Speaker Placement: How far from the wall should I place my speakers? GIK Acoustics 2021-03-24 | The reflections directly surrounding the speakers can cause all sorts of acoustic issues. In this video, we beak down the science behind Speaker Boundary Interference Response and how to counteract it's affects. Free Advice:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-form/?utm_source=SBIR&utm_campaign=DW&utm_medium=YouTubeMonster Bass Trap:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-monster-bass-trap-flexrange-technology/?utm_source=SBIR&utm_campaign=DW&utm_medium=YouTube"Speaker placement can have a drastic impact on your frequency response, but the ideal location for your monitors is going to change based on your room size, personal preference, and whether or not you’re using a subwoofer.Just looking at a speaker, we might infer that all of the sound is projected out of the front face. This is mostly true for the higher frequencies, but lower frequencies radiate in a sphere around the speaker meaning that they can create reflections and pressure zones on any of the surfaces directly surrounding them.This is where the concept of Speaker Boundary Interference Response comes into play. Just like how the first reflections off our side walls can cause interference, the reflections off the front wall, side wall and floor can also cause issues directly surrounding the speakers.No matter the distance from the speaker to the wall, there will always be phase interference at the frequencies that correlate to that distance.So any distance between your speaker and your wall will create phase cancellation at 1/4th the wavelength. This is because after the sound reflects off the wall back to the speaker position it has traveled one half of the wavelength and arrives at the sound source 180 degrees out of phase with the original sound.At one half the wavelength to the wall the sound travels the full length of the wave so it’s completely in phase when it bounces back to the speaker.There are a few different strategies to mitigating these effects. Many high end studios build their speakers into the walls to eliminate the extra reflections all together, but this isn’t always an option for those with budget or space constraints.One common solution is to bring your speakers out four feet or more from the front and side walls. This will ensure that the phase interference occurs in lower ranges that can be rerouted through your subwoofer instead of your front speakers."This isn’t always viable in a smaller room and it requires that you have a subwoofer that can work at a high enough frequency to pick up where the stereo monitors cut off. You’ll still need to deal with the Boundary interference when it comes to placing the subwoofer.The further the speaker is from the wall the lower the affected frequencies, So pulling the speaker out far enough to place acoustic treatment behind it often causes the interference to dip below the effective range of the panel. If we can place the speakers far enough out that the interference is mostly below the audible range, then we can treat behind the speakers with Soffits or range limited monsters to clean up the rest. For smaller rooms it’s better, to place the spreaker as close to the front wall as possible, without actually touching. This will minimize any SB interference and you can then focus treatment around the speaker.No matter where you place your speakers you’ll want to avoid having the same distance between multiple surfaces. If the distances from the speaker to the side wall and the front wall are the same then the same peaks and nulls will manifest from both sets of reflections which in turn will stack and create even larger peaks and nulls. This is also true for your floor as well.
🔊 Understand SBIR and get better bass response in your room! GIK Acoustics 2023-10-20 | When it comes to bass response, speaker boundary interference response is an often overlooked topic. Proper positioning of your speakers, along with acoustic room treatment, can greatly improve the sound in your space!#shorts #gikacoustics #studio #recordingstudio #recordingengineer #audioengineer #producer #musicstudio #soundproofing #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #homecinema #hifi
Can a Bookshelf Be an Effective Diffuser? GIK Acoustics 2023-08-30 | Find out why using a bookshelf as a diffuser is not the best idea. We've got tips and advice to help you get the most from your diffusion setup.#shorts #gikacoustics #studio #recordingstudio #recordingengineer #audioengineer #producer #musicstudio #soundproofing #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #absorption #acoustictreatment #musicproducer #hifi
Sound Blocks - The Modular Revolution of Acoustic Treatment GIK Acoustics 2023-08-10 | Absorption x Diffusion x Bass Trapping down to 40Hz!#shorts #gikacoustics #studio #recordingstudio #recordingengineer #audioengineer #producer #musicstudio #soundproofing #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #absorption #acoustictreatment #musicproducer
Common misconception about curtains & rugs GIK Acoustics 2023-08-01 | Why curtains and rugs are no alternatives to proper acoustic treatment!#gikacoustics #studio #recordingstudio #recordingengineer #audioengineer #producer #musicstudio #soundproofing #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #acoustictreatment #musicproducer #shorts
Never use foam to treat your room! GIK Acoustics 2023-07-18 | Foam products are a pitfall for music producers and hi-fi enthusiasts trying to solve their room issues, but acoustic foam will never give you the results your are looking for! #nofoam#shorts #gikacoustics #studio#producer #musicstudio #foam #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #hifi
What is the difference between acoustic treatment and sound proofing? GIK Acoustics 2023-07-10 | How to properly treat your studio or listening room!#gikacoustics #studio #producer #musicstudio #soundproofing #acousticpanels #basstrap #diffusion #shorts #shortsclip
Room EQ Wizard TUTORIAL: How to set up and use REW GIK Acoustics 2023-01-11 | www.gikacoustics.comIn this video we show you how to set up Room EQ Wizard (REW) for acoustic measurement and analysis. We demonstrate the basics of using REW to measure frequency response, SPL, decay times and more, as well as how to set up the limits, viewing ranges how to generate a waterfall graph.Send us your room measurement and get free advice from our talented acoustic designers:www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice
DIFFUSION Concepts Explained - How Acoustic Diffusers Work And Which One Is Right For You GIK Acoustics 2022-12-05 | In this video we take a look at diffusion and acoustic treatment. We explain how diffusion works as well as which type of diffuser is right for your needs. If you're looking to improve the sound quality in your studio, Hi-Fi listening room or home cinema, this video is for you!
Get Your Room Sound Right For FREE! - The GIK Acoustic Advice GIK Acoustics 2022-11-04 | In this video we are giving a detailed overview of how our free Acoustic Advice works, and what tools we are using to achieve sonic excellence.GIK Acoustics is not only providing you with premium acoustic treatment like panels and bass traps, but we are also helping you getting the most out of your space with our free, professional Acoustic Advice!Submit your form and get free Acoustic Advice today:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice
The GIK Acoustics Affiliate Program GIK Acoustics 2022-10-05 | With our Affiliate Program we are enabling creators and publishers to participate when promoting our products.The reputation of GIK Acoustics amongst professionals as well as hobbyists was mainly built on quality products and recommendations, and with the Affiliate Program we are saying Thank You to everyone spreading the word.Join the Affiliate Program:gikacoustics.com/affiliateGet Free Room Advice:https://www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic...Product Test Information:gikacoustics.com/downloads
4 Questions About Sound and Room Acoustics Answered GIK Acoustics 2021-12-09 | What is sound and how does it act within a room? This video is dedicated to giving you a very basic understanding of sound and how sound behaves. We made this video to be comprehensive and to explain in easy examples using illustrations and graphics. We offer 100% FREE acoustic advice to improve the sound within your space:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"Sound is vibrating air. Sounds simple enough, but when we try to represent that visually things can get a little confusing.You’re probably used to seeing sound waves represented as a wavy line that resembles waves of water, but in reality sound waves are made up of areas of high and low air pressure. When we graph the pressure wave we end up with the familiar waveforms that you see in audio software.Sound waves form from air particles colliding into each other. The body of air doesn’t move, rather energy ripples through the air particles as they push into each other.If you look closely at your speaker while it’s playing you can see the diaphragm move back and forth to create the sound. The vibration of the diaphragm is what initially creates the alternating high and low pressure that becomes sound.Your ear or microphone work in reverse from the speaker where the air pressure moves the diaphragm of the mic and converts it into an audio signal.When you pluck a guitar string the string makes a small amount of sound but the vibrations from the string also vibrate the body of the guitar which propagates soundwaves in the same way the speak diaphragm does.How are notes formed?A musical note happens when we vibrate the air particles at a consistent frequency. If the diaphragm of the speaker pulses 55 times in one second it will produce a low A note, so the low A has a frequency of 55hz.We can produce this note digitally with a sine wave. A sine wave is the simplest kind of sound wave as it only produces sound at the base frequency. If we look at the sine waveform we can see it fluctuates from low to high pressure at a consistent rate. This is what gives it that clean artificial sound.Looking at a sine wave in a spectral frequency display and we can see that it’s only creating energy at one frequency, but what if we look at a square wave.A square wave is formed by layering harmonics on top of the bass note. Hypothetically, if we layered all the harmonics up into infinity we would end up with a perfectly square shaped waveform. In reality these harmonics cut off at the audible range which is why you see small imperfections in the waveform.Looking back at the spectral frequency display, we can see with the square wave that the base note is accompanied by several harmonics that stack at regular intervals. Sounds made in the real world tend to have this feature. When you pluck a note on a guitar string the guitar vibrates producing the bass note as well as several harmonics.This is part of the reason why different instruments sound different when playing the same note. A sin wave is so simple it only has two discernible properties. Frequency which determines the pitch and amplitude which determines the volume of the sound.A note played on an instrument will also have a frequency and an amplitude, but it will also have what’s called a sound envelope which is a way of describing how the musical note evolves over time. The sound Envelope is made up of four parts. The Attack, the Decay, the Sustain and the Release.The Attack describes the time a wave goes from zero amplitude to its maximum.Decay is the time between the maximum amplitude to its sustained level.The the period where the wave has stabilized is the sustain.The final drop form the sustain level to zero is the ReleaseThese four properties are what give musical notes their unique timbre. What happens when sound waves interact? If you shine two lights across each other neither beam is affected by the other, because the light wave is the result of some kind of quantum magic, but sound waves are the result of air pressure so they combine and merge when two sounds are played in concert with each other. When we stack the harmonics on top of eachother we no longer see the original waves. They combine to form a new shape that represents the resulting sound.This phenomenon is known as Phase interference and it’s why it’s important to absorb the reflections in your room. Those reflections blend into the original sound meaning you’re no longer hearing the audio as intended."
