Thread Acoustic Treatment Build: From Cubicle Walls!

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1 Posted on 08/12/2015 at 14:26:46

About seven or eight years ago, I was working at a factory job and tasked to go into the basement for some reason. I found four cubicle walls gathering cobwebs and asked the boss if I could have them since they were clearly trashed and forgotten. He said yes. I looked up the manufacturer and found out that they contained Owens Corning 703, which is the holy grail for broadband absorbers!

So I brought them upstairs and started staying extra hours after work to use the wood working tools. I dismantled them and recorded two full panels and then a ton of uniformly cut small pieces filling the other two walls. I salvaged it all, bought some wood, stained and coated them in lacquer, and built frames.

I really wish I had taken pictures throughout the build process, but I didn't. After building them, they ended up in storage for 7 years! I finally moved to a place where I could "make noise" without disrupting my apartment neighbors, so I hung up the panels. It took a couple days to figure out how I was going to mount them with the proper air gaps but I figured out a process. Check out the results!

^ Very proud of how flush the fabric ended up being across the face of the panels.

^ View of the back of the main reflection panels

^ How I mounted them with spacers!

At the end of the day, this made an incredible difference. I wish I'd hung them half a decade ago just to enjoy listening more. The order of difference is so incredible. I can't wait to add super chunks to the corners and a large bass trap to the front wall. I'm sure that change will blow my mind as much as this first one did. In addition, I compiled everything I learned since I started my obsession with acoustic treatment here: http://ledgernote.com/features/acoustic-treatment-guide-for-panels-and-foam/ I'm sure some of you guys will enjoy the broad overview, and I point out places to help you start digging into more depth if that's what you want.

Thanks for reading. Please, if you're considering doing this, even with foam, please go ahead. You'll hate yourself for not doing it earlier but be so happy you did in the present. Get it done! It'll change everything, I promise!