Absorbtion

Reflections in a room can be annoying, think for instance about a gym full of children. Or a full restaurant. When reflections bounce off a surface and join the sound source, a complex mess of sounds can occur. Reflections can get in the way of intelligibility. The result is that people will talk louder, thus adding to the problem.

In a studio that’s no different. Unwanted reflections in a tracking room e.g. can be audible in the recording and will be hard to remove after the fact. In a mixing situation reflections and standingwaves can influence your judgement. Absorbtion will – simply put – convert soundwaves in to heat, moving particles of air are reduced and you can focus on the sound source.

As a general rule of thumb we think approx. 2/3 of all reflective surfaces should be treated to have the desired effect in a room. Of course there are prefab solutions, but manufacturers have to deal with logistics. When your acoustic panels have to travel across Europe or even halfway across the world, that will influence the pricing.

From a logistic viewpoint, small size panels would be more efficient, but it would be much more effective to use large panels or at least not be limited by size. Optically it’s better too. Now when you realise one large panel is relatively cheaper to produce than 6 of 8 smaller ones, you’ll see that custom made panels don’t have to be more expensive than prefab solutions. Plus you’ll have a choice of dozens of colours and fabrics, and we will install the treatment for you if you so desire.

Sixpack is an absorberwall that was conceived from the fact that the thickness of a panel will determine which part of the frequency spectrum is adressed. That is why Sixpack is made with six panels in three different depths. The deepest are made with a membrane to effetively address deep lows.

When we treat a room, we end up using a combination of absorbtion, diffusion and low end treatment. But in some situations there’s simply not enough room to install large basstraps. In those situations Sixpack can offer an excellent alternative. Like all Sandbox solutions Sixpack is available in dozens of colours or combinations, so we will always find the right connection.

Most manufacturers use polyurethane foam for absorbing, but that’s a very dense material and thus much less effective. Besides that it can be a fire hazard and polyurethane will deteriorate when it is exposed to oxygen and starts to crumble and discolour over time. 

Porous materials like minerale wol will do a better job, leaving the high-end more intact and create a well-balanced frequency-response.
At Studioguys we are constantly looking for environmental-friendly alternatives. We also use hemp, cellulose, felt and cotton to name a few. Feel free to ask about the possibilities!