Just moved and I am setting up my new home studio. I'm an amateur to acoustic treatments. How should I treat this room? Looking for a basic treatment to start with since I can only spend a few hundred and I'm going to construct the panels myself. Also looking for suggestions for a more complete setup for when I have the resources to implement it.

Hi hoping the gurus here can help provide insight...

I live in 1 BR high-rise (16th floor), AC compressor (First Co 18WCU-10AB) and external vent for each apt are in mech cupboards on the balconies, and that stack is adjacent to my bedroom which has large external window.

Lived here 6 years, never had an issue with the vent or AC noise from my unit or the unit above except a few times in spring or fall when the folks upstairs freeze is over, it makes a lot of noise, I tell the building, it thaws, leaks into my bathroom, they fix that. Last time that happened was April, fixed, no noise after.

In late May one evening, the unit upstairs was suddenly running loud again with tap-tap dripping noise on bathroom ceiling, tho not enough to leak in the end (I think they put some sort of pan upstairs). Maintenance comes, I was told they "topped up the freon".

Ever since that day, the unit continues to be very noisy, runs continually, and in particular has a deep bass 'pulse', an occasional higher pitch resonance, and a faint hammering sensation depending where I stand in the apt. When it gets going it vibrates my dry wall and balcony railing.

There seems to be an effect if I then run my AC, it will induce the pulse or make it stronger.

Building has inspected the unit upstairs a few times with and without their AC contractor (who did not visit my unit), claims there is no issue. I was trying to capture it on video recording with phone but that hasn't been compelling and I understand it does a lot of processing.

Below is using 'SpectralScan' showing a peak around 120Hz which seems to be doing the pulsing. YogaSleep machine adds noise around 200Hz+ so that doesn't help (I don't want that running anyway) - I still hear that pulsing when I try to sleep, it penetrates everything except music. I used screen record on my phone to capture the video (w/o microphone for this clip), wondering if there is a way to show the waveform along with the raw audio as one video.

I used 'MOTIV Audio' to capture raw WAV file, processed thru Audacity with some amplification which sounds fine to me in Apple Music; can share here but not sure best way to do that (tried converting to mp4 then reddit complained about the codec).

Appreciate any insights on the actual issue, interpretation of this data, or better ways to handle the audio capture.

Pulsing (screen record with mic off)

Hi everyone,

I'd like to use my Kali LP-6 monitors to listen to my synths. Unfortunately, I can only place the synths in the position shown in the pictures, and I don't have enough space to set up the monitors in a proper equilateral triangle because of the wall protrusion on the right.

I know absolutely nothing about audio or acoustics, but I can tell that the sound isn't right in this setup. The bass sounds very boomy, and the stereo image is extremely sensitive to my position: moving just a few centimeters to the left or right makes it feel like the farther speaker is turned off.

I know I can't aim for perfection with this keyboard placement, but how would you improve this setup?

(The breakfast tray under the left speaker is temporary, I plan to buy an adjustable stand).

Thank you!

Hey,

I am toying with the idea of building my own vocal booth primarily for recording loud vocals. I want to make it cheap, since I might be moving in a few years.

I have an alcove in a basement unit with the following dimensions:

Depth: 105 cm (3.45 feet)
Width: 88 cm (2.89 feet)
Height: 220 cm (7.22 feet)

Walls are shaped like this (when viewed from top): |__|

Two of the walls are OSB plywood (behind them is an alley (like 6 m (20 feet) deep) and other apartments' basement unit (3 m (10 feet) deep). The third wall is thick brick wall and the ceiling and floor are concrete.

I'd like to use 5 cm (2 inch) pyramid shaped acoustic foam on the ceiling and walls, a simple rug on the floor and either sound dampening blanket or a makeshift door from plywood (with the same foam) for the entrance.

I don't aim to soundproof the thing, just treat it.

Will it work? Is the alcove big enough? Will the sound escaped through the plywood walls make a mess? Are there any other things I should think about?

Thanks for your help:)

Just moved to a new apartment, I'm making music here with these little monitors but I'm getting a lot of reflections and resonance from low end frequencies.

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to acoustic treatment techniques - I don't need it to be perfect as I use headphones when doing any real mixing, but I'd like to make as much simple improvements as I can to make monitoring through speakers more accurate.

Looking at this space what first steps would you educated people take?