Acoustic Strategies for Different Ceiling Types: How does my ceiling affect my room acoustics? GIK Acoustics 2021-11-05 | In this video, we discuss the different ceiling types and some common strategies to treat the acoustic challenges they naturally create. Get 100% FREE acoustic advice from our talented designers at www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceHow does my ceiling affect my room acoustics?There’s some debate as to what is the ideal ceiling for room acoustics, and different room applications might favor certain ceiling styles, but 10 foot tall ceilings are generally considered to be a good height for room acoustics. Unfortunately the standard height for most rooms is about eight feet.Why are low ceilings bad for acoustics? While there's some debate as to what style of ceiling is best, low ceilings are never ideal for room acoustics. Low ceilings often cause issues with slap echo and comb filtering with the early reflection between the floor and ceiling bouncing sooner and with more energy than they would in a taller room.Low ceilings can be even more of an issue for live recordings. Instruments like drums project a lot of sound upwards, that will then immediately reflect back down and distort the track.Overhead “mic”ing becomes difficult as the early reflections of the ceiling will interfere with the signal and cause Phase issues. Most of these issues can be mitigated with absorption, but the lower our ceiling the less room we have for acoustic treatment. Diffusion also becomes ineffective on low ceilings without the space needed for the diffusers to properly scatter the sound. What issues do high ceilings cause?High ceilings, in some cases can be a blessing, but having extra space above your head does come with a trade off.With a high ceiling sound waves will travel longer distances and thus the room will have a longer reverberation time. Also due to higher ceilings, we have to cover more surface area on the walls of the room to prevent flutter echos.In this case though we have more room for creative solutions like floating cloud panels for better low end or diffusion panels to scatter energy around the room for a more even sound.What about angled or vaulted style ceilings?With fewer parallel surfaces in the room Vaulted rooms tend to have fewer standing waves.With a vaulted ceiling one of your axial room modes will be eliminated, but more complicated room modes can still develop off your ceiling, so the benefits of a vaulted ceiling can depend greatly on the specific dimensions of that room.The extra volume of space afforded by the arched ceiling means you can expect longer reverberation times in a vaulted room.Vaulted ceilings can tend to focus early reflections into certain hot spots, so finding your ideal speaker and listening position might be more difficult. Treating your first reflections might also require More coverage as well.With any room the ratio of the ceiling to the other boundaries of the room will do more to determine the acoustics than the ceiling alone, so that’s why it’s always important to test and experiment if you want the best results.
Identifying and Treating Room Resonances: How do you find resonant frequencies? GIK Acoustics 2021-10-21 | In this video, you'll learn about how resonances are affecting your room, as well as how to find and treat them.Get free advice from one of our talented acoustic designers:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"Resonances are frequencies that linger too long in a room, often with unpleasant consequences for the sound happening in the room. Bass resonances can produce muddiness or boominess, where midrange and treble resonances can produce harshness or intelligibility or clarity issues.One of the main goals in acoustically treating a space is to reduce the negative impact resonances have on sound in the room. Resonances usually happen at specific frequencies. Frequency is a measurement based off time. The Hz indicates how many times per second the wave cycles. If we multiply that by the speed of sound we can derive the wavelength which is the physical distance for the complete evolution of the wave. If we play a sound wave in a space with the same dimensions as the wavelength of the sound then that sound will reflect off the surfaces of the room and overlap with itself. When sound waves overlap the energy gets combined and creates phase interference.An in phase sound wave overlapping itself will suffer from constructive interference where the peaks and troughs of the wave are enhanced and the sound becomes stronger.Every Rectangular room will have three main axial room modes that correspond to the depth, width and height of the room, but other modes & resonances can develop based on more complex geometry.We have a whole video on room modes if you’d like to learn more.Keep in mind that your room isn’t the only thing that can cause resonances. Certain instruments will have notes that resonate more when played based on the geometry of the instrument. Vocal recordings often show resonances through harshness or muddiness in the midrange, with certain frequencies being too loud. These resonances then affect compression, saturation, and EQ that are typically applied to vocal recordings in a mix, and make it harder to process them for desired tones.So how do you know where a resonance is coming from?The first step in finding and eliminating a resonance is to test your room. This will give you a better understanding of where (in terms of frequency) the resonances are in the room in general, and also at specific listening spots. For low end resonances, look at time-based data that shows decay time per frequency, like a waterfall graph or a spectrogram. For a simple, more practical real-world test, you can do a listening test with filtered pink noise. GIK provides one online, where all the frequencies from 400Hz on down are playing at once. With filtered pink noise playing through your system, you can move around the room and listen (or measure with an SPL meter/app) for louder frequencies that indicate resonances. Good placement (for speakers, listening position, etc) in a room can help avoid resonances, but a comprehensive bass trapping strategy is the real way to combat them. Typically broadband and/or range limited bass traps are the best place to begin, though we can also use tuned Scopus traps to target specific resonances under 100Hz.Tuned traps are meant to treat resonances that remain once the main bass trapping strategy is in place. GIK a lot more information on Bass trapping if you’d like to know more.For resonances in the midrange and treble, often the culprit has to do with early reflections. This topic has also been well covered in GIK educational materials, but when reflected sound waves interfere with new sound waves being created, you will get cancellation and resonances causing some frequencies to be louder and linger longer in the room. So treating the room for early reflections -- both in recording and in monitoring scenarios -- can reduce this interference and give a more natural and accurate sound."
Acoustic Panel Air Gap - Should you leave an air gap behind your acoustic treatment? GIK Acoustics 2021-10-14 | Leaving an air gap behind your Panel can help improve it's performance into the lower ranges. This video breaks down the science behind how air gaps effect sound waves.Get Free Advice:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceCloud Brackets:gikacoustics.com/product/acoustic-panel-ceiling-cloud-mounting-brackets"Should you leave an air gap behind your acoustic treatment?Leaving an air gap behind your acoustic treatment can help increase overall absorption and extend it’s effective range into low frequencies. This effect is extremely helpful when you’re trying to get as much bass trapping in a room as possible, so it’s often recommended to people that they mount their panels “floating” a few inches from the wall for the best performance.In many cases, a better question is whether the performance gained from this spacing is worth the additional space taken up in the room. In most cases if there is such space, you’re better off using thicker panels in that same space, even if the air gap has to be a bit smaller. These performance gains are actually more about the distance from the front face of the panel to the wall behind. This is why the benefits are so great for thinner panels. For a 6” thick panel, the front face is already 6” away even if the panel is flush mounted, ie, further away than a 2” absorber spaced 2” out from the wall. So it’s less critical for thicker panels.Why do we space acoustics panels with an air gap?Porous absorbers work by acting on sound velocity. Because of this, acousticians refer to this type of absorber as a velocity absorber. When sound strikes the panel the vibration from the air molecules are converted into a miniscule amount of heat.But when a soundwave reflects off a wall or ceiling, at the reflection point, the velocity of the sound is zero, because it has to stop, change direction, and establish a new velocity in a different trajectory. When we move the front of the panel further from this zero-velocity point, we improve the performance of a velocity absorber.In order to absorb lower frequencies for cleaner bass response the panel either needs to be thicker or spaced off the wall to cover more of the wavelength. The Bass frequencies are going to have longer wavelengths to cover with the high velocity area of the wave further from the boundaries of the room. How Far Should I Mount my panels from the wall?A good rule of thumb is that whatever your panel's thickness is, that’s a good distance to float the panel. Any further can help even more but we quickly reach a point of diminishing returns, that is, the small performance gain isn’t worth even more room space being taken up. Depending on what issues you’re trying to solve or how much space is in your room, you might find that no air gap is the best option.GIK’s 242, 244, and Monster Bass trap already have an air gap built into the panel. Having a built in air gap gives you more absorption potential per panel per dollar without the need for additional hardware or complicated mounting techniques. For placing treatment on the ceiling, GIK offers our Ceiling Cloud Mounting Brackets that work with any of those GIK products that have a built in air gap and lowers them into the room an extra 4 inches. Floating your panels off the ceiling gives you the benefit of extra bass absorption without taking up any extra standing room.For something like the Soffit, adding any air gap provides very little improvement because it’s already so thick, so in most cases it’s best to leave these right up against the wall.If you’re still struggling to get your frequency response under control, visit the GIK website, for tons more tools, videos, and articles as well as our free acoustics advice form."
Treat These Areas First: Where to begin Acoustic Treatment GIK Acoustics 2021-09-21 | If you’re struggling to get your room under control of echo, comb filtering, and getting the right balance for listening clarity, check out our website where you can get customized advice for your room and application.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-formEvery single room has its own issues that require their own treatment strategy, but no matter what kind of room you’re treating: whether it’s mixing, mastering or recreational listening, certain methods will always be useful for beginning your treatment strategy.If you want to improve your imaging there’s no better place to start than by treating your first reflections. The reflected sound that bounces off your walls and ceiling mixes with the original sound. When these reflections are delayed enough you hear them as reverb, but the early reflections arrive at the listening position with so little delay that you can’t parse the reflected sound from the original sound.Remember that overlapping sound waves interfere with each other and cause phase interference. Those early reflections can arrive close enough to the original sound to create patterns of constructive and destructive interference that result in things like comb filtering.The thickest panels you can afford and fit are always the best solution. While thinner panels would be able to tackle the reflective region of sounds, using a thinner panel means we’ve used up some of our budget and available space without treating the mid bass frequencies.For example: The 242 is a fantastic panel for reflection reduction, but with just a modest investment increase we can use a 244 panel which will absorb more of the bass resonances that plague small rooms. Rooms with ceilings in the 7-9’ range especially benefit from 244 panels on the ceiling first reflections as they are capable of hitting the height axis node that will cause frequency dips in the mid bass at seated ear level.We have a handy video guide for finding your first reflections if you need help, but think of it this way: Imagine your speaker is a cue ball, your walls and ceiling are billiard table rails and your ear is a pocket. You can “line up the shot” and know you are hitting the reflection point. Rather than expecting your head to remain in a singular location when you listen, it’s best to envision these billiard shots for every location your head goes to when you lean in or kick back or stand up. The more reflection angles you cover between you and your speakers, the larger the sweet spot will be for you to work/compose and listen in.Mixing and mastering situations should favor pure broadband absorption for treatment of the first reflections for the most neutral impression of their speakers. However, in a recreational listening scenario like a high-fi room or home theatre, it’s not entirely wrong to use diffusion in these locations. While either option is unequivocally better than a reflective wall “the artist holding the brush” should seek a neutral look at their work rather than the hyped and deeper version that diffusion would impart.The second step is to treat your corners with thick bass traps. All Rooms have Room modes. These are frequencies that correspond to the dimensions of the room. The three room modes that are the strongest are the wavelengths that measure the same as the height, depth, and width of the room. By treating the corners,we treat two room modes at once. This concept extends to the horizontal corners that run along your room’s floor and ceiling. Though these areas can be more difficult to treat, they are still corners of your room and an opportunity to get a more and more linear and accurate low end response from your speakers.In a perfect world you’ll be deploying bass traps that are thick enough to reach the lowest resonances that your room will impart on your ears. GIK’s soffit bass trap has great effect as low as 40Hz, making it the ideal choice of rooms in the 12-14’ range.While a single soffit stood alone can only affect to about 40Hz, the coupling effect of several soffits run butted or stacked can reach lower and lower regions. Defining a #1 as first reflections and corners as #2 is a very close call. However, if you’ll recall we’re recommending first reflection zones to be treated with thicker panels so it’s not as if you’d be leaving that region of the speaker entirely unaddressed if you’re starting there exclusively.Just treating these three areas: first reflections, corners, and backwall, will bring your room’s audio quality up dramatically. Further improvements can be made by testing and experimenting with additional treatment. If you’re struggling to get your room under control, check out our website where you can get customized advice for your room and application.
