One of the most frequently asked questions about bass traps is, “why do I want a bass trap? I want more bass, not less bass!”
The TubeTrap bass trap diffuser is the original portable acoustic device. Invented in the fires of a concrete poured basement with uncontrollable bass reverberation, these devices tamed the muddy booming sound like nothing seen before them. Let’s take a closer look at why you need bass traps with treble diffusers as the foundation of your high end audio listening or critical mixing space.
What Exactly is a TubeTrap Bass Trap?
Bass Traps absorb low frequency sound. They are mostly used in small rooms in which a high power audio system is being played, such as recording studio control rooms, mastering rooms and audiophile listening rooms. There are many types of bass traps.
Traditionally acoustic designers or acousticians designed bass traps to be built into the construction of the room. In the mid ’80s the first portable bass trap became available, invented by Art Noxon, an acoustic engineer. The TubeTrap is a cylinder shaped bass trap that is frequently found in the corners of high power audio playback rooms.
It’s the corner of a rectangular room that funnels bass pressure into a high pressure zone. TubeTraps are usually placed in the corners of the room. The TubeTrap is a unique type of bass trap because it includes a suspended sheet of material that has been perforated in such a way that it backscatters the treble range of sound, diffusing it into the room.
The curved treble diffusers act to retain room ambience, while enhancing the sense of spaciousness in the listening room. The corner loaded bass traps act to minimize the reverberant buildup of bass energy in the room. Used together, the feeling of being in a small room disappears, replaced by the feeling of being in a large ambient space.
