RealTraps

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.

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.

RealTraps has announced their latest product, a combination diffusor and bass trap.

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.”

Read more…

Realtraps has announced their new GoboTrap system, consisting of a light-weight carriage with wheels that accommodates either standard or “Gobo” MiniTraps.

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. Read more…