Sound Blankets

timapter

timapter

Veteran
Hey all,

Just wondered, what are you guys using as sound blankets? Just any old blanket, or does anyone have some tips on good materials, where to buy them, blah blah blah.

I reckon its a very underestimated piece of on set gear that people usually overlook... Ive just discovered how useful they are myself, and want to upgrade to some new, purpose built ones.

Oh, and how do you guys fix em to walls?
 
Sandhill quilted moving blankets are inexpensive and work well for sound damping. If you want to get fancy, you can add your own grommets. I usually spring clamp them to light stands or a curtain rod.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...id=I20NF1Q7JESF8V&v=glance&colid=5Z6L6LNNE6A2

If you want to spend more $$, you can buy matthews sound blankets--basically the same deal with grommets--maybe a bit better sewing.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&Q=&is=REG&O=productlist&sku=187786
 
I'd like to hear from somebody who thinks they get a lot of value out of using sound blankets... not a loaded question... I really want to know.

I bought $300 worth of super-thick wool blankets for sound... and got the grommets, etc.

I get mixed results even with 10-15 blankets down at once. Sometimes I feel like the blankets really matter and sometimes I can't tell if they're doing anything?
 
MattinSTL said:
I'd like to hear from somebody who thinks they get a lot of value out of using sound blankets... not a loaded question... I really want to know.

I bought $300 worth of super-thick wool blankets for sound... and got the grommets, etc.

I get mixed results even with 10-15 blankets down at once. Sometimes I feel like the blankets really matter and sometimes I can't tell if they're doing anything?
Click to expand...

You have to remember that a sound blanket is only effective in attenuating fairly high frequencies. A sound blanket is not the audio equivalent of a ND filter, it is much more like a color filter. In fact, putting down a ton of blankets can actually make your sound worse, since it can make your room sound lifeless, or boomy, or both. This why when you walk into a recording studio, they use a variety of materials so that they attenuate the full spectrum of sound evenly.

My own experience is that something like a blanket would be good for covering up a highly reflective surface (like glass or a hard wall) to break up the first reflections. No amount of blankets are going to stop structural noises, like an air conditioner or refrigerator.


To sum it up, if you snap your fingers and you hear an immediate, ugly sounding echo (flutter echo) you might be able to fix it with a strategic blanket here and there. If the room sounds boomy or muddy, a blanket might just make the problem worse.
 
Matt--

It really depends on the room. I like to lay the blankets on wood floors and it serves two purposes. It cuts down on the clomping noise when actors walk and sucks up some of the reverberation when a boom mic is pointing down. I've also used them to make a temporary voiceover booth for some narration. Other than that, sometimes over windows which *really* reflect sound. Also, sometimes stretched across a corner if the mic is pointing toward the corner.
 
I think its a good idea to have sound blankets AKA furny pads around. As said before they have multiple purposes. You got someone walking across tile with heels on, yikes! You can put the footsteps in during post, but you can't take them out if they are on a line of dialog. When used properly they can really help with ambiance too, obviously two blankets in a gym won't do you much good, but a few here and there in a locker room or bathroom could make a huge difference. In my experiance if your blankets are not doing you any good, they are in the wrong place, or the acoustics are so crazy that you would need a whole lot more than some blankets to get good audio.
 
Where to find sound blankets

Where to find sound blankets

I found some furniture/movers blankets at Harbor frieght. They usually run about $9.99, but I got them on sale for $7.99. They are black, quilted and very large. I also found a rolling case for my light kit there, if you're interested. I put my 2 GY-650's with there softbox's and barndoors and still had room for my gels, C-47's, electrical testing equipment and general tools. Plenty of pouches. The bag was on sale for $13.99 at time. It's called the "Storehouse", it has wheels, extendable handle, interior and exterior pouches and wide zippered opening. Try Harborfrieght.com. Hope this helps
 
Barry_S said:
Matt--

It really depends on the room. I like to lay the blankets on wood floors and it serves two purposes. It cuts down on the clomping noise when actors walk and sucks up some of the reverberation when a boom mic is pointing down. I've also used them to make a temporary voiceover booth for some narration. Other than that, sometimes over windows which *really* reflect sound. Also, sometimes stretched across a corner if the mic is pointing toward the corner.
Click to expand...

This is how I use mine.