Room Acoustics for Small Rooms - Why do small rooms suffer from bad acoustics? GIK Acoustics 2021-09-10 | Small rooms can be especially difficult to acoustically treat, and we at GIK Acoustics break down from where exactly the issues originate in small rooms and give tips on how to treat them.Get Free Advice from GIKgikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceLearn more about SBIR and speaker placement:youtu.be/T10_MLGOBfc"How do I get better acoustics in a small room?Getting the best sound out of a small room can be a tricky endeavor. Acoustically treating a small room requires the same testing and attention to detail that a larger studio does, but with a small room we’re limited in how much treatment we can fit into the room, and by how much time sound waves have to develop.AS we’ve covered in other videos: Just like in a large studio you’ll want to focus treatment in all the familiar areas: First reflections, corners, and the back and front wall.Why do small rooms suffer from bad acoustics?We almost always refer to sound waves by their frequency, or the number of full cycles per second the wave completes, but that frequency is always going to correlate to a wavelength which is just the measurement of the physical length of a complete cycle. If we play a sound within a room that has the same dimensions as the wavelength then that sound will reflect and overlap itself causing phase interference.The wavelengths that correspond to your room’s dimensions are called the room modes. We have a whole video on the subject if you’d like to learn more but the important thing to take away is that the smaller the room the shorter the wavelength is for the room modes. In a large enough room the room modes are below the audible range, but as we shrink the room those room modes are pushed into the audible range and start becoming a problem.To make matters worse, sound waves that are too large to complete a full cycle within the room start to create areas of low and high pressure that will throw off your bass response.In order to treat these Bass issues we need thick absorbers to soak up the reflections causing the model issues. In a small room we’re already pressed for space, so actually fitting enough thick bass traps in the room becomes a challenge. Where do you put acoustics in a small room?In a smaller room, it’s even more imperative that you find the best listening position and speaker placement for your room. The frequency response can change drastically based on small changes to where you place your speakers and workstation, so make sure you experiment and test a variety of layouts.In a small room you’ll probably get the best results with your speakers close to the front wall, and your listening position at roughly one third of the way from the front wall. We want to make sure our listening position isn’t at the null in the center of the room, and that our speakers aren’t in a location that creates a lot of SBIR issues. You can learn more about SBIR if you check out our video on the subject.You always want to treat your first reflections, but in a small room the delay time between the direct sound and reflected sound is shorter, so the reflected sound is arriving at the listening position with more energy and close enough to the original sound to cause more phase interference and comb filtering.With a lack of space for treatment you’ll want to utilize ceiling space, especially by treating the first reflections on your ceiling. Treating the horizontal corners of the room that outline the floor and ceiling can also help mitigate bass issues.Because small rooms need almost all of the available space to correct the bass issues, using dedicated diffusers or high frequency absorption ends up being a waste of space. Always focus bass trapping in a small room and only add diffusion if it’s part of a combination absorber/diffuser like our alpha and impression series, or after you’ve gotten the bass response to where you want it.Keep in mind diffusers need a certain amount of space to work effectively so depending on the type of diffuser it might not be practical to use in a small room.How do I get good acoustics in my room?Treating a small room so that it’s balanced for professional audio production is never easy. You’ll need to measure, test and experiment to determine where in the room you should focus your treatment, but you’ll start to see improvements as soon as you place your first few bass traps.If you’d like a detailed breakdown for how to treat your room, fill out our free acoustic advice form and one of our designers will fill you in with tailored advice specific to your room. "
Meet the GIK Acoustics Room Designer - Gus Campbell GIK Acoustics 2021-08-23 | Gus Campbell is one of our talented room designers here at GIK Acoustics. He's a strong member of our team of designers who treat thousands of rooms each year.
GIK 244 Bass Traps vs Foam bass traps with REW measurements! GIK Acoustics 2021-08-20 | We put two products to the test: our GIK 244 Bass Traps against large Foam Bass Traps.Shop 244 Bass Traps:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-244-bass-trap-flexrange-technology/?utm_source=Video&utm_campaign=244vfoam&utm_medium=YTFoam is a cheap porous material that’s lightweight and easy to work with. Both Polyurethaneand Basotect foams are made into acoustic treatments. Plenty of people have attempted to use packing foam as acoustic treatment and some companies make full sized corner pieces and market them as bass traps.The truth about foam as an acoustic absorber is that you get what you pay for. Foam can be useful in absorbing mid and high frequencies but falls short in absorbing the low frequency sound that plagues so many studios and music rooms.What about those large foam corner traps I mentioned earlier? Even those larger pieces of foam aren’t effective at treating bass frequencies the way a proper Bass Trap does. This has to do with two reasons: “gas flow resistivity” or the airflow resistance within a unit of thickness & and purely size. Foam is hard to find in larger sizes where mineral wool can be used in larger treatments. The structure of the fibers within a block of foam don’t allow air to pass through as easily, compared to the fibers in something like mineral wool or fiber glass.Because the fibers of foam don’t let the sound waves penetrate throughout the entire mass of the block as easily, so foam isn’t going to be as effective. We’ve actually run a test comparing 8 244 bass traps to the similar area of acoustic foam. Keep in mind, this test is a product to product comparison, not material to material. In this test we used a 24in GIK panel vs a 17in foam block as foam is not available in directly comparable sizes.The results are compared to a measurement taken of the room without any treatment. With the foam, we only see small changes in the frequency response and hardly any improvement in the sub 100Hz range. With the 244 traps we can see drastic changes around 65 and 100 Hz. Looking at the waterfall graphs, there’s a huge improvement in the decay time at 65Hz when compared to the foam. Using our patented flex range products we can tailor how much high frequency or low frequency absorption goes into each panel on the 244 monster and soffit bass traps. This let’s you hone in on the frequencies that are causing issues, by customizing your panel's performance."
Space gives a review of GIK Acoustics Experience: Testimonial GIK Acoustics 2021-08-10 | Space talks about his experience with GIK Acoustics and the improvements it has made in his studio, where he produces music for bands, films, and popular shows.Audio and video recorded using Zoom
Limits of Digital Signal Processing SOLVED. Use acoustic treatments to pick up where DSPs fall short GIK Acoustics 2021-08-06 | While Digital Signal Processing can be a great tool for mixing artist and audiophiles, it falls short of being a catch-all alternative for a comprehensive room treatment strategy that takes room acoustics in mind. This video will outline how focusing on Acoustic panels and other treatments alongside DSPs can get you the most out of your room.Get Free advice:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice
Improve Video Calls with this SIMPLE fix: Acoustic Panels GIK Acoustics 2021-07-27 | Video calls and live conference calls are suffering from a major headache - bad acoustics. We'll show you the pure difference between hosting a video call with and without room treatment. Make the determination for yourself, neither recording is treated with noise reduction. Get Free advice for your space:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceShop our products:gikacoustics.com/product-category/acoustic-panels"Live video calls and conference calls are becoming more of a part of our daily routines, but as useful as this technology is it has one critical weak point: The ability to communicate remotely is held back by bad room acoustics. That’s because the reflections from your room are blending in with the original sound and distorting it which makes it much harder to understand.To make matters worse, live calls are usually going to be collapsed down to a single mono track audio signal, so the stereo information that helps our ears parse out the information from the reverb is gone.If you’d like to learn more about acoustically treating for live calls and office spaces check out these videos on the subject.If you work from home, teach a class via video calls, or just take a lot of conference calls then you should take steps to make sure you’re as intelligible as possible. Lost information and miscommunication can waste your time and frustrate or confuse your listeners. Make sure you’re coming through crystal clear with high quality absorption, and GIK has the most cost effective absorption on the market. No matter what space you work or teach out of, visit our website and fill out our free advice form so GIK can help you sound great with tailored advice from our expert room designers."
GIK Acoustics Customer Testimonial - Jim Cathey GIK Acoustics 2021-07-27 | Fantastic testimonial about a 2-channel stereo system that gets an UPGRADE with GIK Acoustics room treatments, utilizing the 3D visualizer, resources such as REW, and GIK Acoustics' free acoustic advice from expert acoustic designers. Jim Cathey discusses the results of GIK Acoustics' bass traps, diffusion, and absorption in his space. Visit www.mysoundfiles.com to see the end product and drawingsVisit www.gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice for acoustic advice from experts.
5 Common Mixing Room Mistakes - Room Acoustics for Mixing Studios GIK Acoustics 2021-07-14 | Here's a quick list of things to avoid when you're setting up your mixing room. Get even more information about acoustic strategies for mixing rooms from the start:youtu.be/R_11Ie4Ri74Get free advice from GIK:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"A lot can go wrong when you’re setting up a Mixing Room. The wrong speaker placement or listening position can throw off your frequency response and cause your mixes to suffer. Here’s a few things you should avoid doing when setting up your mixing room. Avoid sitting next to back and side walls. The back wall especially will have a lot of energy bouncing off of it and standing waves can build up next to surfaces that will throw off your frequency response.Don’t place your speakers in cabinets or mount them in the wall unless they were specifically designed for it. Doing so can drastically change the response curve.Avoid placing your sub in the corner of the room. While this produces the more output it also creates the least even frequency response.Don’t use a screen so large that it forces you to compromise your speaker placement or listening position. Always prioritise the seating and speakers first, then see what size screen fits in your setup.Don’t use your main speakers at full range. There’s a reason why people use subwoofers. The bass produced between your speakers is almost never in the right location in the room for smooth bass reproduction. Cross your speakers at about 80hz so that you can place your main speakers as needed and move your sub around to find the best bass response. Don’t use your main speakers at full range.Just quick recap, Avoid sitting next to back and side walls. Don’t place your speakers in cabinets or mount them in the wall unless they were specifically designed for it. Avoid placing your sub in the corner of the room. Don’t use a screen so large that it forces you to compromise your speaker placement or listening position. "
GIK Giveaway Photo Contest 2021 GIK Acoustics 2021-07-02 | The GIK Acoustics Summer Giveaway Photo Contest 2021 is now live. Now's your chance to show off your room and get paid for it! The contest is world wide so no matter where you are we want to see your room treated with GIK products.To Enter and for the official rules and prizes: gikacoustics.com/gik-giveaway-summer-photo-contest-2021
How should I position my acoustic panels? General tips how to space out sound panels GIK Acoustics 2021-06-28 | Here's a few tips for where you should place your acoustic panels to maximize their effectiveness for general treatments. If you're treating any kind of listening room, mixing room, or home theater, check out or video on finding your first reflections: youtu.be/Nui7mxgeOg4Get Free Acoustic Advice From GIK:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"Hanging acoustic panels is pretty easy, but figuring out where to hang them can require a little head scratching. Where you place an acoustic panel in a room can dramatically affect how that panel performs, so if you want to get the most out of your treatment you’ll want to follow some of these guidelines. The layout of your sound-absorbing panels will vary greatly based on the kind of room you’re trying to treat. We’ve done other videos on how to find your first reflections and where to focus treatment for various kinds of rooms. This video is going to deal more with general tips for how to space out your acoustic panels.For overall echo reduction we’ll want to space your acoustic panels evenly along the wall rather than clump them together. This will ensure the room has a nice even sound, but keeping the sound absorbing panels no more than twice their width apart will ensure you have enough coverage to effectively treat the wall. Alternating panels across parallel walls is a great strategy for maximizing the effect of your panels. If you don’t have enough acoustic panels to cover every wall, make sure each set of parallel walls has at least one treated wall to avoid slap echo.No matter the type of room you’re treating you’ll want your acoustic panels placed at the height the sound is being created and experienced at. So in a listening room where the listener is seated, the panels will be lower than a space where people might be standing while talking or performing. For a 2x4 Panel mounted vertically, ear level is about two feet from the ground. Additional sound absorbing panels can be used on the ceiling for additional absorption or in the horizontal room corners for better bass response, but most of your treatment will likely work best at ear level."
