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Acoustic foam is a lightweight material, often used in order to reduce echoes, buffer sound, and prevent unwanted noise escaping, or ‘bleeding’ from the walls of a room. It is manufactured from polyurethane foam, usually polyester or polyether. It functions by attenuating sound waves, by way of increased air resistance. This reduces the amplitude of the sound waves, the energy of which is transferred as residual heat. Acoustic foam is typically used in recording studios, in both professional and home studio capacities, although it also has a variety of practical uses around the home. The foam is usually supplied in sheets, which are available in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit differing room structures. All acoustic foam features jagged and uneven or oftentimes cone shaped surfaces, which serve to deaden sound waves before they have the chance to reverberate. Evenly shaped surfaces (such as the walls of a building) allow sound waves to travel. In recording studios, acoustic foam can be used to deaden room echo. While echo and reverb are often used by engineers in recording studios as part of their general production methods, it’s preferable to be able to have a modicum of control over them, and unwanted natural echoes can be unpleasant, or sometimes interfere with the performance. Acoustic foam generally deals with cancelling out mid-high range frequencies, the reverberations of which can cause undesirable, high-pitched noises. Installing acoustic foam for the purposes of playing music is undoubtedly its number one use. In a densely populated world, it’s important to consider the people around us, and the installation of acoustic foam to deaden the sound from your practice space or home is an ideal way of preventing your neighbours from being subjected to unwanted noise, and gives you the advantage of being able to practice late into the night. When sound waves bounce off walls, this is called room reverberation. Concert venues utilise acoustic foam in order to prevent this, as an overabundance of reverb can make it increasingly difficult for an audience to hear a performance. In this instance, acoustic foam also benefits the performer, as it can become problematic to concentrate on a performance when the notes you’ve just played or sung are bouncing straight back at you, even with monitor speakers on the stage. Many differing venues (concert halls, theatres, large places of worship such as churches, mosques and synagogues) will employ the use of acoustic foam to this effect. The industrial soundproofing applications of acoustic foam are countless. Businesses will often need to deaden noise on busy production lines to keep from disturbing nearby residents, to meet environmental health requirements, or simply for the health of their employees. Increasingly, practical applications around the home are also being found for acoustic foam. In densely populated living areas, for example terraced housing, or flats and apartments with shared walls, acoustic foam can work wonders in terms of reducing unwanted noise from household appliances such as washing machines, or simply deadening the noise from a home entertainment system, undoubtedly ensuring peaceful relations with the neighbours.
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Soundproofing, acoustic insulation, acoustic foam,
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