When designing a home recording studio or building a vocal booth, people often decide to use blankets of some type but especially confused on the difference between moving blankets and sound blankets. Aren’t these blankets manufactured the same way?
The answer is no according to Adil Aliev of VocalBoothToGo.com
The acoustics expert says “Although tempting because of a cost difference (moving blankets are often less expensive), moving blankets are designed, well, for protecting furniture during a move. The blankets are constructed with just enough filling to protect furniture and other items during a typical move. These blankets are not tested for sound absorption so you have no idea if they really will work for your home studio situation.”
Why Moving Blankets and Sound Blankets Aren’t the Same
On the other hand, sound blankets are constructed for audio recording use. Sound blankets should be professionally tested. For instance Producer’s Choice Sound Blankets measure at 80% noise absorption and has an NRC Rating of 0.8. NRC ratings fall between 0 (perfectly reflective) and 1 (perfectly absorptive.) So basically, the higher the NRC rating, the more sound a product can absorb.
But you can tell from a visual inspection that there is a difference. You can see that a same size moving blanket is less dense than a sound blanket. This is because when it comes to manufacturing, the blankets are produced differently including the type and amount of filling used.
But, some moving blankets may seem heavier than others only because they use a heavier outer fabric. The weight may be higher in these moving blankets, but in actuality, the quantity of sound absorbing fiber is low. The denser outer fabric of some moving blankets actually reflect more sound before it even has a chance to be absorbed! The moving blankets may actually cause more issues and defeat your main purpose of absorbing sound in your home studio.
And, this is why movers should use moving blankets . . . and voice actors or musicians should use sound blankets.
