Cutting down echo indoors
- Thread starter SAMI
- Start date
muleskinner
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Enoch, UT
How high is your ceiling? You could try acoustical ceiling tiles, I have a friend that put them in his theater room with great results.
install speakers in all walls in the studio except one. hook them to a sound activated microphone. Then write a noise canceling computer program. Every time sound goes of the speakers or someone talks the program sends out sound with exact opposite wavelength. That will cancel out all sound but the one wall that has no speakers.
perfect solution.
or you could try acoustic tiles in the ceiling and hang some fabric from the walls that don't include the mirrors or maybe all of them so it can be rolled out of the way when you need the mirrors.
perfect solution.
or you could try acoustic tiles in the ceiling and hang some fabric from the walls that don't include the mirrors or maybe all of them so it can be rolled out of the way when you need the mirrors.
Last edited:
Spork
Tin Foil Hat Equipped
- Location
- Saratoga Springs, UT
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
I look into this every time I record a new album. It's not cheap, but some acoustic foam and bass traps placed in the appropriate areas will go a long ways. The more you spend, the better they get.
DIY:
http://www.basstraps.net/DIY-BASS-TRAPS-MADE-EASY.pdf
or store-bought:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Auralex-Studio-Foam-LENRD-Bass-Traps-104003348-i1134552.gc
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Primacoustic-W-Foam-Primafoam-UT-Acoustic-Foam-424401-i1134675.gc
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Auralex-4--Pyramid-Foam-6-Pack-425555-i1134840.gc
I'd start with the wedges first. Also, hard parallel surfaces kill acoustics as well. Have you played with different speaker placement yet? Carpet, cloth, foam, human bodies, anything absorbant will help eat up some of the echo.
DIY:
http://www.basstraps.net/DIY-BASS-TRAPS-MADE-EASY.pdf
or store-bought:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Auralex-Studio-Foam-LENRD-Bass-Traps-104003348-i1134552.gc
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Primacoustic-W-Foam-Primafoam-UT-Acoustic-Foam-424401-i1134675.gc
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Auralex-4--Pyramid-Foam-6-Pack-425555-i1134840.gc
I'd start with the wedges first. Also, hard parallel surfaces kill acoustics as well. Have you played with different speaker placement yet? Carpet, cloth, foam, human bodies, anything absorbant will help eat up some of the echo.
Skylinerider
Wandering the desert
- Location
- Ephraim
Search "Sound Attenuation Panels" I helped design many buildings that we needed to put them in.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
how big is the room? What are the walls and floors made of? how high are the ceilings? Is the echo caused by talking, music, or dancing?
Thanks for replies so far.. I'll review in depth tonight.. The room is 22x22', 8-9' tall ceiling, hardwood floor, 20x6' mirrors along one entire wall. Some items hanging on the wall, but not enough to count as sound dampening. Music, and tapping from tap shoes are the main issues, as voices aren't terrible. 12 little feet with tap shoes, music, and an instructor yelling over it all the echoes are pretty bad.
Oh, and I hard-mounted the speakers already, not thinking ahead with echo issues. They are mounted in the corner of the wall and ceiling, facing the wall with mirrors. Also a subwoofer sits on the floor. I'll try to post some photos later.
Oh, and I hard-mounted the speakers already, not thinking ahead with echo issues. They are mounted in the corner of the wall and ceiling, facing the wall with mirrors. Also a subwoofer sits on the floor. I'll try to post some photos later.
Milner
formerly "rckcrlr"
- Location
- Hiding behind a camera
Go to Pat's BBQ for lunch tomorrow and look up 
they put in panels there....
I'd say start with the ceiling and then on to some heavy material to decorate the walls if needed.
One little tapper is more then enough for me, I couldn't handle 5 or 6!!!!:eek
PS Keeley had a GREAT time today!! she was SOOO excited!!!!
they put in panels there....I'd say start with the ceiling and then on to some heavy material to decorate the walls if needed.
One little tapper is more then enough for me, I couldn't handle 5 or 6!!!!:eek
PS Keeley had a GREAT time today!! she was SOOO excited!!!!
gijohn40
too poor to wheel... :(
- Location
- Layton, Utah
I know alot of swimming pools take and hang one foot square tiles about an inch off the walls in patterns... this kills the sound as well...
I don't know how much cost is an issue but you can pick up some foam panels from home depot (they have some that are very open in structure and these obviously work better) cover them with cloth and hang them on the walls.. Heck do art on them and call them paintings.. put them on the ceiling as well and that will eat a lot of the sound. I helped do this for my kids cheer studio a while back and it made a giant difference for low cost.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Some foams are far more effective than others. Owens Corning 703 is really what you want. I've read a lot of forums on the topic, and this is really the best solution for the money. make sure you use Owens Corning 703, that's the key.
http://www.basstraps.net/DIY-BASS-TRAPS-MADE-EASY.pdf
Also, you could hang some heavy felt curtains around the offending walls, like a theater on stage. Then they could feel like it's a little stage, and it'll help absorb those acoustics (but not as well as a few well-placed bass traps.)
http://www.allstaractivities.com/images/Dance-Studio.jpg
It's super ghetto, but I've got really thick carpet hanging on the walls of my basement for band practice. It actually ended up making it sound TOO dead in there, so we strategically removed a few strips. but it looks ghetto.
Can your speakers pivot at all, or are they completely fixed?
The mirrors will reflect sound just like they reflect light. But you need mirrors for dance, so there's not much you can do about those (other than aim them down a little so they're not exactly parallel to the opposite wall.)
are the other walls covered in sheetrock, or are they bare concrete?
Panels don't have to be ugly looking either:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aV7aZe3_eto/SkogxwLx-yI/AAAAAAAACtE/FbGgZhaBFPo/s400/DANCE+STUDIO+1.JPG
http://svconline.com/how/features/901SVC_ExpertViewdance-studio.jpg
http://dumais.us/newtown/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/PC060078.jpg
http://www.cinemashop.com/images/ap/Acoustic_Room_390.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/4222609690_853a5672b8.jpg
http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2010/06/01/01434647890_K498o_1822.jpg
http://www.basstraps.net/DIY-BASS-TRAPS-MADE-EASY.pdf
Also, you could hang some heavy felt curtains around the offending walls, like a theater on stage. Then they could feel like it's a little stage, and it'll help absorb those acoustics (but not as well as a few well-placed bass traps.)
http://www.allstaractivities.com/images/Dance-Studio.jpg
It's super ghetto, but I've got really thick carpet hanging on the walls of my basement for band practice. It actually ended up making it sound TOO dead in there, so we strategically removed a few strips. but it looks ghetto.
Can your speakers pivot at all, or are they completely fixed?
The mirrors will reflect sound just like they reflect light. But you need mirrors for dance, so there's not much you can do about those (other than aim them down a little so they're not exactly parallel to the opposite wall.)
are the other walls covered in sheetrock, or are they bare concrete?
Panels don't have to be ugly looking either:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aV7aZe3_eto/SkogxwLx-yI/AAAAAAAACtE/FbGgZhaBFPo/s400/DANCE+STUDIO+1.JPG
http://svconline.com/how/features/901SVC_ExpertViewdance-studio.jpg
http://dumais.us/newtown/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/PC060078.jpg
http://www.cinemashop.com/images/ap/Acoustic_Room_390.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/4222609690_853a5672b8.jpg
http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2010/06/01/01434647890_K498o_1822.jpg