Vent: those $60 soundproofing foam panels I bought did nothing for my Zoom audio

After 3 weeks of setup and testing, my mic still picked up every single echo and footstep from upstairs, so if you're thinking about cheap foam panels to fix echo, save your money and just get a better mic instead, has anyone else had better luck with acoustic blankets?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielowens10d ago

Start by looking into heavy moving blankets from a hardware store instead, they actually absorb way more sound than those foam panels. Layer a couple of them on a cheap stand behind your desk and you will notice a huge difference in echo and background noise. Just make sure to leave a small air gap between the blanket and the wall for full effect.

the_john9d ago

Have you looked into how the mass of the blanket matters too? I mean, I read somewhere that the weight per square foot is actually more important than just the thickness for stopping lower frequencies. Something about how the denser the material, the harder it is for the sound waves to pass through. Idk if that's totally accurate but it makes sense when you think about how those thin foam panels basically just stop high-pitched stuff like claps and clicks.

victorhernandez8d ago

@danielowens brings up a good point about the moving blankets, but I'm still wondering about low frequencies like footsteps from upstairs. Would a blanket that thick actually stop that deep thumping sound, or is it mostly for echoes in the room? Seems like different problems need different solutions.