As an eLearning professional with a home studio, I’ve learned a thing or two about creating the perfect audio environment for recording my voiceovers and other projects. It’s not just about having the right microphone or software (though those are very helpful), the acoustics of your space play a huge role in the quality of your recordings. That’s where acoustic foam panels come in – they can be incredibly helpful for reducing echo and improving sound clarity, especially in a home setting.
In an interview with Reverb.com, famed producer John Cuniberti explained that a huge mistake people make when setting up their studio is “they don’t spend enough time, energy, and money on the acoustics, and they spend too much money on the bright, shiny things…One of the problems is once you start building a studio, it’s tough to undo it, and you are usually stuck with the results. I would suggest going slow. Hang some acoustic panels in the obvious places and then do some recording and mixing
I’ve spent years experimenting with different sound treatment materials to find what works best in a home studio like mine. It’s a process that involves considering the thickness, density, quality, and even the look of the foam tiles.
In this post, I’ve reviewed and ranked the best acoustic foam panels you can use to make your home studio a wonderful audio recording environment (click here to learn about our entire Editorial Process & Methodology for product reviews).
What are the Best Acoustic Foam Panels?
Here are my picks for the 6 top acoustic foam tiles for your studio in 2024:
1. Pro Studio Acoustics Wedge Foam →
Pro Studio Acoustics - Blue/Charcoal - 12"x12"x2" Acoustic Wedge Foam Absorption Soundproofing Tiles - 12 Pack
Top Features:
- 12 inches square
- 2 inches thick
- 2 colors of blue and charcoal
- 12-pack with six of each color
- Attractive checkerboard pattern with strong sound absorption
The Pro Studios Acoustics Wedge Foam is My Top Pick because it comes in a 12-pack with six panels in blue and six panels in black that you can mix and match in your studio.
At two-inches thick, these acoustic foam tiles provide the strong soundproofing that most studios need. Thanks to the low price, you can easily get as many as you need for spot treating sound all around your studio space.
The recommended design of these sound absorption tiles is to use them in an alternating pattern of color and alignment. This creates an attractive checkerboard pattern with strong sound absorption.
It’s worth noting these tiles don’t have adhesive on the back of them, so you’ll need something to install them. The company says, “For permanent installations, we recommend using spray adhesive. If you are concerned about being able to remove the tiles at a later date without causing damage to the walls, we recommend using either t-pins or 3M Command strips for installation.”
Characteristics
- Two colors: blue and charcoal
- The tiles are 12 inches square and two inches thick.
- They come in a 12-pack with six of each color.
What’s special about these acoustic foam tiles?
- These soundproof panels reduce standing sound waves and flutter echoes in home studios.
- This product is “Made in the USA.” It comes uncompressed in a box, so there is no warping or waiting days for expansion from compressed vacuum packaging.
- Thanks to the thick design, the foam distorts all types of noises and does a great job with sound absorbing.
Best for: covering a full wall or they can be useful for spot acoustic treatments in the audio environment.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
2. SoundAssured Acoustic Studio Foam →
Soundproofing Acoustic Studio Foam - Wedge Style Acoustic Foam Panels 12"x12"x2" Tiles - 4 Pack - DIY
Top Features:
- Available in multiple colors
- Easy to install
- Comes in a package of four (4) 1' squares of 2" thick professional acoustic foam
- Discounts available for ordering multiple bundles
These acoustical foam panels have a wedge style to create more surface area for sound absorption. The result is less echo and reverberations in your studio for improved recording and playback quality.
Characteristics
- This studio foam comes in a four-pack, with over a dozen attractive colors to choose from.
- The dimensions are 12 inches by 12 inches square by two inches thick.
- Fire-retardant with a rating of ASTM E 84.
What’s special about this studio wall foam?
- It is easy to calculate how many packages you need to cover your home recording studio walls. Just measure the square footage of the wall space and then divide by four, since each package covers four square feet.
