Treat These Areas First: Where to begin Acoustic Treatment
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2021
- If you’re struggling to get your room under control of echo, comb filtering, and getting the right balance for listening clarity, check out our website where you can get customized advice for your room and application.
www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic...
Every single room has its own issues that require their own treatment strategy, but no matter what kind of room you’re treating: whether it’s mixing, mastering or recreational listening, certain methods will always be useful for beginning your treatment strategy.
If you want to improve your imaging there’s no better place to start than by treating your first reflections. The reflected sound that bounces off your walls and ceiling mixes with the original sound. When these reflections are delayed enough you hear them as reverb, but the early reflections arrive at the listening position with so little delay that you can’t parse the reflected sound from the original sound.
Remember that overlapping sound waves interfere with each other and cause phase interference. Those early reflections can arrive close enough to the original sound to create patterns of constructive and destructive interference that result in things like comb filtering.
The thickest panels you can afford and fit are always the best solution. While thinner panels would be able to tackle the reflective region of sounds, using a thinner panel means we’ve used up some of our budget and available space without treating the mid bass frequencies.
For example: The 242 is a fantastic panel for reflection reduction, but with just a modest investment increase we can use a 244 panel which will absorb more of the bass resonances that plague small rooms.
Rooms with ceilings in the 7-9’ range especially benefit from 244 panels on the ceiling first reflections as they are capable of hitting the height axis node that will cause frequency dips in the mid bass at seated ear level.
We have a handy video guide for finding your first reflections if you need help, but think of it this way: Imagine your speaker is a cue ball, your walls and ceiling are billiard table rails and your ear is a pocket.
You can “line up the shot” and know you are hitting the reflection point. Rather than expecting your head to remain in a singular location when you listen, it’s best to envision these billiard shots for every location your head goes to when you lean in or kick back or stand up. The more reflection angles you cover between you and your speakers, the larger the sweet spot will be for you to work/compose and listen in.
Mixing and mastering situations should favor pure broadband absorption for treatment of the first reflections for the most neutral impression of their speakers. However, in a recreational listening scenario like a high-fi room or home theatre, it’s not entirely wrong to use diffusion in these locations. While either option is unequivocally better than a reflective wall “the artist holding the brush” should seek a neutral look at their work rather than the hyped and deeper version that diffusion would impart.
The second step is to treat your corners with thick bass traps. All Rooms have Room modes. These are frequencies that correspond to the dimensions of the room. The three room modes that are the strongest are the wavelengths that measure the same as the height, depth, and width of the room. By treating the corners,we treat two room modes at once.
This concept extends to the horizontal corners that run along your room’s floor and ceiling. Though these areas can be more difficult to treat, they are still corners of your room and an opportunity to get a more and more linear and accurate low end response from your speakers.
In a perfect world you’ll be deploying bass traps that are thick enough to reach the lowest resonances that your room will impart on your ears. GIK’s soffit bass trap has great effect as low as 40Hz, making it the ideal choice of rooms in the 12-14’ range.
While a single soffit stood alone can only affect to about 40Hz, the coupling effect of several soffits run butted or stacked can reach lower and lower regions.
Defining a #1 as first reflections and corners as #2 is a very close call. However, if you’ll recall we’re recommending first reflection zones to be treated with thicker panels so it’s not as if you’d be leaving that region of the speaker entirely unaddressed if you’re starting there exclusively.
Just treating these three areas: first reflections, corners, and backwall, will bring your room’s audio quality up dramatically. Further improvements can be made by testing and experimenting with additional treatment. If you’re struggling to get your room under control, check out our website where you can get customized advice for your room and application.
It's always best to squeeze as many of our panels into the room as you can afford then finance the rest. This will eliminate all the reflections coming from your bank account, unfortunately, we have not been able to design panels yet that will quiet the screaming coming directly at your ears from your spouses mouth
@Billy, chances are high that you'll save on both equipment and time by acoustically treating the space. Some people think that is a very good value and increases their productivity and enjoyment, and I can't help you with your relationship with your spouse, but we have many designs, finishes, and colors available so you can join forces together on the overall aesthetics.
