Help! the acoustics in my bassment suck

[AndyW83]

this is my jam room... unfinished bassment... concrete floor, sheetrock walls, no insulation in the rafters just wood beams.. how can i improve the acoustics? ive heard foam on the walls and ceiling works wonders... any suggestions?

 

[MuzikMan]

Whatever you do don't make it a fire hazard!

 

[OmnitzGarima]

Whatever you do don't make it a fire hazard!

Good point. I know people who have used egg cartons, but I bet they catch fire in a hurry.

 

[canshaker]

MusikMan is 100% correct.
So, make sure you get foam sheets that have some sort of fire rating. Any of the Auralex stuff works great.
Throw some rugs down on the floor, too.
For cost purposes, leave the ceiling as the last thing you work on. The rafters and beams could possibly help with diffusing sound.

 

[AndyW83]

im sure the little bit of foam here and there isnt going to make my house a frie hazard... so egg cartons huh? hmmm will this stuff really make a difference in the acoustics?

 

[WayneP]

The most effective acoustical fix for the money is wall-to-wall carpet.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt


Administrator, Tobias Club
Pedulla Club #45
Big Cabs Club #23
Tobias Club

 

[MuzikMan]

Egg cartons look like they should be useful, but they aren't. That doesn't stop people from using them though. I know I did when I was a kid!

 

[MuzikMan]

See if you can talk a carpet store into giving you their scraps. I don't know how it is these days but years ago they used to throw away many yards of used material that was pulled from a job.

 

[walker rosewood]

a cheap temporary option is to hang some blankets on the wall and definitely +1 to some form of carpeting. Some furniture will help with diffusion too. Try craigslist for cheap couches, the free section always has a bunch too.

 

[testing1two]

Start with bass trapping then add a little absorptive material around the room until it's tuned to your liking. Going overboard with absorption without addressing bass trapping is the most common mistake people make.

Google "superchunk bass trap" and go from there

 

[jvanick]

an old mattress in the corner works great as well... Get a few moving blankets for the other walls to calm down the echo and some wall to wall carpet and you're in business.

-J