and 6″ deep.

Both traps are made from high-density wood composite with a black, easy to clean melamine finish. The front absorptive panel is made from 6lb per cubic foot high-density encapsulated fiberglass. Behind the panel is a stretched membrane that acts as a low frequency resonator. The science is based on thermo-dynamic energy transfer, whereby sound penetrating the Fulltrap causes the glass fibers and membrane to vibrate which in turn, convert the acoustic energy into heat. Estimated low frequency absorption will be between 65Hz and 100Hz depending the final outcome from tests.

Each kit contains the absorptive panel, resonant membrane, the sides and top, easy-build hardware and wall mounting bracket and building a Fulltrap takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Available Mar 07 (est)

Fulltrap list price: $250 USD
Halftrap list price: $150 USD

In an effort to address the growing demand for acoustic control in schools, churches, home theatre and project studios, Primacoustic will introduce a new range of fabric covered acoustic panels made from high-density fiberglass.

The range will include a variety of sizes and colors and be available in 1″, 2″ and 3″ thicknesses for absorption down to 500Hz. Panels have been tested to meet ASTM requirements, making them suitable for the most demanding Class-1 flame resistant installations.

RealTraps has introduced the Portable Vocal Booth, a device that mounts on any microphone stand to create a highly controlled environment for recording vocals and spoken narration in acoustically hostile spaces.

The RealTraps Portable Vocal Booth is much larger than competive products, comprising a pair of 2 by 2 foot absorbing panels in a fully adjustable V shape. The integrated base attaches to any inexpensive microphone boom stand. The RealTraps Portable Vocal Booth can also be placed directly on a table or other flat surface.

The RealTraps Portable Vocal Booth costs $299.99 direct from the manufacturer and begins shipping the end of February.

Data on the Portable Vocal Booth product page shows how well it blocks unwanted sound, and a short video demo lets you see it in action compared with a popular competing product. The RealTraps site also contains educational videos, magazine articles, extensive advice on all aspects of room treatment, as well as showcasing their high-performance acoustic solutions for rooms of every size and purpose.

This design marries a high performance bass trap with a genuine QRD diffusor deep enough to work well down to the low midrange. The device transitions from diffusion to absorption over the range between 400 to 800 Hz. The RealTraps Diffusor can be installed on a wall or ceiling using the supplied hardware, or mounted without harming the wall using either of our attractive stand models.

All untreated listening rooms suffer from comb filtering, a particular type of frequency response error that creates a series of many peaks and deep nulls. Comb filtering is a problem in smaller rooms especially, because of the proximity of the listening position to the rear wall behind. Numerous peaks and nulls occur at predictable quarter wavelength distances from that wall, badly skewing what you hear. For audiophiles and other critical listeners the result is a colored, often boxy and congested sound. For mix engineers comb filtering is even more troublesome – if you can’t hear the music as it really sounds, it’s much more difficult to achieve an excellent mix.

When placed on the rear wall behind the listening position the RealTraps Diffusor scatters mid and high frequencies, while low frequencies pass through the reflecting well membranes to be absorbed by rigid fiberglass behind. The membranes also increase bass absorption beyond what fiberglass alone could provide. Thus, comb filtering artifacts are reduced dramatically over the entire effective range.

The RealTraps Diffusor is 24 inches wide by 48 inches high by 6 inches deep, and is offered in both “far” and near” versions. The far version has diffusion wells 6 inches deep, and is recommended for rooms where the rear wall is at least six feet behind the listener’s ears. For smaller rooms where the listener is closer to the rear wall, the near model is more appropriate. The near model has wells 3 inches deep, and the bass trap portion is correspondingly thicker. Price for either model is $499.99 each, and they will begin shipping in November.

According to RealTraps co-owner Ethan Winer, “In the overall scheme of acoustic treatment, diffusion is more like icing on the cake compared to the staples of absorption and bass trapping. However, good diffusion can add a nice sense of spaciousness not possible with absorption alone.

Unfortunately, truly excellent diffusors are complex to design and build, and thus cost more than absorption which is simpler to manufacture. Even the best diffusors are ineffective below around 800 Hz, so absorption is still needed for those lower frequencies. We have developed what we believe is the ultimate diffusor because it offers the best of both treatment types. Indeed, two or more RealTraps Diffusors adjacent will create the ideal ‘rear wall’ treatment for listening rooms and mixing suites of any size.”

More information is available at the RealTraps site.

Looks aren’t everything, but who wants to have an ugly studio? RealTraps has announced three new acoustic panels that are designed to anyone who considers appearance as important as acoustic performance. Besides the new panels, RealTraps also announced that it is now including mounting hardware with all of its acoustic products.

“The appearance of acoustic treatment has always been an obstacle to their acceptance in home settings and even some high-end recording studios,” according to RealTraps co-owner Ethan Winer. “These new panels are very attractive, yet still offer the extremely high performance RealTraps has become famous for.”

The new models are as follows:

The new Corner MondoTrap is similar to a standard MondoTrap at four inches deep but with beveled sides to nest attractively in a corner and appear only one inch deep. All other dimensions and properties are the same as a standard MondoTrap, the most capable bass trap available at any price. Price is $349.99.

The RealTraps Tri-Corner is a triangle shaped bass trap, also four inches thick, that fits perfectly in tri-corners where two walls meet the ceiling or floor. Like the Corner MondoTrap, the new Tri-Corner appears only one inch thick when installed, to intrude visually as little as possible while still retaining very high performance. At 32 inches on each side, it has a surface area large enough to tame even very low bass frequencies. Price is $249.99.

