Acoustic foam materials are used in acoustics applications and to a much lesser degree in soundproofing. Acoustic foam is commonly used in recording studios and music rehersal and practice rooma it is often also used in other large interior spaces such as cafeterias, gyms, function halls, where sounds tend to be amplified and magnified, resulting in din of washed out, fuzzy and undefined sound. Acoustic foam is also known as acoustic foam room treatment, studio foam or soundproofing foam, and works by dealing with two principle problems, noise accumulation and sound reverberation.
Noise accumulation occurs when sounds from multiple sources build up on one another in enclosed spaces, leading to a constant background buzz that obscures the sounds a person right next to you could be making. This makes having a simple conversation difficult as you try to pick out and isolate only the sounds that are relevant to your conversation, whilst trying to ignore all other sounds. Sound reverberation occurs when sounds travel around and reflect off surfaces such as ceilings, walls, partitions or any other non-absorbent surfaces. This leads to a steady build-up of sound consisting of conversations, music, noises and so on resulting in a loud cacophony of sound.
In some extreme instances the build-up of decibels can be very loud, and even painful to those with sensitive ears. To alleviate all these problems, you need to treat your walls, ceilings and hard surfaces with sound-absorbing materials such as acoustic, studio or soundproofing foam. They work by reducing the amount of sound and specific sound frequency ranges being ricocheted off the surfaces. In order to compare and contrast different products on the market, experts have devised and tested using industry standard measurements such as the Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC), the Absorption Coefficient (a), the Sound Transmission Class (STC), and the Sound Transmission Loss (STL or TL). Without getting into too much technical detail, all of these measurements aim to measure how much sound is absorbed by an acoustic material in a defined sound frequency range or band. Knowing these measurements you will be able to compare and select from a myriad of different acoustic foam, soundproofing form or studio foam products available on the market with different specifications.
The actual composition of acoustic foam materials may differ widely. Materials range from lightweight vinyl used for sound damping, through to open cell polyether or polyester polyurethane foam, and composite acoustic foam / fibreglass materials. On the high end materials extreme care has been taken in the design and shaping of the material, and although we tend to call them “foam” there are very dramatic differences in cell structure and density between different types of products on the market.
Acoustic Foam Placement
One of the basic mistakes that one makes while trying to achieve a good sound recording location is looking for a way to make the room soundproof. Soundproofing a room is one aspect the other is making the room a good environment for recording this is where using acoustic foam can help in the treating of your room in order to achieve great sound quality. The key to the problem resides in knowing the difference between soundproofing and sound absorption.
Improving sound doesn’t mean keeping it inside the room. Improving the sound is what really matters and that is directly related to sound absorption. (acoustic enhancement is the term used by professionals to define sound improvement with the help of sound absorption.) Acoustic panels or acoustic foam can be used as sound absorption materials. However, simply having these materials inside your designated room will not do the trick.
Acoustic foam placement has a major importance in achieving acoustic enhancement. If soundproofing foam placement is simple, placing acoustic foam in order to get a proper sound absorption may be tricky. The main idea is to decide which of the areas in the room need less foam and which of them need a lot of it. Deciding this is a matter of testing the duration of the echo in certain areas. You can create any sound (clapping is often used) and see which of the areas have a longer echo. The longer the echo the more foam you will need.
One way to try different foam arrangements without having to ruin the walls nor wasting lots of foam is to place the foam on movable panels which can be moved around the room. achiving the desired sound will come with patience moving the foam around and adding more if needed. While acoustic foam tiles are best at dealing with the higher frequencies thicker tiles will deal with mid frequencies better and bass traps will tackle low end build up in the corners of the room.
Acoustic Foam not Soundproofing Foam
Acoustic foam or Soundproofing foam as it is often called which is not a good description as it will not soundproof a room it may help with soundproofing slightly but will not make any significant difference, it is however an essential tool for any serious musician looking to improve the sound of his or her studio. The foams primary roll is to improve the sound within a room mainly because of its ability to reduce the echo within the room. These echoes are caused by sound reflecting off hard flat surfaces. The echoes can range from short slap echoes that echo a sound sharply and flutter echoes that respond to noise with a series of echoes. Acoustic foam reduces these echoes by absorbing sound. Acoustic foam can be used in non-musical environments, such as a gym or factory warehouse to reduce echo and make it easier to communicate.
The density of soundproofing foam is specially designed for echo reduction and for this reason the quality cannot be duplicated with the use of standard foam such as the type used in a typical mattress or furniture foam.
Acoustic foam provides a higher quality sound by reducing the echo and reverberation feedback. The foam can be measured and cut to specific sizes to fit the needs of any room. Acoustic foam can be used to reduce echo from anywhere, whether in a musician’s studio or a large airport terminal. The style and density of the foam will vary according to the needs to the room.
Acoustic foam can’t be replicated by any flat foam. Each piece has unique wave patterns on its surface, which ensures its sound absorbing quality. There are several different shapes of acoustic foam. The sound absorbing quality of the foam and the echo reduction it provides makes acoustic foam an essential tool in music rooms or large rooms where echoes are produced. Prices of foam and installation costs will vary according to the quality and amount of the foam requested and the size of the room. Depending on these factors. Soundproofing professionals should be involved in the process of soundproofing foam installation, since they will be able to determine the appropriate amount and type of acoustic foam for any room.