Rockwool OR Fiberglass for DIY sound panels?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 чер 2024
- DIY Sound panels have been massively popular over the last year since people have been setting up music studios at home. We’re going to test and compare 4 types of sound insulation: rockwool, fiberglass, acoustic foam and denim.
Link to my Patreon page: / belinda_carr
Insulation4US sponsorship: insulation4us.com/
Vlike Sound level meter: amzn.to/33MCu0B
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Sound versus Noise
1:33 Denim insulation
1:58 Rockwool insulation
2:20 My first sponsorship!
2:48 Acoustic foam
3:10 Fiberglass insulation
4:03 Panel dimensions
4:42 Conclusion
It's very important to make the distinction between sound like music and voice and noise. Acoustical engineering is an advanced branch of engineering that analyzes how sound behaves in a space and how sound waves bounce off walls, floors and ceilings. Sound or acoustic treatment is an art, whether in a music studio, concert hall or cinema. There are scientific principles behind the placement of panels and their shape or thickness. These DIY panels that we build are noise dampeners, not sound panels. They are primarily insulating materials for buildings, their noise dampening properties are secondary characteristics.
The first product we’re going to test is denim or cotton insulation. This is a very dense product and it’s actually used to make sound panels. It costs $1.14 per sq ft at Home Depot. 2 layers or 3 inches of denim brought the noise down to 75.5 db. Another 3 inches brought it down to 72 db. That’s a 5.3 db drop.
Rockwool Safe n Sound is out of stock at my local Home Depot and Lowe’s, so I bought some Thermafiber slag wool insulation which has very similar acoustic properties to Rockwool. It costs $0.94 per sq ft. Sandwiched between 3 inches of rockwool, the noise level dropped down to 69db. That’s an 8.3db difference.
This portion is brought to you by Insulation4US.com. Insulation4US.com is the largest US online retailer for insulation products. They ship nationwide across the US with over 800 locations to ship from via their vast distribution network. They are cheaper than big-box retailers and they offer a $60 flat shipping fee on 80% of all products.
The next product we’re going to test are these 12”x12” acoustic foam panels that I bought off Amazon. They arrive vacuum sealed and slowly expand over a couple of days. They cost $1.5 per sq ft. While they are very easy to install, they brought the noise level down to only 73.3db, a 4 db difference.
Lastly, fiberglass, the biggest surprise. I bought this roll for 2x4 walls at Home Depot for $0.5 per sq ft. Sandwiched between just 2 layers, the sound level dropped to 65 db, a 12.3db difference.
Fiberglass was by far, the winner. It was the cheapest and had the best sound dampening qualities. I built my 31 inch by 48.5” inch panels out of 1x4 pine studs, back when they were reasonably priced. I cut the studs down to 2 47” pieces and 2 31” pieces. The middle brace is 29.5” long. And the 4 angled corner braces are 8” long. I used glue and a nail gun to assemble the frame and then smoothened it with an orbital sander. Two pieces of Rockwool insulation friction fit into the frame pretty easily. I bought some felt fabric at Joann's and attached it to the studs with a crown stapler
--------------------
Fluffy by Smith The Mister smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/stm-fluffy
Music promoted by Audio Library • Fluffy - Smith The Mis...
---------------------
Disclaimer: This video was created for educational/informational purposes and qualifies as Fair Use. If you are the creator or own the footage featured in this video and have reservations please notify me via UA-cam comments or email and I will accommodate you
#rockwool #fiberglass #soundpanel #insulation #diy #soundinsulation #test #decibel #musicstudio #garagestudio - Наука та технологія
Many people have commented on testing different frequencies (which I hadn't thought of!). I did some quick tests today and got the same results. Fiberglass was surprisingly the best.
Check out John Brandt's explanation: ua-cam.com/video/3mGbPHx_8X8/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for doing this one! 🌎☺️✌️
Belinda, thanks for doing this. But I think big miss here is, the frequency spectrum. It is expected Roxul Safe N Sound Rockwool bats would do much better in lower frequency spectrum which is very tough to contain compared to high frequencies. If you look at STC ratings of various insulation you might see that reflected. But I would like to see, you perform that test and provide results, which I trust more much than other's tests done with commercial interest.
