John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

I finally received my box of Auralex 4" thick mineral fiber board; 3 pieces, each 2ft x 4ft x 4". I had plans to build one or more panel absorbers with perf board and lots of 1x6s. But I was very impressed with how much better the room sounded when I just stood up the 3 pieces in the locations where I planned on placing the absorbers. I've decided that I will just have the local upholstery shop sew 3 burlap "pillow cases" and hang the resulting units with no further work.

The upholstery guy quoted me $40ea for the burlap "pillow cases" and the mineral fiber board cost $25ea. So my total cost for these "acoustical treatment" units will be $65ea with little DIY effort on my part (only attaching the hangers to the wall and then hanging the units themselves.) My original plan for the panel absorbers wouldn't have cost much in the way of materials (maybe another $20ea) but the labor to design, layout, cut and assemble these things would have added up to a lot of hours. And I really doubt that they would have improved the rooms sound much more than the simple board/burlap units.

Yeah, there's a lot to be said for the good ol' KISS method ... Steve

So my total cost for these "acoustical treatment" units will be $65ea with


In the interest of accuracy, the actual final costs are:

mineral fiber board 3 pieces for $89
burlap, 12yd3 @ $4.99 = $60
labor to sew covers, $40ea = $120

total for all three = $89+$60+$120=$269

or $269/3 = $90ea. for a single complete unit

still a lot cheaper than any commercial procuct, and as I paid to have someone else do the sewing (and do a better job than I could ever dream of doing), the amount of labor/time expended by me was limited to purchasing all of the materials. As far as performance is concerned; the only commercial products in this price range are simple foam products, and my "blocks" are much better than any foam product that I have ever run in to. I'll need some time to provide a more accurate and complete assessment of their performance.

Cool - I'm sure our members will be interested in any more info you come up with; 47 views so far, and only 3 days old...

One thing I know everyone would like to see is some pix if you get a chance - please re-size as necessary to keep 'em under 800 pixels wide, though - it's a real PITA to have to scroll sideways to read posts - thanks again... Steve

I forgot all about posting a photo or two of these things. Just to recap, these are 4 inch thick Auralex mineral fiber panels (2ft x 4ft) which were wrapped in simple burlap. Other than just tossing unwrapped panels against the wall, these have to be the most simple, easiest to build absorbers / bass traps.

The photos include a pair of panels resting against the floor prior to mounting and a third unit in place in a rear corner of my room. The loose flap at the top includes 3ea metal grommetts to allow the units to be hung from the wall.