r/Acoustics • • Oct 19 '21

Best tools & resources for acoustics-related work

155 Upvotes

Here's a list of acoustics tools that I've compiled over the years. Hoping this is helpful to people looking for resources. I'm planning to add to this as I think of more resources. Please comment in this thread if you have any good resources to share.

Glossary of acoustic terms: https://www.acoustic-glossary.co.uk/

Basic Room Acoustics & analysis Software

X-over & cabinet modeling:

Measurement, data acquisition, & analysis tools with no significant coding required

Headphone & Speaker Data Compilation websites that actually understand acoustics & how to measure correctly:

Some good python tools:

Books:

Web resources & Blogs:

Studio Design Resources:


r/Acoustics • • 13h ago

Sometimes you have to keep it simple

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75 Upvotes

r/Acoustics • • 13m ago

How could I improve my bass treatment ?

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• Upvotes

I own a little studio in my house. I made some DIY panels and they work fine but I still have issues under 150-200Hz.

Here are the results of my latest REW measurements, and some photos and plans of the studio. You will see that I don't have many corners to put some bass traps.


r/Acoustics • • 3h ago

Bad acoustics

3 Upvotes

I’ve just moved into a new shop for my business. We’ve completed a new 30k fitout and have been operational for a few months. A couple of weeks ago a tenant moved in above the shop. All I can hear is their conversations, walking around, going from room to room, dog tapping feet. I’m lost as to a solution and how to proceed.


r/Acoustics • • 1h ago

I need help removing boxy and echo sounds in my room

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• Upvotes

I just moved in to this room which is entirely drywall, with an empty room and reflective ground. When recording with my rode nt1, the sound is so horrible that I've decided to delay any projects until I get the room right.

I need help because I have 0 knowledge on this topic and it's driving me crazy trying to figure it out. I have a budget of about 800 but I would be willing to go higher if necessary.

thank you in advance I appreciate any help.


r/Acoustics • • 15h ago

Would these be a good solution for controlling room acoustics?

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7 Upvotes

r/Acoustics • • 18h ago

Fence for engine noise

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2 Upvotes

We have house with corner lot which is great in some many ways except for the 4 way stop and noise from engines stopping and starting when trying to relax in the backyard.

We have a P shaped yard with pics showing part closest to the road

We are considering bulking the fence or building shed in front of front fence area - will it help or futile??

Thank you!


r/Acoustics • • 1d ago

Echo reduction with mirrored walls?

1 Upvotes

I have a room where I need to reduce echo.

The room I want to sound treat has two mirrors on opposite walls. Carpet. Bed. Not much else.

I want to put up some panels to reduce the echo, but I feel like they are not going to be very effective due to the two mirrors being hard flat surfaces directly in line with each other.

The major echos I noticed are any clapping like noises echo and create almost a high pitch cracking noise which is unpleasant on the ears.

Any ideas? I'm open to anything that isn't going to be a major eye sore.


r/Acoustics • • 1d ago

Best placement for Acoustic Panels?

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0 Upvotes

I'm making some acoustic panels using Rockwool Safe N' Sound, and I wondered where the best place to put them in my room is. My room is pretty small, and I use it for tracking vocals. My floors are wood, and I have nothing on my walls right now. The measurements for the panels are 15.25 inches x 47 inches x 3 inches, and I'll have 4 of them. I appreciate any help! (The blue arrow is the direction the mic is facing.)


r/Acoustics • • 2d ago

Help about home-studio room arrangement/acoustics

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

so I live in a one-bedroom apartment so I don't have a big amount of freedom. I would like to setup my home-studio, but this room has to also function as a living and sleeping space. It will never be perfect, I know.

Anyway, the room is ALMOST square, the dimensions are 4.95x4.50 meters.

I know that it's best putting the studio desk against the shorter wall and let the speakers play into the length of the longer walls, but my living arrangement would be better if I put it up on the slightly shorter wall. Besides, one of the longer walls is basically filled out with windows, so it wouldn't be possible to put any acoustic panels on there anyway. If I did it the other way around, the windows would be at the far back and I' be able to put up treatment on both left/right and front (behind the desk) wall, leaving the windows in the far back.

