Sound absorbing blankets

M

mattinpdx

Junior Member
Ok, so I did use the search functionality, and because of that I now know the difference between "sound proofing" and "deadening a room".

For my 9x15 drum room, I just want to deaden it so that there is less reflection in the room.

While there are tons of posts on "sound proofing", I could not find specific opinions or endorsements about any of the currently available "sound blankets".

I am considering:

audimute blankets

or

producer's choice blankets

I am open to "moving blankets" but couldn't find any specific recommendations in that area. There are tons of moving blankets, most from china.

I am getting the vibe that this is one of those you get what you pay for kind of things.

Anyhow, does anybody have any experience with any specific products?

Thanks,

Matt
 
I don't have any experience with the two products you've listed. But I know from my own experience that simply deadening a room is easily (not to mention cheaply) achieved. All you really need to do is eliminate the sound waves from bouncing off reflective surfaces.

My practice room is very bright and "echoey" too. I've had good results just by strategically placing some foam (non-acoustic), normal bedding blankets and one old mattress against the walls. As you've already noted, it does nothing to "sound proof" but it certainly works a treat in deadening a very lively room so that the drum sound is far more focused. I'd hazard to guess that both of the products you've linked will be successful in achieving the desired outcome and as such, personally I'd be inclined to roll towards the one that offered the best value for money......if not even look for a cheaper DIY solution. I know it works without having to outlay too much money.
 
Moving blankets work pretty well at about $20 bucks for similar sized blanket as the adimute ones.

Also, the eggshell foam used for mattresses works very well
http://www.sears.com/dream-solutions-smart-foam-1-8221-mattress-topper/p-096B2026000P?prdNo=2

Or pay a few bucks more for slightly thicker "acoustic foam"
http://www.foambymail.com/EC1-5-F-CH/1-5-eggcrate-foam.html

For my studio, I used 4 x 8 sheets of Sonopan with resilient channel (you can probably skip the channel for just deadening) Cost about $20 per sheet.
http://materiauxspecl.com/en/products/soundproofing/sonopan-x.aspx

Depends on what you want to do. If it's to be permanent, I'd go with something like Sonopan. If temporary, foam (first choice) or blankets second.
 
Moving or packing blankets are effective at reducing reflections. Especially from the midrange up. Heavier or mass loaded blankets will be more broadband. Space (a few inches or more) behind the blankets will also help lower frequency absorption.

When I worked at Dolby the test theater was adjustable from a recording space to a conventional cinema by virtue of moving blankets which rolled up or down behind decorative grille-cloth panels along the sidewalls. Rolled down, it was a dead movie space. Rolled up by various degrees added liveness for recordings or presentations.

As has been said in many thread, this won't do much for sound levels escaping the room, but it will deaden the room internally. So will OC703 rigid fiberglass panels which is what you see on the walls of most theaters and studios. Depends on how much HF absorption you need.

I repeat my standard disclaimer about considering the fire retardancy of materials not intended for studio or theater use. And noting how fast the Great White fire spread though those materials. Have an amp blow up, or some electrical short and your studio (and everything it's attached to) could go up in smoke.
 
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My practice space is an 11' x 14' shed on a concrete slab. I surrounded the walls with audimute blankets after I soundproofed the shed. They work well for deadening the room and sound control. They are fairly heavy duty and they have eyelets in them, which made them easy to hang.
 
stapes2260 said:
My practice space is an 11' x 14' shed on a concrete slab. I surrounded the walls with audimute blankets after I soundproofed the shed. They work well for deadening the room and sound control. They are fairly heavy duty and they have eyelets in them, which made them easy to hang.
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I basically did the same +1
 
I just did the same thing, I have a bedroom i use for my small home project studio.

I hung moving blankets on about 1/2 the room, i then put egg crate foam over that as well as on the ceiling above the overheads. I have not had a chance to record and see how it worked.

There is no replacement for a tuned room, but just like you, i wanted something fast and cheap as a stopgap solution. I will record some tracks and post here asap.
 
Hey! :) I've had similar needs. I ordered a heavy curtain from soundblanketcurtain, and they work AMAZINGLY. A friend of mine had the same thing, she was the one who recommended them to me, so I thought I'd share her wisdom here :D
 
my drum room is about 16x20 in my basement and when i first setup it had a nasty slapback echo that gave me monster headaches, i went with producers blankets, 2 on each side wall and the room is sooo quiet/dead as far as echo/reverb, worth every penny to me.
 
Same problem here. I went to Walmart and bought 5 solid black bed comforters for $100.
I hung them on the walls, they work great and don't look bad.
 
Hi, I've got a potentially stupid question, but please bear with me.

I know that sound blankets such as the producer's choice ones are for sound absorption rather than sound proofing. So if I put blankets on the walls, that will absorb the sound, and reduce a lot of the echo and overtones, etc.

My question is: where does the sound go when it is absorbed? If I'm standing outside a room which has been treated with acoustic blankets, but NOT soundproofed, will it be just as loud as if the room were not treated? Or, since the blankets are absorbing the noise INSIDE the room, will that reduce the noise OUTSIDE the room as well?
 
