Making my office LOOK and SOUND good!
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2022
- PLANS for the DIY acoustic panel visit almfab.com/plans/acousticpanel
This week I’m fixing the sound and lighting in my DIY home office. I cover how to install carpet tile, hang acoustic foam, and how to build and install your own acoustic panels. I also test whether it’s work investing in more expensive foam, or if it’s okay to buy the cheap stuff off Amazon.
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Keep in mind the feet or wheels of a chair moving around on those carpet tiles will separate the seams VERY quickly. Definitely suggest one of those mats that you put under your chair to keep that from happening, if you hadn't already thought of that of course. Cheers!
That's a good idea. Thanks!
You can also retrofit your chair with rollers that are made for carpet. They look kinda like rollerblade wheels.
@@MichaelAlm we use this type of carpet tile installation in most of my commercial interior design projects, and the seam separation doesn't tend to be a problem we see, FWIW.
He probably didn't need to carpet the entire floor. The reflective behavior is from the single huge expanse of highly noise-reflective concrete, so a few small area rugs could have been placed, along with a low-pile chair mat, and I think it would have gotten at least 90% of the same benefit as a wall-to-wall treatment. Just a quick search turns up 500 Hz (you can search to find a sample tone) has a half-wave size of a little over 1 ft, so removing the larger expanses of flat open concrete narrows down where the waves can reflect from.
Before going to an actual installation, why not throw down a few small carpet pieces (or fluffy towels!) and see if you can tell the difference?
@@MichaelAlm Great Video and a beautiful room. Switching out the standard wheels on chairs for the roller blade style also cuts down on carpet wear and makes them roll sooo much smoother and easier.
The design of the ceiling panels and LED light bars came out very clean / modern. Really sharp looking.
Thank you!!
This is hands down the most beautiful ceiling treatment I've seen. I was worried the foam would ruin the vibe of the room, but the colour of it pairs really well with your wallpaper! Great job!
Thanks!! I've been working hard to keep it from feeling like a padded room. Wasn't sure if the burgundy tiles would match, but I'm really happy with them.
Watch "Making Super Effective Sound Absorbing Panels - DIY Acoustic Panels" by
Alexandre Chappel...
Does the acoustic foam work as well if it’s behind panelling? I’m thinking of dust and cobwebs sitting on the chamfers…..
@@philomenahearn1717 Accustic foam does two things it reflects longer audio waves in the angle it is cut. That's why it has this ragged shape. And secondly, shorter waves are damped by the density of the foam alone, as the waves break in the holes in the material and cannot make it vibrate as much. But it cannot reduce bass as much, because that's very long waves.
If you put a panel in front of foam you will make the room sound proof for the outside, but not inside the room, since the waves can reflect from the panels. You need a material, that is soft and can vibrate without passing the vibration along. Or differently angled shapes that reflect audio waves.
Acoustic test chambers, for example, are suspended from ropes and are lined with several layers of special acoustic foam. Very impressive suff.
I’m sure someone has already said it but it’s an old work junction box. New work would have nails that you attach to the stud before it’s been dry walled.
F3 says about a dozen of us have already mentioned that, but at least you're in good company. Thanks for chirping up.
That was an OLD work box since you were not building everything from scratch. Great job on everything else. I love watching your projects come to life!
I came here for this. Its the little things for me. Also the reason I can't make friends.
I produce music and the less echo when recording the better. A very simple work around to bad acoustics is hanging up blankets on the wall. It eliminates any echo by absorbing the sound. 🙂
I can't remember which UA-camr recommended your channel, but I'm so glad I'm here. Just finished binging your studio build.
Yes! Glad you referenced Brad's video. Fix This Build That for those interested.