Acoustic Treatment: Treating a room with Windows and Doors GIK Acoustics 2021-06-21 | Do you have a first reflection point on a window or a door on the back wall of your studio? This video will help you treat windows and doors with professional acoustic treatments.GIK's Free Advice Form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceFree Standing Options:gikacoustics.com/product-category/free-standing-productsSound Proofing vs Acoustic treatment:youtu.be/nxiwWfvIdKY "It’s easy to come up with an effective treatment strategy in a blank rectangular room, but the real rooms that we treat have windows and doors in them that can affect how we approach treatment.Many people worry about the effect windows have on their room’s acoustics but windows are only slightly more reflective than drywall, so just having a window in your room isn’t a problem. It’s when we need to place treatment in front of that window where we run into trouble.If we can arrange our speakers and listening position so that the window is on the front wall we face while listening, then we can avoid a majority of the reflections from hitting the window all together.If we’re stuck with a window on a sidewall or first reflection point then we’ll need to place treatment in front of it to effectively deal with early reflections. Nailing hooks into glass isn’t the best strategy, but luckily we have a few options for using free standing panels to treat areas where we cannot permanently hang treatments.GIK’s Metal Stands, Foot Kit, and boom stand brackets are all designed to transform our panels into free standing acoustic treatments. Other options like the free stand panel and bass trap or the PIB and screen panel, can be used in front of windows and doors and can be put away when they’re not needed.GIK’s corner treatments, like the soffit and and tri trap are free standing and stackable and can also be used in front of windows and doors if needed.Depending on the type of door you might be able to mount a panel directly onto the door. These can usually be a stock size, or some GIK products are available in custom sizes. Either way you can get a panel that’s small enough to fit on your door and still open and close normally.Treating a window or door is as easy as just placing a free standing panel in front of it, but what if we want to keep sound from passing through some of these openings?It’s important to note that soundproofing and acoustic treatment are very different problems to solve. Our panels can sometimes help muffle sound bleed a bit under some conditions, but to really stop sound we’ll have to do things like make sure the window has enough mass and an airtight seal around it. Sound leaking through doors can sometimes be improved by using weather stripping to fill the cracks beneath and around the door. You may not think that the crack beneath your door is that substantial, but a 1% opening in a wall lets in 50% of the sound.Effective soundproofing, especially at bass frequencies, is a result of many things done correctly at the design & construction stage, but these techniques can help improve things. If you want to learn more about the differences between acoustic treatment and soundproofing, we've made an entire video on the subject which we'll include in a link below.Remember, just having a window in the room isn’t going to cause problems with the acoustics, and GIK’s freestanding options make it easy to treat areas where mounting treatment to the wall isn’t an option. If you’re still wondering how best to treat your space, check out our free acoustic advice forum on the GIK website where you can find tons of useful tools, articles and videos."
Room Acoustics: Strategies for different room shapes GIK Acoustics 2021-06-07 | Asymmetric rooms can be difficult treat as reflections off the side walls bounce back to the listening position out of sync and distort the stereo image. In this video we outline some of the methods you can use to reestablish acoustic symmetry in an odd shaped room.Get free acoustic advice from GIK:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceGIK Gobos and free standing panels:gikacoustics.com/product-category/free-standing-products"We get asked alot about how to treat asymmetric rooms. Most guides for setting up a space acoustically cover a rectangular room as that’s the ideal starting point for any kind of listening space or mixing and mastering studio.The reason why it’s always better to start with a rectangular room is that acoustic symmetry is necessary for accurate stereo imagining. The sound reflecting off your sidewalls is going to combine with the original sound, so if one set of reflections is closer than the other then that reflected sound will arrive at the listening position out of sync creating all kinds of distortion. Sometimes a symmetrical room isn’t an option and we’re forced to work with rooms that have outcrops or angled or even curved walls. Oftentimes people want to treat their living room but the floor plan is asymmetrical or the room extends in other parts of the house.While all these scenarios can be challenging they aren’t without solutions. The key to treating an asymmetric room is to create acoustic symmetry through thoughtful placement of the listening position and treatments. Arriving at an optimal treatment might require you to test and experiment with different listening positions and treatments.One method is to try to find a section of the room where you can place the listening position and have the first reflections be symmetrical. This is easy to do in “L” shaped rooms as each line of the “L” offers a potential listening position. Knowing which position is best is just a matter of experimenting and testing.First reflections aren’t the only elements of your room that will be affected by a non symmetrical layout. It’s possible to end up with bass resonances that only occur on one half of the room.For instance, let’s say you have a 55Hz resonance, that corresponds to the low A on a piano. If that resonance is localized to the left side of the room then that low A note will be left of center at the listening position.In rooms with large open areas that extend into the building, you can re-introduce acoustic symmetry by adding Gobo’s or free standing panels that mirror the opposite wall.Sometimes these large openings can act as broadband traps as sound travels into them but doesn’t have enough energy to reflect back to the listening position. In these instances a sound well can actually be used to our advantage as it effectively absorbs low frequencies. Placing large bass traps opposite the opening can help mimic the opening and create acoustic symmetry.The more comprehensive the treatment the less the room will contribute to the perceived sound, so one way to compensate for an asymmetric room is to make sure you have as much acoustic coverage as possible. With any oddly shaped room, experimentation is going to be key. You’ll want to test a variety of listening positions by listening and with tools like REW. "
Will my room sound dead? Preventing Over-dampening (Dead-sounding rooms) GIK Acoustics 2021-06-02 | Over absorbing can make a room sound dull and lifeless, but it could very well be that you're absorbing at the wrong frequencies with too much thin absorption. This video will explore what makes a room sound dead and how to avoid it.Get Free Advice from GIK:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceGIK Diffusion Options:gikacoustics.com/product-category/diffusion-products
Portable Isolation Booth: Before and After GIK Acoustics 2021-05-25 | Listen to the difference the PIB makes in a completely untreated room.Check out the PIB on the GIK website:gikacoustics.com/product/pib-portable-isolation-vocal-boothThe PIB has a unique design that allows it to fold up for easy storage or to be taken on the go, and there are countless ways to personalize the PIB with different fabric colors, plate designs and finishes.
Meet the GIK Room Designers: James Lindenschmidt GIK Acoustics 2021-05-20 | When you submit a room advice form on the GIK website, it gets picked up by one of our talented room designers. In this video we sit down with one of those designers, James Lindenschmidt, to talk about the process of getting your room treated by GIK acoustics.Advice Form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-form
Carpet and Furniture Acoustics - Are they effective? GIK Acoustics 2021-04-21 | Can I use carpet as acoustic treatment?Can well placed furniture be an alternative to proper acoustic treatment?Everything in your room can have an affect on your acoustics, but oftentimes the effect isn’t what we expected. Things like furniture and flooring will absorb or reflect sound in ways that can be hard to predict which might lead you to wonder what you should leave or take out of your room or whether it’s a suitable room to begin with.There are always some types of rooms you should try to avoid. Square or very small rooms can be difficult to treat as well as rooms with low ceilings or asymmetrical designs. However, In many of these cases, even if you have a room that’s not ideal, it’s still possible to optimize the room enough so that it works for your needs.Things like vertical beams and columns might look like they’d cause issues, but mostly their effect on room acoustics is negligible. Windows can be a little bit more difficult to treat around, but glass and drywall actually have similar reflectivity, and there are more than a few methods for placing treatment in front of windows.Many people worry that their hardwood flooring is too reflective and that they need a carpeted room to build their studio in. If you tested two empty rooms, one with hardwood and one with carpet, then the one with carpet would sound much better with such a large surface area acting as an absorber. This might lead you to think that carpet is definitely better than hardwood flooring for room acoustics, but the truth is a little more complicated.For absorbers, a good rule of thumb is that the thicker the material the lower the affected frequencies. While most all absorbers are several inches thick, even the thickest carpets are never much more than a half inch, so they’re only going to be effective in the high frequencies.In smaller rooms the challenge of treatment is usually absorbing enough of the lower frequencies without over absorbing the mids and highs. It’s why our flexrange series has the option of a range limiting membrane so that you can absorb lower frequencies while retaining the mids and highs, which gives a more balanced room suitable for audio or music. Carpet will do the exact opposite and completely miss the bass frequencies while absorbing the useful high frequency sound which can make the room sound dead.The same can be true for thin curtains and drapes or soft and plush furniture. Many of the household items that absorb sound do so in the treble ranges that can be useful in retaining a rooms liveliness.Larger pieces like couches can start to absorb lower frequencies, but they’re not nearly effective enough to be used as an alternative to bass traps. Leather can be very reflective and the internal structure of most furniture is built with standing strength, not acoustics, in mind. That being said it’s often worth it to experiment with moving furniture around to see how it affects your room acoustics. Having an Area Rug that you can move around is a good compromise from wall to wall carpeting that can leave your room sounding dead. An area rug can be useful when setting up record zones for live rooms, or if you just want to experiment with treating different areas of your floor.No matter what the room you're starting with, there are always improvements to be made, so even if you’re worried your room isn’t ideal for acoustics, tell us about it via the room acoustics advice form and we’ll break down the best methods for achieving great sound.