I would think fiberglass does well because it's more bouncy and fluffy therefore absorbs the sound waves a little better.
@@nayudusrini that's interesting, didn't think about different frequencies would matter but it makes sense. The products funny enough only gives one number on the package.
I'm sorry, but this is only acoustic correction. So they can alter the acoustic quality of the room they're in but do nothing to "insulate". For insulation you need "mass, spring, mass" and air tightness. Those panels won't help in acoustic insulation. The only thing they do is diminish reflection and resonance.
The fiberglass dropped the sound pressure level more than the other materials because of the Kraft paper backing. All you were testing was airflow. The panels you hang on the wall are meant to reduce the amplitude of sound waves reflecting back to the source from the walls. You’d need to put the SPL meter on the same side of the treatment as phone to see how the insulation works to dampen reflections. What you showed is that if you want to stop outside sounds getting in any improvement in airtightness will help. Get an airtight storage container from your kitchen and put the phone in there making the noise and check the sound pressure level. It should be better than any insulation.
i agree these test are so misleading as they can be. she should remove this video asap.
She states at the start that she is discussing audio absorption not reflection, most people can't make a aur vacuum box around themselves to stop exterior noise pollution
I have to agree with you beachton123, if you watch again you will see the girl's facial expression when she explains comments on the pink fiberglass.!
You are saying The 1mm kraft backing with zero mass made this big 40% difference ? the difference stands and the other ones dont have a kraft backing. In any case this test is not very useful because they tested a high pitch note, shouldve tested real loud bass.
Her test does a fine job at showing how much sound the materials can absorb. If you are trying to stop a sound reflecting off a surface and coming back to you with an absorption panel, the panel is going to be placed in front of the reflective surface to absorb energy from the sound waves, then it will reflect off the wall and pass back through the panel, where even more energy will be absorbed.
What is amazing about rockwool, and why it is the preferred material in professional recording studio, is that it absorbs sound very evenly across the frequency range, even down to quite low frequencies.
The lows are the real problem they can even require sand and other heavy materials to stop, high freq are not even an issue.
I used rockwool for my atmos install in my condo The people upstair couldn't even tell I had in ceiling speakers
@ALJ Studios I have freelanced and been a staff engineer in some extremely high end studios designed by top names and in all of them they utilized sophisticated geometry with several layers of rockwool lining the walls of the control room with a permeable fabric covering it. I am unaware of a better setup.
@@cf5914 cool, thank youfor sharing your experience and expertise.
I feel like rocwool is such a cool concept in the same kind of way as it's just cool to think about the fact that airplanes and helicopters actually work.. they just sit on top of air from our point of view.. or the fact that the Netherlands holds the sea at bay. I think it's madness that we put rocks into essentially a badass cotton candy machine and it makes lava silly string that you can compare to wool...
Have you heard of any studies into having it behind a breathable fabric? I know it was once called as dangerous as asbestos but I don't think it is. I guess if undisturbed it can't hurt too much but if not sealed very tightly I wonder if it ends up being inhaled at all. Surely singers etc would complain of their throat drying?
Just wondering if you know.
@@shanemccann2915 I know of no issues with having the breathable fabric. These setups are now VERY standard in professional studios and have been for 15+ years.
Congratulations on your sponsor!
I'm glad you are beginning to get the recognition you deserve for your very informative and unbiased reporting.
Glad you have a good sponsor. I will keep that in mind when I need various types of insulation. Best of luck and keep going 💪
Congratulations on the sponsorship. Been watching your videos on storage units used as houses, glad to see you are growing more and more the potential of the channel, cheers :)
Congrats on the sponsor! Your hard work and unbiased reviews paid off, and hope it continues.
I have been studying home DIY sound panels for MONTHS! Thank you for this best video!!
Thank you, great video, and congratulations on your sponsorship.
AWESOME : )
love all your videos, your calm, respectful speech is exactly the language I need
I enjoyed your video very much. I found yours more informative than others that I've watch. Dealing with DIY sound panels. Thanks!
Another Belinda Carr video? HELL YEAH!!! It’s cool to see her evolution and to be here early-ish, before she eclipses 500k subscribers.
