Making my office LOOK and SOUND good!

PLANS for the DIY acoustic panel visit almfab.com/plans/acousticpanel
This week I’m fixing the sound and lighting in my DIY home office. I cover how to install carpet tile, hang acoustic foam, and how to build and install your own acoustic panels. I also test whether it’s work investing in more expensive foam, or if it’s okay to buy the cheap stuff off Amazon.
Thanks to Rockler for Sponsoring this channel! Rockler Products used in this video:
Rockler Bandy Clamps www.rockler.com/rockler-bandy...
Rockler Bench Cookies www.rockler.com/bench-cookie-...
Rockler Bench Cookie Finishing cones www.rockler.com/rockler-bench...
Rockler Marking and Measuring Tool Pouch www.rockler.com/marking-and-m...
Table Edge Router Bit www.rockler.com/table-top-edg...
Affiliate link to tools and materials used in this video
Totalboat Halcyon Clear www.totalboat.com/product/hal.... Use code TotalALM22 for 10% off all Totalboat products
ISOtunes Pro 2.0 Noise Cancelling headphones www.bit.ly/almfabiso
Sawstop 36” 3 HP Table Saw amzn.to/3Jo4oEb
Milwaukee M18 Drill and Driver Set amzn.to/3BBhnkk
Staple Gun (not the one from the video, but a better one amzn.to/3Jlbvxg
Drop Cloth amzn.to/3zOQjwm
GVS Half Mask Respirator amzn.to/3vzD6VP
3M Extreme 30lb Double Stick Tape amzn.to/3BzDSpu
Auralex Acoustic Foam Panels in Burgundy amzn.to/3oN3rfu
Auralex Acoustic Foam Panels in Grey amzn.to/3QgHLnD
Amazon (Budget) Acoustic Foam Panels amzn.to/3PNIUmG
Drywall T-Square amzn.to/3PQhjkF
HandiShims amzn.to/3PQhrAF
Tajima Aluminist Long Blade Knife (for cutting foam) amzn.to/3cZWqFl
Tajima Blades amzn.to/3Jn9lNC
Bosch Laser Level amzn.to/3BzOswT
Barrina Linkable LED Light Bar 4 pack amzn.to/3BvsQSk
Milwaukee Deep Cut Portaband Bandsaw amzn.to/3cVpmOH
Swag Offroad Portaband stand amzn.to/3Q6reSU
Mirka Deros 5” Palm Sander amzn.to/3oKrbR5
Milwaukee M12 Oscillating Multi Tool amzn.to/3JqsNt6
Ryobi 18v Cordless Hot Glue Gun amzn.to/3QgTDpL
Festool TS55 Track Saw amzn.to/3oLY1RL
Japanese Pull Saw amzn.to/3oLY7J7
Shinwa 45 Degree Square amzn.to/3zrprRV
Bostich 18ga Nail Gun amzn.to/3zpAtXJ
Camera Gear
Sony a6600 Mirrorless Camera - almfab.com/sony-a6600-camera
Cage for Sony a6600 Camera - almfab.com/rig-cage-sony-a6600
Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone - almfab.com/shotgun-mic
17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Lens for Sony E - almfab.com/tamron-lens-17-70m...
77mm NXT Plus UV Filter - almfab.com/uv-filter
577 Rapid Connect Adapter with Sliding Mounting Plate - almfab.com/rapid-connect
MT055XPRO3 Aluminum Tripod - almfab.com/tripod
Orion Jr DVC50 4' Compact Camera Crane / Jib - almfab.com/camera-crane
Aluminum Travel Tripod - almfab.com/travel-tripod
MC RGBWW LED Light - almfab.com/mc-led-light
PavoTube II 6C RGB LED Tube Light (10") - almfab.com/pavo-tube-light
Heavy-Duty Portable Tripod Dolly - almfab.com/tripod-dolly
360° Pan Lockable Bearing Mount to 3/8" Tripod Legs - almfab.com/bearing-mount
Tilt Brake for Orion DVC200, DVC210, and DVC250 Camera Cranes - almfab.com/tilt-brake
Brad Rodriguez | Fix This Build That - Acoustic Panels • $20 DIY Acoustic Panel...
Alexandre Chappel - Acoustic Panels • Making Super Effective...
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[@josh_watson]

