Are DIY Absorbers Useless? (Tested vs €800 Pro Panel)

They said my DIY absorbers are useless.
One comment claimed they don’t help with SBIR. Another said the fabric blocks sound and makes them worthless.

So I put them to the test — with real-world measurements, reflection experiments, and even a direct comparison against a professional ACM absorber.

In this video you’ll see:

-SBIR test results (Speaker Boundary Interference Response) with vs. without absorber
-Window reflection test: DIY absorber vs. ACM BB100 (€800)
-Room treatment performance in a real studio
-Fabric transparency explained: fleece permeability and NRC values
-ISO 354 absorption data: wood fiber vs. Rockwool 60

► Subscribe for more practical mixing & recording tips:
   / @tidalwavestudio  

► Connect with me (Patrick Damiani, Tidalwave Studio):
🌐 Website: https://www.tidalwave.de
📘 Facebook:   / tidalwavestudio  
📷 Instagram:   / tidalwave_studios  

These aren’t lab tests in an anechoic chamber — they’re repeatable, practical experiments that show what really matters in a studio.

By the end, you’ll see that these absorbers are not useless at all — but an affordable and effective alternative to high-end modules.

Coming soon: my DIY diffusor build — low-cost, and outperforming many expensive options. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!


Research data referenced:
Samuel, B. (2023). Acoustic properties of fabrics:
https://style.p.lodz.pl/sites/style/f...
Utsunomiya, T. et al. (2005). Sound absorption coefficients of microfiber fabrics by reverberation room method:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:59 SBIR Test
3:52 Reflection Test
7:09 Homestudio Performance
7:36 Fabric Critique
11:04 Filler Material Critique
14:05 Final Thoughts


#acoustictreatment #DIYstudio #homerecording #mixingtips #recordingstudio