Sometimes it seems like it makes a significant difference and sometimes it doesn't... over windows, yeah it usually helps every time... but you need a couple layers. I find that in many of the rooms I've deadened... that a cushy couch and loveseat helps about as much... my point was just to say that if you want to significantly dampen the echos in a room you better bring at least 8 blankets... I don't think you can buy 2 or 3 and make much difference in most rooms.
 
I've found the exact same thing, but I never work on any productions where I'd have the time to hang a ton of blankets. I usually max out at 3 or 4 and maybe none at all if they're not going to do much.


MattinSTL said:
This is how I use mine.

Sometimes it seems like it makes a significant difference and sometimes it doesn't... over windows, yeah it usually helps every time... but you need a couple layers. I find that in many of the rooms I've deadened... that a cushy couch and loveseat helps about as much... my point was just to say that if you want to significantly dampen the echos in a room you better bring at least 8 blankets... I don't think you can buy 2 or 3 and make much difference in most rooms.
Click to expand...
 
You can rent large moving blankets very cheaply at U-Haul and the like.

Several years ago I made portable corner LF absorbers out of chicken wire rolled in a tube, filled with fibreglass insulation, and covered in cloth. Very cheap, quick and easy to make, and did an excellent job killing low-frequency reverberation when put in corners of a room.
 
hey, thanks for all the feedback... uh, what are grommets that people are mentioning? Im from South Africa and just want to check - movers blankets = big heavy greyish colour dog blanket type things? Or quilted type things?

Thanks everyone.
 
Grommets are metal rings with flanges that are inset into the fabric so you can easily tie up the blankets. The blankets we're talking about are quilted.
 
Droog said:
I think its a good idea to have sound blankets AKA furny pads around. As said before they have multiple purposes. You got someone walking across tile with heels on, yikes! You can put the footsteps in during post, but you can't take them out if they are on a line of dialog. When used properly they can really help with ambiance too, obviously two blankets in a gym won't do you much good, but a few here and there in a locker room or bathroom could make a huge difference. In my experiance if your blankets are not doing you any good, they are in the wrong place, or the acoustics are so crazy that you would need a whole lot more than some blankets to get good audio.
Click to expand...

I'm confused, If they are walking across tile in heels and you can put down sound blankets, doesn't that mean that you can't see their feet in the shot? My question is, if you can't see their feet, why have them wear heels that make so much noise?

:evil: :evil: :evil: :beer:
 
David G. Smith said:
I'm confused, If they are walking across tile in heels and you can put down sound blankets, doesn't that mean that you can't see their feet in the shot? My question is, if you can't see their feet, why have them wear heels that make so much noise?

:evil: :evil: :evil: :beer:
Click to expand...

Cuz sound department concerns always come last...including wardrobe. :beer:

I carry 5 blankets around with me but have more at home if I need them. The lighting dept usually has 10 or more blankets on the truck when I need more. The real trick to blankets is placement. And of course the perfect location for your blankets is right where the DP puts the 2k or reflector. Just about everything with sound is a battle with the lighting concerns. :)

Cheers
 
I've actually made many a gaffer happy because I bought some sound blankets that have a black side, and some that have a white side. I've encountered situations where I've been able to give the gaffer my blanket to hang (white side out) to pick up a little reflection and fill (and still help me to cut the echo). Remember that making nice with the gaffer often pays dividends. ;-)

I have used blankets on wooden floors when there is a noticible floor creak...doesn't cut it completely, but helps some.

As far as muffling the click of walking on tile or wood floors, I use moleskin on the bottom of the actor's shoes (Coffey sells a similar product in their expendibles dept.) But, I only do this when the wardrobe department owns the shoes. If the actor owns the shoes, I usually will work hard to get them taken off whenever possible (there is nothing worse than leaving an actor with really sticky bottomed shoes... ;-)

Phil
 
blankets can also be placed over air ducts to muffle the sound of air handling systems. Really lowers the frequency.
 
ptalsky said:
Remember that making nice with the gaffer often pays dividends. ;-)
Click to expand...

No doubt staying on G&E's good side is critical to an easier day for sound. :grin:
 
Hey Phil, where'd you find black/white sound blankets? I'm isolated out here in Vegas (which has *no* decent film supply stores) and those sound just perfect... store name? Link?
 
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