Yikes, long way to go! Thanks, Trevor :)
Simple, short and to the point… the best video I’ve seen so far about DIY sound dampening. Thanks.
congrats on the sponsor you deserve it. I know this is two years old but just found it. Ive seen other videos of yours as well. Smart and pretty lady. Thank you for all you do and sharing these videos.
Congrats for your first sponsor! They made a smart choice to partner with you because you will grow big with this channel. All the best :)
Great video, congrats on the sponsorship!
Congrats for the achievement! You deserve!
Just found your channel and love your work!
You're awesome! Thank you so much for doing all the hard work and documenting it for us. I'm on my way to the hardware store to get some fiberglass insulation.
ive been waiting fro this video!!! much thanks
Hello Belinda, very interesting video on the sound panels. I was really surprised about the fiberglass material being the most effective. I would have thought something more dense would have been better. Congratulation on your sponsorship also. Take care. 🙂
Congrats on the Sponsorship!
Honestly I’ve never been interested in these type of things , but you have such a nice voice and you come across as very educated and knowledgeable 😭
So glad I found this channel
Congratulations on your first sponsor!!!
Thank you Belinda!
Fantastic work Belinda. It would be very interesting to share a graph of how each insulation did with various frequencies.
Great tests, great video!
Thank you for the video, found it very useful and educational
I’m glad you have managed to get a sponsor for this video and the video was interesting never knew glass wool was good at sound absorption. I love watching your videos and you post consistently I would love to see you do a video on Passive House if possible. And I also can’t wait for the video on the vacuum insulation too. Keep it up love your videos.
My new favorite youtube channel. Well done. You are doing a wonderful job.
very helpful informative video. thank you!
This was so helpful, thank you! We are just about to insulate a wall for thermal and noise issues, and now I am excited that fiberglass can do both well!!
Well done on the promotion, great content thank you
Just discovered this channel, had to subscribe and like. Excellent work 👏 👍 👌
Putting together a sound studio, this video was very helpful...Thankyou!
Thank you for the great video and the curve
This was very useful keep making videos you sid a great job
Quick and to the point.
THANKS
Excellent info. Thanks for sharing. :)
I’ll have to check out your sponsors website! Good job
Another informative production.
Somehow you take building items we don't give much consideration to and make a very cool, excellent and easy to understand class on the subject. On a side note, we are building a camping van and are now getting ready to insulate it. Thanks!
Exactly the video I was looking for
Interesting Results. Good job.
Acoustics and architecture! Two of my favorite subjects!
Very interesting as always
Very insightful video with real-life demonstration.
This is very helpful, thanx alot
Congratulations, you have been doing good job and I hope there are more companies come to you for business.
Thkq love, I needed this!
Informative. A well done presentation.
Part of what sound panels are designed to do is reduce reflections of sound coming from within the room. So while it's important to be aware of how well your materials reduce noise coming from outside, part of the benefit of acoustic foam is that its shape and material are designed to reduce reverb. Perhaps there's a type of test that could be designed where you make a loud noise and then test how quickly the sound dissipates. I'd be really interested in a video like that! I work with people who create home setups for dialogue recording, and often we find that closets are a great natural space due to the absorption properties of just clothes!
As always your is an excellent production and this instance for me at least of timely importance as I'm currently exploring viable alternatives to my less than satisfactory residential insulation situation, both in regard to it's thermal and audio capacity. As it turns out I may be able to solve both issues with the same product. Thankyou Belinda.
Very cool & I love ur basic scientific method & how u show ur results during the tests... bee safe & big hugs
Congrats on the sponsorship! Have you seen any of the channel Tech Ingredients' videos on sound isolation? I was also surprised by your results with fiberglass.
Thanks, Tucker! No, I haven't, but I'm going to check out his channel now.
I was just trying to find that video.. There were a couple over the last couple of years and this was the one I found so far.. i think it was the one where he did the speakers and the type of insulation in them... ua-cam.com/video/jjZHFIdfUFk/v-deo.html @Belinda Carr
@@BelindaCarr was just trying to find that video.. There were a couple over the last couple of years and this was the one I found so far.. i think it was the one where he did the speakers and the type of insulation in them... ua-cam.com/video/jjZHFIdfUFk/v-deo.html
Congrats on your sponsor, thanks for your videos.. ✌🏻
Congrats on getting sponsorship!
