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Author Topic: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?  (Read 8219 times)

craig boychuk

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Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« on: November 14, 2007, 03:30:44 PM »

Hi folks

I'm considering using a small room as a listening room. Before I get any further, here's a rudimentary diagram (not to scale!)with rough measurements :
http://www.cbaudio.com/assets/middle-room.jpg
The windows are 4' 6" off the floor, so the bottom of the window is about at the top of my head when I'm sitting. The wall where the windows are is also where the roof comes down, so there are triangular protrusions on either side of the windows (but not in between them) and the closet has a slanted wall starting about 4' 6" up off the floor.

Also, the ceiling heights change:
http://www.cbaudio.com/assets/middle-room_heigt.jpg

I'm thinking it would be best to place speakers on the window side of the room.

I figure the closet could become a giant resonator if I sealed the door properly, and might help a lot with the LF response of the room, in addition to other bass traps in the room itself.


Soooo, here are my questions:

1) Is the closet resonator idea worth pursuing?

2) If so, the closet would also be a where the computer lives, so there would be cables running through the door somewhere. If I sealed the door so that the only opening was right at the bottom, would that be a sufficient port for the "closet resonator"? Or would I be better off putting the opening elsewhere on the door, say at the middle or top of the door??

3) Can anyone foresee a big problem with the slightly angled wall at the back of the room? It's more shallow than it looks in the diagram, it's perhaps 20 degrees or so.

So far it seems like the room will need a heckuva lot of absorption, but I don't necessarily mind a dead room. Probably some diffusion at the back of the room would help things out a bunch.

I know the room is not ideal, I'm just trying to figure out if I can make it work.

Thanks in advance,

-craig




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brett

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2007, 07:36:42 PM »

just hang some clothing in the closet and it will suffice to stop it from resonating into the room but it won't solve you bass issues. The door is the only part that leaks and the rest of the room still needs treating. the windows and other door also leak and absorbtion should be used extensively to correct rear room modes and front room nulls. I have a sketchup of a small room. index.php/fa/6658/0/

this light on absorbers but gives you an idea how to hang them. In that room you should do the entire front wall 8" thick and do the rear wall as thick as you can. Frame it out and fill it with fiber glass. cover with fabric. it will like a cave but get you pretty balanced.
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brett

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2007, 07:37:54 PM »

I didn't have time to sketch it up but these are the areas to treat if you are using the window wall as frontindex.php/fa/6659/0/
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gullfo

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2007, 07:27:25 AM »

i would leave the closet for storage and would mimic Brett's absorber layout. i don't think the angled wall will be a problem if you treat it the absorbers to cut the reflections down. or you could get radical and turn things sideways, add a slat resonator to block off a section of the room and make a bass trap there.

index.php/fa/6660/0/
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Glenn Stanton

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jimmyjazz

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2007, 01:12:30 PM »

What does that diagram represent, Brett?  Wall absorption locations?  Ceiling absorption locations?  What did you use to generate it?  Seems like something that would fall out of a ray-tracing code.  (Virtual source techniques, etc.)
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gullfo

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2007, 08:40:22 PM »

i think its Microsoft paint and the air brush tool Wink i believe it represents areas where you would place the absorber panels (as Brett shows in his example).
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Glenn Stanton

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craig boychuk

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2007, 02:02:26 PM »

Thank you Brett & Glenn!!

I didn't think of turning things sideways. Nice thought. So the idea with the slat resonator is basically a wall with small openings (slats)? I guess you could build that with just about anything. I assume that you'd have to seal it off pretty good around the edges? Or would something like a modified cubicle divider with a bunch of material behind it suffice?

This is a somewhat temporary setup, so I'm not sure how involved I want to get with this... although I do realize it will take a lot of treatment to make this room workable.

So far I've tried hanging a bunch of fabric & drapes just to get a rough idea of what things would be like. So far I'm using the window wall as the front of the room. I also put a couple of very rudimentary bass traps in the front corners... they make a big difference, so I imagine with proper trapping things would improve a fair bit. There's definitely a disturbing resonance coming from the closet (and probably the room too). I threw a bunch of fabric in there and it  definitely improved, so I'll have to do more of that.

Further on the closet, should I try to seal the door as best I can, or will the absorption inside make that unnecessary?

Thanks again for the input. Very much appreciated.

-craig

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gullfo

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2007, 02:36:53 PM »

the slat resonator could be built as 2 cabinets that sit on top of each other to facilitate easy construction and movement. they would be sealed. you can cut the slats from MDF or plywood and put in a layer of open cloth behind them, then a layer of insulation. line the box with insulation to dampen it. the closet should be fine as is, just hang an absorber over the closet door.
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Glenn Stanton

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craig boychuk

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2007, 03:50:12 PM »

Yeah, modular design is the way to go.

When I said sealed around the edges, I meant the edges of the slat resonator being sealed against the wall, floor and ceiling. This isn't necessary, I take it?

-craig
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brett

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Re: Using a closet as a giant bass trap?
« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2007, 04:49:50 PM »

yes, it was 30 second microsoft paint brush thing to suppliment the sketchup posted above it. I like your idea glen and it keeps the flow of the room well. Walking in and out and into the closet is a straight line from the door. the window and door on the left and right rear from the mix position make good corner trapping. There may still be some rear wall bass issues. Go as thick as you can on the rear wall and rear wall corners, and at least 8 Inches on the front wall. 6-8 inches on the overhead cloud as well. I still think more panels then glan has in his dawing, and I have in mine may be needed all around. Keep your treatments as symetrical as possible.
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