Voice Actors Should Consider Their Vocal Health When Using Acoustic Foam

Vocal health is important for everyone but especially when you need your voice to earn a living. There are many ways to protect and keep a voice actor’s vocal chords healthy and strong especially during flu and cold season such as using honey and lemon. But, many are unaware there is a high possibility that acoustic foam in the very vocal booth voice actors use on a daily basis could be causing illnesses over and over again.

Acoustic foam based vocal booths can harbor germs that could affect your health.

So how healthy is acoustic foam? A case study.

After time, acoustic foam used inside a foam-based vocal booth or portable vocal booth absorbs smells and starts to stink. This is especially true if different people share the vocal booth. A communications director from a university from the United States had a similar problem when using a mobile vocal booth for his students, Aside from the smell from sharing the vocal booth, there was a concern over germs spreading because students were getting sick often. This was especially a concern during flu season.

The department tried to use Lysol to disinfect the foam and other types of deodorizers to mask the smell, but after some time the chemicals start to disintegrate the foam and the smell became even worse!  What to do? Maybe forgo using acoustical foam?

Looking closer at acoustical foam, and how it works

Acoustical foam is widely used as means of sound absorption and acoustic room treatment. What makes acoustical foam absorb sound is an open cell structure with long tunnels going through the foam. Sound gets into the openings and loses its energy in the long twisted channels.The acoustical foam has to have the open channels so the sound can get in.

To understand how foam works, you have to think of it like a sponge. Sponges absorb liquid — but what else gets absorbed by the foam? If the open cell acoustic foam behaves like a sponge, then it can also absorb and retain dust, mold spores, allergens, bacteria and viruses. What happens to the germs and allergens that landed on the foam? These warm, dark environments are a breeding ground for mold and fungi to grow. Mold spores, allergens or viruses trapped in the foam can potentially contaminate the next user when the foam gets disturbed.

Because the acoustic foam is an open cell material with long channels it cannot be easily washed. If water gets in, it would stay in those channels and cannot fully evaporate. On the other hand, how can you wash the foam in a vocal booth or home studio?  In most cases it is glued to the wall, you can’t take it off. The foam is too fragile to be properly washed.

How can voice actors keep healthy without using acoustic foam?

There is a healthier alternative to foam -based vocal booths and is truly portable — Carry–on Vocal Booth, available from http://www.VocalBoothToGo.com. The Carry on Vocal Booth is made out of Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blanket instead of acoustic foam. The material has a high Noise Reduction coefficient ( NRC 0.8) The Carry on Vocal Booth gives a great sounding recording – no boxiness and no boominess, Carry-on Vocal booth is a great tool for travelling voice actor.  It is light weight,  durable, portable, easy to set up, versatile and can carry all your recording gear as well! In fact, some voice use the Carry-on Vocal booth for book narration regularly when their publisher told them that it was the best sound they ever had!

Portable vocal booth made from sound blankets that can be washed

This booth will keep you healthy because if it gets dirty during traveling or if you are sick and sneezed and coughed all over it, you can easily remove the sound absorbing liner and wash it in a washing machine plus dry it too. VocalBoothToGo also makes upright, walk-in vocal booths that also utilize sound blankets instead of foam too.

Voice actors need to keep their voice sounding great and consistent. Maintaining good vocal health is imperative for this business and choosing equipment wisely may just be the answer.

The Carry-on Vocal Booth is portable, great for in-home studio or travel and is made from sound blankets that are completely washable.

Using Acoustic Blankets Instead of Acoustic Foam in Creating A Home Studio

In terms of price, acoustic blankets beat acoustic foam hands down.

Even at the first glance, one can see a huge difference in price versus efficiency:

(NOTE: For ease of comparison, we compare all products to NRC 1.0 as a 100%, not absorption of blankets (NRC 0.8).  For example absorption of 1” foam is 50% (NRC 0.5) and absorption of blankets 80% (NRC 0.8). Therefore, 1 inch acoustic foam is 30% less absorptive and less efficient than acoustic blankets.)

• 1” acoustic foam is 30% less efficient than sound blankets but it is 5 times more expensive.
• 2” acoustic foam is  5% less efficient than sound blankets but it is more than 8 times more expensive.
• 3” acoustic foam is only 10% more absorbent than sound blankets but it is 12 times more expensive.
• 4” acoustic foam is 30% more absorbent than sound blankets and is 16.3 times more expensive. (Just imagine how many blankets you can get for that money!)

