Improving low-frequency acoustics in a small venue through a custom bass trap

Excessive low-frequency energy in performance spaces can significantly degrade the quality of the audience’s listening experience, particularly in small venues hosting amplified music. The purpose of this project was to treat this issue in a local pub that required acoustic treatment that fit their monetary, stylistic, and spatial constraints. The room has a volume of 8 080 cubic feet with concrete flooring and wooden walls of irregular angles. A spreadsheet model of the room predicted a reverberation time [RT60] of 0.6 s and impulse response measurements resulted in an RT60 of 0.76 s at 125 Hz. A sine sweep revealed resonances below 50 Hz with an antinode at theback of the stage. A bass trap was designed to fit against the back of the stage to minimize low-frequency resonances between 20 and 50 Hz. The impulse response and sine sweep measurements will be repeated for comparison. The bass trap design and an analysis of the effect of this acoustic treatment will be presented.