Blog

When sound vibrations from a drum set, appliance, or speaker resonate into the floor of a home or apartment, it often wreaks havoc on those in the room or unit below. These structural noises, as opposed to sound waves traveling through the air, can be difficult to control and require a sound management technique known as decoupling.

What is Decoupling?

Decoupling is the separation of two connected surfaces or items so that sound energy (in this case, vibration) does not easily transfer between them. For example, if you place your iPhone directly on a hardwood floor and it vibrates from a notification or incoming call, the vibration travels through the floor and can be felt across the room. But if you place the iPhone on a pillow before setting it on the floor, the pillow absorbs much of the vibration, preventing it from easily reaching the floor and making the vibration much less noticeable.

The same principle applies to larger items that produce vibration noise: speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers, drum sets, even household appliances. By placing a buffer between these items and the surface on which they stand, vibration noise can be dramatically reduced.

How to Decouple Vibrating Items

Thick rugs and carpets are good "shock absorbers" and can help reduce vibration or impact noise when placed underneath vibration-producing instruments or equipment.  

Foam mats or special pads like Audimute's Peacemaker® Isolation Pad (made from 100% recycled rubber) can also be used for larger items like drum sets, speakers, amps, subwoofers, or office applicances.

If you're seeking to reduce vibration or impact noise across a wide area, a more substantial soundproofing solution might be required. While it's not an option for everyone, the addition of a "floating floor" with a layer of a product such as Audimute's Peacemaker® Soundproofing Underlayment - 6 mm inserted beneath can make a significant difference.

We're proud to unveil the new Audimute studio of Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Khirye Tyler!

Best known for his work with such superstars as Beyoncé, Meek Mill, and Roddy Ricch, Khirye was put in touch with Audimute when he needed a sound-absorbing solution for his new home studio. After several phone calls and consultations, we created an acoustic treatment using AcoustiColor® acoustic panels in a geometric design, Fabric Acoustic Panels on the side walls of the space, and custom-made bass traps for the corners.

The outcome was an acoustically treated space that allows Khirye to use his studio the way it was intended to be used, with crisp, clear sound quality free of excessive echo and reverb.

Check out the video below for a look at Khirye Tyler's Audimute studio!

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

This week: Iowa, home to beautiful farmlands, the Effigy Mounds National Monument, and an eastern border formed by the Mississippi River.

For Iowa, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the sprawling green cornfields of the Hawkeye State: the Fabric Acoustic Panel - FR701 in the "Chartreuse" style.

Immortalized in the 1989 baseball film Field of Dreams, the cornfields of Iowa cover an estimated 36.4% of the state's acreage. Speaking of "ears," our Fabric Acoustic Panels are easy on yours, absorbing an average of 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies. Each Audimute Fabric Acoustic Panel features high-performance fabrics from Guilford of Maine wrapped around our "green" sound absorption material, eco-C-tex®.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get free advice from our Acoustic Specialists!

More and more people are taking on "DIY," or "Do It Yourself," projects, especially in the home improvement field: a 2025 survey by FrontDoor found that 98% of American homeowners have completed at least one DIY project at their home. 

The motivations behind do-it-yourself home improvement projects vary: some DIYers are looking to save money, while others want to satisfy creative urges and be "hands on" while doing so. Regardless of the reasons, the goal for most DIY home projects is the same: to enliven and enhance a home's comfort, appeal, and livability.

DIY acoustics is no different. Just like building a back deck or painting a bedroom, improving a space’s sound quality is a task you can tackle on your own ... provided you have the right tools, materials, and know-how.

Here's some tips on completing DIY acoustic projects to reduce echoes and reverberations within a space:

1. Identify Your Sound Management Goal

What are you trying to achieve with your acoustic project? Do you have too much echo in a room? Do you want better sound quality in your home theater or drum room? Are you trying to reduce reverberations in a dining room or kitchen? Different sound challenges call for different sound solutions: in the case of reducing echo or reverberation, you'll want to create a sound-absorbing solution (if you're trying to stop sound from entering or exiting a space, that will require the installation of a sound-blocking material like Mass Loaded Vinyl or our eco-friendlier version, Peacemaker.

