Super Thin Acoustic Panels -- will they work? - BUBOS Acoustic Panels | Booth Junkie

Big thank you to Bubos for sharing these panels with me for this review!
-Bubos website link: buybubos.com
-Amazon link：geni.us/8ANbju
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Moving Desk: geni.us/2TIBg
Boom arm: geni.us/512-Boom
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Thanks!

[@FunnyGuyTimmy]

This is why I love the VO community, doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something you can always learn something new. When I saw the scotch-tape thing I just about lost it. Lol

[@frunction]

Could just use 3M command products instead of double sided tape.

[@LetsTalkJF]

The masking tape under the double sided is pure genius. I've used the 3M command strips to stick my home made panels to the wall.

[@Laura_DiNunno]

I must remember this trick.

[@DominicFalcon]

I have no idea why I've not seen this before. Genius.

[@martam518]

how did you.make home made panels?

[@LetsTalkJF]

@@martam518 Something very similar to this other BoothJunkie video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGakoXyNl8-pmaM adjusted slightly based on what I could get locally.

[@CreizaiOne]

"I don't understand?" gets to masking tape part.. ugh

[@tdcattech]

I treated a room back in 2020 and very quickly learned that you can't cut corners with this. Invest and do it properly with decent panels. It was the best money I've ever spent. The foam is never dense enough and these panels, as you say, are not thick enough. OK for high frequencies but nothing that really matters. When my first three panels arrived, I carried them into the room I was working on and could immediately hear the difference before even mounting them. I think just three decent panels would be better than all of these combined.

[@dondurham211]

This one is a great example of why I consistently find your content so helpful. Full disclosure of how you came to be talking about the product, and a call-it-like-you-hear-it review. Thanks!

[@anwalt693]

I once eliminated terrible reverberation in a surprising way. I worked in a 12 x 13 room with flat, solid walls, ceiling and floor. The reverberation was mind-numbing -- standing wave hell. I knew I was letting my online students down with this terrible sound environment, but had no ability to properly treat the room, as it was in a school. I discovered that stacking variously sized empty cardboard boxes randomly against the wall and corners behind me up to about 7 feet high had a surprisingly positive effect. I put the corner boxes at a roughtly 45 degree angle and tilted longer ones toward the ceiling at maybe a 20 degree angle. Box placement was haphazard, as I had just intended a quick experiment to see if the boxes would have any effect. (They were merely various empty boxes I had quickly found). To my astonishment, the offending reverb was almost completely eliminated. I assume each box broke up the standing wave differently, as each box had different height, width and depth, and some were angled. I was quite satisfied with the room thereafter. Changing to a hypercardoid dynamic microphone further improved the situation. My only other change was covering my desk surface with a heavy Turkish towel, which signicantly reduced keystroke clatter. Over the next week several of my students commented spontaneously about how good the sound was. Reverb gone. Expense zero.

[@th3drizzl378]

prob acted sort of like an anechoic chamber of sorts

[@noname-gp6hk]

That's a good tip. I suspect all the odd angles and box faces helped diffuse the sound waves so they would scatter all around the room more instead of reflect back and forth forever like an infinity mirror. Will definitely keep this in mind for future use!

[@vylbird8014]

Effective perhaps, until fire safety inspection time comes around.

[@mica4977]

Very useful to have mentioned the difference between Audio Treatment & Soundproofing. The first image I see when taking a look at their webpage was one advertising it as if it was capable of blocking the sound from getting into a neighbouring room where someone was sleeping. Likely misleading customers on purpose. This aside their fire retardant abilities is quite valuable for an item that will be placed all over. Personally not worth the price vs performance but some may get a use of these.

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

Please do a video on false ceilings, blinds and wall paintings. I mean acoustic panels can destroy the aesthetics. Are there alternatives ?

[@fuzzysquirrel]

Super appreciate your candor, and deep dives on these products. I value your assessments and keep coming back for more :)

[@miscodaba]

Thanks for the rundown. Much appreciated!