Practical Use

Ease of use is important, but it is difficult to quantify.

Acoustic foam comes in different colors and is trendy – looks cool.  It is light and easy to stick to a wall or a ceiling.  Unfortunately, once it is glued to a wall, it is not movable.  It is too fragile and easy to tear to be able to peel off the wall to reuse elsewhere.  Over time, the foam accumulates dust and disintegrates.  We did not find any specific research to quote, but logically, acoustic foam performance has to deteriorate overtime as well.

Perfect for acoustical issues — such as on-stage performances in bars and other in-door settings.

Acoustic foam is an open-cell porous material.  The open cells are the opening of long twisted tunnels.

To get absorbed, the sound has to get into the openings and flow through the tunnels, losing energy through friction.  This is one of the reasons that sound foam has wedges – to increase the overall absorbing surface of the foam.  But, this serrated edge, at the same time, makes acoustic foam a great dust collector!

Porosity and the flow resistivity are the most important parameters in determining the sound absorption. Imagine if the pores, or the openings of those tunnels, get clogged by dust — sound cannot get in, and therefore, sound absorption efficiency is reduced.  Regardless of how thick the foam is or how well the tunnels are twisted, if the opening of those tunnels get blocked – the sound can not get it and, and therefore, sound absorption will be reduced.

Sound absorption mechanism of acoustic blankets is different. It is based on the sound waves spending their energy on vibrating the fibers of the inside filler. The sound gets in and goes through the blanket. As each fiber vibrates, sound energy gets lost by converting into heat.

Blankets do not need to be glued to the wall. In fact they are more effective when there is an air gap between the wall and the blanket.  Acoustic blankets make it very easy to create a vocal booth or dedicated recording space simply by hanging the blankets off the ceiling.  This makes acoustic blankets an irreplaceable sound absorption choice when there is lack of space, living arrangement in a rental property or anticipation of frequent moving from one location to the other.  If the blankets get dusty or dirty, they can be easily be taken off – shaken up and/or washed.

Any way you look at it, acoustic blankets are more efficient, less costly and a healthier product than acoustic foam.

Using Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets During Live Gigs – A Musician’s Story

My background is in performing, recording and mastering, but over the last 2 years I’ve been doing more live sound due to my mixer beta testing.

One issue that I have encountered as well as many other sound engineers and musicians is bad venue and stage acoustics. I have played gigs that moving one foot on stage resulted in not being able to hear oneself. I started thinking what could live performers do to alleviate these acoustical problems considering that one could not alter the physical structure of the venues or stages. After much research, I discovered VocalBoothToGo’s Producer’s Choice acoustic blankets.

I decided to purchase one blanket to test, I had no experience in acoustic blankets but I did have experience in studio acoustical foam usage. After a few test in my recording studio I decided to try the one blanket in a live situation. Hanging the 6′ x 8′ acoustic blanket behind my drummer in an extremely bad acoustical sounding venue produced good results. The early reflections from the drums, amps and monitors were reduced resulting in a cleaner stage and PA sound. Two sound engineers were attending my gig that was familiar with the venue and its acoustical problems also heard a noticeable improvement.

Perfect for acoustical issues — such as on-stage performances in bars and other in-door settings.

I decided to purchase a 2nd blanket and try it on a stage which had a back wall made of brick and glass. The side walls were also brick and the physical stage was made of plywood with no carpet and stood four feet tall. It was an acoustical nightmare. So, I hung the two blankets behind my drummer which resulted in a 12′ wide by 8′ tall section of the back wall being covered. The back wall was close to 18′ wide. The results were amazing — there were hardly any reflections on stage. This resulted in an improved PA sound, no feedback and a better performance for me and fellow musicians.  I was running sound from the stage on that gig, the blankets made my job much easier which allowed me to focus more on playing then sound. The owner of the venue and routine customers heard the difference in my band’s sound quality which resulted in getting booked again.

Byron Santo’s Band utilized the Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets to help with reflection issues at a bar they played at often.

My goal is to continue to test the Producers Choice acoustic blankets in a variety of live performance scenarios. I would love to be able to wrap a stage one gig — the entire back wall and two side walls.