2. Identify Points of Reflection Within Your Space

Sound waves echo around a room when they bounce off hard, non-porous surfaces, such as drywall, hardwood, glass, brick, or metal. By treating these highly reflective surfaces with sound-absorbing materials, you can dramatically reduce echoes and reverberations. Check out this guide to finding reflection points in a room. A good rule of thumb in acoustics is to cover at least 15% to 20% of your wall space to improve sound quality. You can check out our calculator to get an estimate based on your space.

3. Add Sound-Absorbing Furniture or "Finished" Acoustic Panels

Carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture like armchairs or couches are all absorptive due to their porous construction, as will off-the-shelf acoustic panels like Audimute's Fabric, AcoustiColor®, AcoustiWood®, and AcoustiStone® options, each of which is eco-friendly and easy to install.

4. Add DIY eco-C-tex® Acoustic Products from Audimute

If you want something "unfinished" and more traditionally "do-it-yourself", check out our DIY eco-C-tex® products, available in multiple sizes, shapes, and styles. eco-C-tex is Audimute's signature sound absorption material, consisting of a blend of recycled cotton and cellulose fibers, the majority of which are post-consumer recycled newspaper.

Every Audimute DIY eco-C-tex product can be wrapped with acoustical fabric, coated with paint, or simply left as is. They can also be cut into different shapes and sizes with a utility knife, allowing you to fashion a unique sound management solution of your own design.

Our line of DIY eco-C-tex sound solutions include:

- DIY eco-C-tex Acoustic Panels
- DIY eco-C-tex Beveled Edge Acoustic Panels
- DIY eco-C-tex Acoustic Shapes
- DIY eco-C-tex Audimute Strata®
- DIY eco-C-tex Audimute Strata Sticks

It might be "do-it-yourself" but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone: let Audimute's industry-leading sound-absorbing products and team of Acoustic Specialists help out as you become the architect of your own sound solution!

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

This week: North Carolina, home to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Piedmont Plateau, and the beaches and outer banks along the Atlantic Ocean.

For North Carolina, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the distant smoky blue haze of the Blue Ridge Mountains: the AcoustiWood® Premium Acoustic Wood Alternative Panel in the "Silver Blue Haze" style.

The "blue" color of the Blue Ridge Mountains is actually caused by the chemical reaction of isoprene released from the trees mixing with molecules in the air. No isoprene was used in the making of our "Silver Blue Haze" AcoustiWood panels; just high-quality graphics resembling natural wood that have been printed on fabric and wrapped around our "green" sound absorption material, eco-C-tex®.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get free advice from our Acoustic Specialists!

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, and we thought it'd be fun to commemorate America's semiquincentennial by identifying Audimute acoustic panels (all of which are made in the USA) that remind us of each U.S. state.

First up: Arizona, home to the Grand Canyon, portions of the Sonoran Desert, and sweeping Southwestern landscapes.

For Arizona, we chose an Audimute acoustic panel that evokes the look and feel of the state's rich red clay and striking rock formations: the AcoustiStone® Premium Acoustic Stone Alternative Panel in the "Medium Desert Cliff Rock" style.

It's bold, it's beautiful, it looks like the result of millions of years of geologic activity, and it absorbs an average of 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies. Best of all: no real rocks were used in the making of this acoustic panel — every AcoustiStone acoustic panel features high-quality graphics printed on fabric and wrapped around our eco-friendly sound absorption material, eco-C-tex®.

Looking for a sound management solution for your home, business, church, or studio? Call us at 1.866.505.MUTE or fill out a Room Analysis Form to get free advice from our Acoustic Specialists!

In the acoustics industry, the terms "panel" and "tile" are often used interchangeably to describe the same basic concept: a sound-absorbing quadrilateral of varying sizes and thicknesses that is mounted or installed within a space to reduce echoes and improve sound clarity.