[@rvenden]

Excellent, Mike. I always wondered about those thin panels. Love your work. Roger

[@SyeedAli]

I'm glad you know about the air gap technique.

[@DapperDanLovesYou]

Excellent video! I think your assessment is quite accurate. They don't do enough.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Great video Mike. That tape trick underneath the aggressive adhesive two sided foam is what I do a lot in the film industry. One word of caution though... If you live in a place with high humidity, choose a tape that won't curl up on you and fall.

[@BoothJunkie]

Good Note. Is Gaffer tape the right tape in that instance?

[@SoundSpeeds]

@@BoothJunkie Not unless you take a LOT of stick off of it by sticking it on your shirt or pants until it's barely tacky anymore. In that case, it won't hold well. I'm not aware of any long term solutions. All of the applications I've used paper tape on have been for a few hours at most with exception of at my house and admittedly, removing the tape took my wallpaper with it. Perhaps you'll have better results that I do down here in the humid south where it changes humidity constantly.

[@Mopsie]

Great video as always. I was a bit worried there since this was sponsored but I’m glad you’re honest. The first 5 seconds I saw these panels I knew it wasn’t gonna cut it. But the printed ones look super nice! I’d buy them only for that to be honest. I already have thick DIY panels. Keep it up booth junkie!

[@johnkotches8320]

Thank you for addressing the difference between interior room treatment vs external isolation aka "sound proofing". They are 2 different things, with different material requirements and implementations.

[@BA-xx5en]

Great video! A 2 for 1. Great suggestions on the panels and great demonstration on a great microphone, the Rode! Thanks for the video!

[@probablyawake]

this is the type of content i like! great video! :)

[@yendornodlew2671]

LOL! The low rumble from the mic stand drag had me rollin'

[@JohnScottB]

I built a home office / KZbin studio in a shed in my back yard. I covered the angled ceilings with the same white panels and found out what you did: no real change or improvement. They look pretty cool and I laid them out in a brick pattern - plus they are white on the ceiling so it's not super distracting. I ended up building out (8) 4'x8' absorbers with 4 inch thick rockwool and that's what actually fixed my room. Thanks for being honest in this review - although it'd be hard not to be since the proof is right there in your audio!

[@HighlandHippie]

Thanks Mike this was very helpful to me. It’s been a long-standing debate with me about these kinds of panels. I’ve read, thought and debated literally for the last two years and I keep circling back to the same conclusion that they are simply not enough. I’ve chosen another style of treatment and maybe it’s not the best I could’ve chosen but it works and I’m not unhappy with content that I produce. So, thank you again and I look forward to your next video. All the best, - Robert

[@garywidom]

Love the honest review. They did look a little thin. Many of the studios I’ve been in, the panels are at least 2 inches thick.

[@FrostS1de]

Plz don't stop your videos/reviews on mics/amplifier/ets vo equipment 👍🎤

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

Mic, I'm thinking about false ceiling my bedroom studio for my youtube and voiceover setup. My idea is standard 2x2 foot tiles and 4 (or 5) square lights (2x2). Please do a video on false ceiling panels and large square lights. I mean what kind of reflection do the cause and whether you need treatment on a false ceiling.

[@peterbaan9671]

Very informative, as usual :)

[@immersiveirl6638]

Masking tape behind double-sided is very clever! I'll be using that in the future.

[@GeologyDude]

I bought a bunch of these from Rhino. The Rhino panels are more expensive than what you got, but seem identical in size/density. I mounted these on 1/2 inch thick particle boards-to allow a small amount of additional sound proofing-and as stand-offs from the walls. Also, the particle board panels allow some mounting versatility in the future, if I move. You need at least 2-3 times more tape than you think to hold the panels-or they may fall off. Also, I think that compared to low-density egg-crate foams, these compressed fiber panels are much better. Obviously, these are not equivalent to 2-6 inch thick pro level panels. But they provide a reasonable improvement for what they are…. I think the biggest complaints on these compressed poly panels is: 1) that tape will not bind to them very well-unless you use a lot of tape; 2) you need to really cover at least 60-80% of a room to make some improvement (most people incorrectly think that only 6-12 square feet of panels is enough).