Very nice sir!! Also welcome to the joys (and rabbit hole) of audio treatment!! I think you did a great job and hit most of the high points for what you're wanting to do (which is basically ADR / Voice Over work). A few ideas to keep in mind if you need to do it again:
- One thing to note about the batting in those panels you used. Ideally you also would want a cover on the back of the panel to keep the fibers from getting into the air and you breathing them over time. Granted, yours are put flush with the ceiling, so might not be as big a deal in your case? But something to consider
- The room is crazy reverberant because of all of the hard, reflective, long and flat parallel surfaces! Hence when you put the carpet down, you noticed it didn't make that much of a difference? It's all of the highly reflective walls that are parallel to each other that's the bulk of your problem. Hence you could most likely remove that carpet and still be fine if you wanted to at this point. The one thing to keep in mind if you do this is when you record, if you sit down and roll around, the wheel noises will get picked up by a quality mic. But just to note that there's plenty of high end music studios that have hardwood / concrete floors, they'll just place a rug down as needed.
- Making the panel boxes is a great way to go!! BUT, you also have a lot of flexibility as well. For the batting, there's the stuff you got, there's also Roxul 40/60, and there's an Owen's Corning equivalent as well. You can make them in different thicknesses based on your goal. Since you're not trying to sound proof the room (i.e. stop all internal / external sound bleed) and you're only dealing with voice, you can go with 1" thick panels or less as those will absorb the higher frequencies and tame the echo-ness of the room. The thicker the panel, the lower the frequencies it can absorb. But for voice, anything thicker than 2" is probably overkill.
- Another trick you could do is take the middle section of your walls and convert them to foam / fabric covered panels (the green areas with the golden drawings. You could probably get that same pattern printed on some thin fabric panel acoustic boards and that would probably kill most of your reflections due to the bulk of the reflective surface area it would replace.
- also how dead are you wanting the room? In ADR / Voice Over there's a desire to make the room as dead as possible so the sound mixers can add the appropriate reverb back onto the voice. But for what you're doing, you still probably want the room to be a little "alive" still (meaning a touch of room echo). In our brains we use the echo to help define spatial awareness, as well as make a place "feel" real to us (it's a reason most people can't tolerate an anechoic chamber for more than about 15 to 30 minutes before getting agitated). So what you have now is probably a really nice blend of reflective surfaces, and taming the reflections just enough for your needs.
- another trick for ceiling panels is instead of flush mounting them, you hang them just a little (like several inches). The reason for this is then the back-side of the panels can absorb more reflections. The sound will bounce off the ceiling and into the back of the panel, which will trap even more sound, where as if it's flush with the ceiling the waves will just bounce off the side of the panel and back into the room. A good hanging trick is you use some linked chain, and then screw in hooks on the 4 corners, then just drill holes in the ceiling and use alligator anchors with hooks to suspend the panels. You can even play with the length of chain on each end of the panel to angle them in interesting ways.
- back lighting - if you suspend the panels, you can put LED strips on the back of them and create really nice ambient back lighting
- parallel walls create reflective build ups (go into recording studios and you'll see that usually the room has some odd walls / ceilings to alter the reflections). So the ceiling panels in your case helped to break up the surface to get the sound to bounce around more and lose energy in the process (as well as some of it being absorbed). This is also why the red foam panels you put up are angled, to help spread the reflections in different directions. So if you find the room still isn't tame enough for what you want, you can add some vertical panels on the long sidewalls using the same batting and technique as the ceiling panels. That will break up the long reflective surface of the wall. Definitely do the 1" off the wall trick in this case as it'll expose the back of the panel like in the above tip
- For fabric, you want fabric that still breathes and lets the waves pass through. If you want the safest choice, Guilford of Maine specializes in making acoustic fabric (and I think they also meet various fire code requirements). Else a simple test is to breath through the fabric to make sure that a decent amount of air can get through (meaning if very little air goes through, then the sound will mostly bounce off the fabric rather than go through into the batting).
OK I'll stop ;p. Obviously this is a subject I really enjoy as I've made my own recording studio and went through a lot of this research. Great looking office now sir!!!
Came here to make that last "fabric" comment, but learned a lot from the rest! Thanks for the great info!
Thank you for all of the info!
Wow, thank you for that! That's a massive help for me~! Genuinely, thank you for including this!
