Do Acoustic Panels Really Work?

We all know that however good your monitors, however great your interface, plugins and outboard, if your room isn’t sorted you’ll really face some challenges getting a good mix. So why do so many of us not have even basic acoustic treatment?

The Biggest Problem Is The Hardest To Fix

The nature of the problems presented by poor acoustics is easy to understand. As well as travelling directly from speaker to ear, sound bounces off the walls, floor and ceiling and this reflected sound colours the direct sound. The problem is that the solution can get complicated and this is partly due to there not being a single issue which needs fixing.

We all know that in typical sized rooms the biggest issues exist in the low end. These issues are most difficult to fix. It’s understandable that many people, when faced with what seems to be a bottomless pit of complexity and potential expense, disengage and reach for their headphones…

This is a mistake. There are two categories of issue. One is hard to fix, the other is simpler. Does it follow that if you can’t fix the whole problem you shouldn’t fix any of it? We’d suggest that there is a happy balance to be struck based on your situation and budget.

Velocity Vs Pressure

One of the biggest issues is one of understanding. The issues which present themselves below around 125Hz are different to the issues which occur above that frequency. Sound has two properties - velocity and pressure. The peaks and troughs of a sound wave represent the points at which the air molecules are changing direction. They briefly stop moving and these points represent the point of maximum pressure and minimum velocity. Conversely the point at which a wave crosses ‘zero’ represents the point at which the pressure is the same as the ambient air pressure but also the velocity is at its maximum. There is a 90 deg phase offset between these two properties as when pressure is at its maximum, velocity is at its minimum and vice versa.