Absorbed sound turns to heat in the absorber, that's what the physics says, but that doesn't mean much. The rest is passed through to the other side. A sound blocking wall is a mechanical filter and the heaver the wall is the more blocking to higher frequencies. One pass through an absorber to the outside won't do much but bouncing around inside a room with multiple bounces through it will add up and deaden the room, but the pass to the out side is just once. Absorbers inside the room will reduce the sound going out but not as much as a mass loaded wall. To absorb reflections in a room you can build a simple 2 x 4 wall, 24 inch centesr is fine, and fill with fiberglass insulation and cover with the least expensive carpet, fabric, burlap or whatever and you will get very good room damping at an affordable price. A mass loaded wall takes building materials that are heavy, like dry wall, mass loaded vinyl or anything else heavy.
 
DrumDotDave said:
Absorbed sound turns to heat in the absorber, that's what the physics says, but that doesn't mean much. The rest is passed through to the other side. A sound blocking wall is a mechanical filter and the heaver the wall is the more blocking to higher frequencies. One pass through an absorber to the outside won't do much but bouncing around inside a room with multiple bounces through it will add up and deaden the room, but the pass to the out side is just once. Absorbers inside the room will reduce the sound going out but not as much as a mass loaded wall. To absorb reflections in a room you can build a simple 2 x 4 wall, 24 inch centesr is fine, and fill with fiberglass insulation and cover with the least expensive carpet, fabric, burlap or whatever and you will get very good room damping at an affordable price. A mass loaded wall takes building materials that are heavy, like dry wall, mass loaded vinyl or anything else heavy.
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Thanks for this info. I've got another question about isolation of floors, for anyone who might know. I was thinking of getting some rubber gym mats like these:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/swing-slide-climb-1-x-1m-x-20mm-shock-pad-rubber-paver_p3321609

They're made of firm rubber, about 10-20mm thick. If I put those down under the drums on top of the concrete, would that do a decent job of reducing reverberations through the floor, or would sound just pass straight through these? In theory they seem to have a decent mass, and might absorb some of the sound, but I'm surprised to have not seen much about anyone using this kind of product for this purpose.
 
It's easy to deaden a room by simply adding heavy curtains on parallel walls but deadening a room also diminishes the quality of sound from drums. I STRONGLY recommend investing in quality acoustic paneling (not some foam junk) such as the products by GIK Acoustics. You'll want to do your research on placement as well but generally speaking, a pair of 242 panels clouded above the kit along with some 244 in nearby corners and 242 on parallel walls makes a world of difference. Instead of simply ending up with a dead sound you can vastly improve the sound of your drums in the space.

We'll likely be doing an episode on this in the near future for Sounds Like a Drum.
 
The producers blankets are the real deal. They're 10lbs a piece. That's about 30 packing blankets. You need a good space between the wall and the blanket, there's a good video on YT about how to mount them. basically get the ones with grommets, and mount them to 2x4s at the top of your wall. Dramatic reduction in the sound escaping.
 
mkelley said:
The producers blankets are the real deal. They're 10lbs a piece. That's about 30 packing blankets. You need a good space between the wall and the blanket, there's a good video on YT about how to mount them. basically get the ones with grommets, and mount them to 2x4s at the top of your wall. Dramatic reduction in the sound escaping.
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Is "producers blanket" a brand? I'm searching but can't really find anything. We just moved a bunch of junk out of my drum room and it is so echo-y I can hardly play with all the resonance. I'm looking for my best option to deaden the room, plus any soundproofing that comes with it is a big bonus too. Any specific product recommendations? Not being super ugly would be nice, but is not a requirement.

EDIT: These? https://www.vocalboothtogo.com/product/large-sound-blankets-producers-choice-wgrommetsblkwhte-6/
 
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mkelley said:
The producers blankets are the real deal. They're 10lbs a piece. That's about 30 packing blankets. You need a good space between the wall and the blanket, there's a good video on YT about how to mount them. basically get the ones with grommets, and mount them to 2x4s at the top of your wall. Dramatic reduction in the sound escaping.
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Here is a good sampling of producer blankets. I use these for location audio recording on film shoots.
Some are all black, some are black on one side and white on the other. Black does not reflect lighting
on film sets, white "bounces" light. FYI--color has nothing to do with sound deadening properties.

https://www.moverssupplies.com/sound-blankets-producers-choice.html
 
I guess I was wrong about non-ugliness not being a requirement. My wife vetoes the producers blankets based on looks. Any recommendations for something to deaden the room and still look half decent? How effective are the panels?
 
Mastiff said:
I guess I was wrong about non-ugliness not being a requirement. My wife vetoes the producers blankets based on looks. Any recommendations for something to deaden the room and still look half decent? How effective are the panels?
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I would recommend building multiple acoustic panels (rectangular wood frame, sound deadening insulation filler inside) and let your wife pick out the color fabric to wrap them in.
Space them out and mount them on at least three of your walls. This is not a substitute for soundproofing, but it should help a bit on deadening.

Not knowing how big your rehearsal room is, or how far it is to the opposing wall facing your drums, building a false wall at a 15-degree angle can help deflect some of the sound
waves and take the "muddiness" out of the room. But if this is a small rehearsal room that's likely an inconsequential solution.

Carpet the floor.

Gift your wife with a nice dinner and a set of BOSE noise cancelling headphones.
 
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