How Acoustic Foam Absorbs Sound

Blog provided by The Foam Factory

Acoustic foam has been a mainstay in many recording studios. Musicians and producers are familiar with the square foam panels on the walls that are usually cut into several peculiar patterns such as wedges and pyramids. As eye-catching as they may be, these panels aren’t just there for show. Their construction is based on the science of sound and they are designed to manipulate the sound waves inside a room to reduce noise pollution and excessive volume, resulting in a clearer sound for the microphone.

From a scientific perspective, sound waves consist of energy vibrations traveling through the air and into your ear. Your brain then perceives these vibrations as noise, music, speech, or any other type of audible sound. These sound waves can be reflected or bounced across a room before they reach your ears or a microphone. Some locations tend to amplify sound or cause echoes because their hard, flat walls bounce sound waves all over the room.

This is undesirable in a recording studio because it ruins the quality of the recording. You don’t want any background noise or muddled sound in your songs. As a result, you need a way to prevent unwanted vibrations from bouncing into your microphone so that your listeners only hear what you want them to hear. Acoustic foam’s soft, porous structure and unusual shape make it harder for vibrations to bounce off it. It isn’t hard or flat, so its qualities are very different from a noisy gym’s walls. Furthermore, acoustic foam is designed to absorb sound by converting the energy from sound waves into heat. This eliminates many of the small sounds that qualify as noise.

Acoustic foam is effective for absorbing sound, but it does not completely block sound inside or outside a room. If you want to use acoustic foam to block out the sound of your noisy neighbors arguing, it won’t stop you from hearing them. However, the fact that it dampens undesirable noise while still allowing sound to exist makes it perfect for studio use. 

If you’d like to use this reliable technology for better music recordings, order some acoustic foam from The Foam Factory. From traditional wedged acoustic foam panels to smaller bass absorbers, you’ll find all the sound absorbing products for your recording needs. Check out their products today to get started.