Man, where were you when I was getting into acoustic treatment? Seriously though, this is all really great advice for anyone looking to treat their space. Thanks for sharing :)
@@Pedro-0839 That's like.... level 5 rabbit hole... I didn't want to explode his brain too much ;p
I feel like a mean internet butt pointing it out, but the junction box is an OLD work electrical box, not a new work. New work electrical boxes assume you have access to the studs prior to the drywall going up, so they can be nailed into the studs. Michael, that room is looking crazy awesome. You can really tell your artistic stylings come through. I hope you find yourself being inspired by your own work in the room and keep delivering the amazing content you provide. Thank you for sharing.
It's all good. That was a brain fart, so I appreciate the correction. Thank you!
If you ever want add any additional acoustic treatment in the future, one option to explore would be building some diffusers. While absorbers prevent sound reflections, diffusers scatter reflections, which helps increase acoustic clarity while retaining some pleasing reverberation.
Professional studios typically use a mixture of acoustic absorption and diffusion to control echo, flutter, and other acoustic anomalies without completely deadening the room.
I could see you building some fir or spruce diffusers that would really blend with and enhance the overall esthetic of your space. Which would certainly be preferable to hanging more fabric boxes on the wall!
Great job as always!!
Unfortunately that would be impossible to work in such a small room. If you are interested in acoustics, check YT channel Acoustic insider :)
was thinking the same thing, but don't you think he's got a lot of diffusion in that space with all the Millwork, lighting and furniture.
I’m surprised it was that cheap. I’ve spent almost $13K treating my studio. That’s just for acoustic and structural materials, no gear and that is still on the very low end of what you can spend. That price includes soffit monitors, absorption panels, diffusion panels, bass traps, asymmetrical and moveable false walls, custom soundproof doors and a standalone iso booth with doubled acrylic windows. I’m not a commercial studio and this is very modest compared to a lot of home studios you’ll find all over UA-cam. Yours turned out great! Well done!
You could always try to find a textile, or have one printed, that matches your wallpaper. You could then make acoustic panels for your walls, as well. May not be needed at this point, since it sounds pretty good, already.
That's an awesome idea!!
or even a heavy curtain to diffuse the sounds and absorb them
Aesthetically AND accoustically perfect - if the folks can't find you, I know where you'll be!
Awesome stuff!! Thanks from all of us carpenters here in Australia 🇦🇺 🍺👍
Hi Michael. That electrical box is an "Old" work box. I know your not an electrician so I thought you would want to knon. The office looks great!! Nice job!
You're totally right. I always get that term confused, because I feel like I'm doing new work. Total brain fart. Thanks 🙌
@@MichaelAlm The way to remember is that it describes what you are adding the box to. If you are adding it to new construction, it is a new work box. If you are adding it to an existing (old) structure, it is an old work box.
Standing desk and chair combo? Would love to see you make one custom for your set-up.
Electronics might be a different flavor for your channel.
I think you meant to say that it is an old work electrical box :) cheers! Awesome project video as usual
"Hi-Chews & Set Screws" would look good on a shirt, has a nice ring to it ;)
There is a difference between trying to sound proof a room and trying to stop a room from echoing. Most rooms in homes do not echo because we put things in them like rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture and drapes or curtains. In short pretty much any normal "soft" material stops echoes.
Trying to stop sound from leaving or entering a room is a different thing. In that case the difference in the maroon foam densities probably matters quite a lot.
You can go way off the deep end like building a room inside the room. It is nuts how far you can go to get the perfect acoustics.
@@brianreddeman951 Friend of mine runs a music studio out of his home & he literally had an entire inner-home framed inside his house. On top of that, it's a f'n zombie fortress, projectile resistant windows with heavy steel grates and all. A .308 fired like a meter or two inside the front door(s) can't be heard anywhere outside _at all._
This guy owns everything. If he wants something, like an $80k pair of monitors he didn't need, or several giant professional videography multirotors, or a Ferrari that I've never seen move, he buys it. I've known this dude over twenty years and I still _haven't the slightest clue_ where his loot comes from.