Doing a sound absorption comparison of insulating materials is a great idea. I'd be interested to see more. In particular, the distinction made at the start between noise and other sound such as music, speech, loud bangs and thuds, motor hum or engine drone is very significant and worth expanding on, I believe. It'd be great to see the performance of each material judged on more than one frequency and type of sound as well as different levels of loudness. I'd also like for the thickness of the material used in each experiment to be more clearly stated. I like the experimental set-up as it is simple and reproducible by anyone and also avoids sound transmission via supporting structures e.g. wooden frames and panels or plasterboard etc. which are the main culprits for sound transmission through walls, ceilings etc.
Wonderful informative video as always. Congratulations for your sponsor. I wish you could test more materials such as wood fiber and cellulose fiber. As far as I know, loose form materials usually have less density means better sound insulator?
Doing a project right now with sound insulation. Great video
Thank you for caring a sponsor I was looking for a cheaper alternative to buy my insulation and the big box stores thank you thank you 😘
That's very helpful wish you all the best ❤
I would be curious to see how the decibel drops at different tones, especially the lowest tones in the 40hz-250hz range. From my understanding certain materials are good at the mid-high frequencies but can't absorb the pressure waves of sound as it dips into the lower range. Great video as always!
for lower ranges you need mass (so heavy open-celled insulation). But its only for correction. If you want to avoid annoying your neighbor those panels wont hep a bit.
This is really interesting! I think your test may be held back a little by the fact you only tested a single tone, however, as different materials tend to do a better job dampening sound at different frequencies. I'd be interested to see a follow-up!
Ohh, yes, I am now curious about this too! We need a full spectrum sweep!
@@jesinu exactly I need t know how it does with frequencies below 200hz
Also if possible, make a video of sound panels with different insulation and test it in same room and how it will affect the room sound charateristics?
I tested different frequencies after making this video and got the same results. I hope to build a small room/testing facility in the future to perform more tests!
should use white noise
Thank you for this demonstration, and I will use rockwool for exterior application and fiberglass for the internal wall sound abatement issue.
Wonderfull video for I want to build my own sound panels for my home recording studio. Thanks a bunch.
Very informative and useful video. I like the line Angry red bumps. LOL
You seem to be measure audio transmission, but I thought sound panels were to prevent audio reflection.
Yeah, in a recording studio you have to cut down on both internal reflections (to improve recording audio quality) AND external transmission (to improve isolation with the outside). It's helpful to see how useless acoustic foam is regarding isolation, but only because there's a common misconception among a lot of people that acoustic foam improves isolation, which it clearly doesn't (nor is it meant to).
Fiberglass and mineral wool do both, but insulation way better
Sound doesn't just come in different frequencies but can be transmitted in different ways. I used to have a neighbour who liked to turn up his stereo. He lived 75m away. Although I couldn't hear the actual music, I could hear the sub-woofer bass pounding. It went through his concrete slab into the clay soil which transmitted the sound 75m to my house and my concrete slab in turn also vibrated. That is why drums and bass guitar in a studio are often placed on a mini stage that has springs, rubber and other vibration absorbing features.
We love you Belinda!!
All your UA-cam ideas and videos are sound and intelligent. Let those haters hate, is true fans love your content.
I really like your videos but on this one I would mention 2 of my issues with it:
1: I would test these materials with different frequencies, not just one high pitch sound.
Probably all materials will show different characteristics through the audible frequency range.
2. The fiberglass won because it has that paper backing on one side of it and that helps a lot on high frequency.
Apart of these small issues, I really hope that you will carry on and make more and more short but educational videos!
Good luck with them!
Dan
So the best insulator would be paper then.
@@briansransom no, it's the best reflector to reflect back to the phone the test tone that is 1kHz. It is not testing the absortion capabilty for reverb of 50ms or less of a 1kHz tone in this case.
I admire your talent. Great tutorial.
Great job on this video, I never would have thought that fiberglass would dampen the sound so much.
fiberglass panels for my home theater it is. Thanks Belinda!!!
AVS covers this in depth.. Fiberglass works better. Double layers of 5/8" drywall with green glue, fiberglass and channel works wonders.
As others have mentioned, Rockwool should be better at absorbing in the lower frequency range. It has about twice the density of fiberglass. Interesting test results. Would like to see the lower mid tones and bass tones tested.
