Acoustimac Sound Control Solutions and an Excellent Alternative

Looking for options to control the acoustics in a space? Sound control solutions aren’t just for home and professional studios designed for podcasting, music production, band practice, and vocal recordings. Movie theaters, worship spaces, offices, and even restaurants, bars, and nightclubs can greatly benefit from sound control solutions, to positively create the vibe you wish to harness and promote. Anywhere there is sound, it can be controlled and made better!

In your quest for an acoustical solution, you may have found Acoustimac™ when searching, a popular, web-based brand. Below, I break down some common ways that Acoustimac™ tries to solve sound control situations, and some excellent alternatives you may find is exactly what you’re searching for.

In order to appreciate how sound control products can vary, it’s important to have a basic understanding of sound control.

What is Sound Control?

In short, sound is a physical aspect of reality that is made up of energy carried along by sound waves that our ears can pick up and turn into signals for our brain. Whenever a sound leaves its source – whether a speaker or human voice or clang of metal – it leaves with an amount of energy that we can hear until that energy is dispersed through air. If being projected in a massive open field, sounds will be carried off into the distance, heard until they are so far away and/or their energy dispersed that it can no longer be detected. This is very different in confined spaces, as sound doesn’t have that much space, and it bounces, or reverberates, off of the wall.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Sound control speaks to reverberation control, or controlling how the sounds bounce around a room before they lose their energy. When there is more than just one sound – and there typically always is, and new sounds coming in continuously – the reverberations can become intermingled which causes an auditory mess. This is unfortunate and takes away from whatever beauty or excellence the sound may contain.

Imagine the most beautiful voice in the world singing in a small room where the sounds are bouncing all over, crisscrossing and distorting. The ideal situation is to remove the bouncing – the reverb – so that the beautiful sounds are heard, but rapidly dissipate to make room for the next sound. This is the essence of sound control.

Acoustimac™ Solutions to Sound Control

To effectively control reverb in a confined space, the energy of the sound waves must be quickly absorbed so that it dissipates rapidly. Here are some of the Acoustimac™ products designed to do just that:

Acoustic Panels

Acoustic panels are the first step in great sound control. They are made of a mineral wool core that absorbs sound waves to lessen reverb and echoing. The frame is made out of wood, with a backer to securely wrap fabric around. Some fabrics are better than others, and the best are known as acoustically transparent, which means that the sound is able to travel right through to the foam or other material in the core that will then absorb the sound wave energy. Many fabrics can actually reflect parts of the sound wave, which would defeat the purpose of sound control, although lessening its effect somewhat. Such panels from Acoustimac™ come with differing fabrics, colors, sizes, and shapes.

Bass Traps

Bass traps are very similar to acoustic panels, but they operate a bit differently to handle the lower frequency sound waves that we call the bass spectrum. These are the low, sometimes even inaudible to the human ear sounds that rumble and shake. Bass traps are most commonly used in recording studios, music studios and home theaters. Because of their specific energies/frequencies, they need differing materials to effectively absorb the energy to control the low end. 

Imagine a studio that is perfectly sound controlled with acoustic panels, but has no bass traps. All of the low end sounds will be rumbling all over the place, actively destroying the higher frequencies that the acoustic panels subdue.

A Great Acoustimac™ Alternative: Acoustical Solutions

At Acoustical Solutions we offer our customers the best in acoustic paneling, bass traps, and related products to control sound. Like Acoustimac™, a variety of products are available across the cost/ability spectrum to meet the needs of studios, auditoriums, theaters, offices, and even restaurants and bars. Let’s take a look at some of our competing offerings.

AlphaSorb^® from Acoustical Solutions is a line of acoustic panels available for the amateur and professional consumer alike. Wrapped in acoustically transparent fabrics, including Guilford of Maine, our flagship AlphaSorb^® line is aimed at handling sound control from home studios to places of worship to nightclubs. 

The most notable difference between Acoustimac-style acoustic panels and our AlphaSorb^® panels is how they are constructed. AlphaSorb^® acoustic panels are constructed without frames, so they are considerably lighter, easier to install, and offer more sound absorption and ease of installation.

The problem with a frame is that the frame material, often wood, actually reflects sound, which is the opposite of absorption as well as adding additional unneeded weight to the panel. The image below represents two panels that are 48″ wide x 48″ tall x 2″ deep, a common panel size. As you can see in the image below, the frameless panel has an additional 384 square inches (17%!) of absorption area compared to the framed panel.

A comparison of the absorptive surface area of a frameless vs framed acoustic panel

This means that by choosing a frameless acoustic panel like AlphaSorb^®, you’ll need fewer panels overall. This cost savings adds up across a lower total shipping cost, lower installation costs, and less taxes to pay per panel. 

AlphaSorb® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panel Edge Styles – Square, Beveled, Mitered, Rounded (not available)

The AlphaSorb^® Acoustic Panel is the go-to answer for excellence in sound control that also meets aesthetic sensibilities. Available in over 100 colors and a variety of sizes and thicknesses, our fabric wrapped panels have effectively proven themselves among sound engineers and interior designers alike. Available in 1” or 2” thicknesses, the acoustic panels achieve NRC ratings of 0.85 and 1.10, respectively.

While sound control is the main focus when adding acoustical treatment, designers quickly realize that having aesthetic options instead of just a wall of foam is a critical need, especially in situations beyond the home studio where guests and consumers are engaging with the panels as part of the overall design. 

The acoustics in the Woodberry Forest School Auditorium and Lecture Hall allow students to learn and share knowledge in a quiet and comfortable environment.

Customization at Acoustical Solutions and Case Studies

And beyond our standard offering on our website, our AlphaSorb^® line of acoustic panels can be further customized with the fabric and size of your choice to perfectly compliment the design you envision for the space. 

A special design was envisioned by the Gretna United Methodist Church in the most holy of locations. The design featured a configuration of acoustical panels in non-rectangular, unique shapes at the focal point of the sanctuary.

Gretna United Methodist Church sanctuary using custom designed AlphaSorb® wall panels to reduce the echo while looking completely unique.

The city of Broken Bow utilized historic city photography to improve their conference room acoustics with our AlphaSorb^® Art Acoustic Panels.

City of Broken Arrow improved their conference room acoustics with fabric wrapped panels and art panels featuring historical photos.

Trust in Acoustical Solutions When Looking for the Best Sound Control Products

Sound control can be tricky and rapidly confusing, yet can produce amazing results in any number of scenarios where sound is emitted. Acoustical Solutions works tirelessly to first engineer the best products for all applications, then to help our clients find exactly what they desire for their specific needs. We can readily transform your creative vision into a custom product for any scenario.

For the best in acoustic control, contact our experts today to find the very best acoustic products!