[@slyderace]

I never thought of putting masking tape on the wall then put the double sided tape! Great idea! I'll be ordering some of these panels tonight!

[@ShawnMilo]

Thanks for the honest review. What *do* you recommend for doing a spare bedroom? I actually need to do that right now. I know you recommended Owens Corning 703 in the past, and I bought some and it worked great for my booth. But it would be pretty pricey to do a whole room. What did you use for your booth and editing suite?

[@MattSkalski]

I have these in my studio, I agree they "kind of work" which means they essentially do not work. I have the hex panel look for these which looks super cool, but that's mostly it. The 3" acoustic foam panels that I have on the cieling and side walls that are off camera are what are actually doing the work. I feel that might be misleading to my subscribers so I'm glad you reviewed it here.

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

Can anyone tell me if you need treatment on a false ceiling ? In my case its about ruining the aesthetics more than the cost.

[@7171jay]

Excellent video as I have come to expect from Booth Junkie. It would have been nice if you mentioned cost on these and compared to "better" panels in both price and effectiveness but the info you do offer on these is quite impressive!

[@RebornRegal]

3m strips work great for wall panels. I have used the same tape he showed in the video and it took the paint off of my wall.

[@itsjonathanwade]

Thanks for the video! I often use a RODE NTG2 for acting auditions and sometimes stream stuff ( I also got the king bee 2 recently!) I have the Centrance Mixerface R4. . . I still struggle with getting appropriate power to the mic. Any suggestions for either straight into camera or should I get an in-line booster? Thanks for any help and for continuing to make such helpful videos for a sound novice.

[@LesArtsdelaParole]

Thank you for this very unbiaised review ! They gifted you the bunch, and you didn't spare their weakness.

[@jeffdeboer1679]

Thank you for the tape hack. I'll be moving into a bigger apt. in the coming months and one of the bedrooms is going to be my studio, so I was wondering the best way to attach acoustic tiles or foam to the walls without causing damage.

[@boballen3055]

OMG Prerequisite 😂 Must be in love with the sound of your own voice

[@kevinlowney]

Worth it for the masking tape trick alone 😄

[@double00gigolo]

good tip with the masking tape

[@gramcarnaval]

Your awesome Thanks

[@davidasteed]

Great video and pacing. Is there a way (or software people like to use) to "evaluate" a room to determine what needs to be done to "fix it"? I don't have an audiophile ear, per se. I have a room with a lot of stuff in it that should offer "sound reflection and only one bare wall that I could put up some acoustic panels. I use the room for general voice recording (singing, podcasting, conference calling etc.).

[@AECommonThread2137]

Life is better with boobos❤

[@Yaya-mn1lc]

Hiya Booth Junkie😃 Thank you! Thank you so much for ALL OF YOUR TIME, ALL OF YOUR VIDEOS!! Q: do you offer any type of services? If I wanted to send you my example, would you listen and critique? I’m literally in my final few days of putting together my fist ever introduction demo. EVERYTHING I know, I’ve learned from videos Like YOURS😃 I could learn so much quicker if I had “that person”. Do you have a website with such services?!?! 😩 Jennifer

[@davidstein9129]

Very informative vid. I am beginning to treat a room I listen to music in. I was considering purchasing some of these panels due to lots of positive ratings on Amazon. Now I have decided to look elsewhere. I'm leaning towards ATS Acoustic Panels. I welcome your thoughts. Thanks So Much!

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

Do wooden doors or cabinet doors need treatment ?

[@Tysto]

Bubos also sells a product made of the same material but designed to be folded into little 4" triangles and stuck on the wall, so the individual triangles stick out 3.5". Since there are 9 per square foot, I imagine they would be a bit of a pain to install, but I bet they'd do a much better job. Not only does the material absorb sound, but the shape diffuses it.

[@TwitchingLights]

Have you posted a video on foam panels you would recommend for VO? I built a few Rockwool panels, but I need something for the empty space.