Stereo Speaker Placement GIK Acoustics 2021-04-02 | This video is a comprehensive breakdown of the basics of speaker placement for quality stereo playback.Free advice form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-form"Stereo playback is over a hundred years old, but the principles behind the technology haven’t really changed. Two audio signals are played through two separate speakers that are positioned so that the combination of the two signals creates a coherent sound space.It’s a simple illusion that makes the reproduced sound that much more vivid by letting the listener localize individual elements. As basic as this technology is, it only works if the speakers are positioned properly.If you’ve researched room setup before you’re probably already aware of the equilateral triangle setup. Setting your speakers up so that the distance between your listening position and each speaker is the same as the distance between the speakers forms a symmetrical layout that ensures the sound from each speaker reaches the listening position in sync. Push one speaker closer than the other and the sound stage will be distorted as one channel arrives at your ears slightly sooner than the other.Symmetry isn’t just important for the measurements between the speakers and the listening position, but their placement within the room should also be symmetrical so that the reflected sound from the surrounding surfaces also reaches the listener in sync.So where you place your speakers is going to be based on your room size and listening position. Ideally your listening position should be placed on one of the room’s thirds and avoid the null in the center of the room. It’s almost always a better idea to have your listening position face the shorter wall. With the speakers aimed down the length of the room, bass frequencies have moretime to develop and have less energy by the time they strike the rear wall which will make treating your bass issues a lot easier.Based on these principles, the starting layout is always the same: An equilateral triangle formed between the listening position and the speakers centered along the length of the room. You’ll also want to make sure that the speakers are seated at ear level with the listening position. Generally, Half way between the woofer and tweeter is the acoustic axis of the speaker. It’s also a better idea to have the speakers on dedicated stands then on your desk. (this could be expanded upon)From here we can adjust the speakers to finetune our soundstage. Toeing the speakers in can reduce the amount of reflections off the side wall and help make the center channel clearer.Bringing the speakers closer together will reduce stereo elements for a more homogenous sound while pulling them further apart will make stereo elements more distinct.Finding the ideal layout for your soundstage requires experimenting with your speaker placement, but as you move your speakers around, the reflections from the front wall, side wall, and floor can cause acoustic issues known as Speaker boundary interference Response or SBIR. The trick to speaker placement is finding the ideal balance between crafting a great soundstage and minimizing the unwanted effects of SBIR. Treating around your speakers with thick bass traps can help minimize SBIR leaving you more room to focus on your soundstage.If you’re using a subwoofer and both the sub and speakers have an adjustable crossover frequency, then you can reroute frequencies to your subwoofer that might be causing SBIR issues, or leave out specific frequencies that might be causing issues. Where you place the subwoofer is obviously going to have a substantial effect on your bass response. Placing the subwoofer in the corner of the room will excite all three of the axial room modes which will result in a very strong but uneven bass response.Placing the Sub one fourth of the way out from the wall will have the Subwoofer on a null which will keep it from exciting that room mode.By using two subwoofers we can use phase cancellation to our advantage in order to achieve a flatter response.Placing the subwoofers in opposite corners will cause the subs to excite the same room mode but one will be 180 degrees out of phase with the other, so the mode gets canceled out. There are a few different placement options that can take advantage of this effect. All of them make use the second subwoofer to cancel out the resonance of one or more room modes.The same concept can be applied to a room using four or more subwoofers, but you can expect dimensioning returns the more subwoofers you add.The combination of a fine tuned speaker placement and a comprehensive treatment strategy is the key to having a great sounding room. Good speaker placement can’t eliminate all of the issues in a room, but it can give you a better starting point to focus treatment where you really need it."
Debunking the Myths - Sound Diffusion GIK Acoustics 2021-03-12 | There's a lot of misconceptions about Diffusion, but in this video we dispel some of the myths and go over some of the basics of how diffusion works and how to get the most out of your acoustic treatment.GIK Acoustics Diffusion Products: gikacoustics.com/product-category/diffusion-products"It’s easy to look at a piece of professional diffusion and assume that you can just glue some random blocks together and achieve the same effect, but what might look like a bunch of scrap wood stuck together should actually be a carefully calculated series of wells designed to scatter sound evenly at a specific frequency range.You might have learned this the hard way if you’ve tried to DIY a skyline style diffuser. On top of the painstaking process of affixing the pieces together, the sequence of blocks must be carefully measured and cut to certain specs in order to produce an effective piece of diffusion that won't cause other acoustic issues.This is also true for other common DIY options such as using egg cartons, bookcases or other furniture as acoustic treatment. Books themselves would do more to absorb sound than reflect or scatter it, and the random depths from a bookcase won’t come close to producing the effects of a carefully measured and calculated piece of diffusion.Unfortunately not all products that are marketed as diffusion properly scatter sound, so make sure the panel you’re getting was engineered to do what it’s supposed to do. Even if you have an effective diffusion panel, not placing it property or using it in the wrong application isn’t going to give you the effect you’re looking for.Just like with bass traps, there’s a minimum amount of panels you’ll need to hear a noticeable affect. Just throwing up a few pieces of diffusion isn’t going to cut it. Different types of diffusion are more finicky about placement than others, but regardless, you’ll need a dedicated strategy for adding diffusion to your room if you want the best results.Dedicated diffusion mostly only works in the ranges between 500-1k with some panels working up to 2-5kHz, but it’s common to see people try to use too much diffusion in a small space where Bass trapping should be a priority.Combination absorption and diffusion panels such as the Alpha and Impression can help you strike a balance in these situations, but your first priority in any room should be bass control. Some types of diffusion require a certain amount of space for the sound to scatter. This doesn’t completely rule out diffusion from being used in small rooms, but it does limit where in the room they’ll be the most effective. Diffusion also works best when the sound is aimed directly at the panel. This is why the back wall is a good place to start adding diffusion into your room. You might have heard that diffusion can make a room sound larger. It’s a point we’ve made on this channel, and while it is true it’s important to note that diffusion does not increase the reverb time within a room. You’re not going to be able to make a small bedroom sound like a cavernes auditorium by adding a lot of diffusion, and this is actually a good thing. If diffusion added reverb time then those lingering reflections would mess with whatever original sound you’re trying to mix or produce.Instead, Diffusion tricks your brain into not being able to localize the reflection, making the size of the room less obvious to the ears.Diffusion can be a tricky endeavor, so if you need help planning out your diffusion strategy or just have more questions about room acoustics, visit us at our website where you can find tons of useful tools, articles and videos."
Hear the difference: Untreated Vs Treated Room Acoustics GIK Acoustics 2021-02-16 | What is the difference acoustic treatments really make on a space? See for yourself in this video where we test the same room with and without treatment using a variety of sound sources and styles. Get Free Room Advice:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-formProduct Test Information:gikacoustics.com/downloadsSong: Let Me Be by Jade (All Sounds of the World)Artist: Jade (facebook.com/jadikikiii/)Music promoted by All Sounds of the World - No Copyright Music.Video Link: youtu.be/PRW6rMc9ebwSong: Under My SkinVideo Link: youtu.be/0QGmCawrvis"There’s a lot of practical reasons why people acoustically treat their rooms. It makes recording and mixing music easier. It can make it easier to concentrate, work or study, and it can drastically improve the experience of listening to music and movies.I could list off more reasons why you might want to treat your room, but the best way to illustrate why is to show you the difference it makes on a common-sized room for critical listening and Professional Audio purposes.The room we’re working with is 17” by 13” with ceilings just shy of eight feet. We’ll set up the speakers along a short wall and set the listening position so it forms an equilateral triangle with the speakers.Let’s run the room Eq wizard and see what we get.Right away we can see we’ve got some pretty big peaks and nulls. If we take a look at the waterfall graph we can clearly see the fall off from the lingering echo in the room.Let's throw some basic treatment into the room and see what we get.For this room we’re using 242’s for the first reflections on the walls and ceiling. In the corners we’ve stacked two impression series tri-traps per corner. The front wall has a nice 4inch art panel and for the back wall I’ve got 6 monsters. There’s also some 4 inch art panels along the side walls.This new test shows a drastic improvement in the frequency response especially in the 100Hz to 200hHz range with the untreated peaks and nulls now being smoothed out. Room EQ wizard is a great tool for identifying what specific frequencies are causing issues. From here we can determine what kind of treatment we’d need to improve the frequency response even further.We could get a flatter response in the bass tones by using thicker panels for our first reflections or by treating the horizontal corners of the room with bass traps.Looking at the waterfall graph we can see a steeper falloff representing less echo.It’s easy to see when we compare graphs that the treatment had a positive effect on the room, but how does it sound?Here’s a test playing back music in the same room before and after treatment.It’s easy to hear the reflections blend notes together in the untreated room making the playback sound muddy.Again here’s the same room with a simple recording test.Just as with the playback test, individual notes are much clearer in the treated room without the reflections bouncing into the mic. These improvements are most noticeable in the high energy bass frequencies. Without proper bass treatment it would be impossible to cut a mix without having to test it across multiple sound systems.With a thorough GIK treatment you can be confident that your mix is accurate and we have the tools and knowhow to guide you through every step of the process, so if you need help testing and treating your room visit our website where you can find articles, videos, and tools that’ll help you get the best sound in your space."
How much should I spend on Acoustics? - Budgeting for Room Acoustics GIK Acoustics 2021-02-03 | Get an idea of what it will cost to acoustically treat your room as we break down the kind of treatment you can expect at different budget levels.Free Advice Form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice-formRoom Kits:gikacoustics.com/product-category/room-kits"One question we hear a lot is: “How much will it cost to acoustically treat my room”. It’s a straightforward enough question but the answer is going to depend on a few variables. It’s often said that you should divide your funds equally between electronic equipment and acoustic treatment. Spending thousands of dollars on a sound system isn’t going to pay off if your room is altering the sound from that system.Your treatment strategy is going to be determined by the size and shape of your room, as well as how you plan to use the room. Coverage area is the biggest factor for the effectiveness of your treatment, so the larger your room the more panels you’ll need to fully control the sound. The desired application for the room will also dictate your treatment. A live recording room and a home theater will have different needs and even the methods we use to treat live recording rooms will change depending on the type and number of instruments. Your own personal preferences will also influence what kind of treatment you end up with.If you’re treating a office, school or congregation where the main goal is to reducing the echo from human speech then,The GIK website has a handy acoustic Panels Calculator that will give you a rough estimate on how many Panels you’d need to effectively reduce echo based on your room's dimensions. The Panel Calculator is based on our 2” spot panel, and while the spot panel performs very well for general applications, the low frequencies in music and movies will require a thicker panel to effectively treat.If you’re trying to maximize your budget for music production or playback then there’s a few things you can do to get the most out of your treatment. Make sure you select a good listening position and speaker placement and focus treatment on the first reflections between them.Calculating your room modes and testing for problem areas can help you determine where in the room peaks and nulls are causing issues and where you might want to concentrate your treatment.Truth is, if the right balance of products are used, then the more panels you can afford and fit in a space, the better that space will sound, The thicker the panels, the better the bass response, and on higher-budget rooms we will want the best balance between bass trapping, absorption, and various types of diffusion. So when budgeting for your room first figure out how much you have available that you’re willing to spend and then determine what the most optimal treatment is based on your budget.Let's take a typical small sized studio and see what kind of treatment we end up with at different budgets. At around $600 you could treat your first reflections with 242s and corners with 244s. With this treatment you’ll have noticeable improvements in your room with a cleaner stereo image. You can actually bundle and save on treatment at this level by starting off with one of GIK's Room kits. These are a great way to kick start your treatment, and we can always add more to get better performance out of your room.With a budget of $1000, you could use a dozen 244’s, which arguably gives the most cost-effective improvement of any GIK product within this budget. 244s are versatile enough that they can be used in any role -- corner bass trap, reflection points on the side walls and ceiling, and others. At around $2-3k we can start to approach a more comprehensive strategy where we have more coverage area, with thicker bass traps for better performance under 100Hz and diffusion to balance` out the room. We also have a bit left over for fabric upgrades and alternative plate deigns and finishes. At $4000 We can use even thicker panels for the corners with range limiters for even better performance under 100Hz, as well as a more comprehensive diffusion strategy.These are just some examples of a typical room on a standard budget. More panels could be added to the vertical corners for better bass response, or we could swap out for thicker panels on the first reflections for better performance. It’s not uncommon to have entire walls covered in treatment for a professional studio, so if there’s room for more treatment then there’s probably room for the sound to improve as well.If you have any more questions about room acoustics, you can always fill out our free acoustic advice form and one of our room designers will work with you to find the most cost effective option for your space."