Keep in mind the feet or wheels of a chair moving around on those carpet tiles will separate the seams VERY quickly. Definitely suggest one of those mats that you put under your chair to keep that from happening, if you hadn't already thought of that of course. Cheers!

[@MichaelAlm]

That's a good idea. Thanks!

[@AndrewKellyLuthier]

You can also retrofit your chair with rollers that are made for carpet. They look kinda like rollerblade wheels.

[@AileenBaker]

​@@MichaelAlm we use this type of carpet tile installation in most of my commercial interior design projects, and the seam separation doesn't tend to be a problem we see, FWIW.

[@dondumitru7093]

He probably didn't need to carpet the entire floor. The reflective behavior is from the single huge expanse of highly noise-reflective concrete, so a few small area rugs could have been placed, along with a low-pile chair mat, and I think it would have gotten at least 90% of the same benefit as a wall-to-wall treatment. Just a quick search turns up 500 Hz (you can search to find a sample tone) has a half-wave size of a little over 1 ft, so removing the larger expanses of flat open concrete narrows down where the waves can reflect from. Before going to an actual installation, why not throw down a few small carpet pieces (or fluffy towels!) and see if you can tell the difference?

[@everlitesv]

@@MichaelAlm Great Video and a beautiful room. Switching out the standard wheels on chairs for the roller blade style also cuts down on carpet wear and makes them roll sooo much smoother and easier.

[@spooncwa19]

The design of the ceiling panels and LED light bars came out very clean / modern. Really sharp looking.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!!

[@IshikaShanai]

This is hands down the most beautiful ceiling treatment I've seen. I was worried the foam would ruin the vibe of the room, but the colour of it pairs really well with your wallpaper! Great job!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks!! I've been working hard to keep it from feeling like a padded room. Wasn't sure if the burgundy tiles would match, but I'm really happy with them.

[@kleckerklotz9620]

Watch "Making Super Effective Sound Absorbing Panels - DIY Acoustic Panels" by Alexandre Chappel...

[@philomenahearn1717]

Does the acoustic foam work as well if it’s behind panelling? I’m thinking of dust and cobwebs sitting on the chamfers…..

[@kleckerklotz9620]

@@philomenahearn1717 Accustic foam does two things it reflects longer audio waves in the angle it is cut. That's why it has this ragged shape. And secondly, shorter waves are damped by the density of the foam alone, as the waves break in the holes in the material and cannot make it vibrate as much. But it cannot reduce bass as much, because that's very long waves. If you put a panel in front of foam you will make the room sound proof for the outside, but not inside the room, since the waves can reflect from the panels. You need a material, that is soft and can vibrate without passing the vibration along. Or differently angled shapes that reflect audio waves. Acoustic test chambers, for example, are suspended from ropes and are lined with several layers of special acoustic foam. Very impressive suff.

[@blacktalonbased]

That was an OLD work box since you were not building everything from scratch. Great job on everything else. I love watching your projects come to life!

[@lmcgowan3]

I came here for this. Its the little things for me. Also the reason I can't make friends.

[@Vincent-dl9zv]

Honestly, $1.1k for the treatment professionally doesn't seem like that onerous of a price, especially considering what some of the use cases.

[@gregmize01]

Yes! Glad you referenced Brad's video. Fix This Build That for those interested.

