Bass Trap Madness

DIY Studio Stuff
Post Reply
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

Since we don't have a Studio Building & Acoustics forum...I figured this would be the best place for my bass trap build thread. :)
During the past week I was building some mega-bass traps for my studio....and here's the details and the pics.

These traps were built with the low-end in mind, rather than more typical broadband control (already have that)...so they are substantially beefier. I also wanted them to be portable, rather than wall/corner mounted...so they are finished on both sides, and can free-stand, and even be used for gobo-like purposes.

Each trap has 3 sheets of 2" OC 703 for a total of 6" of insulation in each trap, and the finished trap width is 7.5" with the wood mouldings.
Each 3-layer 703 sandwich has one sheet of OC 703 FRK, which has the aluminum/paper backing on one side, and its purpose for this build was to act as a membrane to further enhance the low-end trapping and less of the mids/highs by reflecting them on the one side of the trap... but since these are two-sided traps, they can also be turned around to the soft side that has the basic OC 703, which will do more broadband trapping.
So the traps have two ways they can be used, and due to the type of framing, they can stand alone or be stacked and configured in a variety of ways.
The point of this was mainly so I could move them into (behind) the mix position when I'm mixing...and move them out of the way when I'm not, since there is no way to permanently mount them there due to gear and some existing acoustic treatments....and I can also to use them in other areas of the studio as needed.

Along with that, I also wanted something different than the typical wrapped-around cushion look...and instead went with a more finished wood frame, with the cloth only on the front and back of the traps, and not on the sides.
Some folks like to cut holes in the wood frame sides when they are doing the wrap-around type, the idea being that you expose more of the insulation and get more out of it...but some tests that I've seen show that the extra side insulation area doesn't really add a whole lot to the traps functionality.

Anyway...I was going for some really nice looking traps, and here's some pics of the project and what I ended up with.

I started with 12' planks...8" x 3/4"...and then cut the individual pieces from them on my table saw . The 12' long planks were a bit awkward to work with until I made the first cut...but I managed to not fuck up any of the cuts. :D

Image

From each 12' plank I first cut out the two long and two short sides for the traps. I had zero room for any errors since every square inch of the wood was going to be used for something.

Image

Then from the cut pieces I ripped the moulding strips that would be on the finished traps.
I used 7 planks total...the 7th one was needed for the additional moulding strips, since I could only get one side worth of mouldings out of the cut pieces that I used for the sides and tops. Some basic math - 8" wide planks, (actual 7.25")...6" width needed for the sides/tops, which left about 1" for the moulding strips on one side of the trap, and the 7th plank gave me the mouldings for the other side of the traps....and of course, I had to account for what the table saw ate up.

Image

I then assembled the basic sides/tops of the traps, using wood glue and screws on the outside, and I also added some 3" L-brackets on the inside to stiffen things up.

Image

Then I did some light sanding, and staining, and I also gave them a light coat of satin finish polyurethane just to add a dull sheen to them, which I then buffed out with a scrubbie pad, as I didn't want a real shiny finished look.

Image

I then repeated the whole process with the moulding strips. These actually took longer, due to the sanding, since the edges needed to be rounded off a bit on the each moulding strip for a nice look and feel.

Image

Then I turned my attention to the 703 insulation.
I didn't want any fiberglass particles to ever be freed from the traps, so I wrapped each 3-layer 703 sandwich with a real thin, 0.4 mil plastic (basic painter's drop cloth), and taped up the seams, and I also reinforced the side corners with some extra tape, so the light plastic wouldn't rip on those L-brackets when I stuff the insulation into the frames.

Image

This is how the 703 sandwich looked after wrapping. The very thin plastic seal will have basically zero effect on the bass trapping...while providing 100% sealing of the fiberglass. I just didn't want any fiberglass irritation in the studio, considering that the traps would be moved around a lot....and it certainly isn't something you want to be breathing in if you don't have to. Cloth alone might be OK for a mounted wall trap...though I would seal them too...as the fiberglass particles are small enough to push out through the porous cloth.

Image

Once the 703 was sealed, I was able to take the rest of my trap building inside, and I ended up finishing them off right in the studio....starting with a layer of polyester felt.
I was going to just use the Guilford of Maine FR701 fabric at first, but decided that I didn't want to see the 703 foil or the yellow fiberglass peeking through the GOM fabric pores...so the black felt took care of that, and also provided a light "cushion" to the 703 FRK side, so that there wouldn't be too hard a reflection of mids/highs, but I would still get the effect of the FRK membrane on the lows.

Image

After the polyester felt came the Guilford of Maine FR701 fabric, which I wanted for both the fabric quality and the final look. Yeah, it cost more, but like I said, I wanted really nice looking traps, and not something that would look like stuffed sofa cushions. Both the poly felt and the GOM fabric were each stapled to the edge if the frame...same process on both sides of each trap.

Image

I then stared on the moulding strips that would cover the stapled edges and give the traps their finished look. I made sure to put down a nice bead of wood glue, both for the moulding strips and also to seal the seams of the GOM fabric so the threads would not ever come unraveled on the cut fabric.

Image

I then screwed down the side mouldings using the same type of screws that I used to assemble the sides of the traps. They are GRK Star Drive Trim-Head Finish/Trim screws that can sink in like a finishing nail, but have the better grip of a screw, and they look really nice with the brass color on these traps. Since I was also using the wood glue, I didn't need to go nuts with a lot of screws per moulding.

