Tuned Membrane Bass Traps

Handcrafted in Nashville, TN

Built with sustainable and high-quality materials

Fire Rated

Tested and Certified - Class A fire-Rating ASTM E84–23d

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Ships in 1 to 2 Weeks all over the continental United States

In-Store Pickup Available

Buy online and pick up your order at our Nashville location

Tuned to Your Room

MCA Tuned Membrane Bass Traps work where EQ and room correction can't. They control decay time in the time domain, the hardest aspect of low-frequency performance to get right. Bass hits with impact and precision instead of blooming into muddy resonance. Room modes stop dominating your mix decisions. Low frequencies translate accurately across all playback systems, and your low end becomes even and controlled.

These are precision tools for solving modal problems that can't be EQ'd away. When you need surgical control over specific resonances and decay time, this is how you get there.

Built for the Final Stage

Mix/Mastering Rooms

Mixing and mastering demand control over decay time at specific frequencies. Tuned Membrane Bass Traps target problem room modes that create ringing, long decay, and uneven low-frequency response. They work where porous absorbers reach their performance limits, giving you the ability to tame resonances at 40 Hz, 50 Hz, or any specific frequency that's causing problems. The result: accurate low-end translation, balanced decay time, and confidence in your decisions.

Audiophile Listening Rooms

Audiophile systems benefit from controlled low frequencies without over-dampening mids and highs. Tuned Membrane Bass Traps target specific bass resonances and room modes, leaving your mid and high frequencies untouched. This allows you to control problematic low-end decay while preserving the liveliness and detail in the upper spectrum. The result: tight, articulate bass with a soundstage that remains open and immersive.

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How Tuned Membrane
Bass Traps Work

Tuned Membrane Bass Traps are pressure-based absorbers, fundamentally different from porous absorbers. They target specific frequencies with a narrow Q, acting as a surgical tool to control decay time in the time domain. This narrow Q is both their strength and their design requirement: they excel at taming the ringing and resonance from room modes at specific frequencies, but they must be placed where those frequencies have strong sound pressure to be effective.

Tuned Membrane Bass Traps are built using airtight three-quarter-inch plywood boxes with solid plywood backing. The interiors are sealed and dampened with internal framing and insulation to ensure the box itself doesn't resonate. The membrane — either 1 lb or 2 lb mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) — does the actual absorbing. Tuning is determined by the depth of the box and the density of the membrane. The internal insulation also widens the Q slightly, allowing each trap to cover roughly a one-octave range around the center tuning frequency while maintaining surgical precision at the target frequency.

What Changes When You Control Decay Time

Resonances disappear

Room modes stop ringing and hanging around longer than everything else. The low end becomes tight and controlled.

Impact increases

Bass hits with clarity and punch instead of blooming into muddy resonance. You feel the transient, not the decay.

Translation improves

Low frequencies that sound accurate in your room sound accurate everywhere. Your mixes and masters translate reliably.

Clarity emerges

Low-end detail that was masked by modal ringing becomes audible. You can hear the relationship between kick, bass, and low-mid instruments clearly.

Listening becomes immersive

In audiophile rooms, bass stays articulate and controlled. Soundstage opens up. The low end supports the music instead of overwhelming it.

Tuned Membrane Bass Traps give you control over the time domain, solving decay time problems that frequency response measurements alone can't capture. When you need surgical precision to tame specific problem frequencies, this is how you get there.

Performance You Can Trust

Tuned Membrane Bass Traps are precision devices engineered to target specific frequencies. Because they work via pressure absorption with a narrow Q rather than broadband absorption, standard NRC testing doesn't apply. Performance is validated through tuning accuracy and real-world placement in treated rooms.

Each trap is tuned to its specified frequency using precise box depth and membrane density calculations, ensuring consistent performance at the target frequency and roughly one octave around it.

Installation and Placement Are Critical

Tuned Membrane Bass Traps must be placed where the target frequency has strong sound pressure. Incorrect placement dramatically reduces effectiveness. Our installation guides walk you through the process of identifying optimal locations based on your room measurements.

Need help with placement? Contact us for a free room design consultation. We'll help you identify problem frequencies and determine optimal trap locations.

Free Room Advice

Recommended by your favorite creators

“I’ve worked with the MCA team for a while now, and they have become an essential part of the evolution of my studio, Santa's Workshop. From designing custom gobos to overseeing complete room design, their data driven attention to detail is unmatched.”