Turned out gorgeous Michael!
love the end result! props to you for that amazing looking acoustically treated office! if you have some material left and some time to spare, you could do 4 more acoustic panels just to test with two behind you, two in front of you and all 4 behind and in front of you. would love to see the effect 👍
Thanks!! I'm curious about that too. I was thinking about making a couple light weight removable panels I can use just when recording voice overs.
@@MichaelAlm Maybe for behind and in front, you could reuse the wallpaper to help it blend in more? Or paint the canvas
@@MichaelAlm Or a patterned plywood 'Skyline diffuser'??
Wow this looks like an absolute dream office! Fantasic pairing with dark green wallpaper, burgandy foam, and light wood -- came out looking beautiful.
You know what Mich... this office needs some DIY speakers made with patterned plywood front baffles!
One day you'll give in and make a set to shut me up😁😆😉
Is it weird that I am a SWF over 60 with very minimal power tool experience who lives in a condo in the Canadian Pacific Northwest yet I find your videos informative, enjoyable and very relaxing!? Hope not cause I will keep watching anyway.
I love seeing all the time and energy you put into everything you do. Congrats on another great video!
I was going to comment on why the second one did not fit but I am glad I waited. I like the cut of you jib, Sir. The office is gorgeous.
I love this series! This office build is so cool and if I'm being perfectly honest the *only* thing I wasn't super duper keen on in previous episodes was the way the gray wall and green wallpaper kinda clashed a bit (at least on camera) -- but acoustic foam to the rescue! The maroon color works well with the rest of the finishes imo.
Hey Michael, audio engineer here. If you need a hand with anything...let me know.
The room is coming together really nice. Keep it up!
Thanks! 🙌
Love this build. Far nicer with wood and wallpaper than the garfice (garage office) I am in now. I work from home, on video conferences nearly all day and didn't want to share a office with guest room. Building out garage for storage and offices is the best, and this is my second one, did one in FL house for storage and dog room before. This garfice is 4'6" x 6'8" made of 2x4's and roof of room is a 19" space for my storage boxes, works great. The portable AC was too loud in room, so one day I mounted it on the rooms wall outside on a shelf, then boxed in portable AC to get return air from office, and boxed top cold air in through roof side, yes very redneck but has worked great and even use remote from inside using a USB remote extender. Cut a area rug to fit and lightly glued under edge of baseboard and threshold by door. Outside 2 walls (garfice is in back left corner of garage) is covered with french cleats for all my tools, another great idea. I am in the garfice 8 or more hours per day and it's great. For electric, it is all romex with outlets and switches for lights but short wall has a male RV outlet in wall for heavy duty ext cord to my dedicated 20am outlet, so unplug office easily. Used structural screws and tapcons as I wanted to be able to take it all down fairly easily. But now I have good ideas from you to upgrade and make it way nicer.
Love the lighting you did in here, great work with the sound panels as well!
That’s a terrific looking studio! Well done.
Brilliant acoustic treatment and super aesthetically pleasing! It's a beautiful room - bravo!
Amazing! The room is truly a work of art, fantastic job man.
Damn!
You make it LOOK so EASY!😄
Dude, you're a legend! that looks so good! love the way you walk us through what you're using and why. and the ceiling cleat worked out so good!
It is amazing how much difference good acoustic pannels can make in the natural ressonance of a Room. Also furniture, basically mass loading a room and breaking up the flat areas just enough
Those lights with those ceiling boxes looks great!
We bought super cheap foam like that and spray glued thin pieces of styrofoam to the back that we cut with a jig and heated wire. Saved a butt load of money and it works fabulous.
you do fantastic work
I love that you take the same dedication and quality of your client work to your own space. Not enough makers do that, and it's awesome that your office is a reflection of your personality and a designer. Really love it, what huge improvements you've made!
I just found your channel today. I really enjoyed the videos with your storage area and office. Great work!
Fantastic!
This transformation has been awesome, and so many different techniques to learn from. You’re a very talented individual, thanks so much for sharing!
I remember in the '60s, pulped paper egg boxes were very popular for deadening sound!
Amazing.
Thanks so much for sharing the journey with us!
Wow. Have been a little baffled as to what to do with my basement. Now I think I have an inspiration.