At Audimute, both our acoustic panels and acoustic tiles are made with eco-C-tex®, our signature "green" sound absorption material comprised of recycled cotton and cellulose fibers. But there are also some key areas where our "panels" and "tiles" for wall applications differ from each other. (NOTE: The following distinctions do not apply to our AcoustiColor® Direct Mount Ceiling Tiles; read more on those here).

1. The Sides of the Panel / Tile

It's a subtle distinction but an important one. Our acoustic panels, from Fabric to AcoustiColor® to AcoustiWood® to AcoustiStone®, are fabric-wrapped (or, in the case of AcoustiColor, coated) on the face of the panel and then around the edges. Our acoustic tiles, on the other hand, have exposed eco-C-tex on the sides; only the face of the tile has been treated with the cover material of your choosing.

Here's some examples: this is a stack of our AcoustiColor panels. You can see that both the face of the panel and the sides have been coated. 

Now here's an AcoustiColor tile. Notice that the face has been coated in Sherwin-Williams paint, but the sides are still uncoated eco-C-tex.

2. Thickness / NRC

The thickness of an acoustic panel or tile directly corresponds to its sound-absorbing effectiveness. We measure sound absorption in NRC, or noise reduction coefficient. NRC ratings range from 0 to 1. An NRC of 0 means the product absorbs no sound, while an NRC of 1 means that the product absorbs all sound. The higher the NRC, the better the product is at soaking up sound.

Audimute's Acoustic Panels have thicknesses of 1.5" and NRC ratings of .95, meaning each panel will absorb an average of 95% of echoes, reverberations, and mid to high frequencies that it comes into contact with. Our Acoustic Tiles, on the other hand, are 1" thick and, depending on the cover material, have NRC ratings in the 0.70 to 0.75 range.

3. What You Get Per Order

Our acoustic panels are purchased and shipped as individual units, whereas our tiles are packaged together in different configurations (ranging from four 24" by 24" tiles to 48 4" x 12" tiles) totaling 16 square feet of material. Check the product pages for more information.

Whether you opt for acoustic panels or tiles from Audimute, you'll be getting high-performance sound absorption made with eco-friendly material. It all comes down to your preferences and what you need to allow you to use your space the way it was intended.

Want more information? Reach out to our Acoustic Specialists for a free acoustic consultation by calling 1.866.505.MUTE or filling out a Room Analysis Form.

125 years ago today, Symphony Hall opened in Boston...and the world of acoustics was forever changed.

Designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White (the same firm behind Penn Station in New York and the 1902 renovations on the White House in Washington, D.C.), Symphony Hall was commissioned as a new permanent home for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Recognizing that the sound quality within the hall needed to be as world-class as the orchestra performing in it, McKim, Mead & White brought in a young Harvard physics professor as acoustical consultant: Wallace Clement Sabine.

Then in his early 30s, Sabine had recently made a name for himself fixing the bad acoustics of Harvard's echo-laden Fogg Lecture Hall. The process had been one of trial and error: on almost-nightly visits over several years, Sabine used organ pipes and a stopwatch to calculate the reverberation time within the auditorium when different sound-absorbing elements such as cushions and rugs were introduced to the space. His experiments (and subsequent development of what is now known as the Sabine formula for determining reverberation time) established the field of architectural acoustics.

As acoustical consultant for Symphony Hall, Sabine aimed for a reverberation time of 2.0 seconds when the hall was full, finding that to be the right acoustic balance between "too dry" and "too muddy." To achieve this, he, among other things, proposed a "shoebox" shape for the venue to help evenly distribute sound reflections around the space and also incorporated the usage of statues and balconies to help break up sound waves.

Upon its inaugural concert on October 15, 1900, the 2,600-seat Symphony Hall was immediately praised for its incredible sound quality, with one local newspaper declaring: "Acoustic Excellence Achieved". Sabine received his fair share of attention and credit, but one thing he did not receive was money: he had refused payment for his work.

