[morganc]

Hi Guys,
     I am trying to DIY for room treatment with the help of a friend who has built his own recording studio in Amsterdam .  We have everything we need but the fabric to cover our panels.   Can anyone help?   I saw an ad on Audiogon a few weeks ago for a guy who would take any high resolution photo and place it on a good fabric.   I know GIK does this and it looks amazing, but my friend actually needs the work and I would prefer to pay him.  However, above all it must look good. 
     Do any of you have any experience with such fabrics with your own photos or high resolution images?   Thoughts?
Thanks,
Morgan

[morganc]

How about something like this:
http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome

[Photon46]

A potential problem with such DIY approaches is that you don't know what acoustic reflective properties fabrics you might buy for this application possess. Recipes for DIY acoustic panels written by knowledgable writers have warned that some degree of higher frequency reflection can result from using anything but cloth specifically designed for this acoustic applications. That may or may not be an issue, depending on your situation. Have you looked at all the fabrics Guilford of Maine produces? They've got quite a few very decor friendly fabrics that look better than most photo murals to my eyes (extreme subjectivity of aesthetics admitted.)

[shadowlight]

Check out GIK and ATS Acoustics.

[Letitroll98]

I just went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some quilting fabrics like this:













You can pick your themes and styles of course, but it worked very nicely for me.

[morganc]

A potential problem with such DIY approaches is that you don't know what acoustic reflective properties fabrics you might buy for this application possess. Recipes for DIY acoustic panels written by knowledgable writers have warned that some degree of higher frequency reflection can result from using anything but cloth specifically designed for this acoustic applications. That may or may not be an issue, depending on your situation. Have you looked at all the fabrics Guilford of Maine produces? They've got quite a few very decor friendly fabrics
that look better than most photo murals to my eyes (extreme subjectivity of aesthetics admitted.)

Thanks for the feedback....this is an area of concern I have for sure.  i will check out the Guilford products as I have not done so yet.  I did find a long post on AVS forums where they tested the fabrics from the store above I mentioned......I will do more research.....thank you.

[morganc]

I just went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some quilting fabrics like this:













You can pick your themes and styles of course, but it worked very nicely for me.

Thanks.......and it is working very well for you?  I am specificaly looking for the fabric that would be covering panels at the first reflection point. 

[dm]

A potential problem with such DIY approaches is that you don't know what acoustic reflective properties fabrics you might buy for this application possess. Recipes for DIY acoustic panels written by knowledgable writers have warned that some degree of higher frequency reflection can result from using anything but cloth specifically designed for this acoustic applications. That may or may not be an issue, depending on your situation. Have you looked at all the fabrics Guilford of Maine produces? They've got quite a few very decor friendly fabrics that look better than most photo murals to my eyes (extreme subjectivity of aesthetics admitted.)

spoonflower fabric has been tested.  See here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20147694#post20147694

[Letitroll98]

Thanks.......and it is working very well for you?  I am specificaly looking for the fabric that would be covering panels at the first reflection point.

Yes, that's actually what they are being used for and have proven effective used over OC 705 panels.  You can tell instantly when one of the panels are moved.  I switched to Rockwool (Roxul Safe'nSound) for the bass traps and haven't finished them off yet, but for bass traps just about anything will work.  These are all lightweight synthetic fabrics and don't seem to have any of the drawbacks of burlap, heavy felts, or suede.  I don't know what these drawbacks are specifically as I haven't used or measured these other fabrics, but I was advised against using them because of adverse high frequency performance.  Perhaps the burlap and suede from Guilford of Maine are different than the run of the mill (ha, a textile pun) types from JoAnn Fabrics etc.   

[Pez]

Go for this look!



 

[morganc]

spoonflower fabric has been tested.  See here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20147694#post20147694

Thanks dm,
     Have you or anyone else used these?  How is the quality of the print and how do they sound in your space?

[nonoise]

You might try something like this:http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--ATS-Acoustics-Coffee-Bag-Acoustic-Panel--3001.html

I don't know how hard it would be to locate coffee bags from an importer but its just a thought.

[Glenn Kuras]

You have to be careful with artwork on fabric. We use a process called dye sublimation. Basically the fibers are dyed to the art work. There is no toner or screen printing that would clog up the fabric (not recommended). You have to be very careful, when buying or diying. FYI the machine that does this process runs, I believe over $500,000. But hey some people spend that on there cables alone!! 

Glenn Kuras
GIK Acoustics

[dm]

You have to be careful with artwork on fabric. We use a process called dye sublimation. Basically the fibers are dyed to the art work. There is no toner or screen printing that would clog up the fabric (not recommended). You have to be very careful, when buying or diying. FYI the machine that does this process runs, I believe over $500,000. But hey some people spend that on there cables alone!! 

Glenn Kuras
GIK Acoustics

I am a GIK customer.  I have your diffusor and QRD products.  Love them!  The GIK art panels also look very nice for someone looking for a ready made solution.  That being said, I just got my spoonflower fabric with an image imprinted on it.  It definitely passes the "breath test".  Also if you look at the link I posted above, a user extensively tested samples of the cloth with images for acoustic transparency.   So in my opinion, the spoonflower stuff is a good option for the DIYer.

[gooberdude]

Which spoonflower fabric?   there are quite a few difft types.

[dm]

Which spoonflower fabric?   there are quite a few difft types.

The quilting weight cotton is the one that I have purchased and others have tested.  It happens to be the cheapest option as well.

Quilting Weight Cotton: $18/yard ($16.20 with designer discount)

100% cotton fabric with a soft hand, easy to sew

    42" wide printable area (107 cm)
    3.2 oz per square yard
    78x 76 threads per inch
    Appropriate for quilting, appliqué, shirting, blouses, dresses, children's clothing
    Estimated shrinkage 7%
    Wash on delicate setting, warm or cool using phosphate-free detergent