I finally got off my ass today and called around about getting some Owens Corning panels. I talked to a guy at a Sound Design/Acoustics place who informed me that in the opinion of their company, fiberglass sucks and mineral wool (their special formulation, of course) is much more effective. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge about this stuff? The guy talked the talk and SEEMED to know his stuff, but that's just from a 5 minute phone call.

It's $1.65 a square foot, and it can be cut into any size panel you like.

Miner wool, fiberglass - the same shit. It's all about the density of the product. 2.5pcf & higher & you are good. 4-8 pcf are better for bass trapping, higher than 8 not recommended. That's all the info you need to know. And be informed that it's more difficult to work with mineral wool & you will definitely need to cover it.

Take care.

I made my panels with fiberglass, and they seem to work great. I would've looked into mineral wool if I had known I could've saved some bucks.

Tracy

Min wool is NOT THE SAME as fiberglass! But, they function the same (more or less) to control acoustics.

The biggest difference is that min wool is messy. It turns to powder as you handle it and cut it. So if you don't mind that difficulty then you can save a lot of money using it instead of fiberglass.

I did a lot of treatment in my room and I used min wool to save money. It worked.

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Min wool is NOT THE SAME as fiberglass! But, they function the same (more or less) to control acoustics.

The most of MW I see around here functions better than 703. I've got a lot of Thermafiber branded SAFB recently, it is just between 703 & 705 - works perfect for me & a lot cheaper. Like I've already mentioned - the key is density.

It works basically the same as an acoustical absorber, according to the numbers.

But it is a totally different type of product (spun rock fiber instead of spun glass fiber)

As I mentioned, I used it to treat my entire studio.

I was attempting to point out that they aren't 'the same'. I believe you meant to say they *function* the same, but if you go to an insulation provider and say "I'll take the rockwool since it's the same thing as OC705" you'll get a wierd look and maybe a chuckle.

And, for that matter, it is considerably harder to work with than 703. Fiberglass doesn't crumble and disintegrate nearly as easily as the rockwool does. That didn't matter to me, but some people don't want the hassle.

I'm glad you guys got to talking about the workability of the mineral wool vs. fiberglass. I'm not a very "handy" guy, and am thinking that I should probably go with the fiberglass. Cutting the stuff, building a frame, and wrapping it seems like enough hassle to me. I don't need the stuff disintegrating on me.

Thanks gents.

I haven't used them, but I noticed that Full Compass is now selling mineral wool 2'x4' panels in a couple different thicknesses. Thought about trying 4" thick panels covered in fabric for spot treatment. The rep said he thought it was better in walls than on walls but didn't elaborate much--I presume it's because of the tendency to crumble, but I didn't tell him I was thinking of covering the panels.

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The rep said he thought it was better in walls than on walls but didn't elaborate much--

That's what the guy I talked to yesterday implied as well. He was saying their "special formulation" was sonically better than Owens Corning, but he was speaking in regards to it being in the wall as opposed to on the wall. However, he didn't object when I mentioned covering it for panels.

If it's going *inside* a frame you won't have too much trouble handling it.

Just handle it *reasonably* carefully so it doesn't crumble when you cut it. It isn't going to fall apart with normal handling.

Check out my website for photos of my room project. You can see some of what I did to make panels with the rockwool.

http://www.junglenoisestudio.com/photos/

Enjoy!

Sweet, thanks for the pics. Looks like you did an excellent job.

Nice Jumperoo, too. My daughter has the same one.

4pcf mineral wool I worked with didn't crumble or anything & I used a saw for cutting it. I even have 4 of them wrapped in fabric with no frame & over some period(months)they start to loose the form. So yes, it is nastier material to work with compared to fiberglass, but in a frame it doesn't matter.

I also use mineral wool usually Roxul panels and I find it much better then fiberglass. Also the specs (if you can believe them) prove it. It is affordable and does a better absortion of lower frequencies. The roxul panels are solid and you just cut them with an olfa knife. YOu can throw in a little fiberglass if you wish. Cover it with polyester batting and burlap and presto.

One thing about fiberglass is the off gas which is formaldehyde as you usually use these in confined spaces. Okay John Manville is formaldehyde free but alot of others are not.
Yes rockwool also contains formaldehyde so
be warned as some people are sensitive. A hell just build a rammed earth studio and you will have the best acoustic properties as well as
healthy studio going......well one can dream.

If working with mineral wool (building panels) I would recommend 8 pound as it is stiffer and will do a better job on the low end. If building something that will fill the whole corner, sometimes known as a super chunk, then use the 4 pound.
We work with all of them 4/8 pound wool and 703 and find them all a bitch to work with.

Glenn

I will use Rockwool here.

There IS a difference...it's greener.

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Originally posted by josan:
A hell just build a rammed earth studio and you will have the best acoustic properties as well as healthy studio going......well one can dream.

Thats what Randy Bachman did

Can you but it online?

Yes1 But you pay a premium on shipping. Best price I've found online to ship here to oklahoma was at ATS acoustics. Box of six rockwool panels 2'x4'x2" for $36 w/ $23 shipping. Your area may be better or worse.

Lance

all this wool talk is making me itchy.

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all this wool talk is making me itchy

Yeah that's why I try to design everything so I don't have to cut it.

Lance