Sound Proofing Vs. Acoustics Treatment GIK Acoustics 2021-01-18 | GIK Acoustics is an acoustic treatments company, yet we often get questions about soundproofing, a very different subject. We put together this video as a general guide to help point people in the right direction.Free advice form for Acoustic Treatment:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"People often confuse soundproofing and acoustic treatment and it’s easy to understand why. Both require an understanding of the science of sound and many products that are meant to be used for acoustic treatment are held up as soundproofing solutions.The truth is, soundproofing a room to stop sound, and acoustically treating a room to make it sound better, are completely different processes that require different tools and methods.Acoustic treatment is about improving the sound quality within a room for a clear and pleasant recording or playback. We accomplish this by eliminating reflections that interfere with the original audio source.In contrast, Soundproofing is about stopping soundwaves from traveling between rooms or between the room and the world outside.GIK products are all designed to be used for Acoustic Treatment and while they’re great for controlling sound within a room they’re not meant to isolate rooms for soundproofing. Thick acoustic treatment is good for absorbing bass reflections inside the room (and will help to dampen the noise bleeding into the room), but you’ll need more than that for the sub bass frequencies vibrating through your walls. If sound from another room is bothering you, it’s probably at lower frequencies, in the bass range or lower midrange as High treble frequencies are much easier to stop than bass frequencies. Even normal drywall construction will probably perform very well in the top octave of music, of ten to twenty KiloHertz. But each subsequent lower octave will have roughly half the isolation of the octave above it. In other words, 5-10kHz will have about half the isolation of 10-20kHz. 2.5-5kHz will have about half the isolation of 5-10khz, and so on. So by the time we get to the bottom octaves our work will be cut out for us.There are three proven methods for effective soundproofing at bass frequencies: Mass, Airtightness, and in some cases Decoupling. Note that all these techniques involve construction methods that change how the room is built. These methods will be very specific and probably counterintuitive to builders used to conventional techniques. Mass is a very low tech but proven way to block sound. Drywall is the most cost-effective way to achieve mass, and multiple layers of drywall is usually the best way to stack a lot of mass very easily. We can also use Constrained Damping Layer materials, like Green Glue, between the layers of drywall for even better performance. Airtightness is important because if air can get through, then so can sound. Here acoustic caulking is useful. Other strategies like weatherstripping around a door can also help, and attention to HVAC systems is important. If you try to isolate a room and it shares an air duct with another room, that will be a big problem. And we can’t completely seal the room -- oxygen runs out quickly in a small, airtight room with a singer breathing deeply and heavily during each take. Decoupling the room prevents flanking noise, which is where low frequency energy passes through the structure of the room itself, like the drywall mass, framing, and ceiling/floor assemblies. There are various strategies to improve decoupling, including a double wall, room-inside-a-room build, or also using things like resilient channels between the drywall and the framing to improve decoupling. Build technique can also help you get more soundproofing out of your materials. This diagram shows you the performance of a few different build strategies. Note the different STC ratings for each build. STC simply means “Sound Transmission Class” and describes how many decibels are isolated. It’s a much more useful parameter than the more common NRC ratings for audio purposes. So STC40 means that construction gives 40dB less sound outside the room than in. Normal construction for an interior wall is STC 33, with framing and a layer of drywall on each side. The STC40 diagram shows double-wall construction, where each wall is the same. There is clearly 10dB improvement. "However, with the exact same materials installed in a different configuration, we can instead achieve a 30dB improvement. This 20dB gain means the sound will be 100 times softer!This is just one example of the counterintuitive details to maximize soundproofing. To isolate the bass frequencies required for music, you need a good design and careful, precise construction. The experts at GIK specialize in room acoustics so there’s little more they can tell you about soundproofing beyond what we’ve already covered in this video."
Setting Up a Home Studio with Jonathan Wyman GIK Acoustics 2021-01-04 | Jonathan Wyman is a producer, mixer, and engineer who started his career at 19. Since then he’s gone on to produce and mix a wide variety of projects spanning multiple genres and has worked alongside professionals such as Tony Visconti, Matt Wallace, Randy Staub, and Brian Malouf. We sat down virtually with mixing engineer, Jonathan Wyman, whose work you may have heard at the top of the Billboard charts in 2020 with US chart-topping single from the band The Pretty Reckless, to discuss room acoustics and both the challenges and exciting changes that came with his recent transition from the traditional studio to the home studio.He gave us a glimpse into his fully GIK-designed home studio, and used our 3D modeling application to visualize the look and feel of the room. The results are stunning aesthetically and sonically."Having a great sounding room that I trust makes me confident and able to make moves be it EQ or level where I can go with my gut and not have to second guess myself" ~Jonathan WymanLearn More about Wyman and his work:thissoundsgood.comGet Free advice:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-adviceAlpha series:gikacoustics.com/product-category/alpha-seriesMonster Bass Traps:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-monster-bass-trap-flexrange-technology
Measuring and Treating Room Modes GIK Acoustics 2020-12-28 | This video outlines room modes and gives an overview of basic treatment methods for dealing with room modes and standing waves.Bass Trapsgikacoustics.com/product-category/bass-trapsAmcoustics Room Mode Calculatoramcoustics.com"Room modes are one of the most talked-about aspects of room acoustics, but there’s a lot of confusion out there about what room modes are and why they are important. “Modes” are resonant frequencies inside the room that correspond to certain dimensions within the room. Sound waves are usually thought of in terms of frequency, but we can also use “wavelength” to identify sound waves by their size. For instance, a 1kHz sine wave has a wavelength of 13.56”. This means the physical distance between two peaks of the sine wave is 13.56”. Lower frequencies have much longer wavelengths, often in the bass range. If you work with sound or play an instrument then you’re probably familiar with the way the physical volume of an area affects sound. Instruments use strings or chambers of varying sizes to produce different ranges of frequencies. We see this illustrated clearly when we see the size of a bass instrument compared to a treble instrument.It’s exactly the same for a room -- both instruments and rooms can be thought of as resonant chambers. So if your room is 20’ long, that will correspond to a wavelength of about 56Hz. So in this case, 56Hz will be one of your room modes. If you have a rectangular room you can get a feel for what the room modes do by playing a tone with the same wavelength as your room’s dimensions(56Hz for a 20’ long room) and observing its effects in different parts of the room. With the tone playing, go to the back wall with your back up against the wall. The tone will likely be very loud at this point in the room. As you slowly walk forward, the tone will get softer until you hit the middle of the room where it can often disappear almost entirely. Then as you keep going toward the front wall it will get louder again. This behavior corresponds to the wavelength graph above. The middle of the room is at the trough of the wavelength, which corresponds with the minimum volume of that frequency in that location. This exercise shows the “axial mode”, the simplest of the three types of room modes. Axial modes, in a rectangular room, are simply these frequencies associated with the wavelengths of the three dimensions, where sound travels in a straight line across one dimension, between the two parallel surfaces. Tangential modes travel along two dimensions and Oblique modes travel along all three dimensions and are the weakest of the three room modes. In a simple rectangular room, it’s easy to calculate your Room Modes based on your room’s dimensions. There’s even some pretty useful tools online that let you enter your room measurements and get a breakdown of what frequencies will cause standing waves and where in the room they’ll be localized.So with that -- what do we do with room modes? The answer is, these calculators are most useful when designing a new room from scratch where there is some flexibility in the room’s size. These calculations are invaluable to plan your room’s dimensions for optimal acoustic performance. But you can also use this information to predict where some of the sound issues will pop up.Keep in mind these calculators only work if the room in question has a rectangular shape. Differences in building materials as well as window and door placement can cause two rooms with the exact same dimensions to produce different room modes. Also modes & standing waves are not the only acoustics problem you’ll have in a room, so mode calculators are no substitute for measuring your room. In terms of treatment, modal problems are one of many things addressed by a comprehensive bass trapping strategy. Unless you are in a tiny room, room modes occur at deep bass frequencies, and improving deep bass response requires a lot of thick panels in the room. The thicker the panel the better it will do in the bottom 2 octaves of bass (20-80Hz), but coverage area is the most important thing, as always. Monsters & Soffits are the go-to here, possibly with Range Limiters installed on them for maximum effect under 80Hz. Good bass trap placement can also help, particularly when you are starting with a few bass traps. Bass hotspots -- often corners -- are usually related to modal issues, so target those locations where you can. Sometimes it can help the modal issues if you can disrupt the reflections that are contributing to the standing wave. For an Axial room mode this means placing treatment on one of the two surfaces that the wave is acting between, such as the rear & front walls in the above example. Remember, these modes aren’t just between your parallel walls, but also between your floor and ceiling as well. And again, these are just the axial modes."
Audio Tips for Streaming - Acoustic Treatment for Audio Streaming GIK Acoustics 2020-12-16 | This video covers some basic acoustic treatment strategies as well as some general audio tips for streaming on OBSSpot Panel:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-spot-panel242:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-242-acoustic-panelPIB:gikacoustics.com/product/pib-portable-isolation-vocal-boothOBS Streaming Software:obsproject.comrestream.io:restream.io"There’s nothing worse than going live in front of a bunch of people only for your chat to fill up with comments that you’re having audio issues. For content creators, quality audio can be far more important than good video, as bad audio can drive people away from your content beyond just making you hard to understand. Problems with your audio can happen because of hardware or software issues as well as bad room acoustics and it’s always not obvious where your issues might be coming from, especially if you’re not well versed in professional audio setups. In this video we’re going to take a look at some room acoustic guidelines as well as some general beginner tips to ensure you sound crystal clear over the internet.Often people immediately think about upgrading their microphone to get better sound, and it's true, nice mics do sound fantastic when used properly. But these days, even inexpensive mics can produce a clear sound when used correctly with proper Acoustic Treatment.The main strategy for getting clear sound is to lower your noise floor. The noise Floor is the sum of all the background noise in your signal. This can be the air conditioner, traffic outside, echo, and even electromagnetic interference on sub par equipment all combining to make up your noise floor.The easiest way to lower your noise floor is simply to sit closer to the mic. The louder your voice is in the microphone the more you can lower the levels which in turn lowers the strength of the background noise.Close mic-ing is the foundation of the "voice of god" radio announcer voice, where the proximity effect of most microphones gives a strong boost in the bass. These artifacts are sometimes brought out even more with compression or EQ to produce this familiar, authoritative, but very artificial sound. For something like a live stream you’ll probably want a more natural sounding voice while still having a low noise floor. We may not have the option of close mic-ing depending on the microphone setup, so our other option for lowering the background noise is acoustic treatment. Adding absorption to your room can reduce the echo, reverb, and comb filtering that creates harshness and reduces clarity. Even a few panels begin to improve things dramatically, especially if we can deploy them close to the microphone. If you are a full time streamer or content producer, then you may want to look into treating your work space as if it were a live recording room or isolation booth. A professional studio will have panels mounted on the ceiling above, and on nearby walls to create a record zone. A good record zone will isolate the talent and microphone from any nearby reflections that might distort your audio. Art panels can help improve the sound quality in your room while adding to the natural aesthetics with custom art printed on high quality professional grade absorption.Whatever your strategy for treating your room, you’ll still need to make sure you mic is working and sounds clean. A lot of beginners have trouble with setting up audio because unlike video, you can’t just look at a glance to see that it’s working. Even if you’re getting levels on your DB meter you still may not be intelligible to whoever is listening.It’s generally a good idea to do a mic test recording before you start streaming. If you’re using OBS it’s as easy as hitting the record button then going back and listening to the file.Sometimes your computer can be capturing clear audio, but problems with the stream cause bad audio for the listener. I like to use an app called restreamio. The website lets you stream to multiple platforms at once, but by turning all of the platforms off we can test that our stream is working before we go live to the world.Depending on your settings, if you try to preview your audio on the device you’re streaming from while you’re streaming, you might get a loop or echo as the sound from your stream is captured and re-streamed. I like to do a round of “row row row your boat” if I’m going to test audio this way, but alternatively you can always check the audio from your phone or other device and pick up a free view in the process.If you’re having issues with your audio, try troubleshooting both your system settings and stream settings and refer to the manufacturer for any hardware you’re using."
