Acoustic problem! Need some help.

This is not a home studio but a classroom studio that I need some acoustic help with. I have carpet on 3/4 of the walls and carper on the floor. The back wall which is a green wall is a hard surface and the big observation window we have from our control room is also hard. I have put up over 36 3" foam acoustic tiles on the side walls to help and it has but not enough. The ceiling is suspended but it has been painted black which may have taken away much of the acoustic properties. I do believe much of the resonance is coming from the ceiling. Is there something anyone would recommend to help that could be placed on the ceiling? Burlap? Foam? Does anyone know or can you steer me in the right direction? Thanks.

I am in the processes of acoustically treating my ceiling also. I am opting for the Foam rather then Burlap. Mike Phillips knows about treating a studio better then anyone else else. Im sure he will have something to add to this.

Actually, I'm not an expert at acoustic treatment. I can tell you that it's a tough thing to do.

I too have been looking at acoustic treatment and I agree with Mike. From my perspective it's not only a technical issue but for me personally, it's also an aesthetic challenge. Corrugated foam glued or Velcro'ed to the walls I would imagine would be sufficient, although I don't want my office to look like a tree house. On the other hand, true acoustic panels fashioned with textile covered fiberboard is quite pricey for the versions that actually look pretty clean. Either way, it seems to be a necessary evil to minimize the echo chamber effect.

I put some blankets around my small office to see if it would make a difference. Really cleaned up the room reverb

These work really well and are easy to hang with nails or hooks from the ceiling. http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com...-blankets.aspx

Well Spencer,
Those actually look pretty functional and seemingly easy to install so thanks! Now, if I just wasn't so anal over details I'd be ordering then today. Unfortunately, I've taken the attribute of 'perfectionist' to a whole new level since birth, so in my case it's a character defect.

BTW, I enjoy watching your shows and one quick look at my avatar should be proof enough.
Regards,

See how these guys use them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLSUOWTLZzw

Glad you enjoy the show Dan...Looks like you found a solution for your hair loss.:)

Quite versatile indeed and the're actually a bit thinner than I originally thought. I was wondering how the hangers would actually hold up with what looks a lot like shipping quilts. I think it would have been better had they measured the sound before and after, to more clearly demonstrate their comparative performance.

I was at Home Depot yesterday looking for some low-jack options but couldn't find anything suitable. Anyway, now that I see they come in different colors I'm more interested.

Here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfT2Y2GDOMU#t=12

Just so you know, I have n relationship with the company..I just like their product:) It's a relatively inexpensive, and effective way to deaden a room.

Okay Spencer,
I contacted these folks and spoke with Rick and subsequently ordered some material for a difficult wall section. I'll see how it works and go from there. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation.

They remind me of the pads they hang in an elevator when they are using it to move desks, equipment, etc. Lookup elevator pads in google.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dan Ortego

Okay Spencer,
I contacted these folks and spoke with Rick and subsequently ordered some material for a difficult wall section. I'll see how it works and go from there. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation.

---

They work really well for me. They're easy to hang and you can double them up if you need to. They look pretty clean as well.
Hope they work out for you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by techzentv

They remind me of the pads they hang in an elevator when they are using it to move desks, equipment, etc. Lookup elevator pads in google.

---

That's true...

Hello Mike & Spencer,
I actually opted for a slightly different version as recommended by ‘Rick’. Based on our discussion and the problematic wall I'm dealing with, this one seems to be a better fit and it also looks a bit less funky’.

More to the story: The issue I have, is a wall with the pocket door inside of it. This totally restricts any thing to be attached to the wall as even the shortest of screws/nails would interfere with the travel of the door.

The solution is to mount knob-style fasteners through the provided grommets at the top of the sheet/tarp (above the door header) and the 4x4’ coverage is a near perfect fit. Fortunately, it's a blind wall so as you look into my office nobody will see it.

On the other side of the coin is the very attractive decorative art panels with 2" or 4" of absorbing material. Rick recommends the 2" version for home settings. Still, to have both form and function you will pay through the nose. Even so I'll likely buy one at some point to see how I like it. They also have more basic versions without the fancy art that are more reasonable.

http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com...bing-foam.aspx

http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com...DSK000112.aspx

http://www.audimuteacousticpanels.com/wall-decor-ideas

It's times like this when I think about the guy that uses a mixer strapped to his ironing board with a Blue microphone and a laptop. Oh well, 'at least I'm saving 15-percent or more on my car insurance.'

I have heard that removing some of the suspended ceiling tiles could help for acoustic problems. Is this true?

It depends on what is above it, but normally I think that would be a bad idea. Most ceiling tiles are good at absorbing sound.

But these ceiling tiles have been painted which I know takes away from their sound absorbing qualities.

Yeah, paint would fill in the holes making it reflective. What is above the drop ceiling? If it is a metal roof then it would likely be worse. Plus you might get more noise from the roof or floor above.

Re: post #15 and more to say…
Just received the Audimute tarp/pad and the quality is quite good. It incorporates three large brass grommet holes spaced evenly along the top, and the edges of the pad and its bordered with a nice heavy hem.

The photo in the webpage doesn’t do it justice and the charcoal marble pattern and materials used, are nice! I'm very happy with this and that's quite a statement considering how picky I am in general.

The only downside is that the wall fasteners (with the knob) don’t properly fit inside the grommet holes so the tarp actually hangs on the threads of the knob vs. the knob shoulder. It's like a large button for a small buttonhole. Yes, it's a minor thing’ but an obvious mismatch so Audimute fell short on an otherwise excellent product. I'll hang it up with better mounting provision from Home Depot or Lowe's.

This week I've also been in contact with Real Traps regarding some of their products, as they seem to take the whole sound treatment issue with a more scientific approach. Still, it's a pricey proposition. Also, the folks at Real Traps go way out of their way to help with the selection once you send them a few photos of your room with an iPhone or whatever. They respond back quickly with detailed instructions and recommendations while also providing a ‘good/better/best’ solution option. Just provide specific dimensions between walls, doors, windows, etc.

Insulated pipes and 2' thick concrete. No noise to speak of for sure. I wonder if I would get some burlap and fill in the spaces after the tiles have been removed?

That might work, I am not sure how much noise burlap absorbs. You may be able to just take out every other tile too in a checkerboard pattern. Concrete in general is very reflective but if you have wrapped pipes that may break up or diffuse the sound enough.

I guess I could keep the tile in place an just kind of put black burlap over the tile and tuck it in the brackets as I go. I don't know what else to do that would still look good. The other thing seems to be hard back wall (green wall) to hard front 10' viewing window to control room. I am thinking about trimming with acoustic foam all around the window (not the glass) 2' wide unless something else may have a better idea.

So you said you can't use nails...What about above the track of the pocket door?