Hi all, what is the best way to to calculate how much acoustic treatment is needed for a large hall (500+ people)? Is there a way to calculate what type of material would be needed for the acoustic treatment, how much is needed, where it should be placed, etc.

My initial thought was to use REW and based off of some calculations using the Sabin equation, it could help me determine how much treatment is needed, and then to create a design of the hall using EASE 5. Would this be the correct approach?

Correctly identifying acoustic panels is one of the essential steps before purchasing and installing them, because choosing and installing the wrong acoustic panel may not only fail to improve the acoustic conditions of a space, but may even make the acoustic situation worse.
During our several years of activity at Part Ava Foam, we have observed many mistakes regarding the identification and selection of acoustic panels. However, one of the most obvious mistakes, which is also very common, is confusing two different types of acoustic panels: absorbers and diffusers.
This is despite the fact that these two types of panels have many differences, and their functions are fundamentally different.
Acoustic absorbers are panels that are usually manufactured from open-cell materials, and their purpose is to absorb sound frequencies and reduce reverberation in a space. Some of the most common examples of these panels include egg-crate acoustic panels, pyramid acoustic panels, and Part Foam Flexi panels.
On the other hand, diffusers are panels whose purpose is by no means to absorb sound frequencies. They are designed, and their materials are selected, in a way that allows sound frequencies to be diffused in different directions.
These types of acoustic panels are usually manufactured from reflective, dense, and closed-cell materials such as EPS foam, wood, and plastic. In addition, the design of diffusers is usually highly precise, and their wells or geometric elements are designed and calculated in such a way as to help diffuse sound frequencies in different directions.
Which of these panels is more suitable for a particular space depends on various factors, including the conditions of the space, the type of environment, the architecture of the building, the sound source, the purpose of the acoustic treatment, and other considerations.
However, in many professional music studios, an optimized combination of diffusers and absorbers is commonly used.

I recently moved into a cheaper apartment building. Upstairs neighbor plays music like 10-12 hours a day. I can't hear the music, but the lower frequency bass comes through, just loud enough to be an annoying persistent background noise. I went up and talked to him recently, he was a nice guy, tried putting towels under the speakers, which are already on a stand. unfortunately it is just a shitty old building and even at a reasonable volume the bass comes through. Couch is right under where he has his speakers. I simply have no desire and am not in a position to ask him to stop playing music in the apartment he pays for. I have gone through some other posts and it seems that the consensus is there is no way to stop these lower bass frequencies without massive alterations which I obviously cannot do in a rented unit. Is that true? Even if I could get 20% sound reduction I'd be pretty happy.

Not looking for suggestions about talking to my landlord, moving my couch to the other side of the room, or wearing noise cancelling headphones. just seeing if anyone has had success with any product to cut down on bass from speakers in an upstairs apartment. thanks :)

Anechoic Garage

It was amazing how quiet this parking garage was with some sort textured ceiling. It was obviously sprayed on. There was no echo, just completely dead. I was thinking it would be a great place to a test speaker response. I would love to spray my unfinished basement ceiling but pretty sure it would not be good to breathe in and would not be easily applied with it getting everywhere. Does anyone know of the material and process use to apply the absorbing texture?

Looking for ideas on what to do for the ceiling. Trio band, amps, drums etc. Not trying to soundproof just trying to help echo / reduce noise leakage to the upstairs. How effective would it be to hang carpets on the ceiling or heavy blankets? Thanks!

I'm a college student living off-campus, and my room is pretty small. My biggest passion is music production, but the space is my biggest concern. I have a queen-sized loft that my equipment will be under, and this will be tucked into a corner. I was wondering what problems may arise from recording under there? I'm looking to deaden the sounds from the drywall immediately surrounding the loft, and maybe using a sound dampening blanket as a curtain to fully enclose the space.

I'll be using a condenser microphone for my recordings, and at the moment, my biggest concern is the trapped bass that will arise from such a small setup. Since it is a loft, the ceiling is going to be a mattress and the floor is carpeted, so that should be no issue I hope?

I'm pretty new to all this, so any advice will help!