Update: last week I finished my eight panels using this design. The inner frame makes wrapping and stapling easier, and the outer frame keeps the fabric clean and scratch free - I was able to use a lightweight white muslin without worrying about it getting shabby over time. Based on what I know now, I’d use 5/8” or 3/4” Baltic birch plywood instead of pine for the inner and outer frames. Pine was too fussy to flatten and thickness-plane. One modification I’m glad I made: I added a 2-foot 1x2 pine strip across the middle to prevent the panel from bowing out. One mistake I made: I cut all the inner and outer parts first. Then I assembled the inner frames and the outer frames. But I failed to adequately account for the 3/16” hardboard dimension around the inner frame, so the first wrapped inner frame didn’t fit into an outer frame. If I did it again, I’d cut the outer frame members a little long until after I wrap the inner frame. Then I’d cut them to fit the wrapped inner frame. I was too focused on batching all the dust-producing table saw operations before moving onto the clean fabric work in my limited work space. To fix it, I had to unscrew the hardboard sides from all the inner frames and trim off about 3/16” from the 1x2 pine frames and the hardboard parts, then screw the hardboard sides back on. Good thing all that got covered up by the muslin and outer frames! Notes: 1) I used Rockwool 3”x2’x4’. I do recommend gloves, but with care I don’t think a mask is necessary. 2) Corner wrapping. My first panel, my prototype, came out with two pretty good corners and two bulky ones. After that, I got serious and developed templates for trimming off a specific shape out of the corners of the muslin before wrapping. The other seven panels have tidy, professional looking corners. If I knew how to make a UKposts video, I'd go into detail about the trimming templates. I think they make short work of the wrapping and I'm proud of the innovation. Total material cost: about $340, including detachable hinges, or $43 per panel (California, 2023). I think Michael's $25 estimate leaves out the outer frames. Time investment: don’t ask. Finished quality: outstanding. Smooth and waxed with softly eased edges. Chose the color I wanted. Satisfaction from DIY: incalculable.

hvaing made acoustic panels before, I can definitely day this is one of the best tutorials out there. He adresses a lot of the common problems people run into when making panels for the first time. Great job!

idk man you're just like the most respectable, non-arrogant or overly confident, yet most helpful and enjoyable person to watch among anyone that makes music related tutorial videos

Dude, Michael is such a rare person. He always goes out of his way to make videos that really help people, in all different ways. Not pushing sponsors, or merch, or anything - sharing everything he knows out of the interest of others and his own good will. Because that's what he loves doing (I hope!). Round of applause for everything you do. You are an inspirational figure.

What a coincidence, last night I was talking to a guy in music store about how to make your own acoustic panels and today we have a video 😂😂

You are the best, Michael! A major part of my music making process is watching your videos and rewatching them! Your channel has helped me a tonne! Thank you! 🙏🏻❤

Everything about this video is super high quality, thank you for putting this out there. My favorite part was the audio comparison, I could really understand what is happening in my room because it sounds similar to your audio without the acoustic treatment. Appreciate this very much!

Hi I'm Larry and this is one of my favorite videos. It helped me treat my room so I can record my goat. -Larry

This was the tutorial I needed to confidently build my own panels! My studio sounds so much better now. Thanks for the top-quality content Michael 🙏

Michael, this tutorial was both unexpected and hugely helpful. You've shown this is so quick, easy and inexpensive to do, now I can take my studio space to the next level. Thank you!

You are the most humble, pleasant, practically orientated and hugely knowledgeable production expert on all UKposts channels. Thanks a lot!

As a training finish carpenter by day, before I found producing, I appreciate your attention to detail when you recommend counter sinking. I also appreciate you educating people about the frame and which way the wood should be framed. You've framed the foam the same way the faceframe of a bookcase would be framed. Well done. Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I knew I wanted to make my own panels but I'm renting at the moment and I was putting it off because I couldn't think of lighter ways to build the frame that would hold the foam. I was stuck in the "Robust" carpenter mind set lol. This is brilliant!!!

Great video. I’ve been wanting to make some panels of my own for quite awhile now but I watched too many videos which left me with too many options and too many questions. These panels look super clean, practical, easy to make, affordable and easy to mount, which was always something that left me with uncertainty with heavier build designs. Thanks for this, Michael.