Well done!
I appreciate you showing some of your difficulties in the project and how you worked through it. Too many times other creators make it seamless and perfect which is not real world experience. Good job!
What a great looking room. Nice job!
Just amazing
Great job
You get specialist canvas stretching pliers for mounting prints- basically a very wide jaw with a ridge on one side to use as a lever
Amazing build! It's funny how the before and after audio sample can be so subtle and yet so distinctly different. The results are beautiful!
Beautiful work as always. Thanks for sharing!
Very nicely put together! The color palette is very nice to the eyes :)
That room is really coming along!
Michael, over the past couple weeks you've become one of my favorite UA-camrs. Really good stuff
Looks great!
Very nice!
You're an absolute professional! Love that you included damn near every tool and resource used within the comments, and organized everything in a succinct manner. Have no qualms sponsoring your efforts by using the links!
Thank you for a well designed video and explanation... I hope this continues to be a profitable endeavor for you!
Amazing job. The electrical boxes with the tabs are "old" work boxes. New work boxes have nails for attaching them to studs before dry walling.
Your office is so nice! It's definitely aesthetically and (phonetically) acoustically pleasing. Well done, Michael
Very nicely done!
The trim under the foam looks beautiful.
the room turned out great! excellent work! i like how you made it warm, but i would definitely put curtains there
Such an impressive room! Amazing work, Michael!!
Great result!
It looks so cozy too!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️ looks and sound sooo much better! Thankyou for sharing your thought, plans, reasons behind your choices and your finished results. 🙋🏻♀️🇬🇧💕jane
Love it!!
Amazing!
That office/studio looks super nice. I love all the trimwork.
Love the design of your office.
Fantastic Michael! Really brilliant work! 😃
The difference is night and day! Really impressive!!!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Looking forward to the great office desk you're going to have to build to go with that office.
Good results and the room really looks great!
Good job! It looks so neat. It was very satisfying to watch.
I find acoustic treatment fascinating and from what I've seen and heard on other channels, you don't need very much to reap major benefits. Especially if you're working with a bigger space. Covering 5-10% of the surface area will already be enough in most cases.
As a comment to the way you test the acoustic performance of the foams: a material that _blocks_ the sound doesn't necessarily _absorb_ it. A thick slab of concrete will block your voice even more, only to reflect a significant part of it. That is the difference between sound proofing and acoustic treatment.
I am a flooring installer and the carpet tiles are a great solution for an office specially if you have a rolling chair and make a good difference to the sound.
Loving the combination of wallpaper and wood paneling. Awesome works~
Looks great, sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
Great job. Love it!
Nice job. Thanks for sharing
That was spectacularly relaxing to watch, I loved seeing the process of how the room got converted into a comfy, cozy space. Thanks for sharing!
incredible job. Love your work. Inspirational.
Great job! Such an incredible transformation of room! So many details for the trim, walls and ceilings. Those lights are very interesting, something to look into. Again, an awesome project!
Bro. Your intro with the probe lens. SOO GOOD. I see you. I see you. Game recognizes game.
Great Job!
Damn man, the amount of details you show and camera setups in your videos. Extremely satisfying to watch. And your new office turned out amazing! Well done!
Wow, love the end result. And the sounds...the panel on the ceiling did make a difference.
Cool and Amazing!
Well done!
looks soooo nice! congrats and thanks for sharing your projects!
Such an improvement!! Good stuff Michael
I really like that interior design with the wood and leave walls very naturalistic and also the colour combinations contain some of my favourite colours. Great job i want
I love this video, so many great ideas. I've been wanting to donate acoustic panels to the local dog pound to cut down on the noise to make it less stressful for the animals, and I think this is the ticket!
I love the light bars. Those might be perfect for a project I'm wanting to do in my home.
My wife calls this the channel the slow clap channel because after every video I always give a slow clap because I'm in awe of the craftsmanship
nice finish to the room/office!
Dude. Congrats. Badass!
great video mike! love your designs and approaches. we think alike. love how the office is turning out! looks rad!!!!!