- This studio wall foam is very easy to install. You can trim them as needed with regular scissors. Installation can be permanent by using adhesive tape or spray (sold separately) or you can use push pins or Velcro to hang them temporarily.
- This product does a great job with sound absorbing for mid to high frequencies.
Best for: moderating sound deadening and it is useful to control or remove echoes.
In this video, Josh the MusicTechHelpGuy discusses the installation of these acoustic foam tiles in his home studio. They also come in one-inch, two-inch, three-inch, and four-inch-thick versions for different applications. The thinner tiles absorb high frequencies better. The thicker tiles absorb low-end frequencies better.
The takeaway from this video is how to use these tiles to get rid of room echo and reverb. A good tip is to make sure to cover the corners in the room because those wall angles are a source of undesirable flutter echo.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
3. IZO Acoustic Egg-Crate Tiles →
6 Pack Egg Crate Foam Cushion 2" Thick Acoustic Panels Sound Proof Foam Padding
Top Features:
- 12" x 12" size
- 2" thick for improved sound absorption
- Great for acoustically treating walls and ceilings for a variety of purposes
These sound treatment tiles have an egg crate design that absorbs sounds to prevent noises from leaving the studio. Use them on your studio walls or ceilings to improve sound clarity.
Characteristics
- Two inches thick, when measured from the peak of the tip of the foam to the base.
- Variety of sizes of 12 inches to 36 inches.
- One color of charcoal gray.
What’s special about them?
- The egg-crate design is very efficient for sound absorption.
- You can easily attach the foam tiles to your walls or ceiling
- The two-inch thickness reduces reverb and reflections, especially in the mid- to high-frequency range.
Best for: covering the ceiling, especially if it is not parallel to the floor because of the angular reflection of sound that will be bouncing back from the ceiling to walls. The lightweight nature of soundproofing foam makes it easy to apply acoustic tiles to the ceiling or any other surface.
This video is by Caleb from DSLR Video Shooter focuses on improving a home recording studio to improve the sound quality for video recording. There is an explanation of the difference between soundproofing and sound treatment, sound deadening tips, how sound travels/sound energy insights, and how sound is picked up by a microphone.
The takeaway from this video is that for the typical home studio, 100% soundproofing is not usually feasible due to the complexities and the cost. However, sound treatment is easy to accomplish and not very expensive, especially with quality, affordable acoustic foam panels like these. Sound treatment does not result in much soundproofing; however, it can significantly improve the quality of the recorded sound.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
4. JBER Pyramid Acoustic Foam Panels →
JBER Acoustic Sound Foam Panels, 24 Pack 2" X 12" X 12" Charcoal Soundproofing Treatment Studio Wall Padding Sound Absorbing Fireproof Pyramid
Top Features:
- Comes in a 24 pack to save money and increase coverage of your space
- Great for spot treating studios, rehearsal spaces, and other areas
- Each package covers 24 sq. ft.
You can hear the difference when using this pyramid foam properly as a sound treatment. You will be amazed by how much sound improvement is possible with just a few of these acoustic sound panels strategically placed in your studio. They can do a great job to eliminated unwanted noise.
Characteristics
- These foam panels are two-inches thick and have a pyramid-cone shape.
- They come in a 24-pack in three colors of charcoal, blue, and red.
- They are 12 inches square.
- They add modest soundproofing to reduce outside noises.
- They ship compressed.
What’s special about this studio wall foam?
- You can choose between six-pack and 24-pack options based on the size of your studio.
- They reduce both echos and background noises.
- You can cut and shape the sound dampening panels without affecting their noise reduction.
- Great for acoustic treatment in a home studio.
Best for: home studios to help reduce reverb, flutter echo, and unwanted reflections. Use them to cover a wall or for spot sound treatment of special areas.
This video by EXOcontrato shows how to use acoustic sound panels with the technique of spot treatment. Spot treatment is using the acoustic panel to block reflection and modify the sound patterns in a room. To use this technique he uses a mirror to determine where the wall will reflect sound toward where the listener will be sitting.
