Building My Studio: Part 4 (Built in Bass Trap)

One of my major goals with my room design and construction was to have a room with good frequency response, even before I did any "surface" acoustic treatments. Bass frequencies in particular can be difficult to control, so I was particularly focused on the bass frequencies.



My plan was to build my studio in such a way that a great deal of "bass -trapping" was built right into the walls. The central part of this plan was to build a large bass trap in the front of the room. I wanted to build this in such a way that I could also add additional angles to the room, which would further aid in fighting room modes and nodes, and add character to the room as well.

I started by framing the recessed section of the front wall with bracing to create an angled wall near the top. It isn't very pretty at this point, but it is functional!













Once the bracing was in place, 4"thick "slabs" of compacted mineral fiber were mounted inside the frame. As you can see, I used the 1/16" foam taping on top of the studs as well. The foam taping also covers the edges of the mineral fiber, helping keep it in place.











At this point, 5/8" drywall was secured to the recessed section and the newly created angled bracing. As with the floor, screws were used. no nails!
















I now have a fairly large cavity behind the angle portion of the wall...

...which I line with slabs of mineral fiber, and then stuff the cavity full with more mineral fiber and a few R19 scraps.

At this point, there is no real good way to test the effectiveness of this, but in theory, it should absorb a great deal of bass frequencies, and the angled wall should contribute to a good overall sound within the room. I just have to trust at this point that I'm on the right track...

Next, we turn our attention to the rest of the walls....