Got some more bass traps...

guitarfishbay

Just got some more acoustic panels this week.  Got 2 Gik Soffits to go with the 4 Tri Traps I already had, and a couple more 242s on stands for reflection points/to allow me to make a make shift vocal booth/acoustic guitar booth, and to do more reflection points in the room otherwise.

I'd previously been making a 'booth' using the tri-traps and 242 like in the photo below, but now I can put panels to the side and behind the mic too.  Just recorded some vocals this afternoon and am able to get a really dry take which is great.

The thing is... I'm really annoyed I didn't do this sooner.  The room is still not perfect but this time I've really noticed a difference.  I'm gutted that I've spent ages on some (now completed) tracks and with some more treatment I've spotted plenty of flaws that I just simply didn't hear previously.  I still don't think I like my Yamaha HS8s, but I think a more pressing and likely more helpful issue is treating the room.

So for one, I'm disappointed that I could've done better, and two, I'm now trying to stop myself emptying my bank account on more acoustic treatment.  I wish I'd started doing this sooner, I only started getting panels early this year.

Drew_TNBD

Where do you buy them from, and have you not considered the DIY approach?

randomhandclaps

guitarfishbay said:

I'm gutted that I've spent ages on some (now completed) tracks and with some more treatment I've spotted plenty of flaws that I just simply didn't hear previously.  

Is a really easy cycle to fall into that gets you nowhere when you keep looking back on stuff you did before and could have done better or recorded better now.  That's an evolution of any artist.  The hardest thing to capture is a moment and a vibe and it's either there or it's not.  Chasing a perfect recording doesn't usually lead to a perfect track.

guitarfishbay

GIK. They list customer returns on eBay from time to time, good prices but of course you have to take whatever colour they have.  They're really nicely made, I've got quite a multi coloured room now but beggars can't be chosers!

I don't have tools to make my own, I do know people with tools though so may try to explore that route at a later date.  

Danny1969

I went the DIY route. The traps in our room are made from knocking up a frame, filling it with 100mm of rockwool and covering it in material. To go one better our edges are angled so the corner traps actually sit in the corner properly. I did a much of test sweep from 20hz to 200hz, the room is pretty flat now. 

Drew_TNBD

Very nice.

guitarfishbay

Looks awesome Danny.  Have you used foam for your cloud?

guitarfishbay

So I emailed GIK this morning about some missing rubber feet for my stands and I got a call back really quickly and they're sorting it out.  Really good customer service, nice to get a phone call and especially so quickly.

Drew_TNBD

@Danny1969 - any reason you went with the 100mm instead of the 50mm or 75mm? I'm looking at the Rockwool 75mm SL930 (used to be RW3) for some broadband boards. Come in packs of 6, which is just the perfect amount for my tiny room.

Danny1969

I used 100mm because I was using 50mm when building the place so doubled it up. I don't think 50mm will work so well in the corners.

These guys are cheap for Rockwool

http://www.condell-ltd.com/

@guitarfishbay

Yes it's acoustic foam bent into curved shapes to make it look more interesting and possibly diffuse better (but probably not) 

Booth wise we used to use gobo's in the live room to control the acoustics but were having problem getting Rap vocals dry enough. Then we got a job recording the audio for a new computer action game where all the audio had to be reflection free  ..... so the games producers could place the dialog in anything from a castle to a tent. Well we didn't have any money but we had some MFD and some Rockwool so constructed this in a couple of hours

 

Then had to lift it up which was well heavy

And then I fitted a light inside and hung an adjustable mic stand down from the ceiling to allow more floor space. As all 3 walls inside are covered entirely in Rockwool covered in black material we can now record completely dry vocals and the software company have used us 3 times now for game audio

guitarfishbay

I really need to buy a power drill, a saw, and a step ladder.  Thankfully I've already got the tape measure and the baseball cap.

Drew_TNBD

Epic shots. Some really good ideas there.

There is a Builder Depot around the corner from me. Seems like all the online places charge £20 for deliver or something ridiculous! If I can walk around the corner and grab it and hulk it home, I'll save some cash.

Drew_TNBD

@Danny1969 - hey man, what thickness and type of wood did you use for your broadband panel absorbers??

Danny1969

Some of it we made by running up timber through a table saw but we also used skirting board, the latter being 15mm thick and having a nice curved edge and being cheap at roughly £1 a metre