Considering the cost of a single blanket, one could easily create an entire mobile acoustic treatment system that could be used in numerous live performance scenarios and not break the bank.

Byron Santo, Bassist, Producer, Author & Beta Tester

 

 

Do You Need a Special Voice for Voiceover Work?

Maybe you are thinking about getting into voiceover work but worried that you just don’t have the voice for it. But, in today’s world of voiceover, you don’t have to have a “golden voice.” In fact, most people with a decent speaking voice and with the right acoustics for recording a winning demo can get into this field —and be quite successful.

You don’t need a special voice to be successful in voice acting.

The people getting into voice acting work or currently in this line of work are not all full-time actors. Voiceover work can be an ideal opportunity for someone working pa rt-time, for example a homemaker who is not working a 9-5 job and wants to do something creative, or for a retired person with good performing skills, or for the self-employed individual who has a flexible schedule.

Most people usually think of voiceover for radio and television commercials and, perhaps, audio books. But there are actually about three dozen different genres, or niche areas of voiceover work ranging from documentary narration to on-line training to telephone messaging to movie trailers to cartoons to in-store announcements to feature animation to talking toys and even more. And, each of these genres could have a half-dozen specialized niche areas within it. For example, the area of voiceover  for television includes promo, programming, news, imaging, commercials, and sales/marketing among others.

People who leap into voiceover without proper research often discover that there is a great deal they should have learned before taking that first workshop. The biggest mistake most beginning voice actors make is spending a lot of money on their demo before they are ready. Money on wrong type of home studio gear or too expensive than needed. Money not understanding acoustics or soundproofing.

Read. Read. Read. There are excellent books that will give you a lot of information about how the business works, performing techniques, “tricks of the trade,” and scripts to work on as you develop your skills. What you will get from reading books about the voice over and acoustic room treatment, is the critical information in order to make an educated decision as to whether voiceover is right for you.

Voice Over Work Is Not Just About Cartoon Voices

Many people have the notion that voice over is just creating a voice for a character in a cartoon. Voice over or voice acting, however, is really anything where you hear the performer but do not see them and can be defined as any audio recording or performance of one or more unseen voices for the purpose of communicating a message. And, voice over work is in all forms of life —  you just may not realize it.

Most voice overs are recorded in a professional studio but with the changing times, this industry has seen an increase in using a home studio for audio recording. The convenience and the flexibility of working from home or any place, makes this career choice highly attractive.

Voice over includes:

Radio: On-air promotion. Occasionally, outside voice talent will be used, but not often.

Radio Commercials: Promotion, and imaging: most commercials are produced outside the station by advertising agencies, but when the need arises, they will use outside talent.

Television: Commercials, promotion and programming all use voice over talent in one way or another.  Most television productions using voice over talent are actually produced outside of the station.

Corporate/Industrial: There are literally thousands of locally produced audio and video presentations recorded each year for the business community. Here are some examples of Corporate/Industrial voice over work:

• Message-on-hold
•  In-store offers
•  Sales & Marketing
  
• Convention/Trade Show Presentations
•  Training and Instructional Programs
  

CD-ROM, Video Games & Multimedia: This market for voice over talent developed as a result of the explosion of computer-based CD-ROM games and instructional software.

Animation: This is a very specialized area of performing, and definitely not for everyone. Voice over work for animati0n can be very challenging to break into but rewarding and exciting.

Audio Books: These are recordings of books and magazines. Audio recordings for the visually impaired.

Getting work in voice over is largely a numbers game: the more contacts you have, the more you will work. The more work you do, the better known you will become. The better known you become, the more people want to hire you, and you get more work.

Creating Demos and Using The Right Equipment

Always keep a few demos and business cards with you and be ready to pitch yourself whenever the opportunity arises. Remember to always present yourself professionally. In the world of voice acting, your demo is your calling card. It is your portfolio. It is your audio résumé. It is your letter of introduction. It is the single most important thing you must have if you are to compete in the world of voice over.

One of the ways to get a professional demo is using the right equipment for audio recording, and this means using proper acoustical treatment.

VocalboothToGo.com provides some easy yet practical and effective solutions to create your home studio on a budget.  See more how to make Vocal Booth on tracks without taking away your floor space, or  portable vocal booth, that allows to create superior sounding recordings on a road, so you can get your competitive edge by being able to provide immediate results to your clients.

