ASSIGNMENT 2

BASS TRAPS
ACOUSTIC MATERIALS

NISHANA NASRIN

*
BASS TRAPS ARE ACOUSTICAL ENERGY ABSORBERS .THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DAMP LOW FREQUENCY
SOUND ENERGY AND HELPS TO ATTAIN A LOW FREQUENCY ROOM RESPONSES BY REDUCING LF
RESONANCES IN ROOMS.
THEY FUNCTION BY TURNING SOUND ENERGY INTO HEAT ENERGY.

THEY ARE USED MAINLY IN

-RECORDING THEATERS
-MASTERING ROOMS
-HOME THEATERS.

TYPES OF BASS TRAPS

RESONANT ABSORBERS
POROUS ABSORBERS

.RESONANT ABSORBER NEEDS TO BE MECHANICALLY TUNED TO RESONATE WITH THE FREQUENCIES

BEING ABSORBEDPOROUS ABSORBER DOES NOT RESONATE AND NEED TO BE TUNED.RESONATING
ABSORBER TENDS TOABSORB A NARROWER SPECTRUM AND POROUS ABSORBERS TEND TO ABSORB
A BROADER SPECTRUM.THE SPECTRUM OF BOTH TYPES CAN BE EITHER NARROWED OR
BROADENED BY DESIGNBUT THE GENERALISED DIFFERENCE IN BANDWIDTH AND TUNABILITY
DOMINATES THEIR RESPECTIVE PERFORMANCE.

POROUS ABSORBERS TEND TO BE SMALLER IN SIZE AND ARE EASIER TO DESIGN AND BUILD AS WELL
AS LESS EXPENSIVE OVERALL THAN RESONANT ABSORBERS.HOWEVER,THE DEEP BRASS
ATTENUATION OF A POROUS ABSORBER IS GENERALLY INFERIOR,SO IT IS USEFULNESS FOR
ATTENUATING LOWER FREQUENCY ROOM RESONANCES IS MORE LIMITED.

A RIGID CONTAINER WITH A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM OR A RIGID CONTAINER WITH OONE OR MORE
PORTHOLES OR SLOTS CAN BE USED AS RESONATING BRASS TRAPS.THEY ACHIEVES ABSORPTION OF
SOUND BY SYMPATHETIC VIBRATION OF SOME FREE ELEMENT OF THE DEVICE WITH THE AIR
VOLUME OF THE ROOM.

RESONATING ABSORBERS VARY IN CONSTRUCTION,WITH ONE TYPE OF MEMBRANE ABSOBER USING

A SPRINGY SHEET OF WOOD THAT ATTACHES TO THE ENCLOSURE ONLY ALONG THE EDGES OR
CORNERS,AND ANOTHER USING A MORE FLOPPY SHEET OF THIN MATERIAL STRECHED LIKE A DRUM
HEAD.
DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR BUILDING BASS TRAPS

RESONATING BASS TRAPS

RESONATING BASS TRAPS WILL ABSORB SOUND WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY AT THEIR FUNDAMENTAL
FREQUENCY OF RESONANCE.BECAUSE OF THIS,KNOWING THE FREQUENCIES OF RESONANCES
WHICH REQUIRE DAMPING IS HELPFUL BEFORE DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING A RESONATING
BASS TRAPS.THIS CAN BE ATTAINED BY CALCULATION OF THE ROOMS MODES OR BY DIRECT
MEASUREMENT OF THE ROOM ITSELF.

RESONATING ABSORBERS CAN BE BROADENED AT THE FREQUENCY RANGE OF EFFICACY TO SOME

DEGREE BY EITHER INTRODUCING POROUS ABSORPTIVE MATERIAL TO THE INTERIOR OF THE
VESSEL,BY CONSTRAINING THE VIBRATIONS OF THE PANEL OR MEMBRANE,OR BY INSTALLING AN
ERRAY OF RESONATING DEVICES EACH TUNED TO ADJACENT FREQUENCY RANGES SO THAT
COOLECTIVELY THE ARRAY FUNCTIONS OVER A BROADENED RANGE OF SOUNDS.THESE DEVICES ARE
ENORMOUSLY EFFECTIVE OVER THEIR TUNED RANGE.

PANEL ABSORBER.

A SIMPLE PANEL ABSORBER CONTAINS A WOODEN FRAME,MINERAL WOOL LAYER,SHEET OF

PLYWOOD WITH A SMALL GAPSO THAT THE PANEL IS FREE TO RESONATE.THE RESONANCE IS
ENHANCED BY REDUCING THE POINT OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PANEL ANDD TE FRAME.
GENERALLY ACOUSTICS BASS TRAPS USES SOUNDPROOFING AGENTS THAT ABSORB SOUND ENERGY
AND CREATE FILTERING EFFECT FOR BETTER AUDITORY EXPERIENCE.

ADVANTAGES OF ACOUSTIC BASS TRAPS

-LESS UNWANTED NOICE FROM EXTERIORS

-HELPS TO REDUCE THE NOICE
-LOW COST
-VERSATILE ENOUGH TO FIT MAJORITY OF ROOMS
-EASY TO INSTALL
-CORNER BASS TRAPS REDUCE THE NINENTY DEGREE ANGLE THAT THE CORNER MAKES AND -
REDUCE THE REFLECTIONS

HOW MUCH?
USUALLY WHEN WE USE BASS TRAPS IN ROOMS,ITS BETTER TO PUT MID TO HIGH FREQUENCY
ABSORBER AROUND THE ROOM TO GIVE EVEN SOUND BUT NOT COMPLETELY TILE THE ROOM WITH
ABSORBERS UN;LESS YOU ARE CREATING A OMPLETELY DEAD SPACE LIKE A VOCAL BOOTH.
ITS A GOOD IDEA TO LINE EVERY CORNER IN YOUR ROOM WITH LOW END TRAPS.