GIK Acoustic Panels

These days, just about anybody can make a multitrack recording on their laptop, or even their phone. It’s crazy how far we have come in just a few decades. I started myself with a basic 4-track tape deck, a few Shure SM-57’s and a set of studio monitors. Over the years that has changed and many sound card/audio interfaces later, we can record at the highest resolutions currently available. We are beyond what human hearing can actually hear. Along my own journey of acumulating gear, building home studios and aquiring knowledge along the way – I was having a problem. I had spent countless of dollars on all this great equipment and yet my recordings that sounded good while I was mixing them just sounded ok when I got to my car or my boom box. Let’s see what GIK Acoustic Panels can do.

Do I need a PhD in acoustics?

Like most people with home studios, I record in a spare bedroom. Not the best environment, but I’m grateful to have a space where I can go and block out the rest of the world’s noise and channel some inner creativity. I have been lucky enough to work in some very nice professional studios, so I had some ideas about what my problem could be. Down the rabbit hole I went into the world of room acoustics.

There is so much out there to learn about acoustics, and no two rooms are alike in the whole world. As I was going down that rabbit hole I was lucky enough to stumble upon GIK Acoustic Panels. At this point I had knowledge of room acoustics, all be it very limited. I understood I needed to address it. Realizing that the cheap studio foam I had purchased in the past wouldn’t cut it, I was quickly learning that there was so much to learn about room acoustics that you could actually get a PhD in it! Knowing that I would never get that PhD and I really wanted to get back to recording music, I thought I would take a chance on this company – GIK Acoustics.

GIK Acoustics Website

GIK has a very informative web site. They have plenty of helpful video’s to watch that can get you going with everything from the basics of acoustics to tutorials on treating many different types of listening areas. I learned a lot on their website. They even have a free “Room Visualizer” that can help you plan your area and help you see what it will look like (you do have to create a free account with GIK to utilize this tool). GIK states: “The Room Acoustics Visualizer uses both virtual reality and augmented reality which allows users to both walk through a digital environment and place digital objects in their own home. This easy-to-use advanced modeling technology takes the guess work out of placing treatments in a room.”

Now most of this information can be found on hundreds of other websites, but GIK has made it so easy to understand. I found their information so much more elementary to consume than all the other websites I had spent hours on. A one-stop shop, no PhD needed! To boot, they have excellent representatives that are extremely knowledgeable and their products are visually appealing and effective. They tout that they offer “Free acoustical advice” and I found that they really did – without trying to be pushy sales people. Not to mention the GIK Acoustics owner Glenn Kuras has regularly chimed in to customers on the ever popular audio forum Gearspace.com. It’s nice to know you can get his ear and knowledge if needed.

GIK Acoustics 244 Bass Trap with FlexRange Technology

For my small 15×11 room, it was apparent that I had some serious bass build up and multiple areas of early reflections. For my budget, I first started out with GIK Acoustic Panels 244 Bass Trap with FlexRange Technology. The 244 Bass Trap’s 5.25″ thickness combined with the rigid fiberglass core provides twice the low end absorption over similar foam-based products. I should mention that you can purchase these panels with a few different options:

• Full Range – without a membrane, bass traps are broadband
• Range Limiter – with a membrane, bass traps absorb even lower frequencies while the membrane has less effect absorbing upper frequencies
• Scatter Plate – Optional built-in Scatter Plate for an even balance of absorption, diffusion, and scattering

I purchased two 24.25” x 48.25” panels in white, to match my rooms aesthetics and with the Range Limiter to grab those lower frequencies (I have a sub woofer). You must purchase these in a quantity of 2 per order in this size. This is due to shipping. From the time I placed my order, it took GIK Acoustics roughly 2 weeks to custom build my order and ship it to me. The panels came professionally packaged with no damage from the shipping company. They included strong wiring to hang, just like a picture frame. Their construction is SOLID. The fabric is strong and tight to their frame. My first impressions were of extreme satisfaction. The build quality was awesome and they looked amazing!

But how did they sound?

These panels are the real deal. I knew that I was going to hear a difference, but I wasn’t prepared for how tight my room was about to get! Placement for the bass traps was on my left and right walls, tight to the corner. I would have preferred to go in the corner touching both walls, but due to the layout constraints of my room having a window there – it was not possible. At first listen the results almost seemed drastic. Walking around the room I noticed much less “boominess” than before. The panels also took down the echo and reverb in the room. I decided I couldn’t stop there, LOL! As my budget allowed, I decided I would make a second purchase. I opted to place a second order for some absorption panels.

GIK 242 Acoustic Panel

Next up were the 242 Acoustic Panels by GIK Acoustics. This is how they are listed on GIK’s sight: Ideal in 2-channel listening rooms, recording studios, restaurants, reducing harsh reflections in hotel lobbies and conference rooms, home theaters, and sanctuaries, the 3.625″ thick and easily mountable 242 Acoustic Panels are an excellent choice for acoustically treating early reflection points, flutter echo, or general decay in a room. Our most versatile sound absorbing panels, the 242 acoustic panels are used to reduce noise in environments where sound clarity is important.

Like the 244 bass trap panels, the 242’s also have the option to add a “scatter plate” to 2 of the panels – assisting in some room diffusion. This is at an additional cost per unit. The scatter plate, constructed inside the panel helps scatter high frequencies while the panel itself also absorbs. When placing the order – dependent on size, I had to get 4 panels that were 24″ x 48″, matching the bass trap panels I had already installed. Once again, two weeks out the panels arrived. Packaged extremely well and right on time. Just like the bass panels, they came with metal wires to hang them by. I was worried that the color could possibly be off but they were a perfect match! And besides the depth difference and weight they were identical.

GIK Acoustic Panels – Everything just sounds better.

After installation I pulled up some music to audition them by. But before I even hit the space bar, I could hear the difference. Simple speech or a clap of the hands told me how much tighter my room had become. The “tuning” or sound of my room was even tighter, and pleasant sounding. I always prefer to pull up reference music that I know well when performing critical listening. I encourage you to do the same. For that matter, I have a dozens of songs in each genre that I know I can trust my ears when listening for specific frequencies.

GIK Acoustics offers a multitude of stylish bass traps, diffusors and absorption. I was not paid for this review. I am writing it because I truly find great value in the product. It has made the mixing process so much easier on me. I’m not chasing my lower frequencies for hours, and ear fatigue doesn’t settle in as soon as it used too. GIK Acoustics website is a blessing for all the knowledge you can gain for free, but if you’re serious about trying to achieve a better listening space in your home studio, click on their link above and take a gander.

What next?

Shortly after outfitting my studio with GIK’s panels, I took it up a notch and started looking at Speaker correction software. If you want to see how I fared after all my research, take a look at my recent post on Sonarworks SoundID Reference.

I will mention that the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.