The Know-how to Become Successful in the Voice Over Business

The voice over business is very competitive. In fact, there are approximately 5 times the number of people “doing” voice overs than there are actors trying to break into movies. Even though it may seem simple, it takes time to learn the skills and get established once those skills are mastered. It can also be a fairly expensive business – mostly due to the start-up costs of training and demo production, the cost of building a home studio or purchasing a vocal booth or other types of acoustical treatment, and the on-going costs of marketing and continued training. 

What Can You Do to Get Started and Become Successful?

Success is when preparation meets opportunity. To become a successful voice over actor, you need the know-how (skills) and the means (voice over equipment) and of course the opportunity.

The ‘Know How’ in Voice Acting

People who leaped onto voice over without proper research often discover that there is a great deal they should have learned before taking that first class or spending a lot of money on their demo.

• Read everything you can on the subject of voice over. There are excellent books that will give you a lot of information about how the business works, performing techniques, “tricks of the trade,” and scripts to work on as you develop your skills.  What you will get from reading books about the voice over, is the critical information in order to make an educated decision as to whether voiceover is right for you.  One example of a good book is “The Art of Voice Acting “  by 11 times Grammy winning voice over actor James Alburger. The book is considered by many top VO professionals as “the bible of voice over.”  It  speaks not only how to do the voice over and how to acquire skills, but also the business of the voice over and what you need to know and do to actually become established voice over actor and make a good living doing it.

• Training.  Take every acting class you can find. Check your local schools, colleges and call local theater companies for recommendations on classes.  Don’t be in too much of a hurry – instead, have fun and learn the skills at a leisurely pace. If you rush into producing your demo and you’re not properly prepared—you’ll be wasting your time and money. Find good training and master the performing skills first.

• Keep developing your performing skills. Study as many professional voice talent demos as you can find. You’ll need to be able to perform at their level if you are going to compete as a professional voice talent—especially if you plan to work in a major market like Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, or New York. (You can find hundreds of demos at http://www.voicebank.net. )

• Attend as many workshops as possible. Raise your knowledge and skill levels to their highest level.

• Private coaching. As you know by now, voice acting is a craft. Specialized classes and private coaching are the best way to learn and master these skills. A working knowledge of performing and communication skills is necessary to succeed.  Good books on the voice over will get you started and give you a basic understanding of what you need to do, but the real learning comes when you work with a qualified voice acting coach.  VoiceActing Academy, for instance, gives you access to the latest information and proper training ( http://www.voiceacting.com).

After you have considered and taken steps to get training and other ways to improve your craft, you will need to invest in proper equipment such as a portable vocal booth, sound booth or create your a home studio with sound blankets or other acoustical materials.

VocalBoothToGo.com can help you with this need and supply you with the right equipment to help make your audio recordings sound as clear and professional as you do.

Voice Acting Start-up Kit includes essential items for voice actors to kick start their career.

Starting Your Voice Acting Business from Home on a Limited Budget

There’s a certain mystique attached to working in a recording studio for voice acting work. Whether it is the engineer, studio equipment, expensive microphones, an acoustically isolated room or vocal booth or the producer on the other side of a double-glass window, this experience tends to create an exciting environment for voice actors but also can be intimidating and stressful too.

Voice Over Work At Home With The Right Equipment

With advances in computer, software and audio recording technology, the business of voice acting is rapidly changing.  More and more Voice Actors do their work at home. The voice over business also is getting more fast paced with tighter deadlines, when the recordings need to be done asap and e-mailed right away!  For the exact same reason, this is why more people have turned to working in their own home studio.

Aside from the actual Voice Acting skills, you need to have an acoustically treated space to make your recording sound great. For this, you WILL need to put together a home studio, which is essential for auditions, practice, and paid projects. The cost of equipping a home studio for voice acting may vary anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on your needs.

Building Your Voice Acting Business at Home 

When considering building your home studio,two aspects of home recording studio must be addressed. These are soundproofing and acoustic room treatment.  It is quite obvious that your recording should not have any sounds that do not belong there such as traffic, barking dogs or a lawn mower.

Acoustic room treatment for audio recording means that your microphone should only pick-up your voice and not the echo bouncing around the empty room.  It is also referred to as an “acoustically dead” space.