Last vid, I mentioned the consistency of your audio from scene to scene (seat to seat) and WOW… the very next vid you explain how you’ve accomplished it. You deserve to be right where you are, on the precipice of 1 MIL!!! The quality, efficiency and relatability of your videos honestly deserves 10 MIL…. Keep it up bro. You’ll be the premier UKposts channel leading the pro-audio revolution in no time.

You are the GOAT of online mixing/producing/recording advice. Thanks for all you do for the community!

Best video, description and tutorial for building Acoustic Panels EVER!!! Thank you so much!

The most knowledgeable, insightful, & deeply compassionate audiophilic educator in the video- internet all things audio dimension. Love your work.

This is one if not the best make you're own acoustic panels tutorial I've seen so far, you have basically answered any question I can come up with. Amazing explanation and video, I liked and subbed to support you because you really earned that Michael!

Love this video! Thank you for showing a great, budget way of getting acoustic treatment in the home studio! With just a little bit of work and elbow grease, exponential improvements can be made!

This is one of the gentlest and pleasant tutorials I've gotten to watch, on any subject.

I just finished making 5 panels, 5.5" thick. They turned out (relatively) light, solid, and visually beautiful. Acoustically, the difference is night and day. Thank you, sir!

Wow. You always explain everything to perfection, really appreciate it.

Brilliant! The way you explain is easily digestible and quite doable for anyone! Thank you!

Very helpful video. Thanks for all your suggestions & time. Yes, big acoustic differences. You not only dampened the reverberations in the room, but you also a more pleasant tonal quality, which in all, is another important aspect. Good work.

Best panel build guide yet👍🏻 thanks for sharing! Worked on roof construction for a few weeks as a summer job... no safety at all and lots of rockwool insulation. Came home every day itchy literally everywhere. But hey. It stopped itching now:')

An Bass Trap Tutorial would be appreciated as well!

Awesome video. Your instructions are fantastically easy to follow and the finished product is excellent quality. And it makes an ENORMOUS difference to the quality of recordings!

The results at the end... wow. Amazing. Dude wasn't kidding about DIY being superior.

This was fantastic. I had never seen someone explain how one can save money on wood but also explain the true stress point for the frame itself. Panels can be daunting with wood prices because as you mentioned, everyone goes for 3/4” thick, 3.5” wide frames. That adds up FAST. Anyway, loved this approach and idea. Thank you.

My friends and I just finished decking out our new music studio with 12 of these panels, and they make a WORLD of difference! Relatively easy to build (we built all 12 of them in a day with the 3 of us including getting the materials), and so much bang for buck! We came out to approx. 500 euro for the 12. Thanks so much for a great video!

I love this DIY video! Thanks for making improving my home studio this easy. Great content!

Michael has seen me through the first step and now he's simply telling me to initiate this step and be where I should be. Thank you.

this is such a great tutorial, I'll definitely be coming back to this when I've gathered the materials needed and it's time to do some acoustic treatment also I am really thankful for your insights into the insulation materials you used, because otherwise I'd probably have used rockwool or something like that

This is a beautifully produced video presented by a uniquely bright and personable young man. I think of how much better my day would be if there were more people like this. I am grateful for the efforts and knowledge that this young man has shared with the rest of us. Well done!

A very nice and straight forward tutorial with all the required information. Thank you for taking the time to create this.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. You were very thorough and that really added to how helpful it was. Well done.

What a gem of a channel. Always such thoughtfully planned content.

This is a really good tutorial! Thank you for your concern and advice on structural strength, healthy materials, price - and overall efficiency of the whole design! Great job and great video!

brilliant mate... you've just saved me hundreds of quid and helped me realise that I can not only pull this off quite easily but also get exactly the bespoke panels I need for my space. Cheers.

This is great! Your videos are always packed with so much helpful information. I'm not sure whether I need panels in my room yet, as I'm still finalising the way it's laid out - but I'm definitely bookmarking this video to return to, just in case. Very clear and useful, thanks so much.

This is fantastic! My aunt recently disassembled a "music room" that the original owner didn't want anymore, and they had gone super overboard with the materials. Each wall panel requires like 6 people to lift up because they're made out of sheetrock and thick plyboard. And the worst part is, when it's all put together, the acoustic inside the room are just awful. thanks for the tutorial, this'll come in handy.