Improve your video calls with Acoustic Panels GIK Acoustics 2020-12-07 | Improve your sound on video calls and live meetings by treating your workspace with high quality acoustic panels and devices.PIB:gikacoustics.com/product/pib-portable-isolation-vocal-boothArt Panels:gikacoustics.com/product-category/acoustic-art-panelsSpot Panels:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-spot-panel"Live calls and video chats are becoming a larger part of the work day across all industries, but many people experience frustration at trying to effectively communicate over the internet.One sure fire way to increase the quality of your video calls is to make sure your voice is coming through crystal clear. No matter the type of microphone you’re using, an untreated space will have reflections that pick up and distort the intended audio source.This distortion makes it hard to understand speech and can be generally distracting and unpleasant. That’s why many office spaces and educational facilities use acoustic panels to lower the amount of reflections for a quieter and more productive workspace.While talking to someone in person, your knowledge of the space, combined with the stereo perception of your ears, makes it easier to understand compared to listening to a single channel pumped over the internet.Treating the room that you take your calls in can help make up for any lost clarity from having to communicate over the internet.The main factor for treating any space is coverage area. The more panels we have on the walls and ceiling, the more reflections get absorbed that would otherwise distort your audio.Lining the walls with panels so that they alternate across parallel walls is a good starting strategy for reducing slap echo. It is possible to over dampen a room by using too much absorption. This is where diffusion can be useful as diffusion scatters reflections instead of absorbing them.If you work in a larger space it might make sense for you to create a “record zone” rather than try to treat the whole space. To set up a record zone you focus treatment around a specific spot and isolate it from the rest of the room. This will give you an acoustically treated area to work in without having to treat the whole room. Moveable panels, called Gobos can be used to surround your record zone then tucked away when you don’t need them.If you’re working out of your home you might want something that compliments your decor. GIK’s acoustic art panels come in a variety of thicknesses and can be customized with imagery that speaks to you and complements your room. Our Spot Panels and 242s are available in dozens of fabric colors that range from rustic earth tones to vibrant splashes of color.Our entire product line comes in a wide variety of Fabric colors and plate designs, to match any space, so it’s easy to find something that matches your style."
Understanding Bass Traps: Your Guide to Bass Trap Placement GIK Acoustics 2020-11-20 | This video outlines how to test for the best location to place bass traps to treat for small rooms including recording studios, mixing/mastering studios, home theaters and dedicated Hi-Fi listening rooms.Browse GIK Bass Traps:gikacoustics.com/product-category/bass-trapsPink Noise File:gikacoustics.com/pink_noise.mp3"Great Bass Response can be hard to achieve, especially in smaller rooms. There’s a wide variety of Bass treatments available and knowing which bass traps to use or where to place them isn’t always obvious.Low frequencies have more energy than high frequencies and tend to travel further, so bass is going to reflect and build up more in your room compared to treble frequencies.This build up is often concentrated in the corners of your room as reflections from adjacent walls merge and interfere with one another, creating both peaks and nulls at different frequencies. It’s common to see bass traps stacked floor-to-ceiling in the vertical corners of a room, but remember there are eight more corners that can benefit from treatment. The corners along your floor and ceiling around the perimeter of the room will also cause bass build up.Treating all of these corners isn’t always feasible depending on your budget and space limitations, but there’s a few ways you can test to see where in your room you should focus your treatment.Tools like Room EQ Wizard can give you a detailed breakdown of your room acoustics, but if you’re not familiar with room testing there’s a more low tech way to find bass buildup.By playing a low frequency “pink noise” file in your room you can locate your bass build up by simply moving around the room and listening for the areas where the bass is stronger. If you have a handheld SPL meter, or an SPL meter app for your phone, you can use it to make this process easier and more precise.Finding these bass "hotspots" in your room will tell you the most important places to begin with bass trap treatments. If there are only a few bass traps available, These are the most important areas to treat. GIK has a filtered pink noise sound file available for download that you can use to run this test. This file contains all frequencies from 400Hz and below, all playing at the same volume. Link in the description.World-class bass response is a bit of a commitment, in that you will need a lot of thick panels in the room to achieve it. Coverage area, or the total surface area of all bass traps relative to room size, is the biggest determinant of overall performance, but other factors like panel thickness and placement can also help.The more bass traps we add to a room, the better the bass response will be, but even starting with a few bass traps is enough to begin to hear improvements in most rooms.There are two main types of bass traps, broadband absorbers, and tuned membrane traps. Broadband absorbers use a porous material to capture sound energy across the full range of audible sound. The thicker the panel the lower the effective range, but your mids and highs will still be affected.A 2” thick broadband absorber like our Spot Panels or 242s will perform down to about 300Hz, where they begin to roll off. 4” absorbers like 244s will extend this to under 100Hz, and 6” absorbers like Monsters have a lot more performance under 100Hz. In rooms where great bass response is a priority, make every panel in the room as thick as possible. We can also “sculpt” the absorption curve to be more suitable for a given application with our FlexRange series of panels. We can add Range Limiters to these products which enhance bass absorption and reduce treble absorption. This allows us to get enough bass traps into the room to really help the low end, without over-damping the treble and making things sound too “dead”.Broadband, and possibly Range-Limited, bass traps should always be the starting point and foundation for creating great bass response in a small room.Tuned Membrane traps like the Scopus are engineered to treat strong, stubborn resonances at specific frequencies in the low end that remain after extensive broadband bass trapping has been implemented. This can be very useful as a finishing touch in a very high-end room, but should not be regarded as a foundational strategy for bass trapping. To use a tuned trap effectively you need to test the room to find the resonances, ideally with a waterfall graph or a spectrogram. Once we've identified these resonances in the test data we can deploy the Scopus traps to further improve your room's response."
Understanding Sound Diffusion and the keys to use it effectively GIK Acoustics 2020-11-04 | This video gives an overview of how acoustic diffusion works and how to properly utilize it in your room.GIK Diffusion:gikacoustics.com/product-category/diffusion-products"Diffusion can be a great alternative to absorption for those looking to keep some of the liveliness in a room. Scattering the sound can also make a room sound larger while evening out the reflections, but understanding how diffusion works and how to properly implement diffusion is necessary if you want to get the desired effect. A flat surface like a wall will reflect sound at the opposite angle it came from, so all the reflected sound will reach the listener's ear at the same time. This is why we always start with first reflection points with absorption as these reflections will always be slightly later than the original sound.Diffusion works by scattering those reflections evenly in all directions so that the reflected sound is broken up and thus arrives at the listener at different times and intensities.This even-scattering effect happens spatially, with reflection fragments being aimed in different directions, and also temporally with some forms of diffusion, as different reflection fragments are also delayed with slight variation. Diffusion tricks the ears into not recognizing the room’s dimensions through the natural echo of the room.The key to good diffusion is an even scattering. A quality diffuser should scatter the sound in a complete 180 degrees. GIK treatments like the gotham and alpha series are designed with a mathematical formula to give a perfectly even scattering.Good diffusion doesn't happen by accident, the designs are very precise and complex. Some people suggest using a bookcase filled with books as a cheap form of diffusion, but a random assortment of books is extremely unlikely to have the layout precision required to produce good diffusion. It's probably better than a bare, reflective wall, but it won't perform like a good diffuser.Diffusion devices are mostly mid-range devices, meaning they don't do much at either low bass or high treble frequencies. Anything that diffuses at bass frequencies would be far too large to ship, so they aren’t feasible in most studios. Best practice is to start with bass trapping and early reflection absorption, then use diffusion to help retain a balanced sound.Diffusion in small rooms can be tricky. For some types of diffusers you need space between the diffusion and the listening position in order for the sound waves to disperse in a way that will benefit the sound. If the wrong type of diffusion is too close to the listener then you can hear artifacts from the diffusors working, and won't get an even spread.You might start to hear the resonances from the individual well depths if you’re positioned too close.The type of diffusion you use will also have some effect on your room's character. While there are many different methods of diffusion they can be broken into two categories. One dimensional and two dimensional. This refers to the number of planes that the sound is scattered along. A one dimensional diffuser will scatter sound either horizontally or vertically depending on the orientation of the treatment. A two dimensional diffuser will scatter across both the vertical and horizontal planes.One dimensional diffusers tend to be a bit more efficient than two dimensional options, so you’ll get more diffusion but it will be concentrated across one plane. These are good for back walls in listening rooms and studios where the listening position is fixed.Two dimensional diffusion is less efficient, but the scattering is along two planes which makes it better for use on ceilings or for use in live recording areas where the instrument and mic placement might change depending on the performance.Many GIK products can include a scatter plate that adds scattering, and some diffusion to a panel or bass trap for a hybrid treatment, and our Alpha series is a more dialed-in hybrid absorber/diffuser, available in both 1D or 2D patterns.Impression panels are very similar to the Alphas but with different patterns cut into the plate, which prioritize visual aesthetic over diffusion performance. They can be used more or less interchangeably.While many professionals use diffusion to great effect in their studios it’s important that you understand the type of diffusion you’re getting as well as how it should be implemented into your space for the maximum benefit.If you have any questions about diffusion or are still unsure which products are best for your space, drop us a line or fill out our free acoustic advice form for a tailored strategy from one of our room experts."