Soundproofing is expensive and complicated. If you are just starting up in voice acting, it might be easier to find a quiet room where you can record without much interruption. But even if you have properly soundproofed your space, you still need to treat the room acoustically, to create a space beneficial for audio recording. This can be done relatively quickly and inexpensively with acoustic blankets or an acoustic vocal booth that can be found at VocalBoothToGo.com. The site also provides a wealth of information about soundproofing, soundproofing material, sound absorption, acoustic room treatment, and an educational comparison between acoustic foam and acoustic blankets for sound absorption.

Practical Solutions for the Budget Conscious Voice Actor

VocalboothToGo provides easy and effective solutions to create your home studio on a budget.  Their online stores provides affordable tracks for hanging acoustic blankets on the walls or ceiling without taking away floor space. For the beginning voice actor or one that travels often, there is a portable vocal booth called the Carry-on Vocal Booth, which allows you to create superior sounding recordings just about anywhere. This portable booth also comes as a kit that includes essential items to kick-start any voice acting career.

The Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro is a portable vocal booth that is perfect for the beginning voice actor and also for those who travel often.Voice Acting Start-up Kit includes essential items for voice actors to kick start their career.

Do You Need An Acoustic Vocal Booth Or a Soundproof(er) Booth?

Asking The Right Questions Before Shopping Will Help You Get the Right Vocal Booth or Sound Booth

If you are in voice acting, audio recording or music, especially from a home studio, you may wonder what type of vocal or sound booth you really need. There seems to be many options and types of vocal booths or portable vocal booths on the market, whether it be sold on Amazon.com or on individual online stores, such as VocalBoothToGo.com. The real question, “Do you need soundproofing or acoustic room treatment for your work?” Your answer to this question will lead you to the right product.Here are questions to ask yourself before shopping for a booth and to determine if you need soundproofing or acoustic treatment. We are using VocalBoothToGo.com’s products. Soundproof(er) 3 x 3 booth for soundproofing. You are a voice over actor and need something to carry with you during travel, so you can conduct recordings on a moments notice just about anywhere. You need a portable vocal booth (such as the Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro). You do voice acting or audio recordings, and you already have a quiet place to record BUT need to produce dead-sounding recordings. You need an acoustic vocal booth (for acoustics). You work alone and do not need a large booth. A smaller walk-in booth, such as VocalBoothToGo.com’s  VB 33 is a good option. It has 40 x 40 inches footprint with 80 inches vertical clearance. The booth can easily accommodate a person who is 6 feet tall. You want a vocal booth that doesn’t require much space in your home, and a walk-in vocal booth is NOT an option. If you do not have the space to set up a full-size stand alone booth or are not interested in taking the frames of a vocal booth apart and put it back together, the Hanging Vocal Booth should be your first choice. This frame-less version of the vocal booth can be hang off the ceiling when you need it and dropped and removed when you do not. But, if you have absolutely no room and lack ANY space (even for the Hanging Vocal Booth), there is another solution for you! No problem. A booth that utilized the ceiling may be an option. Vocal Booth on Tracks will get you covered!  This booth is budget friendly and can be mounted on the ceiling. The makeshift walls can simply be pushed aside like a curtain when not in use. The Vocal Booth on Tracks require minor installation but will give you great results in a limited space. If you have the space and want to be able to have a table and a chair inside the vocal booth,then you need the VB 63. The space inside this vocal booth is twice the size of the VB 33 and can easily accommodate a small-size desk, chair or even a small group of people. You have a band or a drum set that you want to fit in the vocal booth, you need the largest vocal booth we offer — the VB 66. With almost 50 square feet floor space inside this booth, it is very spacious! You need to contain the outside noise.  If you have a noisy neighbor, maybe with a barking dog or mowing or construction work, you need a Soundproof(er) Booth. Our sound booths provide approximately sound reduction — better than any other portable sound booths out there. These sound booths are mobile. All of our booths can be disassembled and transported in a regular-size car or shipped by most common carriers.   You need to contain the sound leaking from the inside of the booth.  If you are an opera singer and need to do 100 scales a day, or need to play an instrument or perhaps need to practice with your band, then you need a Soundproof(er) Booth. Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro is a portable ACOUSTIC vocal booth. What is important to remember is that in order to obtain a good recording, you do not necessarily have to soundproof your space, but you MUST cut out reflections, echo, reverberations, modes, flatter, standing waves and whatever else that is messing up your recordings! Keep in mind that if you are able to find a quiet place in your home a vocal booth for acoustics is really all you need! However, if it is the sound leakage that you are primarily concerned with, then you need to be prepared to spend a little more for a sound booth with soundproofing walls. Look at acoustic lab reports from companies to see just how effective the vocal booth product is. Being aware of what you need is the first important step to take before purchasing any equipment, whether a vocal booth or a sound booth, for your project unless you have an unlimited budget. A good rule of thumb is to call or email the equipment company, such as VocalBoothToGo.com, and ask them questions about your needs. The more questions you ask, the better the chances you will get the product that will help you succeed with your work plus save you time, money and headaches.

