Room Acoustics Forum by Rives Audio

Need clarification on building Ethan's bass traps

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I finally took the plunge and decided to build some of the flat panel bass traps that Ethan recommends, so I bought 20 sheets of 2" thick 24" X 48" OC 705. I found a good video on building traps on YouTube (see link below). It recommends building a wooden frame out of 1" X 2" planks as an rear support for the 4" 705 sheets. Their method leaves the sides of the 705 exposed (behind fabric) in front of the frame for extra absortion. Seems to be a good technique.

I plan to build 4" thick 24" wide panels from floor to ceiling (10 feet high) to be placed diagonally across each of the four corners of my room. I read a ton of posts here from Ethan, David Aiken, and others, but I still have a few questions:

1) I screwed up and ordered non-faced OC 705. One post I read said that adhering kraft paper on the front of the 705 panel facing into the room would be a good approximation of the FRK material. Is that so, what weight of kraft paper (50lb?), and should I cover the entire front of the trap with it?

2) I read that the FRK facing on 705 also has a foil layer. Is the foil important for trap performance and, if so, should it be on the inside or the outside of the kraft paper?

3) I read where Ethan recommends using a layer of "limp membrane" across the front of the trap to improve bass absorption. I found some painter's drop cloth at HD that is 0.7 mil thick. Is this the right thickness? Should I cover the entire front of the trap with it?

4) I also read that Ethan says that moving the trap out from the wall improved absorption. I realize that this recommendation was intended for panels mounted parallel to the wall, but, since my panels will go completely from floor to ceiling and have kraft paper, foil (possibly), the "thin membrane", and fabric across the entire front, it would senn that leaving a 4" gap around the sides of the trap would make it easier for the bass to "flow" behind the trap. Is that correct?

Thanks ahead of time for your helpful feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYUpkpL0gw (Open in New Window)

Follow Ups:

RE: Need clarification on building Ethan's bass traps - Ethan Winer 06:28:32 10/12/09 (0)

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