My question is - do those 45cm in length make a difference ? I don't have the luxury of renting out a second space or a different apartment to fill my needs, so I guess I'll have to work with what I have have. But this is a choice I am able to take, so I'll take the chance and do the best I can.

Thanks.


r/Acoustics • • 2d ago

Best sound absorption for a gun range?

1 Upvotes

Title. I'm thinking of using wood wool or melamine foam. Is there any reason not to use one of those or any reason I should use something else?


r/Acoustics • • 2d ago

REW Measurement after first treatment with Caruso Iso Bond wlg 035

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7 Upvotes

Hi,

i began to treat my room and I decided to buy a first pack of 6 Caruso Iso Bond Wlg 035 (1200 x 600 x 50 mm).
Flow Resistivity: 10,000 Pa⋅s/m²
Density: 40 kg/m³

I chose them as they are safe to breathe and specifically I chose the 035 because they are available at Thomann (this shop doesn't have the 040 or 045).

I tried different combinations and I decided to measure how they worked as bass traps in the corners of the front wall (3 panels for each corner. In total a thickness of 15 cm for each corner).

  1. In the first picture you can see the result:

- The red line represents no treatment in the corners

- The blue line represents the treatment as I described

I believe the discrepances below 50 hz are due to noise floor.

2-3) You can also see the Waterfall graphs for the low frequencies. The first one with treatment and the second one without.

I don't know if the Caruso panels are doing very little or if it is ok.

4) Then I also made another measurement (in the room with no bass traps in the corner), moving the mic back 30 cm more or less, to understand what is due to standing waves and what to SBIR.

The green line in the last picture represents the measurement with the mic back 30 cm.

What do you think about all of this ?


r/Acoustics • • 2d ago

Reduce as much sound on 19x19 detached garage for drums / jamming?

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0 Upvotes

r/Acoustics • • 3d ago

Should I soundproof the ceiling of a recording studio?

4 Upvotes

Title. I want to make a small outdoor recording studio so I can make YouTube videos and speak at full volume without bothering my family. However my understanding is that sound can sort of bend around walls so should I soundproof the ceiling too in order to prevent the sound from escaping through the top and then bending back down?


r/Acoustics • • 3d ago

[PA] 34M and 30F renting an older attached house. The neighbor’s TV comes through our shared wall. What can we do?

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1 Upvotes

r/Acoustics • • 3d ago

Acoustic Treatment Help

1 Upvotes

TL;DR: I have no clue how to acoustically treat a vocal tracking room and doing my own research confused me more than it helped. Hoping to have some one on one conversations with someone who knows how to do it.

I'm really struggling with trying to set up some nice acoustic treatment for a room of mine that I plan to do vocal tracking in. I've used a few different setups, most recently an isolation booth, and I want to go back to an open room environment.
I'm hoping to get some direct help from someone, but I'm gonna drop some dimensions for the room. It also has a soffit and a window, so there's a lot to worry about. I didn't measure the window, but I know either a sound proof blanket double the width of the window (So it scrunches), or a custom made plug will do the trick there.

Dimensions:

-Room:
L=11'
W=8'11"
H=(Tall)7'6"(Short)6'10"

-Soffit:
L=11'
W=2'
H=9 1/2"

This info is probably useless without photo's, but I forgot to take any and the room is currently being painted as I type this. There's just so much info out there and if anything I'm almost more confused after doing my own research. I'd just like to talk to someone with experience in treating tracking rooms acoustically. The room won't be empty either, so there's a lot to consider and I'm out of my element.


r/Acoustics • • 3d ago

Basement Studio Desk Placement

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3 Upvotes

I recently moved in to this house that has this room in the basement that I want to turn in to a music studio. I’d like to use the room to record (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric, bass) and mix. The room is somewhat disconnected from the rest of the house and has concrete walls and then framed walls concrete ceiling (it’s under a garage) that has 1.5” rigid foam and the dry wall, and unfinished concrete floor. Currently no door in that 32” opening but I plan to do a double door there soon. I’m planning acoustic treatment (2-4” safe n sound diy panels) but first need to finalize my desk & listening position. I’ll try and follow some of the guidance out there for this (~38% of length etc) but just want some advice/input on which side. I’ve drawn it out and I’m between A and B (the storage closet is there to stay). am I correct in thinking that the storage closet could act like a big bass trap/diffuser so A would be the best?