Why Does Acoustic Foam Sound ‘Boxy’ or ‘Boomy’?

When it comes to acoustic room treatment, many people immediately turn to acoustic foam. But, does it really work that well?

As a company that develops products for acoustic room treatment, we tend to hear a lot of grumbles about acoustic foam-treated rooms mainly sounding “boxy” or “boomy.”  Is this true? So, we decided to investigate this problem to see if this general complaint can be best explained based on actual test results and general physics of sound absorption. In order to do this, we decided to make a comparative analysis of foam-based portable booths and the Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro, which is based on the Producer’s Choice acoustic absorption material.

Introduction to Sound Absorbing Materials

Sound-absorbing materials absorb most sound energy, striking them and reflecting very little, making them very useful for the control of noise.  The major uses of absorbing materials are almost invariably found to include the reduction of reverberant sound pressure levels and, consequently, the reduction of the reverberation time in enclosures or rooms.  Although all materials absorb some incident sound, the term “acoustical material” has been primarily applied to those materials that have NRC of at least 0.5 — in other words absorbing at least 50% of sound

Porous sound absorbing materials can be classified as cellular, fibrous and granular

• Porous Cellular Sound Absorbing Material is a solid that contains cavities, channels or interstices so that sound waves are able to enter through them.  To be effective sound absorber, the cells have to have an opening in order for sound waves to enter the materials through a multitude of small holes or openings.  Those pores “open” into continuous twisted channels which have a great importance for the absorption of sound. Open pores can be “blind” (open only at one end) or “through” (open at two ends).

Porous Cellular absorbers, typically open cell rubber foams or melamine sponges, absorb noise by friction within the cell structure.

• Porous Fibrous Sound Absorbing Materials are composed of a set of continuous filaments that trap air between them.  Fibers can be classified as natural or synthetic (artificial). Natural fibers can be vegetable (cotton, kenaf, hemp, flax, wood, etc.), animal (wool, fur felt) or mineral (asbestos) and are essentially completely biodegradable. Also, natural fiber processing is more economical and environmentally friendly. Porous Fibrous sound absorbers absorb noise by vibrating the fibers within the material and also by air friction trapped between the fiber filaments of the material.

Absorbing sound spontaneously converts part of the sound energy to a very small amount of heat in the intervening object (the absorbing material), rather than sound being transmitted or reflected. There are several ways in which a material can absorb sound. The choice of sound absorbing material will be determined by the frequency distribution of noise to be absorbed and the acoustic absorption profile required.

Comparison of Sound Absorption Performance of Acoustic Foam and  Producer’s Choice Acoustic Panels

As mentioned above, there is an important difference in the sound absorption mechanism between porous cellular materials like acoustic foam and sound absorbing fibers like cotton, which is used in Producer’s Choice Sound Absorption Panels.

Acoustic foam absorbs the sound energy by trapping sound waves in a pores and channels of the foam.  Diameter of the channels, its tortuosity (shape) and length of the channels are all contributing factors in the sound absorption.  Sound waves get into the open cells of the foam and lose their energy through friction between the air particles and the void walls of the material it is passing through.  Foam attenuates airborne sound waves by increasing air resistance, thus reducing the amplitude of the waves.

In Fibrous Sound Absorption, panels sound reduces its energy by trying to vibrate the fibers within the panels.  When the air gets into fibrous thickets – the waves are trying to move and shake each of these fibers and dissipate its energy.

To see if there is indeed a difference in the sound absorption pattern, we compared the noise reduction graphs of acoustic foam and acoustic blankets by frequency to see if there is anything that can explain the “boominess” of the sound.