Great video. Often I found it difficult to find easy understandable videos about this topic and this one here is simple and easy to understand. Also nice you make the room test afterwards. Great video. And thanks for the tip about don't use rockwool or other unhealthy materials.

I need to do these in my house. I have vaulted ceilings and the echoes are insane. Great job on the ending demonstrating how well these things work. I've watched several builds and I actually quite like these.

Easily best video on the internet for panels. Thank you!

Excellent tutorial. I've got to admit that the reduction in reverb/resonance of your voice and the claps in the before and after recordings was greater than I expected, so after initially dismissing the idea of making/installing panels in my room I'm now thinking I should do something about it.

Well done! I love this channel, I have been making music for a little bit now and this channel has been friendly, extremely helpful, entertaining, and just overall incredible. Big up to you Michael 🙌

I built a few of these today. Really solid construction, much better than just smacking a bunch of 2x4s together and calling it a day. Thanks for the video!

I've watched a lot of tutorials and so far this seems like the most safest and best way to make these panels. I am from Cape Town, and I've been looking for recycled denim slabs online, unfortunately it seems there's mostly rock and glass wool around here. Will have to wait until I find the right material, because would really like to make something similar like yours and not take any chances especially considering one's health. Thank you for this !! Great one !

Amazing video! Very helpful 👍🏼 Could you do another one explaining how to positioning the panels on your room correctly?

Thank you so much! And finally there's a DIY acoustic treatment video on UKposts making clear that rockwool, stonewool and fiber is bad for your health!!! Really great video! 🙌By the way, great channel!

The difference is insane. Also great build. I modified it slightly to make wood front frame so I can hang it on the sealing on something load bearing. Thanks mate

This is so, so good! I wish you a good and productive time today. Thank you so much for your time, work and energy to create this beautiful content.

Awesome timing, I was actually looking for an affordable solution when it comes to treat my room. Thank you Michael! 😊

Just as your tutorials on mixing are better than most, more concise and to the point, so is this tutorial on acoustic panels making. One possible alternative to avoid wall mounting, is to built a larger base or some kind of "feet" so the panels would be freestanding, and would be movable around the room and double as gobos, if necessary.

What a terrific insulation solution! Thank you very much for making this video; I will probably do exactly as you suggested when it comes time to insulating my space. 👍

Bruh the fact that this popped up on my feed after me and the guys at the yo was literally just talking about building panels we just finished the lights you’re a godsend thank you

Thank you for converting everything to freedumb units.

Nice rich informative video as usual! Thanks, Michael! Will definitely incorporate some of these ideas to our own, especially the health and safety aspects. For some of you folks who find it somehow a burden to DIY, feel free to hire us! Variety of acoustic panel products and very flexible services so you can customize materials to your taste!

THANK YOU Michael for this excellent tutorial! I‘ve spent a day building 6 panels with zero technical skills whatsoever. Can‘t believe how easy it was (apart from folding the corners properly lol)

What a great, informative video with a relatively simple solution to a problem all audiophiles have. Well done!

I LOVE this. I see a few commenters upset that you didn’t whip out an SPL or RTA meter to do before and after measurements (I get it, treating specific frequencies is important) but something tells me that wasn’t the goal here. The goal was to DIY some affordable and decent acoustic treatment using dense, absorptive materials. Honestly, this is an excellent solution for reflections and for those higher frequencies (and, depending on the materials the individual has chosen, one could target mids and potentially even lows). You achieved that goal, well done!

A friend and I spent a few weekends building acoustic panels after watching an older guide of yours! One thing we realized was that-at least in the United States-the cost of lumber from hardware stores can add up really really quickly. If we were to do it again, we'd probably try buying direct from a mill. And I'm glad you mentioned safer fillings. We ended up reluctantly using Rockwool with a lot of precautions, just because it was difficult to find information on alternatives.

