Acoustic foam is a lightweight material made from a mixture of polyurethane, polyether, polyester, and melamine foams. It is one of the most common materials for soundproofing and a type of porous absorber. This material is a cost-effective absorber capable of making significant differences regarding the clarity of the speaker tone. When your setup is small and the range is compact, you can place it directly on the wall, on the ceiling, and behind the monitors, as well as behind the listener. Its main purpose is to reduce, but not eliminate, the reverberation inside a room.
The Forms of Acoustic Foam
Acoustic foam usually comes in tiles. You should place these tiles on the walls of a recording studio or a similar environment. This material acts as a sound absorber, which improves the sound quality inside a room. The foam reduces background noises and echos, but it doesn’t completely eliminate them. It achieves this by controlling the potentially generated resonance by the sound bouncing off the walls.
Where to Expect Acoustic Foam
People typically install acoustic foam is typically in large rooms such as concert halls, synagogues, and churches. The reason is that they are large and flat spaces that are prone to bounce the sound around the area. This foam is a sound absorber that enhances the acoustics of a specific area while reducing unwanted noises. Since it is for mid and high frequencies, engineers often place large pieces as corner bass traps.
The Assembly Makes the Difference
As mentioned before, acoustic foam improves sound quality by eliminating unwanted noise. You requite an adequate assembly of this material for it to work properly. Experts usually set panels on the walls, ceilings, and floors of small rooms. Their forms tends to be in peculiar shapes such as triangles, pyramids, and egg crates. The purpose of this is for them to be more effective at spreading sound and reducing resonance , rather than absorbing frequencies.
Other Soundproofing Devices
If acoustic foam isn’t what you’re looking for, we have other entries on the topic of soundproofing. Please consult acoustic boards and fiberglass, which might be similar, as well as reflection filters, ceiling clouds, and the Helmholtz Resonator.
