Hi, I was wondering if the traps detailed on Ethan's webpage would work if they were still sealed tight but not to the wall. The reason I ask is my studio walls have a stucco finish which would make it very difficult to achive an airtight seal between the 2x2 and the wall. So I thought I could just seal them up with a "pretend" wall of plasterboard and then eith suspend or somehow mount them to my walls. Would they still be as effective?
Please see diagram below.
Recovered from web.archive.org — originally hosted at http://www.nixonaudio.com/room/trap.jpg
Because ethans is a Membrane Absorber I believe by lifting it off the wall you compromise some of the bass trapping effectiveness at lower frequencies.
If keeping it off the wall is an issue I'd look at Johns Bass Trap/Absorber which was designed to be a portable (non attached) option.
Remo,
Bryan is correct that wood panel membrane traps need to be flat against a wall (or ceiling or floor) to work best. But an extra 1/2" to 3/4" for a backing will not hurt anything. Whatever you use for a back, it should be as massive and rigid as possible. If it flexes or bulges as sound strikes the front panel, the trap will not work as well as it could.
--Ethan
