Egg cartons for a recording room?

Question

Do you think loads of open egg cartons stuck on the walls & ceiling, their points inwards, would be a moderatly succesful alternative to that expensive stuff to diminish unwanted echoes etc.? Any-one tried it before we start collecting hundreds of the things, for a small band recording room.

Answer 1

Yes it does work reasonably well. Less well if they are painted. The big disadvantage, though, is the fire hazard.

Answer 2

It seems all the sites I went to said that egg boxes will do nothing to solve the sound-proofing but could slightly improve acousticsonly but only at high frequencies. You must consider all the frequencies in the audio range.
Other ideas included using old duvets or carpets, over a timber frame , fibre glass covered by plasterboard. If sound-proofing is a priority then the sound leakage areas - windows and doors need to be looked at first. Triple glazing with heavy curtains or you could bring the duvets into use here too!

Answer 3

egg cartons look a bit like the acoustic foam used in real studios, the shape breaks up the sound waves by scattering them in different directions preventing strong echos.
the big problem with egg cartons as i see it would be re-verb from the cartons when you hit on their resonant frequency ,they will vibrate producing unwanted noise, I wouldn't waste any time on this, every home studio i have seen uses mattresses to absorb the sound rather than dispersing it like you were thinking.

Answer 4

card board or foam egg cartons will work for low frequency absorption but does not have the porosity needed for high frequency.

Try a polyurethane egg-crate type of mattress topper, it is a lot cheaper than acoustical foam, but it is the same shape and material. You can pick up a full or queen size for around $20.

Answer 5

Yes, I have a 5 foot tall stack of "to-go" drink cariers from fast food restaurants that I have been saving for my recording room. I don't have room in the house I live in now, but when I move, one room will have these covering every surface except the floor.

Answer 6

Egg cartons won't work unless you fill them with something to absorb the sound. They are porous but not enough to help. I used to be a sound engineer for a sound/vibration manufacturer.

Answer 7

Yes because the shape helps to diffuse the sound,Just be sure to remove the eggs first.

Answer 8

No, they don't work. And they're a pretty big fire hazard.

For a cheap remedy, there's a paint called AcoustiCoat that's supposedly a sound-deadening paint.

Answer 9

It worked in the movie Hustle and Flow

Answer 10

Polystyrene would be better but it is still a fire risk, especially if painted.