In the graph below you can see frequencies being attenuated by acoustic foam in two different thicknesses and by Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets with comparable overall NRC rating.

NOTE: In the graph below we compiled Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) data done by the same Acoustic testing lab.

For Acoustic foam performance are taken from published Auralex Foam acoustic test results for products known as “Aur3in Wedge” ( 3 inch thick Acoustic foam Yellow line) and “Aur 4in wedge”  ( 4 inch Acoustic foam Blue Line).
Results for Acoustic blankest are the actual test result for acoustic blanket hang flat (Brown line) and hang in pleated manner (Red line).

Figure 1

As you can see in Figure 1, Producer’s Choice Sound Absorption Panel’s absorption curve is pretty much linear, meaning that the frequencies from mid range to high range are being absorbed at about the same level of 90% – 100%,  where acoustic foam’s absorption curve is nonlinear. In other words, the mid frequencies are being absorbed at a higher rate than high frequency, which is leaving the bigger gap between low frequency and high frequency.  In other words, you would hear more of the low frequency, then less of a midrange frequency and then more of a higher frequency again!  We believe that this gap or jump from low frequencies to higher frequencies sound creates the “boominess” of the sound.

To demonstrate this point even more  we show in the Figure 2,  how the increase of the foam thickness makes this “midrange frequency gap” even more dramatic:

Now we added the sound absorption curves of 1 inch acoustic foam (Blue line), 2 inch acoustic foam (Green Line) and Producer’s choice blanket that is tested flat, not pleated. (Brown line) (Figure 2.)

Figure 2

As you can see in the low range all of the tested materials performed poorly, (10-30% absorption). In the mid frequency range, acoustic foam absorbs as much as 120% of the sound, more than the acoustic blankets and the thicker the foam the more midrange frequency is getting absorbed.

At the high frequency range all tested materials in all thicknesses absorbed close to 100% of the sound.

We believe that this absorption pattern is especially dramatic in a smaller enclosed space; this is why the foam based acoustic booths sound “boom”.   This “boxy” sound with a low frequency resonance (or boominess), might feel more or less expressed depending on the user’s voice.

Also this uneven distribution of sound absorption tilts the overall NRC of the acoustic foam up. When in fact this sound absorption pattern is not natural and results is poorer sound quality, compare to Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets.

Comparing Acoustic Foam and Producer’s Choice Acoustic Sound Blankets

In the environments that require good sound control, there is a constant search for the most efficient and most reliable product. We all want the best equipment, the best recording studios, the best vocal booths and the best acoustical material — whether it be acoustic foam or Producer’s Choice Acoustic Sound Blankets.

But how do you choose? How do you really know?

Sometimes, the only way to really find out is to go through the process of trial and error yourself. But by doing this, a lot of time and a lot of money get wasted in the process.

At VocalBoothToGo.com, we hear this frustration from customers all the time. This is why we conducted a side-by-side study of sound absorbing efficiency and price/value comparison between acoustic foam and acoustic sound blankets.

For the purpose of full disclosure, VocalBoothToGo.com sells acoustic sound blankets — Producer’s Choice.  We design them. We test them. We sell them. We eat and breathe this stuff.  To be accurate and honest, we also test our products in accredited acoustic labs.

The Comparision

ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS COMPARED:

Auralex Studiofoam Wedges (acoustic foam) and Producer’s Choice Acoustic Sound Blankets.

Product Name	Thickness*	NRC	Price per S.F.**	Kit Sale price/ Square feet per kit
Acoustic Foam Products
AUR-1IN-WEDGE	1 “ wedgies	0.50	$2.50	$399.99 / 160 s.f.
AUR-2IN-WEDGE	2” wedgies	0.75	$4.17	$399.99 / 96 s.f.
AUR-3IN-WEDGE	3” wedgies	0.90	$6.24	$399.99 / 64 s.f.
AUR-4IN-WEDGE	4 “ wedgies	1.10	$8.33	$399.99 / 48 s.f.
Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets
Acoustic Blanket Producer’s Choice  VB70 size 72 x 80	½-3/4 inchthickness	0.80	$ 0.51 ***($0.62 if sold per blanket)	$119.75 / 234 s.f. (per  6 pack)

* Acoustic foam comes in different shapes and thicknesses. For the purpose of this study, we used products from the same, most popular manufacturer, and one type of product that is marketed as most popular product.  We compared the entire range of available thickness for this particular product.

