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Quick decision needed for a 'boomy' basement room - 6.5 ' ceiling, concrete walls, major reflections & bass boom...
Sheetrock on top of open frame, 16" centres filled with fibreglass insulation - or tongue & groove 3" wood panelling - or chipboard panels - on the walls? Which will be best for absorption of bass and minimizing reflections?The ceiling is open joists - when sitting, the boom is much less than when standing - should there be something done with the ceiling, say fill the joists with fibregalss and cover with sheetrock or wood panels?
Thanks....
Follow Ups:
Need Real time analyser. Often sold in digital eqs nowdays. Can "buy" from Guitar Center and return within a month for money back. Use RTA to determine what freq your boom is at. Likely the freq or multiples of it are related to standing waves based on some dimension within your room. Bass traps can only do so much, you may need a Helmhotz resonator or parametric Eq to take out the "boom".
Consider using strip paneling that is not tongue and groove and leave 1/2 inch or more space between the slats. Insulate between the studs and put furring strips horizontally. Cover this with a fabric that will match your decor and then apply the strips on top. You can bevel the strips to make a more directional trap and, if you like, you can mold the strips so that all surfaces are curved.
Robert,Plywood will absorb bass more than sheetrock, but there's much more to absorbing bass effectively than just throwing up a semi-flexible wall! For a good overview of the issues see the Acoustics FAQ, second in the list on my Articles page:
www.ethanwiner.com/articles.html
As for the ceiling, that too is explained in the FAQ. Filling the spaces between all joists with the thickest fiberglass you can fit is a great way to treat a basement ceiling. If you don't need isolation to the upstairs, you're much better off NOT installing sheetrock on the ceiling.
--Ethan
Thanks Ethan.
Will plywood be better than wood strip panelling?I hear you on the ceiling, everyone says leave the open joists. But I get this overhang sound, it sounds heavy & thick when I'm standing up - I must be getting some heavy standing waves near the joists. If I stuff fibreglass in there, what do I put on top of it - I can't just leave exposed fibreglass up there, it would be dropping fibres constantly.
By the way, I bought 4 of your Real Traps a couple of weeks ago. They had a major effect of reducing the boom. Great product. Now I need to get a few other things in the room right and I'm still hoping to one day make it sound REALLY good.
Last question - is it possible my speakers are just too big, produce too much SPL in the bass for my low ceilings and small room? Thanks!!
Robert,> Will plywood be better than wood strip panelling? <
That's hard to say. It really depends on what you want to accomplish and what's behind the strips.
> your Real Traps a couple of weeks ago. They had a major effect of reducing the boom. Great product. <
Thanks for letting me know how much they helped.
> is it possible my speakers are just too big, produce too much SPL in the bass <
I don't think so. All "boom" problems are caused by the room. After all, even huge speakers can be played quietly!
--Ethan
I recently put up drywall in my basement. Prior to this I had the walls studded with insultaion between them for awhile. I had plenty of bass and the sound was nice and smooth.A week ago I finally got off my butt and put up some drywall, and- the bass has practically dissappeared!! And the highs are a little bright. Now I'm trying to do things with treatments to bring the bass BACK. So far all i've done is hang throw rugs on the walls next to the speakers. This alone has improved the bass. my basement room has been a work in progress so i'm not in a big hurry to have it finished.
I am also planning on leaving the ceiling open. I bought some white styrofoam sheets from Home depot and am gluing them to the bottom of the floor boards- between the joists. Then i'll paint the whole ceiling a flat medium gray or somehting. I think this styrofoam has helped too.
Right now i just have the speakers standing on the cement floor. I plan on putting in some thin carpetting, like indoor/outdoor or berber. This should also help with bringing the bass back up to snuff.
i'm also gonna get more fabric wall hangings/throw rugs.good luck
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