The takeaway from this video is, you can use acoustic sound panels to fine-tune a recording studio or home entertainment room without fully covering all the walls.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
5. Mybecca Hexagon Acoustic Panels →
Mybecca 6 Pack Hexagon Acoustic Foam Panels
Top Features:
- Unique hexagonal design - 12" x 12" x 2"
- Affordable choice for soundproofing rooms of all sizes
- Great for studios, vocal booths, and control rooms
- Reduces noise, reverbn and flutter echoes
These acoustic panels are a hexagon-style that can be used to dampen sound and improve clarity in your studio environment.
Characteristics
- They are 12″ x 12″ x 2″.
- They are very affordable and cost-efficient.
- Unique hexagonal design makes them stylish as well as effective.
What’s special about them?
- Like all quality acoustic panels, they eliminate standing waves, reduce undesired sound reflection, and help reduce outside noise and other unwanted noise.
- Examine all the hard surfaces in a room. Those will reflect sound. The echoes will cause recordings, especially of voice-overs, to sound strange and somewhat hollow. Covering reflective surfaces with these panels will reduce or eliminate these problems.
- The panels reduce between 80 and 90% of typical background noises and sounds.
- They are compliant with all flammability standards.
- You can use the panels in small and large spaces.
Best for control rooms, recording studios, and vocal booths.
The product manufacturer, Mybecca, produced this video to show how easy it is to install their acoustic tiles using spray glue. While this video is for their wedge panels, the same applies to their hexagon studio wall foam panels. Be aware that if you do not own the home, you may have to return the place to its original condition when moving out. For a rented home, consider mounting these acoustic tiles on cardboard and then hang the cardboard on the wall, in such a way that it does not cause any damage.
The takeaway from this video. Gluing panels on a wall is a more permanent solution. Be sure you place them properly, where you want them. Depending on the type of adhesive used, it can damage a wall or leave some residue of glue or bits of foam on the wall, when you pull the tiles off.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
6. TroyStudio Acoustic Studio Absorption Panels →
TroyStudio Acoustic Studio Absorption Foam Panel - Broadband Sound Absorber
Top Features:
- 12" x 12" 2" size
- Unique groove structure design offers better sound absorption than many other panels
- Easy to cut and install
Enjoy the soundproofing and elimination of background noises that you need with these innovative acoustical foam panels featuring a groove structure for maximum sound absorption.
Characteristics
- They measure 12 inches by 12 inches by two inches thick.
- They come in a six-pack with the choice of black, blue, and purple colors.
- Special 18-pack also available for those needing more coverage.
- Excellent sound absorption qualities.
What’s special about them?
- The panels meet flammability standards and are environmentally friendly.
- They are very easy to cut and get set up in your space.
- These panels have a high NRC rating, which makes them a superb choice to cover a portion of a wall that causes unwanted sound reflections.
The NRC rating is the noise reduction coefficient. It is a single number that ranges from zero to 10. At zero NRC, there is no noise reduction and the surface is very reflective. At an NRC of 10, all sound is absorbed. At an NRC of eight, the material absorbs about 80% of the mid-frequency sound. Any NRC around eight is excellent.
Best for: spot treating areas where you need a little more soundproofing and acoustic treatment.
Click here to shop this product on Amazon.
Final Thoughts
You will be amazed at the richness of the sound that is achievable for a modest investment in time and money when you choose the right acoustic tiles for the sound treatment of your home recording studio.
Combine this effort with the recommendations for voice-over equipment, microphones, and the best home studio monitors. This will make your home studio a magnificent space for voice-over recordings.
And if you’re looking to further improve the sound in your studio, consider these cheap soundproofing materials that work great side-by-side with acoustical foam times.
Have any questions about using acoustic panels in your studio or rehearsal space? Comment below and we’ll help.
Great recommendation! Thanks for sharing the ideas.
Thank you for your feedback! I really appreciate it.