[@austinwtoler]

If you ever want add any additional acoustic treatment in the future, one option to explore would be building some diffusers. While absorbers prevent sound reflections, diffusers scatter reflections, which helps increase acoustic clarity while retaining some pleasing reverberation. Professional studios typically use a mixture of acoustic absorption and diffusion to control echo, flutter, and other acoustic anomalies without completely deadening the room. I could see you building some fir or spruce diffusers that would really blend with and enhance the overall esthetic of your space. Which would certainly be preferable to hanging more fabric boxes on the wall! Great job as always!!

[@jakubpodesva9802]

Unfortunately that would be impossible to work in such a small room. If you are interested in acoustics, check YT channel Acoustic insider :)

[@dareneveleigh4647]

was thinking the same thing, but don't you think he's got a lot of diffusion in that space with all the Millwork, lighting and furniture.

[@snarlyofficial2423]

I produce music and the less echo when recording the better. A very simple work around to bad acoustics is hanging up blankets on the wall. It eliminates any echo by absorbing the sound. 🙂

[@morganpavelka4945]

I love seeing all the time and energy you put into everything you do. Congrats on another great video!

[@HLR4th]

Thanks so much for sharing the journey with us!

[@pop__rocks7775]

I appreciate you showing some of your difficulties in the project and how you worked through it. Too many times other creators make it seamless and perfect which is not real world experience. Good job!

[@theelmagoo]

Very nice sir!! Also welcome to the joys (and rabbit hole) of audio treatment!! I think you did a great job and hit most of the high points for what you're wanting to do (which is basically ADR / Voice Over work). A few ideas to keep in mind if you need to do it again: - One thing to note about the batting in those panels you used. Ideally you also would want a cover on the back of the panel to keep the fibers from getting into the air and you breathing them over time. Granted, yours are put flush with the ceiling, so might not be as big a deal in your case? But something to consider - The room is crazy reverberant because of all of the hard, reflective, long and flat parallel surfaces! Hence when you put the carpet down, you noticed it didn't make that much of a difference? It's all of the highly reflective walls that are parallel to each other that's the bulk of your problem. Hence you could most likely remove that carpet and still be fine if you wanted to at this point. The one thing to keep in mind if you do this is when you record, if you sit down and roll around, the wheel noises will get picked up by a quality mic. But just to note that there's plenty of high end music studios that have hardwood / concrete floors, they'll just place a rug down as needed. - Making the panel boxes is a great way to go!! BUT, you also have a lot of flexibility as well. For the batting, there's the stuff you got, there's also Roxul 40/60, and there's an Owen's Corning equivalent as well. You can make them in different thicknesses based on your goal. Since you're not trying to sound proof the room (i.e. stop all internal / external sound bleed) and you're only dealing with voice, you can go with 1" thick panels or less as those will absorb the higher frequencies and tame the echo-ness of the room. The thicker the panel, the lower the frequencies it can absorb. But for voice, anything thicker than 2" is probably overkill. - Another trick you could do is take the middle section of your walls and convert them to foam / fabric covered panels (the green areas with the golden drawings. You could probably get that same pattern printed on some thin fabric panel acoustic boards and that would probably kill most of your reflections due to the bulk of the reflective surface area it would replace. - also how dead are you wanting the room? In ADR / Voice Over there's a desire to make the room as dead as possible so the sound mixers can add the appropriate reverb back onto the voice. But for what you're doing, you still probably want the room to be a little "alive" still (meaning a touch of room echo). In our brains we use the echo to help define spatial awareness, as well as make a place "feel" real to us (it's a reason most people can't tolerate an anechoic chamber for more than about 15 to 30 minutes before getting agitated). So what you have now is probably a really nice blend of reflective surfaces, and taming the reflections just enough for your needs. - another trick for ceiling panels is instead of flush mounting them, you hang them just a little (like several inches). The reason for this is then the back-side of the panels can absorb more reflections. The sound will bounce off the ceiling and into the back of the panel, which will trap even more sound, where as if it's flush with the ceiling the waves will just bounce off the side of the panel and back into the room. A good hanging trick is you use some linked chain, and then screw in hooks on the 4 corners, then just drill holes in the ceiling and use alligator anchors with hooks to suspend the panels. You can even play with the length of chain on each end of the panel to angle them in interesting ways. - back lighting - if you suspend the panels, you can put LED strips on the back of them and create really nice ambient back lighting - parallel walls create reflective build ups (go into recording studios and you'll see that usually the room has some odd walls / ceilings to alter the reflections). So the ceiling panels in your case helped to break up the surface to get the sound to bounce around more and lose energy in the process (as well as some of it being absorbed). This is also why the red foam panels you put up are angled, to help spread the reflections in different directions. So if you find the room still isn't tame enough for what you want, you can add some vertical panels on the long sidewalls using the same batting and technique as the ceiling panels. That will break up the long reflective surface of the wall. Definitely do the 1" off the wall trick in this case as it'll expose the back of the panel like in the above tip - For fabric, you want fabric that still breathes and lets the waves pass through. If you want the safest choice, Guilford of Maine specializes in making acoustic fabric (and I think they also meet various fire code requirements). Else a simple test is to breath through the fabric to make sure that a decent amount of air can get through (meaning if very little air goes through, then the sound will mostly bounce off the fabric rather than go through into the batting). OK I'll stop ;p. Obviously this is a subject I really enjoy as I've made my own recording studio and went through a lot of this research. Great looking office now sir!!!