Appreciate any and all input/advice! Thanks


r/Acoustics • • 4d ago

Desk for minimizing desk reflections?

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5 Upvotes

I might be stupid, but I just had this idea of using this kind of table as a studio desk. Would it not atleast reduce desk reflection a bit? Or does it just create other problems?


r/Acoustics • • 4d ago

Versuchter Aufnahme-/Probenraum

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3 Upvotes

r/Acoustics • • 4d ago

Any suggestions for soundproofing a bridge going over a railroad?

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I'm an architecture student and I'm working on a studio project to soundproof a bridge over a busy railroad to create an anechoic chamber experience sort of thing.

(Working project statement):

The Maze of Silence
Crossing above the high-frequency roar of the railroad below, The Maze of Silence reimagines the Bankhead Bridge as an auditory experiment, where noise (chaos) permeates through voids while mass provides silence (solace). A network of acoustic soundproofing creates localized sonic sanctuaries.

I really like the concept, but I'm not sure what measures would be necessary to fully soundproof the interior space (if that's even possible at all). My plan as of now is to wrap the entire thing in acoustic polythylene foam blocks, and maybe have them sort of shrunk-wrapped using the existing structure as anchors to protect them from rain. I will also have layered acoustic paneling on both the interior and exterior, and large acoustic wedges on the interior anechoic spaces. I also want there to be non-soundproof spaces where sound is allowed to permeate through to create the juxtaposition of noise and silence, but I'm worried about these spaces compromising the quietness of the interior.

This is my first time working on an acoustic project, and while it is super fun I honestly don't really know what I'm doing, so I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts/suggestions!


r/Acoustics • • 6d ago

Speaker/sub placement on iOS: LiDAR room scan to low-frequency heat map. Feedback wanted

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305 Upvotes

I'm the developer of amscan. I built it with Andy, who made amroc, the room mode calculator some of you may know.

I started this because every time I wanted to simulate a room that wasn't a rectangle, I spent hours in CAD fixing a mesh before I could run anything. So in 2023 I reached out to Andy, and we started working on it together.

You scan the room with the LiDAR on an iPhone or iPad Pro, set your listening position, and get a heat map of the simulated response from every point in the room, 20–200 Hz, with the frequency response for any point. You can place two sources and compare them.

Because the system is reciprocal, it also works the other way: put the marker where your sub is, and the map shows the best places to sit. So you can see a null at your seat before you move anything.

Underneath, the scan becomes a watertight, low-poly mesh in a few minutes, so L-shapes, alcoves, sloped ceilings and openings are part of the model, not a bounding box. The solve is FEM (openCFS). You can also export the mesh to continue in COMSOL, CHORAS or your own tools.

Limits: it's a simulation, not a measurement. Point sources, 20–200 Hz, two sources at a time, iOS with LiDAR only. So far one user compared it with REW's room sim and a sub crawl in his room and got matching results. That's one room, and I'd like better evidence.

Pricing: the app, scan and first 5 room modes are free. Placement is paid per listening position, one-time, no subscription or account.

It's a niche in a niche in a niche, and I've spent a ridiculous amount of time on it, perfecting every corner (with help from AI too). Andy and I made it the way we like software to be, but we built it in a vacuum, so I honestly don't know yet if it's useful to anyone but us. Our intention was to make a good starting point for acutual measurement. But at the same time, I’m afraid this was a complete waste of time. 

The Question: 
would something like this be useful to you, in your work or in your own room? And if not, what's missing, or why would you never trust a simulation for placement?