The new RFZ panel is meant specifically for first reflections, but at 32 by 42 inches by 2 inches thick, its size and shape are more appropriate than typical 2 by 4 foot panels. The larger size creates a deeper Reflection Free Zone, whether the panel is mounted to be taller or wider. The front surface is also beveled to look more like a picture frame more than an acoustic panel. Price is $249.99.

All three new products are available in various colors, and they can be seen in the new Room Setup video on the company’s web site.

Realtraps

The traps are stacked sideways on the carriage to create a gobo that’s four feet wide, and two or three traps can be attached for a total height of either four or six feet. The GoboTrap carriage hovers very low to the floor to minimize sound leakage under the traps, and the wheels are large enough to roll easily on thick carpet or over wires.

Either standard MiniTraps or newer specially designed GoboTraps may be used with the GoboTrap carriage, depending on the application. To create an acoustically dead sounding area or an enclosed booth within a larger space, or for use as a large portable absorber to change the liveness of a room, you’ll use standard MiniTraps. For maximum isolation, perhaps to surround a drum set or loud instrument amplifier, GoboTraps are more appropriate.

GoboTraps are available in standard and HF versions. Standard GoboTraps are absorbent on one side and reflective on the other, where the HF type is absorbent on both sides. Both are built with an internal MDF barrier to provide sufficient mass to effectively block sound from passing through. GoboTraps are sold in a variety of configurations—as a package including two or three MiniTraps or GoboTraps, as GoboTrap panels only, or as the carriage alone for use with existing MiniTraps.

Additional details, along with room treatment advice, are provided at the Realtraps site.

Primacoustic

Utilizing the latest release Primacoustic 3″ thick Z-Foam the panel pieces are glued to the integral corrugated plastic backing panels. Once the glue has cured the panels can easily be mounted around the room perimeter. Since the panel has a slim profile placement in a symmetrical pattern is easy, as the panels are designed to fit into difficult room architecture. Acting as a broadband absorber the panels are useful for reducing primary reflections and flutter echo that plague recording studios and home theatre environments.

According to Primacoustic Product Manager, Andrew Meissner: “Venice panels really ad to the architectural flair of the rooms they are placed in. The fact that people can move them at will and change the look and personality of their room is a feature that everyone loves. Also the thin profile lets you deal with difficult areas, such as between doors and windows, when you are trying to solve all primary reflection and flutter echo issues. I am amazed at how easy room designs have become since we introduced the Venice panels and installation is as simple as working out a room grid with 18″ to 24″ spacing between panels”

Made from high density dark charcoal open-cell acoustic foam, the Venice systems come in a set of 4 per box. Each panel is 52″ high, 12″ wide and 3″ thick.

More information is available at the Primacoustic site.

Primacoustic

The IsoPad series is available in either a flat panel model called the IsoPlane or, for installations where monitor placement is elevated, the IsoWedge model has a 6 down firing angle to ensure on-axis placement of speakers. A front lip eliminates monitor movement due to excessive vibration. Using the IsoPad decouples your monitor from the surrounding environment, allowing you to hear improved imaging, better mid range definition and dramatically improving bass definition, according to the company. Improved accuracy from your monitors means you will have better mixes, and decoupling your monitors from the environment means your neighbors will be less likely to complain about the noise.

According to Primacoustic Product Manager, Andrew Meissner: “It is truly amazing how much of a difference isolating your speakers from the studio makes to your sound. In listening tests, engineers always mentioned how hi-hats seemed to jump out of the speakers and that the bass finally sounded like it was coming from the speakers instead of the whole room. The IsoPad allowed the engineers to truly listen to what was being recorded or mixed.”

Made from high-density light charcoal open-cell acoustic foam, the IsoPad comes as a set of 4 to allow vertical or horizontal placement of monitors. Each pad measures 13″ long, 4.5″ wide.

More information is available at the Primacoustic site.

RealTraps notes that, while MiniTraps are nearly six times more
effective at low frequencies than typical corner foam, MondoTraps
absorb twice again more below 100 Hz. At 2?€™ by 4?€™9?€ and 4 inches
thick, they are only slightly larger than MiniTraps.

MondoTraps are made with rigid fiberglass and metal instead of foam,
so they are Class A fire rated and can be installed in public venues.
They can be hung with standard picture frame wire, or can be mounted on
a microphone stand. A custom stand is available from RealTraps for $60.

According to RealTraps co-owner Ethan Winer, ?€œThe main problem in
most studios and listening rooms is acoustic interference that causes
severe variations in the low frequency response. Nulls of 30 dB and
even deeper are not only common, but typical. Just as important is
taming modal ringing, which reduces the clarity and articulation of
bass instruments. Many recording engineers and audiophiles cover their
walls with foam, but that makes the room too dead sounding at mid and
high frequencies while doing little for bass problems. MondoTraps are
far more absorbent than foam at low frequencies, so they do a superior
job overall and with fewer pieces to install. Even as low as 40 Hz,
their absorption coefficient is above 0.50 when corner mounted, which
we believe is unprecedented for any bass trap product.?€

Complete product details and performance data are on the RealTraps web site.
The site also features articles with extensive room treatment advice,
tutorials showing how to solve common acoustic problems, and a detailed
explanation of acoustic product testing methods.