[@BillBene67]

I have some of these and I actually think if you double up and then have them away from wall a bit, they work quite well

[@pokepress]

Would this be at all useful for improving/adding on to an existing room treatment? Like could you use this instead of starting from scratch if your room already has some treatment?

[@TheFinalRevelation2]

You should collaborate with a builder and do a video on how to build your room with acoustic treatment in mind. I mean lots of people who are building a new home or renovating one would be interested in putting in some money at that stage.

[@DaveMcCall]

As long as the sound can penetrate the whole way through the panel, you can effectively increase the efficacy of the panel by leaving an air gap between the panel and the wall. It effectively enlarges the range of lower frequencies it can mitigate. These are really thin panels, though... A nice 2" thick panel, with a 2" air gap behind it can be incredibly effective.

[@Kragatar]

I bet just buying cheap mattress toppers and attaching them to the wall would make some good acoustic treatment. Might look stupid though, lol.

[@guapodesperado2822]

Fyi, even masking tape will leave residue and potentially rip up paint if you leave it stuck on the wall for long periods of time. You are far better off using high quality painters tape such as Frog Tape. Should still stick fine but safer on the paint.

[@MacroTh3ory]

I wish you did my news readings on google assistant in the mornings.

[@MacroTh3ory]

Random: I saw a Nintendo Switch on the shelf. What games do you like to play?

[@Dracomies]

Can definitely tell there's far more reverb with these panels than with your 4 inch Owens Corning 703 :D

[@631strongislandkid]

I think he just took on the shape of a unicorn!

[@twochaudiomg2578]

They sent you OK. It's the best

[@tvelektron]

I think this product could be very good for improving the acoustics in e.g. the office or living room - with a much better look than with "real" studio material. In addition, it would be exciting to clarify whether it could be sufficient together with a very closely used dynamic microphone.

[@worldbubos7118]

decorative&functional

[@escapedezigns4046]

Hi, what do you think of CADE300S any comment on the microphone? Thanks you.

[@drunkeng4175]

If you combine the foam (1 or 2 inch) with the long panels, would it improve the sound absorption? Thinking of doing a budget DYI

[@harrassee]

Good video. While they won't "sound proof" any sound absorption means less sound "escaping" from the room.

[@SparkY0]

3:10 I notice that the sound panels have already been hung up in the "terrible sounding room with on-camera audio" example.

[@mica4977]

The purpose was just to show the effects of echo. Poor mic technique can ruin audio even in a treated space. He later mentions these panels only block the higher frequencies, the mid and lower end of his voice still bounce around the room as if nothing has changed. By placing the mic close to his mouth he's able to have the volume of his voice be higher than any echo around him, greater benefiting from any audio treatment. On the other hand the far away camera's mic would pick up his voice and any echo created by it at nearly the same volume. This amount of treatment wouldn't be nearly enough to remove all the echo needed in order to get clean audio at that distance.

[@aaronrobbins1458]

Would these panels also be helpful for a home theater?

[@Blu3ManiC]

Some towels on your walls would probably do just as much for sound as these thin panels do, towels aren’t fire retardant though so at least there’s that safety aspect.

[@othinus]

Are Rubber Gym Mats a viable alternative for soundproofing a room? On the floor, walls AND ceiling.

[@leobarragan1098]

I don't think it would be worth the slight change compared to you just covering reflection points and corners with real panels. They are expensive, but you can make them on your own for a lot less with some work

[@LiraeNoir]

NO. SoundPROOFING is very hard and complicated. The short of it: you need air tightness, and a TON of mass for walls and floors and so on. Forget gym mats, think semi full of bricks and stone, that's more in that realm. There's advanced techniques obviously, room in a room type of stuff, but it's complicated.And it's never ever cheap. By the way, they wouldn't work for sound treatment either.

[@perrykeshahwalker5321]

How do they do with low end?

[@kerradeph]

How are they for transmission? Could you use those kinds of panels to make home made panels look better? I've got some panels with 4" rockwool insulation, but they look pretty bad, would be handy if I could cover them up with these panels and still get use from it.