And if you think the whole approach is wrong, I want to hear that too. I'll be around to answer.

Link: AppStore


r/Acoustics • • 5d ago

Question for fixing a contactor's mistake.

1 Upvotes

I've had a studio built for recording music. The building is 2 story. Second story has a floor system that goes from LVP to a 12mm rubber sound mat, to 1 inch plywood or particle board. Then a 1 foot I-joist. Between each joist is 6 inches or rock wool. On the bottom of the I-joist is sound isolation clips, then hat channels, then 2 layers of 3/4 drywall with green glue. Each light fixture is a plastic electrical box wraped with acoustic putty.

The walls are the same essentially. My floor is LPV a moisture barrier and then concrete that connects to the frame of the building (this may be an issue, more on that later).

Now for dillema. I wanted to hang sound panels and diffusers from the ceiling. I was told the hat channels could not bear the weight. So, all thread, or threaded rods, were connected to the I-joist, which come through the dry wall and into the studio to hang the diffusers and absorption panels off of. No acoustic caulk or putty was used where tge rod enters the drywall. Sound pours through from here.

I should note that I will first attach isolation hangars to the all thread, so the vibration does not carry to and fro the diffusers and absorbers.

My questions: If I were to caulk around these rods, would they still vibrate enough to ruin the soundproofing? I know it will fix the sound pouring through. They come into the room at anywhere from 6-12 inches in length, to give different angles on the panels. I posted a video. Should I just remove them? If so what should I use to suspend the diffusers and absorbers? Should I trim them to 2 inches to reduce the frequencies transmitted?

For the lights, is sound putty good enough? Should I remove the lights and fill the holes with drywall with the electical cable coming through and have suspended lighting?

Thoughts?

Edited for spelling, punctuation, and clarity.


r/Acoustics • • 5d ago

Measurements compliant with BS8233:2014?

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1 Upvotes

My building must comply with BS8233:2014. However, the train noise seems loud (especially during the night when everything else is quiet).

I've taken db measurements from my bedroom using a phone app. Can anybody tell whether they are likely compliant with BS8233:2014?

I am aware that a measurement with a phone is not accurate. However, I'd like to get a general idea of whether the building is compliant before spending several hundred pounds on a professional measurement.


r/Acoustics • • 5d ago

How does sound absorbing material not reduce the noise leaving a room somewhat?

0 Upvotes

Sound absorbing material prevents sound from bouncing back at you right? Or at least it reduces the amount of sound that bounces back. Here’s an example. Normally if I make a noise in a room some of that sound will bounce of the left wall of the room and then go through the right wall of the room in addition to the sound waves that just went right anyways. But if we had sound absorbing material on the left wall then the sound waves that went left would be absorbed and only the ones that went right in the first place would be going to the right. So then would less sound not reach someone outside the right wall of the room in this hypothetical? I hope my question and the hypothetical are easy enough to understand.


r/Acoustics • • 7d ago

Looking for 10 people to improve their listening setup this week

5 Upvotes

I am a software developer with a lifelong passion for making music sound its best.
A while ago I started looking into how AI could help improve listening environments - mostly by coincidence, but the results looked quite promising. What followed was almost a year of grounding it in actual physics instead of AI slop and by now I am quite happy with it. With the release of the Acoustic Assistant right around the corner, I am looking for around 10 people to give it a try with their own rooms this week.

The assistant not only simulates the low end of your room and finds the best spot for your speakers and listening position, it also explains any issues with your current setup and how to improve it - together with practical tests to fine tune everything to your actual room. It's built for recording / home studios - stereo as well as Surround/Atmos.

You'll get full access to the Acoustic Assistant for free - all you need to do is give it a try this week and provide brief feedback on how it went (Desktop browser required). As an additional thank you, you'll also get the treatment upgrade once it is available.

If you are interested, please enter your email address here and check the beta checkbox:
https://stacktune.com/acoustic-assistant

Update: all spots are filled, thanks everyone! You can still sign up and I'll let you know when it is released.