🎧 Acoustic Panel Calculator
Calculate how many acoustic panels your room needs based on RT60 targets
| Application | Target RT60 | Description | Panel Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording Studio | 0.2 – 0.3s | Dead / controlled acoustics | 30 – 50% |
| Podcast / Vocals | 0.3 – 0.4s | Tight, dry speech capture | 25 – 40% |
| Home Theater | 0.3 – 0.5s | Balanced cinema immersion | 20 – 35% |
| Listening Room | 0.4 – 0.6s | Accurate stereo imaging | 15 – 30% |
| Home Office | 0.5 – 0.7s | Reduced echo for calls | 12 – 22% |
| Living Room | 0.6 – 0.9s | Natural, relaxed sound | 8 – 18% |
| Gaming Room | 0.3 – 0.5s | Clear positional audio | 15 – 30% |
| Vocal Booth | 0.15 – 0.25s | Ultra-dry isolation | 50 – 80% |
| Room Size | Volume (m³) | Panels @ RT60 0.3s | Panels @ RT60 0.5s | Panels @ RT60 0.8s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (8×10×8 ft) | 18 m³ | 14 panels | 8 panels | 4 panels |
| Medium (12×14×9 ft) | 43 m³ | 34 panels | 19 panels | 10 panels |
| Large (16×20×9 ft) | 81 m³ | 64 panels | 36 panels | 19 panels |
| Studio (10×12×9 ft) | 30 m³ | 24 panels | 13 panels | 7 panels |
| Vocal Booth (6×6×8 ft) | 8 m³ | 7 panels | 4 panels | 2 panels |
| Open Plan (20×30×10 ft) | 170 m³ | 134 panels | 75 panels | 40 panels |
Acoustic panels are sound-absorbing panels that you use to reduce reverberation and echo in a room. The basic principles of good acoustics are absorption, diffusion and attenuation. Those panels are not meant to block noise that enters or exits the space.
Instead of reducing the volume, they are designed to remove reflections and standing waves, improving the sound quality
How Acoustic Panels Improve Room Sound
When you put panels in a room, you call that “treatment”, which makes the room sound better. Even so, to keep sound outside, such solutions are almost useless. Soundproofing is a difficult task after building already is ended.
Usually, you do that by choosing specific materials and amounts during the construction of the walls and foundation.
There are many choices. CSWEBX offer panels with fabrics like DMD, Executive and Suede, in more than 40 colours and various sizes. CelluZorbe panels are cheap and green, because they consist mostly of recycled cellulose fiber.
They give good acoustic results and thermal insulation, and they are fire-rated, itch-free and easy to install. Wellco Acoustics panels are made from high-density polyester for better insulation, while others use special acoustic foam to eliminate chatter and standing waves.
GIK Acoustics is a very known and good source. Their GIK FreeStand Acoustic Panels are portable acoustic gobos, the word “gobo” means “go between”… That reduce reverb and unwanted sounds, staying flexible in position.
Most panels work well if they are at least three inches thick. Four-inch panels absorb more bass, helping that low frequencies be heard equally through the whole room.
For low frequency problems, it helps to use bass traps in the corners of the room with mineral wool panels of at least four inches. More bass traps are better. But keep in mind, because that could cause too much absorption of mid and high frequencies, which reduces the soundstage.
Some bass traps avoid that by using a range limiter so they do not absorb the high tones.
If you fully cover a window without gaps, acoustic panels can a bit improve the mid and high frequencies. Even so, for low-frequency noise, absorption alone will not help. Snowsound create walls and ceiling panels that combine acoustic need with Italian design and furniture elements.
Wooden panels like Akupanels also improve the sound and decorate the place. It is important that the acoustic solutions fit with the interior design of the space. You can use panels even in RVs.
Tiles or panels on walls and ceilings help dampen sound, because RVs do not have thick noise-blocking walls like houses.