Bass trap

A bass trap is a thicker, denser acoustic panel designed to absorb low-frequency sound, typically placed in the corners of a room where bass energy naturally builds up. Standard thin acoustic foam is effective at absorbing higher-frequency reflections but does very little to tame the low-end rumble and boominess that makes a room sound muddy.

Corners are the priority placement for bass traps because low-frequency sound waves are long enough that they pile up where two or three room surfaces meet, creating buildup that is audible as a boxy or hollow quality in recordings, particularly noticeable on voices with more chest resonance or in rooms with hard parallel walls.

Bass traps are usually added alongside, not instead of, standard acoustic panels at first reflection points, since the two address different parts of the frequency range. A small home studio does not need every corner treated to get a real improvement, and even one or two well-placed bass traps in the most problematic corners can noticeably reduce boominess in a recording.