[@LiraeNoir]

I had the same thought. Since you can nailgun them, I don't see why you couldn't cover a usual panel/box with these, if their dimension are the same.

[@AndrewMcMillenium]

I strongly recommend Acon DeVerberate 3, much better than iZotope.

[@kyleethekelt]

No, they aren't great for voiceover, but I've heard a lot worse on KZbin. Would the addition of a base trap solve the low-frequency issue?

[@UnboxerofWorlds]

What are you playing on that Switch?

[@nat.serrano]

So whay I use to block noise from outside? 5 layers of drywall? 😢

[@WyattOShea]

What panel would you actually use instead of these?.

[@Worgram]

Imo these Panels just eliminate some of the higher frequencies above maybe 3k. The lowend and mids of the voice are nearly unchanged listening to it in comparison. My suggestion for everyone starting out would be: 1. Get four 100x50cm Basotect blocks with atleast 5-7cm thickness (not the pyramids just the flush ones) and put 1 above, one to the left and right aswell as one directly behind of you. You can even get them with sticky tape applied 2. Same stuff but with Rockwool Sonorock instead. But you have to build these from scratch with wood and they should be 10cm thick atleast Cost of both: 1 = 150€ 2 = 50€ if done right (ikea for wood, look up "albert" and use the wood from it)

[@perrykeshahwalker5321]

I also hear a middle mid resonance.

[@Ryzza5]

I'd be curious to hear this setup without the ceiling panels installed which in my casual view are a little over the top for my needs.

[@martam518]

Question. I have a neighbour playing loud tv. Plus walls are a bed quality as i can hear his loud snoring during the nigjt time sometimes. Is sheetrock the best and cheapest way to go? I am.renting so probably.i would need a landlords permission. What are other solution? Also there is a fridge in this room. Would single standing panel - soundblock- block.the noise from.the fridge? Please help. I have not get a goid night sleep for one month.

[@bk6020]

Thanks for sharing. Proper acoustic treatment that is cost effective and not a permanent solution is like the biggest pain. Question, what kind of mic were you using, and would the reverb be any different with different mics?

[@jason01095]

At 0:55 he describes the mic he's using

[@LiraeNoir]

Honestly no, if those are you only criteria, that's easy: buy the cheapest Ikea bookshelves you can find (like a Billy, or cheaper), even second hand or from a dumpster. Fill it fully with acoustic material, like hemp or rockwool or similar. Wrap it in burlap or other breathable textile. Add felt or little wheels under it to move it. Done. It's probably around 50€ a piece, less than 100 for sure. And that's for music production, where you need a full spectrum treatment. If it's only the voice, heavy blankets clamped over poles works also very well when placed between the mic and the walls. Add a rug. Done. Both are cheap, easily moved, and will get you 70 or 80% of the treatment quality you would get in a pro studio. As to Mike's mic, he answered, it's a simple USB shotgun mic. A good dynamic very close to the mouth would get even less reverb, almost all condensers mic would get much more reverb.

[@bobversheck2131]

Check out the products available from Acoustimac! I built my booth around their materials.

[@eclexian]

So, I’m thinking these panels might be much more suitable for music vocals (singing) recording, where you don’t really want complete non-reflection like you would in a voiceover recording booth.

[@LiraeNoir]

I would be careful for music use, because those panels would cut a bit of high frequencies but leave the medium and low reverb intact. Meaning an unbalance result, hard to diagnose even in post.

[@junix1706]

[@MattSkalski]

The masking tape will also remove paint, if left there long enough. Need to used 3m velcro strips. #lifehack

[@MrOSGamer]

If I wanted to completely cover the wall, how easily can they be cut to a smaller size?

[@worldbubos7118]

yes, bubos acoustic panel can be easily cut into any size.