** To be fair in our comparison of acoustic foam prices, we used the sale price (not MSRP price) from the same major online retailer selling the foam by kit. (Foam sold by individual 12 x 12 pieces is usually 20% more expensive.)  The price was for one kit of the same color foam.  Then we calculated the price per square foot.

*** This price is calculated from 6-pack bundle price. Individual price per blanket – $24.75 ea. (Standard size 72 x 80” , 39 s.f. no grommets).

Sound Absorbing Efficiency

Sound absorbing efficiency of acoustic blankets fits right in the middle of the acoustic foam comparison samples, between 2 “wedges and 3” wedges foam.

Sound absorbing efficiency of Producer’s Choice Acoustic Sound Blankets exceed sound absorbing capacity of acoustic foam in thickness of 1” and 2 “and it is close to 3” thick acoustic foam. Actually, if sound blankets are hung in pleats, its sound absorption capacity even exceeds the 3” acoustic foam performance, achieving 95% of sound absorption (NRC 0.95).)   If you look at the absorption curve, you can easily figure out that adding just a few extra folds will give performance exceeding the prized 4” thick acoustic foam.

It is evident that acoustic blankets are an effective sound absorber.

Price vs. Value

In terms of price, acoustic blankets beat acoustic foam hands down.

Even at the first glance, one can see a huge difference in price versus efficiency:

(NOTE: For ease of comparison, we compare all products to NRC 1.0 as a 100%, not absorption of blankets (NRC 0.8).  For example absorption of 1” foam is 50% (NRC 0.5) and absorption of blankets 80% (NRC 0.8). Therefore, 1 inch acoustic foam is 30% less absorptive and less efficient than acoustic blankets.)

• 1” acoustic foam is 30% less efficient than sound blankets but it is 5 times more expensive.
• 2” acoustic foam is  5% less efficient than sound blankets but it is more than 8 times more expensive.
• 3” acoustic foam is only 10% more absorbent than sound blankets but it is 12 times more expensive.
• 4” acoustic foam is 30% more absorbent than sound blankets and is 16.3 times more expensive. (Just imagine how many blankets you can get for that money!)

(We will show how to hang acoustic blankets to outperform the 3” and even 4 “foam in a separate article.)

Practical Use

Ease of use is important, but it is difficult to quantify.

Acoustic foam comes in different colors and is trendy – looks cool.  It is light and easy to stick to a wall or a ceiling.  Unfortunately, once it is glued to a wall, it is not movable.  It is too fragile and easy to tear to be able to peel off the wall to reuse elsewhere.  Over time, the foam accumulates dust and disintegrates.  We did not find any specific research to quote, but logically, acoustic foam performance has to deteriorate overtime as well.

Acoustic foam is an open-cell porous material.  The open cells are the opening of long twisted tunnels.

To get absorbed, the sound has to get into the openings and flow through the tunnels, losing energy through friction.  This is one of the reasons that sound foam has wedges – to increase the overall absorbing surface of the foam.  But, this serrated edge, at the same time, makes acoustic foam a great dust collector!

Porosity and the flow resistivity are the most important parameters in determining the sound absorption. Imagine if the pores, or the openings of those tunnels, get clogged by dust — sound cannot get in, and therefore, sound absorption efficiency is reduced.  Regardless of how thick the foam is or how well the tunnels are twisted, if the opening of those tunnels get blocked – the sound can not get it and, and therefore, sound absorption will be reduced.

Sound absorption mechanism of acoustic blankets is different. It is based on the sound waves spending their energy on vibrating the fibers of the inside filler. The sound gets in and goes through the blanket. As each fiber vibrates, sound energy gets lost by converting into heat.

Blankets do not need to be glued to the wall. In fact they are more effective when there is an air gap between the wall and the blanket.  Acoustic blankets make it very easy to create a vocal booth or dedicated recording space simply by hanging the blankets off the ceiling.  This makes acoustic blankets an irreplaceable sound absorption choice when there is lack of space, living arrangement in a rental property or anticipation of frequent moving from one location to the other.  Also, if the blankets get dusty or dirty, they can be easily be taken off – shaken up and/or washed. You can not wash foam.

Any way you look at it, Producer’s Choice Acoustic Sound Blankets are more efficient, less costly . . .  plus a healthier product than acoustic foam.