Acoustic Panels, who do you buy from?

Kapo_Polenton

Kapo_Polenton

Well-known member
I will say that GIK seems to have the most diverse offerings and I used their free advice and they are really good with responses and help/suggestions. What worries me as a Canadian buyer, is that i have read on Reddit as recently as a few months back that there are quality control issues. Their packaging sucks and this results in a lot of broken product. As a Canadian, I don't feel like footing the bill sending product back. Especially seeing as it is essentially very simple framing with insulation wrapped in fabric.

ATS looks intriguing and they have some DIY resources available too as well as all i need to do is pay my canadian tax and they cover any duties internally. They are set up for smooth transactions in Canada.

We have one or two builders here but the product is expensive if you want 4' panels. Rockboard 60 and 80 isn't as easy to find here and think I would end up just doing my own bass traps but can't be arsed to build wall absorption panels this time. We've just spent a good chunk on framing, electrical, and drywalling the basement and I was able to fandangle a music/studio space with 3 layers of ceiling, double 5/8 on walls, dedicated electrical, and safe n sound stuffed ceiling/insulated walls. A few thousand more for paneling that I don't have to build isn't gonna kill me.

So who have you used/ bought from? If you are Canadian and recently bought, who did you go with and why?
 
Not Canadian but bought both corner bass traps and various wall absorption panels from GIK and they all made a huge difference.

My studio space is two separate roughly 10’ x 12’ rooms, which are not ideal dimensions. One room is my mixing/computer room and that’s where all the corner bass traps are as well as some of the wall panels. I’m using the thick triangular bass traps you can just stack on each other and even in this relatively small room they have tamed that bass build up. I actually added a new subwoofer recently and just have clean bass in my monitors that actually translates for once.

The other room is where all my cabs are hooked up and also where I record acoustic instruments and vocals. I have quite a lot of panels on the walls and it is dead-ish in there. There is still some subtle warm room sound but no zingy reverberations.

I think I spent between $3k-4k on all of them.
 
For sure they made a difference .. my space is about 13x14 and it is going to be packed with cabs , a drumkit and my small console. So bass trapping is going to be a must.

Any issues with your panels? I type GIK quality control into google and the results are not flattering.
 
i have a few of these RealTraps i can move around, i dont really use them much though

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https://realtraps.com/products.htm
 
67mike said:
I make my own.
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After doing some reading last night, I might just end up doing that. If I can source the rockwool it is a no brainer to make frames or hire my niece to build me boxes seeing as she does flower boxes and decks and is cheap labour 😀 . I just don't like the reviews where shipping is concerned.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
After doing some reading last night, I might just end up doing that. If I can source the rockwool it is a no brainer to make frames or hire my niece to build me boxes seeing as she does flower boxes and decks and is cheap labour 😀 . I just don't like the reviews where shipping is concerned.
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Home depot has tons of Rockwood.
 
I also looked at GIK, but after realizing it was going to cost thousands I just ponied up and made them myself. I hope some of these photos are helpful. All the frames are made of 1x2's screwed together. For the bass traps, I cut 12" squares of pink fluffy insulation and stacked them. It's crucial to create "shelves" so the insulation doesn't crush itself. I used utility wire pulled tight across the frame. I took an extra step and covered the frames in a lightweight poly batting before the final layer of fabric, in hopes it would contain the nasties inherently present in the insulation. For the fabric itself, I just went to my local fabric supply store and found something cheap that I could easily breath through when covering my mouth with it.

The wall panels are 2 layers of Safe N Sound insulation (4" total thickness), again wrapped in poly batting and fabric. As you can see, I put legs on the corners to create a gap between the back of the panel and the wall. Apparently this increases the performance of the panel.

 
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Made everything myself except for my large perforated diffusion panels. However, everything was spec’d out by a professional who does this for a living. What im saying is, you can get as wild and nerdy with this side of audio as you want. But, if you wanna do it right, it’s not gonna be cheap.


The limp mass membranes as they are called, I made myself as you can see. 2x6s of various dimensions, screwed into the walls, silicone on the inside to “seal” them, 4 inch rockwool with a 2 inch air gap upfront, siliconed and stapled on the front to make them air tight. The material on top is called revac and only sold in the UK, it’s basically mass loaded vinyl with some extra properties this designer uses in all of his designs. A lot of work, but well worth it. Perforated panels are all filled with 4 inch rockwool in the back of them as well.

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I used GIK's free consultation and that at least was good but they recommend a lot of 4 inch panels which I guess I could achieve with 3' safe n sound and 1 layer comfortboard. Did you guys find there was sag with just safe n sound if wall mounted?
 
Buy OC703 panels, build some basic wood frames, choose some fabric and use 3M spray adhesive to cover them.
 
VESmedic said:
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Made everything myself except for my large perforated diffusion panels. However, everything was spec’d out by a professional who does this for a living. What im saying is, you can get as wild and nerdy with this side of audio as you want. But, if you wanna do it right, it’s not gonna be cheap.


The limp mass membranes as they are called, I made myself as you can see. 2x6s of various dimensions, screwed into the walls, silicone on the inside to “seal” them, 4 inch rockwool with a 2 inch air gap upfront, siliconed and stapled on the front to make them air tight. The material on top is called revac and only sold in the UK, it’s basically mass loaded vinyl with some extra properties this designer uses in all of his designs. A lot of work, but well worth it. Perforated panels are all filled with 4 inch rockwool in the back of them as well.

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I like the use of that metal strapping to keep the Safe n Sound in there. I might actually just spend a bit more and order some rockboard from ATS for wall panels so I don't have to fuss too much and have 4' broadband absorbers. I might then build something in the corner bass trap wise room permitting but just 4' panels everywhere walls and ceilings is probably a decent start. I'm not doing anything but project work in my space, I have a day job.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
I like the use of that metal strapping to keep the Safe n Sound in there. I might actually just spend a bit more and order some rockboard from ATS for wall panels so I don't have to fuss too much and have 4' broadband absorbers. I might then build something in the corner bass trap wise room permitting but just 4' panels everywhere walls and ceilings is probably a decent start. I'm not doing anything but project work in my space, I have a day job.
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Yea man, works really well. Just basic bass plumbing strap from Home Depot. But, that 2 inch cab is crucial and needs to be there and not touching the barrier matting, it’s the best way for sure.
 
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