[@JohnStraffin17]

Came here to make that last "fabric" comment, but learned a lot from the rest! Thanks for the great info!

[@Geoffpr]

Thank you for all of the info!

[@DestinRugers.S]

Wow, thank you for that! That's a massive help for me~! Genuinely, thank you for including this!

[@andrewnibbi]

Man, where were you when I was getting into acoustic treatment? Seriously though, this is all really great advice for anyone looking to treat their space. Thanks for sharing :)

[@theelmagoo]

@@Pedro-0839 That's like.... level 5 rabbit hole... I didn't want to explode his brain too much ;p

[@peteratkinson8957]

Great result!

[@dizheller2101]

Brilliant acoustic treatment and super aesthetically pleasing! It's a beautiful room - bravo!

[@DestinRugers.S]

You're an absolute professional! Love that you included damn near every tool and resource used within the comments, and organized everything in a succinct manner. Have no qualms sponsoring your efforts by using the links! Thank you for a well designed video and explanation... I hope this continues to be a profitable endeavor for you!

[@madmatter007]

I’m sure someone has already said it but it’s an old work junction box. New work would have nails that you attach to the stud before it’s been dry walled.

[@alext8828]

F3 says about a dozen of us have already mentioned that, but at least you're in good company. Thanks for chirping up.

[@yuGtahT]

I can't remember which KZbinr recommended your channel, but I'm so glad I'm here. Just finished binging your studio build.

[@gabrielvaldez6877]

Me encanta como quedó, no podria haber resultado mejor, hermosa oficina. Felicitaciones.

[@JJW410]

Wow this looks like an absolute dream office! Fantasic pairing with dark green wallpaper, burgandy foam, and light wood -- came out looking beautiful.

[@entasis.fifty-four]

That’s a terrific looking studio! Well done.

[@andersonolive4553]

This transformation has been awesome, and so many different techniques to learn from. You’re a very talented individual, thanks so much for sharing!

[@siddharthkumar5856]

That was spectacularly relaxing to watch, I loved seeing the process of how the room got converted into a comfy, cozy space. Thanks for sharing!

[@seandegroote1915]

Well done. I have no other words to describe how awesome everything is on that office build!

[@Hoigwai]

The fit and finish is on point, looks professional, sounds great.

[@kylestroud5446]

fantastic craftsmanship!