I have developed a patent technology for avoiding irritable frequencies emanating from spouse mouth. It's called ear plugs. Effective in controlling higher frequencies. 😆
@@vsk906 My technology is separation, the further away the spouse is, the less you hear the nagging
Acoustic tratement is very important. I've been in a few hole teather rooms, and the main difference in sound quality between them it was more in wich ones were acoustically treated than more or better speakers.
@@GIKAcousticsLLCI
I am very appreciative of your video series, as well as the look-alike Vandersteen speakers at 3:03!
Awesome, this was very helpful. Thanks 👍🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Came for the advice. Stayed for the eyebrows.
Thin panels reduce high end.. thicker deal with low.
a 6" panel with a 2" gap that is sealed in the frame & mounted flush to the wall the will isolate the lower end making the best option for trapping low end.
defusion behind you absorption in front & to the sides. you can defuse on the side also depending on the room!
This is a summery from the last 3 years of interviews with studio designers & builders.
Very clear presentation.very professional presenter
Glad you liked it
Very nice and informative video!
I'm planning on doing some DIY poly-diffuser/absorbers. I've read so many forum posts with people replacing their 1st/early reflection points with diffusers (either poly or semi-open absorber/diffuser kinda like the abfusers) with better results. I hate when a room sounds too dead and not alive. I do mostly soundtrack with strings and pianos and some synthwave stuff with long reverb tails etc, 80's stuff. My plan is to have one 120cm long poly-diffuser bass trap in each of the front corners and cut one into 2x60cm as my 1st reflection poly diffusers. Hard on the facing surface but open in the top and bottom, maybe have a little gap with a totally open backside next to the wall. I'm also planning on having a horizontal (not vertical) long 120cm polyfuser on the rear wall behind me like you have at 4:03 or do 2x 60cm's vertical facing my monitors on the rear wall. - But I really don't know if I should have cuts in the front surface on my side wall polys like a vicoustic wavewood diffuser that is semi open but still concave, or a completely solid surface facing me?
Let me know what you think it'd be super interesting to hear this from you! I hope the poly bass traps will do a good job in doing a more open stereo sound to my room and the rest can help.
I don't think it will be too much poly diffusors in that room. :) All the best and thanks in advance!
Great educational video. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@GIKAcousticsLLC i enjoy all your videos. Thanks. I have two pairs of 244s on the side walls -one pair is full range the other two have range limiters. Which ones are best at the first reflection point? Similarly i have two pairs of monsters one pair has range limiters, the other two full range, which is best on the back wall behind the listener? Thanks again.
Awesome! We're going to need more information about your room to determine that, since it really depends on what you want to focus on to balance the room. Range Limiters are best for retaining the mid and high frequencies in a room, and laser focusing on the lows and mid-lows (depending on the thickness of the panel). If you want to get a better strategy to treat your room, send us your full room dimensions, pictures, and goals to www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-form/
If I could do it again, I’d go with monster traps and soffits. And use air gaps behind everything
Great advice! wish i had a few for my new mini room. Cheers from Australia!
Glad it was helpful!
Why stopped the videos? I liked. Hello from Brazil.
Thanks for the cool vid and showcasing a really boomy voice recording.
Is it just the mic-placement + no EQ or why does it sound like that? It's not really a great ad for what you are trying to sell.
I hope this doesn't come across too harsh. All the best, Timo.
Given the first Left and Right reflection points I am only able to treat one of them. What would you recommend if we can only treat one of the points? i.e. Only treating 1 of the opposing walls. What would be the disadvantage of this?
Thanks @Jj Lopez, It will likely be off balanced a bit, but there are products that are movable so when you are working you can treat those reflection areas where perhaps a door or window is located. We've made a video on this topic: ua-cam.com/video/5jQFr9xYnhs/v-deo.html. If you'd like more advice, please reach out to us via our form which lets you tell us all about your space - www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice/
Can the 244s be used to treat bass and highs in a small room?
Is it best to just get as many monster traps as you can afford and forget thinner panels (especially if you make music with heavy sub and kicks)? Or should you always mix them with 244 or 242? Might as well go full range no?
