Members nosamiam Posted December 3, 2005 Members Share Posted December 3, 2005 Is this idea completely crazy? What do you all think?: Would a 50 gallon Rubbermaid-type garbage can filled with water provide any type of low frequency absorbance? Would some other type of fill work better? Besides Owens 703. I'm looking for something quick and easy AND (re)movable. Any educated guesses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted December 3, 2005 Members Share Posted December 3, 2005 There are several methods for killing unwanted bass energy. Diffusion - a convex surface, like the outside of a drum, disperse the energy in all directions. This helps break it up - it's certainly better than trapping it between two parallel surfaces and effectively boosting it with resonance. Absorption - thin panels vibrate in sympathy (like a kick drum) and the flexing within the material turns this energy into heat. An drum is basically a curved light panel, and therefore it will absorb some bass energy. Helmhotz resonator - this is an interesting effect. A tube that is open at one end is basically like an organ pipe. It will have a specific frequency - you drum would be in the bass range. To be effective as a bass trap, you need some absorbant material placed over the top - say some heavy foam rubber. Any frequencies that have a 1/4 wavelength at this height will be most effectively absorbed. You can tune these very specifically to remove problem frequencies. The water would add nothing but weight and stagnant water health issues. You could fill it with foam or fibreglass or blankets or any absorbant fibre. These work by turning vibrational energy into heat energy through friction. Water doesn't really have the internal friction (viscosity) to be an effective absorbant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nosamiam Posted December 3, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2005 Gotcha. Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ethan Winer Posted December 3, 2005 Members Share Posted December 3, 2005 > Would a 50 gallon Rubbermaid-type garbage can filled with water provide any type of low frequency absorbance? No. Kiwi has the right idea. For a lot more info see my Acoustics FAQ: www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html --Ethan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted December 5, 2005 Moderators Share Posted December 5, 2005 So then the next question would be... How effective would a 50 gallon Rubbermaid trashcan, filled with the pink stuff, capped and sealed be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Picker Posted December 5, 2005 Members Share Posted December 5, 2005 My guess is that the plastic would be too reflective. It would vibrate some, but wouldn't absorb much and most would be reflected back into the room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted December 5, 2005 Moderators Share Posted December 5, 2005 Picker, don't forget we're talking bass traps here. It's not going to reflect bass and will probably have a positive effect with its dispersed reflection pattern for mids and highs. So... how effective is this design for bass. Anyone? I've read about this here and there but never heard any solid feedback on its effectiveness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ethan Winer Posted December 5, 2005 Members Share Posted December 5, 2005 Lee, That's because there's only one way to really know for sure how effective a proposed absorber design is - you have to measure it in a lab, or do a side by side comparison with known bass traps in a known room using sophisticated software. --Ethan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted December 5, 2005 Members Share Posted December 5, 2005 The short answer is: it's going to be effective at killing some bass frequencies. Yes - the highs and some of the midrange are going to reflect off it, in a nice dispersed pattern due to the convex surface. Yes - it's going to vibrate with the bass frequencies and these will be damped and absorbed. Placed in the corners, this would be very effective. Will it look as good as commercial bass traps? No. Will it be cheaper than commercial bass traps? Probably Are commercial bass traps better? Pound for pound - probably not, because there is some good science design and materials used. But basically they use similar materials and principles, and a physically large container of absorbant material can be expected to outperform a physically smaller container of similar absorbant. Good bass traps like Ethans look better, and have published specs you can work with. If you are trying to build a flat response room, published specs can help you get into the ball park easier. But if you just want to kill some bass and make a room sound sweeter, a drum of fibreglass will work. Other things that work a just bales of fiberglass (unopened) or rolled up carpets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stocklin Posted December 6, 2005 Members Share Posted December 6, 2005 What about a few bales of hay up against the back wall? I just popped my ankle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted December 6, 2005 Members Share Posted December 6, 2005 Bays of hay or straw rock. Adobe construction rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members patshep Posted December 6, 2005 Members Share Posted December 6, 2005 wow, i read that artilcle ethan, my head is spinning, i'm not sure if i really get it, i used to study math for a time, and i guess my brain has changed, it's so overwhelming for someone like me, recording in a high rise apartment building here in nyc.. where i can't really do too much modification to the space.. the walls are concrete, and the windows let in too much noise.. however, i may be able to come up with something.. i wonder if there are other simple guides on cheap "ghetto acoustic treatments" i guess, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stocklin Posted December 6, 2005 Members Share Posted December 6, 2005 Originally posted by patshep wow, i read that artilcle ethan, my head is spinning, i'm not sure if i really get it, i used to study math for a time, and i guess my brain has changed, it's so overwhelming for someone like me, recording in a high rise apartment building here in nyc.. where i can't really do too much modification to the space.. the walls are concrete, and the windows let in too much noise.. however, i may be able to come up with something.. i wonder if there are other simple guides on cheap "ghetto acoustic treatments" i guess, Move to the country. Take back your soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members patshep Posted December 7, 2005 Members Share Posted December 7, 2005 yeah, right, so many talented musicians in the middle of nowhere, not that i don't think about it, it's just that after living here, everywhere else seems kind of lacking in some way.. believe me, i would love to be around clean air and quiet once in a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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