Should You Use Acoustic Foam Panels?

acoustic foam acoustic panels acoustic treatment acoustics fiberglass home recording studio Jul 18, 2022

There are many attractive things about using foam panels or tiles over fiberglass panels. This article will delve into the pros and cons of using acoustic foam panels.

Do They Soundproof?

No, acoustic foam will not soundproof your recording studio. It is meant attenuate or absorb sound in your studio making for a better listening and recording environment.

What Size Foam Should You Buy?

The minimum thickness you should use in a recording studio is 2" and the thicker the better as you will see later in this article.

What Type Of Foam Should You Use?

You should only buy acoustic grade foam. I recommend buying from a reputable company like Auralex or Sonex so you know you are getting the right type of foam and you know if will work in your studio.

Does Foam Or Fiberglass Perform Better?

Fiberglass overall will absorb more sound across the frequency spectrum than foam. It is especially better in the lower frequency range around 125-500Hz. If you look at the two graphs below taken from "Master Handbook Of Acoustics" by F. Alton Everest and Ken C. Pohlmann you can see that 2",3" and 4" fiberglass all perform better than foam at the same thicknesses.

This is one of the main reasons fiberglass acoustic panels are used over foam in most studios. Foam also will not work to attenuate bass frequencies so the only use for foam is to reduce reflections in the higher frequency spectrum. In this sense I would only use it as first reflection points around your listening position or to reduce reflections in your recording room.

Conclusion

Overall fiberglass performs better than acoustic foam. However, acoustic foam may be cheaper and in some cases easier to install. Only use 2" or greater thicknesses when buying acoustic foam. Remember to only use acoustic grade foam from known dealers like Auralex or Sonex. Use bass traps to treat low frequencies and don't rely on foam for lower frequencies.

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