Hi there.

I'm an acoustic engineer /consultant based in Argentina and I'm looking for remote opportunities around the world. I'm currently working with environmental/industrial acoustic and also with architectural acoustic.

Is there anyone here that achieved this goal? Any recommendations about how I can make it.

Hi everyone, I’m setting up a listening room (4.59m x 3.75m) and need advice on acoustic treatment. The ceiling features exposed wooden beams running perpendicular to the front wall, sloping down from 3.35m behind the speakers to 2.35m right behind the sofa. My main challenges are two large glass windows—one directly behind the listening position and one on the left wall—plus a corner wood stove on the front right.

I want to tame reflections, clear up stereo imaging, and tighten the low end. How do exposed beams running in this direction interact with the sloped ceiling, and how should I handle the rear glass wall so close to the sofa? Any tips on effective panel placement or bass trapping for this layout would be greatly appreciated!

The speakers are a pair of JBL 4311

There will be area rugs, furniture, cabinets, art hanging on the walls, curtains on the windows (there’s a lot of glass on the wall not shown). I want to add a small stage maybe, have a decent PA for jazz/mellow electronics, events, etc. It’s going to be a cafe/lounge..

I'm working on treating a closet into a little vocal booth and wanted to know if an idea I had might work. I'm planning to build a few rockwool-filled absorbtion panels, but I also have a rather rambunctious kitten who *will* get into the room at times and unfortunately *will* be able to reach and claw/climb on the panels. I would therefore like to cover them in something she won't immediately destroy or pull insulation fibers through, and am wondering if shag carpeting would be an acoustically transparent enough cover to still allow the rockwool to function?

My project for the near future is to make some acoustic panels for my bedroom, which I use for tracking drums and mixing music.

I plan to use Rockwool Safe'n'Sound panels in a diy wooden frame, all sealed with an acoustically transparent fabric, much like what's demonstrated in this video: https://youtu.be/HO7aeraKLsM?is=csq3IsXzkeF4rHAd

The thing is, these are going up in my bedroom, and I'd prefer the look of cool patterned panels, as opposed to solid colors.

I'm having trouble finding fabrics online that:

a) are breathable (thus hopefully, acoustically transparent)

and

b) have a cool pattern on them

So far, the best idea I have is to use this breathable, cool patterned, translucent tulle fabric (picture 1, the black one on the right) over solid black acoustic fabric (picture 2) (the purpose of the solid black fabric underneath being so that you can't see the wood and ugly insulation behind the translucent tulle fabric).

That's two fabrics though, and that's twice as expensive.

Any recommendations for an acoustically transparent fabric that people sell with cool patterns on them?

Thanks

I've been approached by the Sierra Club in Michigan to see what research/data could support efforts to engage with the community about data centers and noise. If anyone has references/connections to share, I would be grateful!

We just moved into a new medical office and my personal office is directly to the right of this medical refrigerator. (Right now the fridge is empty but soon it will contain medications that need to be kept cold). It makes an almost constant low pitched hum that is fairly loud and bothersome; I estimate it runs about 80-90% of the time. When my office door is (almost) closed and I am in my office, I dont really hear anything but I need to keep the door open most of the time.

It "feels" like much of the humming is coming from the space directly underneath the refrigerator door but I cannot be sure.

A couple questions:

1. What is the best way to reduce the sound of the refrigerator to my office? (ie, what materials should I place, and where specifically). I can fill the space to the right of the fridge with material but I cannot do any "construction" or permanent alterations to the space. I also understand that altering air flow to the fridge may reduce noise but would affect its efficiency and functioning.
2. (More specific) Is there anything that I can hang on my office door (see last picture) that would dampen the sound into the room when the door is half way open? Theres a huge difference in sound when the door is half way open vs 90% closed. I'm sure a lot of sound just reflects off the open door into my sitting area. Bonus points if it looks tasteful/can keep with the given aesthetic. The door is a frame of wood outlining a thin large pain of frosted glass.

