Recently I got the room acoustics and audio analysis software, Room EQ Wizard (REW). And ran some tests using an AKG C451 with and without my bass traps, sound absorbers and clouds. Well I got a real shock when the results showed they were providing very little in the way of attenuation, really miserable performance was hidden by the placebo effect of building and installing the bass traps. “They had to be doing something…?” To double check I purchased a Behringer ECM8000 Ultra-Linear Measurement Condenser Microphone and ran the tests again – Same results.
I read there was a rigid fiberglass panel made by Owens Corning in the USA but it’s not available here in Australia. So after a bit of research I managed to source an equivalent from Bradford. A wee bit expensive but now installed and retested it was definitely worth every penny.
The test results also indicated I was losing some high frequencies at the mix position. So I faced some of the panels with a thin but strong membrane of plastic that I found in a discount warehouse. So now I’m getting good bass attenuation without losing the precious high detail. The overall sound is much tighter and focused with the monitors sounding good in all parts of the room.
To finish off I placed the monitors on stands with the new Auralex ProPads beneath. The ProPad is Auralex’s answer to the Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizer pad and they do a great job for a lot less cash.