How To Build Cost Effective Acoustic Panels
January 9, 2020 | PanelsIf you want to create your own home recording studio or cinema without breaking the bank, then building your own acoustic panels could be the cost-effective answer. Poor acoustics can make even the most expensive set of speakers sound tinny and cheap, while lack of sound absorption will ruin your home recordings. Using easily sourced materials and some basic DIY skills, you can create your own acoustic solutions in just a few hours.
Why DIY?
Building your own acoustic panels means you can tailor them to your exact needs and the dimensions of the space, delivering plenty of bang for your buck. You can also choose the supports and the fabric colour that you prefer for a seamless look. And surveying your handiwork and hearing the clear difference it makes to your sonic environment will be pretty rewarding.
What Do I Need?
The supplies you’ll need to create your own low-cost acoustic panels and bass traps are widely available, and if you can get them discounted you’ll save even more money. You’ll need either three suspended fibreglass panels or a sheet of compressed fibreglass that you cut into three equal pieces, felt or a remnant of material and spray glue. You’ll need to work outside because of the fumes, so pick a nice sunny day or use a well-ventilated workshop.
To join your panels, lay them vinyl side down and spray the fibreglass surfaces with glue. Wait as long as indicated on the glue tin, then sandwich the two panels together. Peel the vinyl from the top of the panel sandwich and spray that surface and the fibreglass surface of the third panel with glue before sandwiching together. Finally, carefully peel the vinyl from both outer surfaces of your panel.
To cover the panel with fabric, cut a piece slightly larger than the panel and attach with spray glue, trimming the excess with a craft knife. Then cut a larger piece of fabric that will overlap the sides and fix to the panel with spray glue, folding over the material neatly so you have a clean edge. And you’re done.
The Home Alternative
If you want an even cheaper alternative, then ordinary towels have amazing sound-absorption properties. It’s relatively easy to create sound absorption panels from old towels. First, build a wooden frame and stretch and staple a towel across it, before packing the inside of the frame with around six towels cut to size. Then simply staple another towel to the rear of the frame to hold everything in place. These kinds of DIY panels are an ideal cost-effective solution for any noisy rooms in the house, providing some affordable noise control.
Do I Need Noise Control?
For any home recording, yes you do. The acoustics of your room will have the biggest impact on sound quality, so creating cheap and easy acoustic panels will give you great room tone and improve the quality of your home studio recordings or home cinema speakers without breaking the bank.