[@dennissmeltzer4394]

My comment is really based on my wife's job. I di not think I would want these for my VO area, but my wife is a periodontal dental hygienist. They just moved to an "upscale" new office with an "open" architecture. The result is her patient can often hear what is being said to another patient in another operating area. Maybe the combination of the printed "art" might provide an acceptable deadening of sound make her situation work. Maybe? Are there any manufacturers that offer quality acoustic treatments with "art" of the users choice?

[@kristofaxelson5088]

It sounds as though you’re looking for acoustic isolation. Wall panels are for treating reflections.

[@alexlechanteur3606]

so thin, they're gonna only absorb some minimal high pitch room verb ... nothing more 😅 You can probably acheive greater result with moving blanket.

[@musthavemetalradio]

Now price is $40 for 12 of the white square panels. But it shows that normal price is $70. Pretty pricey for something that doesnt really do what it is supposed to do

[@DimebagDarrenLowe]

Thanks Mike, I'm confused why any de-verb was used ... I want the hear the room

[@DerMBen]

Based on his other videos and if I understood correctly: He only used de-verb during that short portion where the text on screen said so

[@BoothJunkie]

@@DerMBen Correct.

[@Laura_DiNunno]

I was crossing my fingers, hoping this would be a thing because it seems more affordable than the recommended foam, but after listening with my headphones on, meh. Not impressed. On a side note, did I see a Salvador Dali-esque clock on your bookshelf? I might need one.

[@Mamiya645]

These sorts of things are easy to sell young easily impressionable streamers and creators to. I hear 1" is the ideal thickness for voice. Can you get hold of say 1" wide strips of something like this? That would help me take care of the steel frame shelves of mine giving a ringing response to loud sounds like sneezes. I'll do the DIY rock wool method for the apartment I'm moving into this August, even though it's built 2018 so you cannot hear neighbours unless a primal scream happens, whereas in my current place built in the 1950's you can hear their gut rumblings.

[@bigtb1717]

To dampen/eliminate the “ringing” resonance of steel shelves, look into a product called “Dynamat.” It is thin but very heavy, dense material. It is often used to help get better audio in vehicles by stocking it to the inside of body panels to dampen vibration, etc. I bet the shelf wouldn’t ring nearly as much with a bit if that stuff on it.

[@Mamiya645]

@@bigtb1717 Thank you, I remember seeing it in videos from Tavarish and others but forgot that name!

[@matthewchanmh]

can you please try to film with Large diaphragms which can receive more of the echo-y signals to exaggerate a little bit? coz shotguns don't really get that much difference before and after as Mike you set the mic in a really good position xD

[@bullettin]

The point of this video is to show how these might work in a typical streaming setup where they would use a shotgun like that. Since one wouldn't use a large diaphragm mic in this space with this treatment, I can see why he didn't do it that way. I can hear a slight improvement over the untreated space, but not that much. If the shotgun is picking it up, then the better mics will be pointless.

[@matthewchanmh]

@@bullettin lol that's weird why one wouldn't use a LDC in such environment as nowadays lots of 'streamers' or 'zoom-ers' would like to 'improve their sound quality by buying mics especially LDCs 'looks more professional' especially USB mics. it's just a suggestion to Mr Mike that he can create another video, not judging him using shotguns

[@1980Felipemonteiro]

My 2 cents: Anything that you put on a wall will help to soundproof a little. Mechanical waves...

[@AdamZollo]

Make them 2.5" think and I'm game.

[@Daizlol]

I assume they don’t work very well, but I could be completely wrong

[@dylanj8676]

They might work on high end reflections. But so would a heavy blanket

[@chinmeysway]

masking tape def pulls paint off of walls ps!

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

the Bubos-treated room sounds better than a video made by a millenial with a blue yeti in a room with bare concrete walls, but not by much, and not enough to bother with or pay for.

[@chinmeysway]

i would just return all that junk and get stuff that works.

[@seanwebb605]

Weirdest Bed & Breakfast ever.

[@philb-ze8sz]

Not user-friendly which destroys your walls buy GIK and hang them like a picture.

[@MantasticHams]

Bubos hahaha. 5318008, turn it upside-down bro. Check that out, hilarious.