—Dave Clauss
6-time Grammy-winning Recording Engineer/Producer/Mixer

“Music City Acoustics was great to work with when we were designing our New England studio. I could sit with them with measurements I’d done and work with them through a bunch of possible solutions. We ended up getting 36 tuned membrane bass panels which worked perfectly! Couldn’t be happier with the results!”

—Ted Jensen
Grammy-winning Mastering Engineer

“There are not many places in the music business where you can get the highest quality, the most attention to detail, the best sounding results, AND stay within your budget. Music City Acoustics is that PLACE! They helped me build the most beautiful and best sounding studio of my career!”

—David Spencer
Producer/Singer/Songwriter/Instructor

Your Questions: Answered

Yes. Measurement is essential. Tuned Membrane Bass Traps have a narrow Q and must be tuned to your specific problem frequencies to be effective. Use Room EQ Wizard (see our tutorial video) or an SPL meter with pink noise to identify which frequencies are causing problems in your room. Once you know your problem frequencies, select the tuning closest to that frequency. With 5 Hz increments available, you can get very close to your exact problem. Custom tunings are also available for precise targeting.
Placement is critical. Tuned Membrane Bass Traps must go where the target frequency has strong sound pressure. A 45 Hz trap placed in a location where 45 Hz isn't prominent won't be effective. Room measurements will show you not only which frequencies are problematic but also where they're occurring in your space. Our installation guides and free room design consultations help you determine optimal placement.
Choose the tuning closest to your problem frequency. If you have a 47 Hz room mode, select the 45 Hz tuning. If you have multiple problem frequencies, you may need multiple traps tuned to different frequencies. Custom tunings are available if your problem frequency falls between our standard 5 Hz increments.

Most rooms benefit from porous absorbers first. Products like SubFreQ, Bass Trap, and Broadband panels provide broadband low-frequency control that addresses the majority of acoustic problems. Tuned Membrane Bass Traps are precision tools for the final stage of treatment — when you've addressed broadband absorption and still need targeted control over specific modal resonances or decay time problems. The typical approach: start with porous absorption, then add tuned membranes for surgical precision where needed.
Yes, but they're typically more common in mixing/mastering studios and audiophile listening rooms where precision control matters most. Home theaters usually benefit more from broadband absorption (Broadband or Bass Trap panels) that addresses overall room response rather than specific frequencies.
We recommend starting with 2-4 traps per problem frequency, then adding more as needed. Room modes have very large wavelengths, so a single trap can only dampen part of the standing wave. We've treated mastering and mixing rooms where entire walls were covered with membrane traps for maximum modal control. The exact number depends on your room size, the severity of your modal problems, and your goals. Room measurements and consultation help determine the right quantity and placement. Contact us for a free room design.

Tri-Corner Bass Traps

Built for compact spaces and vocal booths, Tri-Corner Traps excel at absorption from 80Hz and up. Not to be used in more precise listening environments.

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Music City Acoustics Tuned Membrane Bass Traps - sound pressure absorbers for specific problem frequencies in your home or commercial recording studio

Tuned Membrane Traps

Used for specific problem frequencies that are apparent in different rooms. Very specialized and only to be used if the room has been measured first to identify the problem frequency.

Bass Trap Panels

6.5" deep, designed for mixing, mastering, and listening environments where accuracy matters: Ideal for studios, listening rooms, and home theaters.

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Music City Acoustics SubFreQ Bass Trap Acoustic Panels - 12.5" deep bass traps - unmatched low frequency bass absorption for studios

SubFreQ Panels

12.5" deep, SubFreQ panels extend absorption down to 40 Hz, tackling sub-bass frequencies that even Bass Traps can't reach. Essential for mastering rooms and serious audiophile systems.

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Tuned Membrane Bass Traps

Handcrafted in Nashville, TN

Fire Rated

Shipping

In-Store Pickup Available

Mix/Mastering Rooms

Audiophile Listening Rooms

“I’ve worked with the MCA team for a while now, and they have become an essential part of the evolution of my studio, Santa's Workshop. From designing custom gobos to overseeing complete room design, their data driven attention to detail is unmatched.”

“There are not many places in the music business where you can get the highest quality, the most attention to detail, the best sounding results, AND stay within your budget. Music City Acoustics is that PLACE! They helped me build the most beautiful and best sounding studio of my career!”

Not Sure What's Right for Your Space?

Tri-Corner Bass Traps

Tuned Membrane Traps

Bass Trap Panels

SubFreQ Panels