As someone who self taught before going to college for sound engineering then having too stop due to life getting in the way, i have recently picked back up my obsession with music/sound. I just want to say man, this channel is an absolute treasure trove of information ranging from complex too entry level stuff and its all articulated In a way that us meer mortals can understand, Honestly man i salute you and i urge you too never stop teaching in some kind be it on here or becoming an actual lecturer you're killing it dude one of the best sound related channels i have found, you have my support and my gratitude. Keep it up man, if you ever see this give yourself a pat on the back, Phenomenal work. Edit: I just noticed as well, you have a great ability of laying out the foundation for something but not straight up telling people the way to do it, you show them how then explain how important it is too express you're own creativity and figure it out for youself this dosnt happen enough in this day'n'age. awesome stuff

I am by no means planning on making any kind of acoustic panels but i did enjoy this video thoroughly, very well made, easy to take in and straight to the point!

Yet again another professional video! Always puts some much detail into his work & always covers the need to know basics! Would be interest to know where you picked up the denim slabs? (Website wise)

Love the insulation alternatives. The health & safety implications are important but it's also important to note that the denim, hemp, wood and recycled insulation are much more environmentally friendly and sustainable too. Doing your part for you, your room and the planet!

Such a brilliant video, the attention to detail and care in helping us to complete is appreciated. Thank you

Great new and novel tips here, especially using the thin sides to save money and weight, and using the gardening fabric. Thanks.

I just want to share my experience with building my panels (after watching this video) I found it difficult getting a hold of acoustic treatment materials like the recycled denim, which was my preference. I settled for Rockwool. Used gloves to install, didn’t have any spillage or any of the material falling out or getting everywhere, it’s not like the messy stuff you find in lofts. I bought them in slabs (1200x600mm) and they worked amazingly. They’ve killed all reverberations and reflections in my room from 6 panels. So if you’re wondering if Rockwool works ? I can’t recommend it highly enough, I’ll deffos use it again. Thanks for this video Michael, it was a huge help.

great video! quick tip which makes a very big difference: I suggest making the frame about 10cm wider than the panel, so you leave an air gap between the actual panel and the wall. This drastically extends the frequency range which your panel will absorb towards the low end of the frequency spectrum.

Crystal clear instructions and presentation, many thanks for this most helpful tutorial.

Huge difference. Just finishing up a project trying to soundproof my bedroom. I have some rockwool left over and I'll be making a couple of these to hang in there. 👍

I absolutely love this, people don't talk enough about how dangerous fiberglass and rock wool are to work with. I've even used old towels stapled into a frame before (SHOCKINGLY effective) but fiberglass isn't worth the risk. Recycled denim/fabric is a brilliant idea. Thanks for the great content!

Remember that these panels will not soundproof a room, this is purely to control the acoustics of the room. The more you have in your room the lower the reverb time will be. If you want know what frequencies your panel will absorb, you can calculate it. To treat a frequency you need the absorbing material to be 1/4 the wave length of that frequency, and it will treat every frequency up but not lower. For example if you want to treat 800 hz and up the absorbing material will need to be 4.24 inches. Also place your panels based on first reflection points to help with reflections. Sit in your mixing position and look at the walls and think if I put a mirror on the wall what parts of the wall would I be able to see the monitors and then put a panel there.

you are seriously great at making tutorial videos and informative content. This is the best video I was able to find for building acoustic panels, thank you so much!

This is great, thank you so much for saving me an absolute mint! Great instruction - clear, concise and authentic. Super job!

Where did you get the filling material? I don't see a link in the description. Plan to use this fabric over a window. thx

Holy Smoke! This video is precious. Will you have another video on how to arrange them?

I love that you used the healthy kind of insulation for your safety.

Might be the best video I've seen on acoustic panels. Thanks brother.

Really great DIY for accoustic panels just came at the right time. You covered the panels here, what would you recommend regarding the room corners? Would you stick with triangular basstraps made of this accoustic foam or something else?

There is another consideration that factored into me using rockwool in the end - the fire rating. I will caveat that by saying I treated the entire interior surface of my room though, so fire considerations were part of that element of the design. I did make floating panels like these to go over the main reflection points, so in retrospect I probably would have used something easier on the skin/body for those, but I had spare rockwool knocking around and it made sense. Cheese cloth is another incredibly cheap option for the back fabric. I ended up completely covering mine in cheese cloth before using an aesthetically nicer fabric for the finish.

