Since it turns out I’m going to be mixing and mastering my own music for the foreseeable future, my pingy above-garage attic space needed a makeover. Since I’d rather save thousands of dollars so that I can spend it on synths, I’d been considering DIY absorption, but my GOD I didn’t want to build as many frames as I needed for this space. (I have a total of 21 panels.)
Then I found a method that involves hardening the edges of OC 703 rigid fiberglass panels and simply covering them in fabric. No frames, no stapling, just goo and glue! Two days after discovering this method of creating absorptive panels, I had the panels in the garage.
(Buyinsulationproductsstore.com is insanely great. Not only did they ship QUICKLY, they saved me from myself a couple of times via their chat feature, which has actual humans on the other end.)
The difficulty of this project is the slanted attic ceiling, of course. I was having a hard time figuring out how I was going to get a lot of coverage up there. The answer, as it so often is, was “spiky things.”
Winner of the “most useful tool” contest? The jig, for sure. Would have been impossible without it. Runner up was absolutely the laser level. I bought it for this project, and frickin’ love that thing. Straight, level lines for days.
The outcome was amazing, although now that I can hear my speakers (Adam A5X + Sub8) better, I wish for better speakers. (The sub is fine, but the A5Xs are lacking in the mids. Great for the price though. But I digress.)
So, for posterity, here’s a bit of each part of the process. All in all, I probably spent about 12 or 16 hours on it, and saved at least $3K. Not too bad.