Image

Same thing on the top/bottom mouldings...same thing on both sides of each trap.

Image

These are the 6 finished traps, and TBH, I was quite impressed with how well they came out, and the fact that I didn't have any major fuck-up from start to finish...and everything came together the way I had envisioned it in my mind and how the math/measurements were computed. Nothing wasted.

Image

These are certainly not for everyone, and they took some time, and they are not the cheapest way to go if you just want to do quick, basic wrapped-around traps for the walls...but I did some shopping around for ready-made traps, and this size of trap, with this thickness, using 703 and 703 FRK, not to mention the finished wood look...would have cost me 2-3 times more ready-made...but I also didn't even see anyone that had anything that looked like these.
Most everyone sells the same old wrapped-around stuff, that has no back side, as it's meant to be mounted against a wall or corner.
So in the end...I'm quite happy with the results, and glad I went the DIY route.

I'll be testing them out this weekend and doing some measurements with and without, and trying them in different positions and configurations in my studio...though I expect they will perform as intended, since I did a bit of research on how best to build them for my purpose.
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

Wow! That's really great work. I just put mine against the frame and then wrapped them. Yours look like they can be sold commercially. Great stuff.
User avatar
ido1957
Posts: 932
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:45 pm
Location: Edmonton. Alberta

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by ido1957 »

Great looking - those little wood framing pieces are something I never thought of but add to the look and ease of build imo
People want something for nothing, they want it right now. Either they can't tell quality or don't care but feel it is important that everyone agrees with them.
User avatar
Greg_L
Posts: 20629
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:07 pm
Location: Where the knuckle meets the poophole

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by Greg_L »

Nice work!
Rebel Yell
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

Thanks guys!
rammer24 wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 12:47 pm Yours look like they can be sold commercially. Great stuff.
Not sure who would pay the price to have these custom traps built for them, at least not the majority of the home rec crowd.
Though TBH...I don't think I would even want to build these to sell them...it was a good deal of work, which I didn't mind for this one-time project.
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

miroslav wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:07 pm Not sure who would pay the price to have these custom traps built for them, at least not the majority of the home rec crowd.
Though TBH...I don't think I would even want to build these to sell them...it was a good deal of work, which I didn't mind for this one-time project.
EDIT: Never mind. I just realized this is a public section. :D

What I said was that you can sell them to a certain jerk off who asks a million questions, refuses to buy used, and is really condescending to all you guys who are trying to help him. But I won't mention him by name. :D
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

That guy is batting a thousand on all counts...make that 2000. ;) :D
Roman
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by Roman »

rammer24 wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:35 pm
miroslav wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:07 pm Not sure who would pay the price to have these custom traps built for them, at least not the majority of the home rec crowd.
Though TBH...I don't think I would even want to build these to sell them...it was a good deal of work, which I didn't mind for this one-time project.
EDIT: Never mind. I just realized this is a public section. :D

What I said was that you can sell them to a certain jerk off who asks a million questions, refuses to buy used, and is really condescending to all you guys who are trying to help him. But I won't mention him by name. :D
Yeah but I think he's looking for speakers, not bass traps. :D

Good fucking job Miro!
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

Who?





:D
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

Roman wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 1:46 pm Yeah but I think he's looking for speakers, not bass traps. :D
Not sure who we are talking about... :nyuk: :nyuk: :nyuk: ...but he WAS also in that newbie DIY Panel thread asking about traps and their construction.
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

Yes. Same guy.
Roman
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by Roman »

Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the person have a screen name shared with what they call baby kangaroos in Oz?? :chillin :wink:
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

We'll have to wait for Armistice on that one...I have no idea what they call them down there. :D
Roman
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by Roman »

Well anyhoo, there's plenty of dickheads to keep us entertained. :)

Back to the traps. Came out real nice! They look pretty thick, hard to tell but almost 6 inches?
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

No. The dude has a simple name followed by a number. You responded to him about buying used to stuff, Roman.
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

Roman wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 3:58 pm ...hard to tell but almost 6 inches?
Mine is bigger than...oh wait, you mean the traps...yes, they are 6" frames, and the mouldings make them 7.5" wide.
miroslav wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 12:16 pm Each trap has 3 sheets of 2" OC 703 for a total of 6" of insulation in each trap, and the finished trap width is 7.5" with the wood mouldings.
I know...everyone just checks out the pics and skips over the text. :P
Last edited by miroslav on Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
rammer24
Posts: 2736
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 1:41 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by rammer24 »

Jesus fuck. Why all the mystery? At first, I was trying to be subtle since there's more or less an un-written rule that we don't slag that place publicly. But, I think even everyone over there thinks the dude's an arrogant prick. We're talking about Joey 2000. Dude asks a million questions, and acts like a prick to everyone trying to help him. There. Call the cops on me now. :D
User avatar
miroslav
Posts: 1819
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:30 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by miroslav »

911...public personal attack in progress.

:lollers2:
User avatar
einstein magoo
Posts: 404
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 3:05 pm
Location: OHIO

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by einstein magoo »

Really great looking traps miroslav! Hope they meet your expectations. Looks like they'll last forever, making the time you spent on engineering and building them show a great R.O.I.
Roman
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Bass Trap Madness

Post by Roman »

rammer24 wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:02 pm No. The dude has a simple name followed by a number. You responded to him about buying used to stuff, Roman.
Isn't a baby kangaroo called a Joey?:)
Post Reply