Product Focus: Acoustic Treatment

27 October 2017

The number of acoustic treatment and isolation options for the studio market has grown exponentially in recent years. Here, we profile a selection of useful products from leading acoustics manufacturers…

Auralex Acoustics ProMAX v2

Aurelex has been providing high-quality acoustic treatment products for nearly 40 years after it was launched out of the garage of company founder and president Eric Smith in 1977.

The company’s products are used in the studios of a long list of notable clients, from the likes of 20th Century Fox, ABC Television & Radio Studios and Berklee College of Music, to a range of top artists and producers.

The Auralex ProMAX v2 is designed as a portable, lightweight absorption treatment for run-and-gun recording and performance applications in the studio, on stage, classroom, in the home and more. These free-standing treatment options are designed for applications where boundary-mounted acoustic treatments aren’t an option.

The Auralex ProMAX v2 stand-mounted acoustic panel system helps to reduce unwanted acoustic reflections and tame chaotic reverberation. The system features two 2ft wide x 4ft tall x 3” thick absorptive Studiofoam panels, along with an angled reflective rear surface for tonal variability for dialling in the desired amount of room ambience. The panels include round-base stands and are available in three colours.

Key Features

Semi-reflective, angled rear surface
Adjustable height w/included mounting stands
Effective control of axial modes
Flexible, portable absorption for professional & residential settings

GIK Acoustics Gotham N23 Skyline Diffuser

If you’re looking for a product to improve clarity and intelligibility in your room, then this could be a good option.

More accurately called two-dimensional diffusers, these Skyline Diffusers from GIK Acoustics have the advantage of scattering sound across both horizontal and vertical planes, broadening the soundscape and making a room sound larger.

GIK Acoustics’ Gotham N23 5” Quadratic Skyline Diffuser has a 23-root, calculated quadratic sequence which is machine cut within 0.2mm, matched with a striking appearance to enhance the space where it is being used. The diffuser is made using MDF and carries a standard weight of 9kg.

The Gotham N23 turns damaging reflections into a ‘sonically pleasing’ diffused sound field, while controlling higher frequencies, and making the room sound larger than it is.

GIK Acoustics also manufactures bass traps and acoustic panels for home theaters, recording studios, restaurants, listening rooms and auditoriums.

Key Features

Diffuses sound energy while retaining higher frequencies
Even diffusion from 1250Hz to 9500Hz with scattering effects down to 650Hz
Easily wall mounted with two sawtooth hangers (included)
Dimensions: 415mm x 430mm x 135mm

Primacoustic MaxTrap

The Primacoustic MaxTrap is a broadband corner bass trap that combines a diaphragmatic resonator with a full-size acoustic panel in a sealed enclosure to provide three-way absorption throughout the full frequency spectrum.

This design begins with a 3” thick front-mounted 24” x 48” Broadway panel made from 2.7kg per cubic foot high-density glass wool fibre, effectively absorbing frequencies down to 100Hz. Behind the panel, a closed air space takes full advantage of quarter-wavelength principles to further reinforce low frequency absorption in this critical bass region.

The MaxTrap’s notable low frequency extension is achieved by way of a suspended diaphragm that stretches the full size of the device, capturing bass by vibrating where the low frequencies are most prominent. As room modes combine, they either reinforce certain frequencies or cancel them out. MaxTrap’s limp-mass structure naturally migrates to the most powerful frequencies where it quietly resonates to remove excess bass and subsequent modal frequencies.

Available in black, beige or grey, MaxTraps are ideally placed in corners where walls intersect and sound naturally gathers.

John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Nathan East (Eric Clapton) and Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) are just some of Primacoustic’s customers.

Key Features

High performance corner mounted bass trap
Suspended diaphragm absorbs bass down to 40Hz
High-density front absorber controls highs & mids
Ideal for small rooms where modes cause problems

Acoustic Fields ACDA-10/12

The ACDA-10 Studio sound absorber from Acoustic Fields can be placed around drums to lower pressure levels and allow for more detailed energy to be heard at the microphone position, while it can also be positioned on each side of a console.

With the broadband absorption provided by carbon technology and middle and higher frequency absorption created with foam technology on the face of each unit, users have an acoustic absorption tool that starts at 30Hz and moves through 6,300Hz, with an average low frequency absorption coefficient of 25%. Users can choose a fabric face or just leave the unit with its foam face.

Meanwhile, the ACDA-12 is finished with a three-time clear coat process to protect the commercial grade exterior material, and also makes use of Acoustic Fields’ carbon and foam technology.

The ACDA-12 Studio is a frequency specific absorber that starts at 30Hz and goes through 50Hz, with 35% absorption at 30Hz, 63% at 40Hz, and 100% at 50 Hz. The unit acts as a low frequency “sponge”, absorbing unwanted energy within smaller studios and working especially well for kick drum unwanted low frequency pressure issues.

Key features