[@stereothrilla8374]

I’m surprised it was that cheap. I’ve spent almost $13K treating my studio. That’s just for acoustic and structural materials, no gear and that is still on the very low end of what you can spend. That price includes soffit monitors, absorption panels, diffusion panels, bass traps, asymmetrical and moveable false walls, custom soundproof doors and a standalone iso booth with doubled acrylic windows. I’m not a commercial studio and this is very modest compared to a lot of home studios you’ll find all over KZbin. Yours turned out great! Well done!

[@luctoulouse]

Wow, love the end result. And the sounds...the panel on the ceiling did make a difference.

[@withJordanFrank]

I love that you take the same dedication and quality of your client work to your own space. Not enough makers do that, and it's awesome that your office is a reflection of your personality and a designer. Really love it, what huge improvements you've made!

[@ellieboa]

It looks so cozy too!

[@youtubechannel12371]

Amazing! The room is truly a work of art, fantastic job man.

[@kingdanett4043]

I feel like the red accent foam changes everything about this room. I love it so much

[@williammoore4101]

I feel like a mean internet butt pointing it out, but the junction box is an OLD work electrical box, not a new work. New work electrical boxes assume you have access to the studs prior to the drywall going up, so they can be nailed into the studs. Michael, that room is looking crazy awesome. You can really tell your artistic stylings come through. I hope you find yourself being inspired by your own work in the room and keep delivering the amazing content you provide. Thank you for sharing.

[@MichaelAlm]

It's all good. That was a brain fart, so I appreciate the correction. Thank you!

[@ewetuber186000]

Well done!

[@robertturner5993]

Fantastic!

[@therelaxingwoodshop7495]

Just amazing

[@conqu2]

I love this series! This office build is so cool and if I'm being perfectly honest the *only* thing I wasn't super duper keen on in previous episodes was the way the gray wall and green wallpaper kinda clashed a bit (at least on camera) -- but acoustic foam to the rescue! The maroon color works well with the rest of the finishes imo.

[@morganf.doublewood1952]

Loving the combination of wallpaper and wood paneling. Awesome works~

[@Matt.Gillard]

Dude, you're a legend! that looks so good! love the way you walk us through what you're using and why. and the ceiling cleat worked out so good!

[@robertkerby2581]

Cool and Amazing! Well done!

[@mikekelly6774]

Wow, it sounds great. As with woodworking equipment, the sky is the limit on cost for acoustic treatment and there is an endless rabbit hole of science that goes along with it. It looks like you made all the right decisions on balancing cost with the functionality that you needed for your specific scenario. Plus, your building skills added thousands of dollars of polish to the final look.

[@jbb5470]

Michael, the room turned out great and what a difference in sound quality, simply amazing! You have great taste, the room really came together, nice job!

[@nudafu633]

The trim under the foam looks beautiful.

[@JBLewis]

Amazing build! It's funny how the before and after audio sample can be so subtle and yet so distinctly different. The results are beautiful!

[@etrb54df56bb]

Nailed it, sounds great from here!

[@kaitlynrowena5463]

I’m in love with the office design

[@69sound81]

It is amazing how much difference good acoustic pannels can make in the natural ressonance of a Room. Also furniture, basically mass loading a room and breaking up the flat areas just enough

[@ssskids123]

Beautiful work as always. Thanks for sharing!

[@rovidsonfirmino1024]

Amazing.

[@rondo122]

looks soooo nice! congrats and thanks for sharing your projects!

[@Mikemalone7873]

Looks great, sounds great! Thanks for sharing.

[@karulach]

Great work Michael. It looks amazing and sounds professional.

[@stephandelange1776]

You did a beautiful job a beautiful studio. Congratz. Great Job.

[@matthysloedolff]

Your office is so nice! It's definitely aesthetically and (phonetically) acoustically pleasing. Well done, Michael

[@liamstrain]

Nice work. Sounds so much better - the ceiling panels made a huge difference.

[@Aggiebrettman]

really impressive design and execution.