Somewhat related to your video, tiled shower stalls make excellent spaces to record an acoustic guitar for their reflective properties. Thank you for your videos, they are always informative
I always hit the like button every time I hear you say video. No one says it better
Thank you so much indeed! Very useful for me.
Thank you 🙏 you're a legend, worth sitting through the sponsored video
Thanks for the info. Greetings from Panama.
Glad I found this. I made my own from household waste:cloth and cardboard, because, "no money". Will upgrade later... But most people working on insulation have said Rockwool passes the fire test better than any of the other materials that are currently used.
Wow you are very knowledgeable about giving DIY information!
I am purchasing a sound meter for this purpose but looking for the right one that will cover all bases.
The main issue I have right now is that the room that my off is in is a good sized area but oddly shaped structure for sound balancing. So it becomes quite a challenge to get it just right for my liking.
I will consider the fiberglass insulation for sound panels and take the safety precautions while building them. Always do.
Thank you so much! ✌🏻
I used fiberglass between bedrooms in a new house with 5/8 drywall and found it had almost no effect on ambient room noise: music, taking, moving around. I tried Safe n' Sound between two bedrooms in a second house with 5/8 drywall and found it had minimal, perhaps even less effect.
Now I saw Scott MacGillivray on HGTV use Safe n' Sound and it cut the sound transmission between floors by about 95%. I'd like to watch that vid again. Of course, he used sound isolating metal channels on the rock for the ceiling.
Classically, the only thing that damps sound has been MASS. Heavy stuff like concrete, masonry, concrete block and/or isolation of the silent space from the rest of the structure. This latest vid is quite interesting. I think I will use the isolating strips along with insulation of some kind on the next place.
Many of those garden variety acoustic sound panels have sand within them which can also be a good mass medium for making it more difficult for sounds or vibrations to travel through.
Really helpful!
I really like this woman and her ideas
Love your channel 🤓
Thanks for a great test! I wonder if the rockwool does better on lower frequencies. As far as sound blocking, the lower frequencies seem more difficult to dissipate. Possibly a frequency blocking comparison?
Yes, rockwool is better on lower frequencies.
there are data sheets that show the differences between sound dampening between different insulators at different frequencies.
This video is informative and succinct, thank you Belinda.👍🏼 I’m evaluating making my own, what types of material should be used for the front and back and does it need to not be too thick to let sound through?
Congrats on the sponsor, timely topic as I need to mask highway sounds where I stream from
The way you said this is my first promotion video ❤❤
Glad to hear that you are getting sponsored, I enjoy your channel. I was surprised at the results you got with fiberglass. I've always been under the understanding that it did a worse job than the others at blocking sound. I am a little disappointed that you only tried one frequency. I always look forward to your next video keep up the good work.
I tested other frequencies, after making this video, since many people commented on it. Surprisingly, I got the same result! Never thought I'd lean towards fiberglass lol.
Thank you for your reply I appreciate it. And for going to the trouble to rerun your test at different frequencies. The results surprised me and I appreciate your efforts.
thanks for video!!!!
Great video! I’m going to insulate my basement ceiling to help with sound proofing!
Forget all the other stuff. Super Cute!!!!
lookin good belinda
lol "remember cinemas?"
Useful information that is well presented, subscribed after one video
Much of what you do is very good work. I think your understanding of sound and the different treatments, where, why and how used is open to improvement. For anyone, a working understanding of decibels, amplitude, frequency, sound dispersion, room shapes and standing waves is imperative. The difference between sound blocking, dispersion and absorption along with decoupling sound transmitters (walls, floors, etc.) is important. Low energy high frequencies are easier to attenuate than high energy low frequencies. Standing waves create huge issues with sound. Identifying the goal, the problem areas, and then the possible solutions may be a better approach to choosing what materials to use, where, and how. Don't stop doing what you do, just continually learn and improve.
Thank you so much.🙏👍
next time i need some panels ill give you a shout.you made up those panel frames better than mine.lol thanks for the tests
L0L ... unlike many that butt a corner of a brace into a corner, this smart person leaves the corner open for stronger bracing. Well done. Great topic.
Thank you for the video. Fiberglass is so much more easier to get. I’ll be building my panels and using fiberglass for my acoustic issues.