The Basics of Room Acoustics GIK Acoustics 2020-10-23 | This video outlines some of the key concepts and strategies related to room acoustics. Related video - How to Set Up First Reflections:youtu.be/Nui7mxgeOg4Free Advice Form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice"A dedicated studio that’s designed and built from the ground up for sound will often have custom acoustic treatments built-in to the room design, but many people looking to set up a home studio, listening room or home theater start with an existing room. Maybe you’ve got a spare bedroom or a finished room in your basement you’re looking to convert into a mixing room. The rooms that typically get converted into studios are usually on the smaller side. These smaller rooms cause large peaks and nulls as certain frequencies build up or cancel themselves out. Sound waves, like all waves, have peaks and troughs. When two waves interact, their respective peaks and troughs get combined depending on the “phase” of the wave. If the exact same sound wave is 180 degrees out of phase so that the troughs of one wave line up with the peaks of the other you get what's called phase cancellation. In-phase waves add together and produce peaks, and out-of-phase waves cancel each other out and produce nulls. This gets very complex very quickly because there are always many more than two sound waves interacting in this way, producing peaks and nulls that make it harder to hear accurately.Most of these problems will occur in the lower frequencies as bass tones have longer decay times. The longer the decay time the more these frequencies build up and interfere with each other. This is why treating your corners and first reflections with thick Panels is always a great first step when treating your room.At GIK, we typically treat these areas with absorption material 2 - 6 inches thick. Absorption is great here because it converts the energy from the sound wave to a very small amount of heat as the air collides with the panel. This eliminates the sound from the room and keeps the unwanted frequencies from reflecting and building up into peaks and nulls.Ever notice that bass instruments tend to be big? Just like how you need a large instrument to produce a bass note, you need a large thick absorption in order to treat the lower frequencies, because the wavelength is physically larger.Thick, broadband bass traps should always do most of the heavy lifting in the bass strategy, but we can fine-tune the response with GIK's patented technologies. Range Limiters let us maximize bass absorption without overdamping the treble, and tuned Scopus bass traps are useful to clean up any stubborn resonances that remain even after a full complement of broadband or range-limited bass traps is in place.Another option for room treatment is diffusion. Unlike absorption, the purpose of diffusion is to scatter sound evenly in all directions. When sound hits a flat surface it reflects off at the opposite angle just like a light beam off a mirror. By using an acoustically reflective material such as wood, we can make treatment with ridges and depressions so that the sound striking the panel reflects off in all directions.There are different methods we can use to create diffusion instead of reflections, both with GIK's dedicated diffusors and with hybrid devices that provide diffusion, absorption, and bass trapping all in one.This strategy can also help with evening out your frequency response by scattering sound evenly around the room. Diffusion has the added benefit of changing a room's characteristics to give the impression of a larger space, and can be useful where too much absorption may make a room sound dead.Great sound in small rooms for audio production is all about balance, and the best rooms have a great bass response and a neutral overall character that won't color or mask the sound. Production spaces like this allow you to work faster, with less frustration, with better sounding results.GIK Acoustics has a very wide range of effective, affordable products to achieve these goals. Be sure to contact us for free acoustic advice so we can help you get the best possible sound for your room and your budget."
Screen Panel GIK Acoustics 2020-10-15 | This video outlines the features of GIK's Screen PanelScreen Panel: gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-screen-panel"The Screen Panel by GIK acoustics packs GIK’s unrivaled absorption technology into a free standing GoBo that can go anywhere and do anything.The folding design makes it perfect for live recording areas that need a flexible treatment strategy. Use them to isolate your vocals and instruments or place them along the walls and corners to treat your first reflections and bass buildup.When folded the screen panel performs like a 244 Bass trap, or it can be folded into a V and used on your back wall to help manage nasty low end peaks and nulls.The Screen Panel Measures 6 feet tall with each section being 16” wide for a large and effective profile.Multiple Screen Panels can be combined to make temporary vocal booths and the wide range of color options means it will look great in any space."
Custom Metal Stands GIK Acoustics 2020-10-05 | The Custom Metal Stands fit perfectly into the 242, 244 and Monster Bass Trap to create an elevated GoBo and freestanding treatment.Metal Stands:gikacoustics.com/product/custom-metal-stands"Convert the 242 Acoustic Panel, 244 Bass Trap, or Monster Bass Trap into a Freestanding treatment with GIK’s Custom Metal Stands.GIK features many customization options for our whole line of acoustic treatment, but the panels that utilize our Air gap design can take advantage of even more mounting options and conversion accessories.The Metal stands interlock with the back of the panel for a sturdy and secure base that raises the panel a foot off the ground. This sets the panel at the perfect height for most applications when mounting on the wall isn’t an option Transform your panels for use in live recording rooms or if you just need a movable treatment strategy.The stands can be easily installed with hand tools and come in a sleek black powder coated finish.Visit our website for more customization options or check out our free resources for acoustics know how and room treatment strategy."
Setting Up an Isolation Booth for Recording GIK Acoustics 2020-09-29 | This video goes over the basic strategies for setting up an Isolation BoothFree Advice!gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice244 Bass Trapgikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-244-bass-trap-flexrange-technologyMonstergikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-monster-bass-trap-flexrange-technologySoffitgikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-soffit-bass-trapMaterialsgikacoustics.com/product-category/diy-acoustic-panel-bass-traps-supplies"There are a lot of guides out there on how to construct soundproof walls and even some Prebuilt solutions and DIY hacks. In this video we want to look at some of the basic strategies and options we have for setting up an isolation booth from the beginning. Starting with the option of whether to use an isolation booth at all.If you’re not in a noisy environment, using a smaller room for recording can cause more issues than an isolation room might solve. Having a smaller room means that first reflections are going to be louder and happen sooner, So you’re more likely to get comb filtering and smearing.Smaller rooms have less room for treatment as well, so treating for lower frequencies is going to be a lot more difficult with no room for thicker panels.Setting up a record zone in a large room might be an easier strategy for you and give you a better result. You can refer to our live room video for more info on how to treat a larger room for recording.If you’re stuck with lots of external noise, then isolating yourself from the unwanted sound may very well be worth the trade off that comes with recording in a smaller room. The first thing to consider when setting up a Isolation booth is the dimensions. Many people might start with something like a 4 foot by 4 foot booth with an 8 foot ceiling. While having four walls with the same dimensions might make construction easier, The more symmetry in your dimensions the more certain frequencies will build up causing unwanted peaks and nulls in your frequency response. Changing the dimensions so that no two measurements are the same or are multiples of other measurements will drastically improve the room before we even get to absorption. So instead of 4 by 4 by 8 we may want to try something like 5 by 7 by 8.Remember the primary purpose of an isolation booth is to isolate a recording from the sound outside of the booth, so a good isolation booth should be as airtight as possible. Anywhere air can freely pass into the room, so can sound. Keep this in mind when you’re figuring out how to run your cables and mount the door to the booth. An airtight room will also require ventilation if you don’t want your talent to pass out from lack of oxygen or heat exhaustion.For absorption, you’ll want a treatment rated low enough to absorb the full range of human speech which can resonate below 100hz. An isolation booth used for vocals could use our 244 bass trap to line the walls and ceiling. If you plan on using your room to record bass heavy instruments you’ll want to look into something thicker.The more absorption coverage we work into the room the better as we’re not going to get any beneficial effects from the room’s natural characteristics. Even the floor should be covered with a rug and carpet.Isolation booths aren’t just for vocals and haven't always been the small closet sized rooms we see in home theatres. For acoustic instrument recording in small booths we might also consider some types of hybrid diffusion, such as our Alpha panels.There’s more than a few ways to set up an isolation booth, so if you’re still unsure what strategy is best for you, fill out our free acoustic advice forum for a personalized consultation."
Acoustical Room Kits GIK Acoustics 2020-09-19 | This video is an overview of the Room kit packages.Room Kits:gikacoustics.com/product-category/room-kits242:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-242-acoustic-panel244:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-244-bass-trap-flexrange-technologyTri-Trap:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-tri-trapMonster:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-monster-bass-trap-flexrange-technology"These packages include everything you need to treat your first reflections on your side walls and ceiling, as well as treat your corners and back wall. All this is bundled together to save you money and take the guesswork out of acoustic treatment.Each Kit comes with a set of 242s and one monster bass Trap.Kit #1 and #2 Come with 4 244Bass Traps with Kit #2 having twice the number of 242s.Kit’s #3 & #4 Switch out the 244’s for Tri-Traps which help save space and absorb more over the 244. #4 also has twice the number 242’s over Kit #3customizable with our wide range of color options and our patented flexrange technology can be applied to the included bass traps.Get GIK’s unrivaled absorption technology all packaged in an affordable and beginner friendly Kit that’ll get your space sounded great.If you need advice on which Room kit is best for you, hit us up on our website for a free consultation, or browse our library of informative articles and videos."
Setting Up A Live Recording Room GIK Acoustics 2020-09-10 | This video breaks down some of the basic techniques for setting up a recording room.“Live room” is commonly understood to be a room where recordings are made. The term comes from “live performance,” though it has also taken on an additional meaning of a room with more reverb, which would have a “live” sound. So a live room can actually be many things, largely dependent on what’s being recorded in it. A voiceover artist will have very different needs from a drummer, a horn player, a pianist, or a commercial facility that has to sound good for whatever the next client brings in. So no matter how we tailor the sound of a particular room to suit its purpose, all live rooms should have a starting point of neutrality, where a performance can be reliably and faithfully captured with minimal ambience, since we can always add more ambience in post production or mixdown. If we need to tailor the space for more or less ambience (or for variability) we have the flexibility to do so.In a household-sized recording room, some familiar strategies will help us out a lot: we want a good mix of bass trapping, absorption, and diffusion. The balance of these will be where we can tailor the sound to a more specific type of recording as needed. Early reflections will greatly affect the recorded sound. It’s the same concept as in a listening room but instead of reflections between speakers and our ears, the reflections are between the instrument and the microphones. Treatments at these reflection points clean up the recordings quite a bit, almost like bringing the tracks “into focus.” If you know the pickup pattern of your microphones you can position them so that only one instrument is in the pickup pattern with the other sounds in the mic’s nulls, where the mic is much less sensitive. We can use freestanding panels placed strategically in these paths for even better isolation. There are 3 main ways to control bleed in a recording. First is placement of instruments in the room. Second is mic technique, or the placement of the mics and the pickup patterns. Third is to use freestanding gobos. All three strategies are closely related. GIK has many options to help isolate your instruments and maximize flexibility, including our PIB and Freestand panels. Our Alpha panels are particularly useful with a freestanding option because then they are reversible: you can have the plates facing into the room for their wonderful blend of absorption & diffusion, or you can spin them around so the rear absorber faces in to get a drier sound with more absorption and no diffusion. Bass trapping also benefits recording rooms. This will be less critical for recording high frequency instruments than something like jazz bass or a drum kit, but even the low E on a guitar string is 82Hz, around the same range as voice fundamentals. Thicker bass traps help more for the really low stuff, but even 4” thick bass traps like our 244s help down to this range.These principles of controlling for the full spectrum of your instruments as well as absorbing early reflections will help you get started and will make an immediate improvement to your recordings. Make sure you Experiment with your placements for the best result. And if you’d like to fine-tune your strategy to your needs and budget, you can always fill out our free advice form on the website and consult with one of our expert GIK designers. Free Advice Form:gikacoustics.com/acoustic-advice244 Bass Trap with FlexRange Technology:gikacoustics.com/product/gik-acoustics-244-bass-trap-flexrange-technologyPIB (Portable Isolation Booth):gikacoustics.com/product/pib-portable-isolation-vocal-boothAlpha Series:gikacoustics.com/product-category/alpha-series