Bro!!! This is beyond generous and awesome. Thanks so much for sharing this and helping people out!

Extremely helpful and insightful tutorial. Thank you very much for sharing!

For vocals, and general purpose this would work great. But the material used for professional studio panel are usually much denser (form 40 up to 80 kg/m3), and that's because 20 or 30 kg/m3 just won't do much to tame really low frequencies from acoustic drum sets or a bass cab, or even for making bass traps. Although for most home studios I'd say your design would work nicely. Great video!

Hi michael! Great video and advice on acoustic panel building, especially like the lighter frame design. One question for you: I have been hesitant about using Rockwool as I have had a bad experience in the past working from a studio that stung everyone's eyes from the moment you walked through the door lol. Regarding alternatives, I live in Vietnam so sourcing the alternatives you mentioned is not easy, however I have come across a product made from Polyester fibres that is apparently a safe, environmentally friendly, dust-free, hypoallergenic material. It is sold in densities from as little as 10kg/m2 all the way up to 100kg/m2 with plenty of choices in-between. Do you think this would be a good option? I was thinking of using 80kg/m2. Appreciate the help.

And yes i have watched so many of ur high quality vids buddy on buying audio gears for home studio.. and now this on buildng ur own acoustic panels. Man u r simply amzing and ever so genuine. U cud so easily create paid courses on music/audio and make hell lot of money..😃😄

Great video, thank you so much! One question: would you have a #panel/m² ratio (and I mean how many panels per m² of room) and mounting distance from one panel to the next to suggest?

Hey man! For the isolation material I can choose between recycled cotton or hemp fibre. In my country (The Netherlands), the recycled cotton plates are 120x60x4,5 cm, so I probably need two of them per panel. The measurements of the hemp fibre plates are 120x58x10 (but can get them in different thicknesses). The recycled cotton has a density of 45 kg/m3, whereas the hemp fibre plates have a density of 37 kg/m3. What’s better, having two of the recycled cotton plates (which make them 9 cm thick) or should I stick with one hemp fibre plate of 10 cm per panel? What’s the ideal thickness of the panels? I am also considering to make two bass traps, should I make them twice as thick as the other acoustic panels? The sad thing is that the recycled cotton is much more expensive, but I prefer working with panels that are 120x60 instead of 120x58. Thanks for the video by the way! This video came right on time, since I have been looking for afordable options to threat my room!

Just one word: Fantastic! Thank you very much for this really nice tutorial!

Hi Michael. It’s just a bit more than one year after your video, and today I began the build of what will become eight 2’ x 2’ x 4” panels using your clever inner-frame design. Using the 1/4” board for the inner frame keeps the panel solid but still light, while a sturdy outer frame keeps the fabric on the sides clean and free of scratches. I’m opting to include the pine outer frame so I can hinge panels together to use as moveable gobos around me when tracking. The outer frame will take the scuffing. They’ll also double as wall hangers when I mix. If I was only going the hang them on walls, I’d skip the outer frames. I have the insulation and wood, and I made the first cuts today. Still need to get the fabric. I’ll start with one panel to work out the bugs. Thank you for the design inspiration. You got me off the fence I’ve been on for two years. One modification: I’m going to use pocket-hole joinery (Kreg system) for the 1 x 2 frame, and for the 1 x 4 outer frame. This avoids both screwing into end grain and visible screws! Also, I plan to add a cross piece of 1 x 2 joining the four-foot sections, to reduce deformation when carrying the panels around.

First person

Old towels as a filler do a great job as well! 👍

Great video, thank you. Really helpful and informative. I'll watch again before I build mine!

Amazingly insightful video, thank you so much for your dedication. I’m about to build some panels myself following your instructions 🤲🏽

Great video! What a difference when you tested with and without the panels. Impressive. Thanks for sharing this. 👍 😊

Great video! Thanks for sharing your experience in this acoustic panel build!

excellent design advice and presentation. I really like the idea of using other materials than rockwool. Thanks Your attention to detail is wonderful, much appreciated!

Impressive!!! Thanks for the test of with and without the panels at the end!

Thanks a lot for the tips on the health aspects of normal insulation from hardware shops. Made me think twice before using such material in a hangout space and not behind a wall. Subbed!