TIPS FOR BUILDING YOUR OWN ACOUSTIC ABSORBENT PANELS

Very important tips to keep in mind when building your own acoustic panels for your room treatment.

Don't compres the absorbent material too much!!!

When building your own absorbent panels for your room treatment, don't compress the whool or foam too much.

If the material is too tight and therefore less porous, it will not fulfill its function of absorbing sound as well as it could.

The absorbent materials used for acoustic treatments of rooms must have a density of approximately 40 and 70 Kg/m3, not exceeding 100 Kg/m3 in any case.

To absorb the mid range more effectively, make them deep!!!

The deeper you make them, the lower in frequency that they will absorb.

Calculate the wavelength of the lowest frequency you want to attenuate in the mid range and make the absorbent material as deep as 1/4 of that wavelenght.

Don't do this for low frequencies. For low frequencies there is no need to make them too deep.

For low frequencies, separate the panels from the wall!!!

For low frequencies it is better to use a flexible none porous material as a membrane panel with a space between the panel and the wall. Calculate the wavelength of the lowest frequency you want to attenuate in the low range (the frequency that is giving you problems in the room) and separate the panel from the wall leaving at least 1/4 of the wavelenght of space between the panel and the wall. Make sure it is really working by meassuring that frequency with a SPL meter before and after.

Blow through the fabric!!!

In order to choose a fabric to build your panels, blow through it to check if air passes through easily. In acoustics it is a common test we do the make sure the fabric works. If air doesn't go through the fabric, neither sound would pass and won't get absorbed by the whool of foam. Instead, sound will reflect from it and we will end up having a reflective panel.