You don’t want it too dry though. Over treatment is also a big no no
My room is somewhat oddly shaped, as it 's upstairs, and I have a traditional triangular roof. So my front wall (behind speakers) slopes up vertically about 4 ft, then goes up diagonally 'over my head, from listening position's pov' to make a triangle to a 13 feet highest point behind me. Is this good or bad for acoustics?
My simple brain thinks it might help in that there's less reflections from the ceiling, but I might be totally wrong here :-D
The best thing to do in this situation is to reach out to our designers for advice. We'd need a better picture of the overall factors shaping the acoustics of the room, so images, diagrams, etc, will help greatly. Please fill out our form at gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice/
There are many videos on treating an existing room, but is there an advice for building a house/room in the house so it would be acoustically correct?
You can’t build a room that naturally absorbs and diffuses ANY room’s natural reflective pattern and natural room modes. Those exist as simple laws of physics. The best rooms can minimize extreme room modes and perhaps with non parallel walls you can aid a LITTLE with first reflections. But it’s physics. Rooms have dimensions. Any given set of dimensions will have its own unique needs.
@@scottwallace1 ofc, but there has to be room dimensions ratio and preferred length to make sure all necessary waves can fully develop for transparent sound monitoring
@@scottwallace1 also building isn't only about bare walls, acoustic treatment can be included for sure. My point is - room shape that would be best to work with 100% exists and i want to know it.
@@opt4669 consider looking at PresentDayProductions' video on studio building/acoustics. Essentially, you have to consider the dichotomy of easy to acoustically treat VS difficulty to build.
@@Brainbox97 thank you very much
What about the front wall? I thought that was most important too
hi,dear,we are the manufacturer of Acoustic panels,nice to watch your video,the performance just so professional,i love it
I have a couple 100 pound dogs, things get very dusty and dirty fast. I want to avoid foam and fabric that will become disgusting allergen traps. What are my treatment options?
Excellent! Are your products available in india?
Yes we are - visit gikacoustics.in
My room is 26 x 15 x 8 . The wall behind the speakers has ceiling to floor heavy motorised velvet curtain. The side walls are covered with heavy wool curtains which i can open and close to expose the bare wall. The wall at the back is covered with thinner curtains that have a rubber backing. The floor is covered with thick pile carpet. The only true reflective surface is the ceiling. This enables me to hear the natural reverberation that is part of the recording.
You don't want curtains all the way around the room. It will just absorb too much of the higher frequencies.
Take away most of the curtains and get some absorbers and diffusers. You will notice the improvement immediately 🎶
@@C--A Like i said i can open the curtains to expose parts of the walls. The higher frequencies from the speakers arrive at my ears first, followed by reflections from the parts of the bare walls and the ceiling. This way, i can hear the natural reverberation captured by the microphones at the recording venue.
Sorry to tell ya bub, curtains don't do jack shit for low frequencies. You room has too much excited bass.
@@C--A 2 reflected surfaces are ample when you listen to music with cross-talk cancellation. This way you are able to hear the reverberation on the recording and not the room diluting it. You have to hear it to believe it. You get a true 3 dimensional soundstage with just 2 speakers. It is even more dramatic when watching movies and hearing the soundtrack.
@@atetraxx The curtains are not for low bass. As for the "excited" bass, you are wrong. The bass is not overpowering. Of course you will deny this but if you are a true audiophile, you should never judge a speaker/room system because no 2 rooms are acoustically the same. And , because i listen with cross-talk cancellation, the bass is evenly distributed around the room.
A neighbor, one or more houses away got a new subwoofer. I get to enjoy sub 40hz vibrational noise in a 4:4 beat. I'm thinking I didn't do enough sound proofing in my office/studio. Before ripping out the drywall, is there anything else I should consider?
