If you’ve ever thought about improving the sound in your home studio you may have considered using acoustic foam. In this post, we explore how to fit acoustic foam tiles.
For many home studio owners sticking foam panels to the wall is a worry. If you are renting a space then you might not want to damage the walls. Likewise, if you decide to move rooms or change your studio layout then you may want to move the panels at a later date.
Let’s take a look at some of the options in this video.
The benefits of using acoustic foam tiles are:-
- Medium to high frequency sounds are more controlled
- Improves recording of acoustic instruments and vocals
- Improves mixing when monitoring on speakers
- Looks great on the walls!
Depending on your room, you may need some form of acoustic treatment on all four walls and the ceiling as well.
However, the acoustic foam should be used in moderation. The goal is not to cover every bit of wall space as this can have a negative effect.
If you wish to find out more about acoustic treatment for your home studio I can highly recommend this book: Mixing Secrets for the small studio by Mike Senior.
There are plenty of suppliers out there who will be able to advise you on how to fit acoustic foam tiles. In the video, I use Univeral Acoustics Mercury Foam panels.
I have also used a company called GIK Acoustics for my larger acoustic panels and bass traps.
Bass traps are much thicker and can help with controlling low-frequency sounds. Acoustic foam tiles that stick to the wall are generally around 50mm thick and will not help with low frequencies.
Whichever supplier you choose to go with it is worth following their instructions carefully when installing acoustic foam.
Although I didn’t mention this in the video there is another option for mounting foam tiles. You could mount the foam to a thin piece of plywood or even strong cardboard. Then you can hang them like a picture frame with small nails or wall hooks. This way, there is no danger of leaving marks from adhesive if you move then later.
Hopefully, my video on How to fit acoustic tiles will give you a starting point. Enjoy!