Just what exactly are Acoustic Blankets used for? Soundproofing blankets, or more accurately known as acoustic blankets, are commonly used as an acoustic treatment for recording rooms were reducing the amount of noise reflecting off the walls and ceilings is critical to producing quality sound recordings.
Studios – The blankets are very popular with studio professionals and vocalists alike. You can build a pretty handy DIY vocal booth with these blankets and some basic carpentry skills. People who take recording seriously cannot afford to have echo reverberating in their recording space.
Music Rooms – Another common use of sound-absorbing blankets is to cover the walls of musicians’ practice rooms. Imagine if your family had to hear hours of your drum or saxophone practice, they might not be very happy with you. By hanging professional acoustic blankets on the walls in your practice room you will absorb much of the sounds and drastically reduce what your family and friends will hear on the outside.
Industrial Applications – In industrial uses, the blankets are much heavier weight, and typically constructed of higher density materials like fiberglass and mass loaded vinyl sheets. Many times these blankets are used as a barrier around a loud piece of machineries such as generators, compressors, and appliances.
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How do the Acoustic Blankets Work?
Acoustic soundproofing blankets are typically constructed in multiple layers. The outer layers are usually made of woven fabric from an acoustically transparent material. This simply means the fabric allows sound waves to pass through the outer layer into the denser absorbing inner layers, as opposed to reflecting the sound back outward.
This is the reason that some types of movers blankets are not the best choice is that their outer layers are not specifically designed for sound transparency, and you get noise reflection.
If you can find soft heavyweight moving blankets without a reflective outer fabric, use them instead because they are a good compromise. Just know that you will still not be getting the noise reductions ratings that are possible with professional acoustical blankets.
A professional studio-grade sound blanket will have an NRC of up to 0.8, which means approximately 80% of the sound is absorbed by the blanket. This is a stellar result and is one of the main reasons they are so popular.
The inner layers are what do most of the work. Common sound insulation filler materials are recycled cotton, fiberglass, mineral wool, and mass loaded vinyl. The density of these materials is what absorbs and dampens the sound waves.
Audio blankets usually have grommets along their outer edges to make it easy to have from hooks on the wall. The grommets also allow you to build or buy a frame to hang them on, creating a portable sound barrier or vocal booth.
Money Saving Tip – Try Moving Blankets
If you’re not a professional studio engineer and are just looking to get a decent amount of acoustic absorption in your room without shelling out hundreds of dollars for a top of the line blanket, then try doubling up the mover’s blankets for increased sound absorption.
This is the tip the acoustic industry doesn’t want you to know. If you pick the right movers blanket, you can still achieve great results at a fraction of the pro’s price.
Two layers of professional mover’s blankets will cost you less overall compared to acoustic and industrial blankets, yet give you some increased density needed for better acoustic performance.
Measure all of the walls in your room and purchase enough blankets to cover them all with at least one layer of blanket. Keep in mind also, that typical movers blankets are only 72″ x 80″, and not as tall as acoustic blankets.
Here is a short video demonstrating some of the differences in quality between various soundproofing blankets.
*Last updated 2025-01-14 at 22:49 / Product Links & Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Hello Ian,
Thanks for the comparison of the four sound blankets. It’s very helpful.
May I ask, do you think that the Producer’s Choice blanket would be effective if used in front of sliding glass doors instead of a wall? I live near a busy park and there is too much noise coming in from my balcony glass doors.
Thanks for any help.
TC
Teresa,
I think they *could* help, but perhaps not as much as you’d like. Those blankets are really meant for improving indoor sound quality. You should test it out if possible, of course. Another option would be to buy some heavyweight acoustic curtains, such as what we talked about here: https://www.soundproofingtips.com/soundproof-curtains/
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks very much for the info. I’m still looking into options and I appreciate your reply.
I am a massage therapist working in the middle of a hair salon. Do you think these blankets on the 2 inside walls would help to dampen the sound of chatter and blow dryers? The blankets would be hung on the massage room interior walls.
Thanks for any help.
Diana
Diana, I think some heavy curtains to act as a sound screen would work in your situation. You can put then on a rolling partition so you can move them around as needed.
Hello,
i was wondering where i can purchase the Producers Choice Blankets?
Thank you.
Mon
We are interested to reduce the sound level of an industrial steel fan.
What would be a good material to order and use for this application if
an insulation contractor will field cut and fasten pieces on the fan and
possibly on a cyclone and discharge pipe?
That’s a bit beyond my scope on this site, but perhaps something like this might work?
https://www.soundproofcow.com/product/quiet-barrier-md-soundproofing-composite/
Thank you for explaining that acoustically transparent material is just material that allows sound waves to pass through it. I’m building a music studio and I want to choose the best materials for it. I’ll make sure to look at these acoustic blankets.