Moving.
nice hair cut bro
How exactly do you ¨trap¨ low frequencies with the material stated on your website? ¨GIK Acoustics crafts acoustic panels and bass traps with quality insulation material, fabrics, and hardwood plywoods. We start with absorptive insulation material that is intended for room acoustics¨ My question is, what material are you using for low frequency absorption? I don't know of any insulation material that would come close to absorbing frequencies below 250 hz.
is not only the material. depends how much and the type of technique. exists a lot of solution. : membrane bass trap / helmoltz resonator
Get some thick 2x4 panels (2x4 can reach more low end vs 1x4 panels) and then stuff it tight with rock wool. Rock wool is most commonly used among these expensive panels. They definitely overcharge though, i make panels at $11 my price they’re very cheap to put together honestly
What's the name of the fabric/color at 2:10?
I wish you sold to Australia, any chance of getting a retailer out here please?
We do sell to Australia - please get in touch with us at orders@gikacoustics.com for shipping rates.
@@GIKAcousticsLLC I did suss a few years ago but shipping was thousands which made it difficult. Just a pity you don’t have a local distributor to cut out the large postage costs (unless this changed I don’t know!)
Do you have a Canadian distribution center and pricing? Thanks.
They shipped to me in eastern canada. (NL) Import fees were not huge. Shipping is shipping anywhere I guess.
We don't have a distribution center, although we do sell to Canada often. We have pricing set up for many products to ship to Canada and can always give you a shipping quote.
I think it would be cheaper if i just used a sub as a chair and bought some nice headphones.
Does this also helps to reduce the noise of my neighbor living above my apartment?
Short answer, no it will not be a sound proofing solution. Acoustic treatment is for treating the sound inside the room rather than noise or sounds that travel or bleed into the room. There are many resources to decide but don't listen to anyone that tells you acoustic panels will stop the sound from traveling from one space to another.
@@GIKAcousticsLLC thanks a lot for your honest answer! Have a great day!
Buy earplugs. Crank yer stuff to 11 and they should move out shortly
What panels are in the corner 1:37
My listening room has one speaker close to the left wall 5 ft, and one speaker far from the right wall, about 10ft to 12ft. What do I do in that situation?
Use headphones! J/K. All in all, that will sound very odd. Can you center your listening position?
Whether or not you should treat the early reflection points depends on your room and speakers. It can actually hurt the sound quality in some cases.
Funny you say this. I have line arrays. The designer tells me he doesn't feel first reflection points are critical for them due to how they interact with the room. More about taming abundance of reflection, not origin.
how do the principles differ specifically with dolby atmos soundbas with side wide and rear side firing speakers specifically hw 990b 11.1.4 samsung
So thicker panels are better for the ceiling? Someone told me it doesn’t matter the size for the ceiling
The spacing is more important
Man, my wife would throw me out of the house if I did those treatments in the bedroom.
Thats for singles only...cat wont mind 😅
why gik website is so old and hard to use
That's so funny, I consider it too modern and bloated.
Don't muck around, call an acoustic consultant with plenty of industry experience in studio and listening spaces and get the absolute best results first go with out trial and errors they end up wasting your money. There's a reason why we spend 5 years at university because it's a technical science.
You're absolutely right it is a science. That's why we offer acoustic advice for FREE from our team of talented acoustic designers - to make sure you do it the right way the first time around. We've heard all the horror stories, and we treat several thousands of different types of rooms each year, so we've seen it all. The best way to get our advice is through our form at www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-form/
Video title suggestion: How to move eyebrows a lot
Best solution is to fill up all the room with foam except the direct way from the speakers to your ears. No room interference left. Perfection achieved!
Just kidding…
Actually not kidding. My unfinished basement surrounded with fiberglass with my Martin Logan's sounded best!!!
My backwall is 80% window, I'm screwed then.
Not exactly... We've got a strategy for walls that may not be best for hanging panels.
ua-cam.com/video/5jQFr9xYnhs/v-deo.html
@@GIKAcousticsLLC Thank you.
Why not just treat the whole room and then rely on mixing in order to add an reverberation and other room effects
I just want to know where to put my panels, my brain turns off with all this scientific jargon
$1000 speakers will sound like $10,000 speakers
Couldn’t you just use curtains in your room?
Yeah basically make it a padded room and buy yourself a straight jacket !!
So, this is an elaborate advertisement..
the first thing to treat is this haircut
WAAAAAY too technical