[@rlibby404]

For that sized room and apparent intended use, I think your acoustic treatment is fine and it sounds great.

[@masontejera506]

Turned out gorgeous Michael!

[@wagneralencar]

Wonderful

[@abm2617]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing

[@dwwoodbuilds]

Great job! Such an incredible transformation of room! So many details for the trim, walls and ceilings. Those lights are very interesting, something to look into. Again, an awesome project!

[@olafschermann1592]

Awesome work and awesome result!

[@Leantesta]

Love it!!

[@JohnScottB]

Love the lighting you did in here, great work with the sound panels as well!

[@patrik978]

Amazing!

[@declanmccallum]

Just spend the last couple hours rinsing through these videos man and honestly feeling very inspired. Looking to buy my first home in the next year and get my home studio set up, hugely inspired by the design of your's it's really fresh but also cosy with the slat wood. Thank you!

[@one4truth236]

Love Hi-Chews! Great work!

[@kenschneiweis3677]

Looks awesome and very inspiring

[@bizzobandoli]

OMG ! ITS BEAUTIFUL! SO GREAT JOB!

[@makernova8160]

Great work, your office turned out really nice! And there's just something about a space that is extra quiet for working / reading - perfect!

[@grumpywoodchucker]

Nicest office ever!!! I love it.

[@JgHaverty]

Looks great!

[@kerrydutton9019]

Great job

[@hamradiojim6788]

Very nicely done!

[@danielbogan4207]

you do fantastic work

[@yvonnehughes3036]

That room is really coming along!

[@SustainableDreams]

Dude. Congrats. Badass!

[@bartender_billy6229]

I just had an excellent idea! For your acoustic ceiling panels, you could put LEDs in the panels and use a thin diffusion panel to help radiate the lights. That way you have a nice “natural” glow in your studio. You could also add some LEDs around the upper trim with some diffusion strips to give it a little extra pop! All in all the studio looks outstanding!

[@jinsong6940]

Love the design of your office.

[@chrisdavis1722]

This is great! Innovative, clean, professional, and it works! You’ve discovered one of my fav theater set hacks in the fabric drop cloths; they’re much cheaper than fabric per yard and extremely versatile. Looking forward to the next installment. Keep up the good work 👍

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic Michael! Really brilliant work! 😃 The difference is night and day! Really impressive!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@TailEndCustoms]

Great job! Looks great as well

[@Psychlist1972]

That office/studio looks super nice. I love all the trimwork.

[@smarthome4734]

the things you show are ingenious

[@JOELJX151]

This came out amazing!

[@_KingRaz]

Nice build man! Could really hear the difference. Also I appreciate that you are transparent about your relationship with sponsors, some youtubers conveniently leave out that they get paid by companies.

[@metzessible1271]

We use Barria lights in our shop. They're absolutely amazing. Great job on this project. It came out great.

[@korderosimmons7713]

Perfect.

[@coolinken]

That was an awesome video! Thanks!

[@wittworks]

Bro. Your intro with the probe lens. SOO GOOD. I see you. I see you. Game recognizes game.

[@coffeefortwosolly]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️ looks and sound sooo much better! Thankyou for sharing your thought, plans, reasons behind your choices and your finished results. 🙋🏻‍♀️🇬🇧💕jane

[@carmenpbronx9190]

Great Job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@wanttoplae]

Those lights are cool. Good job on the whole project.

[@AlexDupler]

Looking forward to the great office desk you're going to have to build to go with that office.

[@cawjtube]

What a great looking room. Nice job!

[@TotalBoat]

Such an impressive room! Amazing work, Michael!!

[@robinverweij__]

I love this series of your room, keep it up!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! Will do!

[@danielcookeb90]

Great video, again!

[@edc2517]

wow, fantastic, LOVE FROM ITALY

[@jmcgill9688]

Very nice!

[@rickmaudlin2160]

Great job. Love it!