Today, Boston's Symphony Hall and the work of Wallace Clement Sabine stand as a testament to how great acoustics enhance the musical experience for both performer and audience.

Now if only we could have heard Sabine's work on a drum room...

Good acoustics in the office are no longer optional; in today's world of real-time collaboration, high-tech video conferencing, and fast-paced work environments, they are a necessity.

Every Audimute sound solution will make a big impact on improving acoustics in the office; in most cases, the decision on which one to choose is an aesthetic or logistical one.

Here's some of our favorite sound-absorbing solutions for different sections of the workplace:

CONFERENCE ROOMS

Zoom calls, video conferences, other forms of remote meetings: these new frontiers in business communication can suffer greatly when bad acoustics are in play. Too much echo or reverberation within a conference room can compromise the audio quality and make it difficult for the party on the other line -- whether it's a client or a co-worker -- to clearly hear what's being shared.

Fabric Acoustic Panels are an excellent way to treat sound in these high-traffic spaces, but we also love more design-driven options that keep your branding visible during Zoom calls and video chats.

Our Custom Image Acoustic Panels can be printed with pictures of your choosing: for instance, your company's logo, or an archival image from the company's history, or a top-selling product.

We also recommend our AcoustiColor® Acoustic Shapes to create dazzling geometric patterns on your walls.

SALES FLOOR / CALL CENTER

Do you have an open space or bullpen where sales reps or customer service specialists spend the day on the phone? Then you're no stranger to the chaotic noise that can arise from that area without proper acoustic treatment. As with conference rooms, AcoustiColor, Fabric, and Image Acoustic Panels are excellent options, but if you have limited wall space or want an acoustic solution that's out of sight and out of mind, we recommend a ceiling acoustic application.

Direct Mount Ceiling Tiles can be flush-mounted directly to ceilings and coated to blend in with the surroundings, but if you're looking for something more eye-catching, our Clouds and Baffles are available in multiple styles, including Image, AcoustiColor, and AcoustiWood (our product line designed to resemble real wood).

Different shapes are available, too - opt for one of our Accent Acoustic Ceiling Clouds or Baffles if you want an exciting piece of geometric art that also just happens to improve sound clarity.

INDIVIDUAL OFFICE SPACE

For individual offices where singular employees or specialized teams work, consider customizable acoustic solutions like our Image Panels. You can order from our library of stock images in different categories (such as nature, sports, or landmarks) or opt for a personalized acoustic treatment by uploading your own imagery. Again, logos or company photos are great here.

If you want something more traditional, we recommend our Acoustic Panels Kits, comprised of different styles, looks, colors, and shapes.

LOBBIES & WAITING ROOMS

Your lobby or waiting room is often the first impression you are giving to clients. Why not make it look and sound great? Go for a sound solution that reflects the rest of your lobby's decor. AcoustiStone® acoustic panels and tiles blend in very well with marble features (and are much easier to lift), while our AcoustiColor products are an excellent cost-effective option if you're looking for lots of coverage.

Every workplace and its needs (be they acoustic, aesthetic, or budgetary) are different, so be sure you're choosing the right sound solution for you, your employees, and your clients. And if you want free assistance in solving your sound problem, contact our Acoustic Specialists at 1.866.505.MUTE or by filling out this form.

"What does success sound like to you?"

That's the first question Audimute wants to answer whenever we take on a new project for a client. Whether it's acoustic panels for walls, acoustic tiles for ceilings, soundproofing solutions, sound masking services, or a custom sound management solution combining a little bit of everything, we want to make sure the end result is reflective of your goals for the room, studio, or space in question.

To guide us on this journey, we follow a project methodology we call PISO.

Problem
Integration
Solution
Outcome

Every project is different, of course, with its own expectations, sound challenges, and design ambitions. But by following PISO, Audimute and its team of acoustic specialists ensures that the outcome is always the same: a beautiful sound solution that lets you use your space the way it was initially intended.

For more information on PISO, check out this page.