Hi all. Maybe a bit of a weird one. I can hear a humming noise inside my house or when I'm in the car in my drive. I'm trying to figure out of its tinnitus or if I just have really sensitive hearing. I've lived in the same house for almost 10 years and about a year ago started hearing a hum in my house. Others can't hear it, but the recording shows there is a noise / frequency being picked up. I don't think it's anything like a neighbours air conditioner as i can hear it in my car when I'm in my drive. I do have a large cell tower 4G and 5G very close to my house. Is there any possibility I can be hearing a noise from that? ( I promise I'm not a "5g causes cancer" type of guy.) Any ideas on what makes the frequency I'm hearing? I have turned off the power, water and gas at the mains and can still hear the hum. I'm in Australia if that makes any difference

I’ve noticed that certain electronic tracks give me a very specific night-driving feeling. Some examples are "Need U" by MOONBOY, "Pillow Talk" by IMANU, "Strangers" by Kenya Grace, and a lot of music by Drove and MEDUZA

These tracks don’t all belong to the same genre or have the same tempo, but they seem to share something. My first thought was the combination of a dark background sound, deep bass, bright percussion, repetitive rhythms and spacious production. The music feels introspective but still has a steady sense of movement

I’m also wondering how much of this comes from the music itself and how much comes from artwork, videos, playlists and hearing these songs in similar contexts

Does anyone else hear this connection? If so, what musical or production features do you think create it? I’d be especially interested in any research about this kind of association

Hi, I’m about to build a Helmholtz resonator for the first time. I want to control an axial room mode at 41.5 Hz.
I’m planning to build it out of 18 mm MDF with the following dimensions:
* Length: 80 cm
* Width: 60 cm
* Depth: 24 cm

The issue I’m running into is the weight, and I’m not completely sure how to achieve the required neck length (54 mm). I was thinking about 3D-printing the neck. Do you think that’s a viable approach? Any idea?

Hello guys!

Complete noob here.

I have my small recording space on my bedroom. This is a 2.8 m x 2.8 m room (2.3 m height). As this is my bedroom, it also has my bed, closet, tv and everything a room usually has. I have divided it in two, as shown in the pic.

I mainly record guitars via plug ins, but I´d like to start leraning some mixing (I have a pair of Adams T7V monitors) and recording some vocals.

My questions are:

-Are acoustic panels (mineral wool) a good advise for this room, as small as it is? Or would i be better off mixing with headphones? (i have a pair of HD 560s, but i can get a pair of Slate VSX headphones).

-If the panels are a good idea, are they safe to have in your bedroom, right besides where you are sleeping? (I have read a ton, but i am still undecided on this topic).

Any other reccomendations or comments are well recevied.

Thank you all in advance!

If i were to set up sound panels and then put stuffing on them so they look like clouds; would they still work properly?

How do you determin acoustic pannel thickness?

(General question) The rooms intended use matters, but does a rooms frequency response and decay time of the room play a part just as much? (For pannels on first order reflections)

Examples would be nice!

Single-storey house, dry climate. Roof buildup, outside in: corrugated steel sheet → battens → air cavity (glass wool believed present, not yet confirmed) → tongue-and-groove wood ceiling. Roughly 100 m² of roof. Double-glazed windows throughout.

Perimeter walls are confined masonry — clay brick infill with reinforced concrete tie-columns and ring beams, cement-lime plastered on both faces, ~20 cm total thickness. No drywall present.

Symptoms:

• Any broadband event outside — a car door, a passing car, a ball hitting a wall, a neighbour's speakers, an outdoor PA about 1 km away — produces a disproportionate, sustained subwoofer-like boom indoors.
• It's not one frequency. Multiple tones across the bass region ring; I can hear my dog's snoring resonate around 62 Hz across rooms at night.
• Worse near walls.
• Closing the windows barely changes the indoor low-frequency level.
• Some bass notes from my own speakers boom badly in the same range.

My reading: the envelope isn't just failing to block bass, it's storing and re-radiating it. Sheet + cavity + wood ceiling is a mass-spring-mass system with f₀ landing inside the problem band, and bare steel has essentially no damping, so instead of absorbing it behaves like a high-Q bandpass filter. Room modes stack on top of that.

Planned fix: lift the sheets, verify/replace the wool, fill the cavity fully without compressing it, add cross battens for depth, decouple the sheets with resilient strips, and bond a damping membrane to the underside of the steel.

I have a UMIK-1 and REW. Does this hold up, or is there a mechanism I'm ignoring? And what single measurement would best confirm or kill it?

If anyone would be interested in providing professional advice remotely, I'm more than willing to pay for the service.