Steps to Fix Low-Frequency Noise Issues Using Wall Acoustic Foam Panels

Low-frequency noise has a way of sneaking into shared workspaces. It doesn’t shout, but it rumbles. It can show up as a deep hum from machinery, passing traffic, or even vibrations through walls. And once it’s in a room, it’s hard to ignore. Working through it often means dealing with tired ears, less focus, and low-level stress that builds throughout the day.

We often speak with clients who’ve tried adding acoustic foam panels to their office walls but still end up disappointed. The issue isn’t always the foam itself. It's that low-frequency sounds behave differently, and fixing them takes a bit more planning. Not all foam panels absorb bass well, and fixing room echo doesn't always help with deep, lingering noise. But with the right steps, foam on the walls can still be a big part of the solution. We have been manufacturing acoustic treatment in the UK since 2004, with more than 20 years of experience supplying studios, offices, and home cinemas with products that help tackle these kinds of problems.

Understanding Low-Frequency Noise

Low-frequency noise is what we often feel as much as hear. It comes from large equipment running nearby, underground systems, building services, or even heavy foot traffic on upper floors. These sounds often carry through structural parts of the building, which makes blocking or absorbing them harder than mid or high-frequency noise.

Unlike sharper sounds that reflect off flat surfaces, low tones seep into a space and linger. They can travel longer distances, curve around edges, and vibrate through solid materials. That’s why thinner acoustic solutions often work well for things like echo and chatter, but struggle where bass is involved.

These deeper sounds tend to pool in corners or bounce off large, untreated surfaces. If the room is mostly hard walls and floors, the problems get worse. They can make voices sound flat or muffled and can cause quick fatigue for anyone using the room regularly.

Choosing the Right Wall Foam Panels

Not all acoustic foam panels are designed to handle low-end sound effectively. This can catch people off guard, especially if they look for something that simply fits the office look or comes in a basic square shape.

Some foam is built more for visual appeal than performance. While it can take the edge off background noise, it won’t do much for bass. To improve low-frequency control, we look at foam that's thicker, denser, and more absorbent at lower ranges.

Key things we focus on include:

• Density: Higher density panels absorb deeper frequencies more effectively.

• Thickness: Thicker foam slows soundwaves more, giving bass energy time to reduce.

• Shape: Flat panels aren’t always the best. Chamfered or contoured designs increase surface area, helping catch more energy.

Decorative or super-thin panels might solve echo from people talking, but they won’t fix the deeper rumble. The right foam makes all the difference when the sound issue comes from below or behind the walls.

Planning Panel Placement for Better Results

Good panels can still perform poorly if they aren't placed with purpose. It’s common to see panels spaced evenly across the middle section of walls. But if they don’t target where low-frequency noise reflects or funnels, they won’t have much impact.

We always try to identify the strong reflection points first. That includes parts of the wall directly across from desks, alongside equipment, or behind large flat surfaces like whiteboards or screens. Low-end noise tends to collect near the floor and in room corners, so fixing only the upper wall spaces leaves those problems untouched.

Height matters as well. Panels installed too high won’t address the sound moving near desk level. And if flat, open walls face each other without treatment in between, that echo path will keep carrying bass reflections across the room.

Common mistakes we avoid:

• Using too few panels only on one section of wall

• Mounting all foam at the same height

• Ignoring places where hard surfaces face each other

With a better layout, even a small number of panels can make a bigger difference.

Supporting Wall Foam with Complementary Treatments

Wall foam alone might not be enough to fully treat low-end problems, depending on the size and layout of the room. Sometimes, pairing wall panels with other absorption tools helps absorb lingering energy more completely.

Rooms with square or rectangular shapes are great at trapping bass. Corners especially hold on to that deep rumble. Adding bass traps into these corners works well with acoustic foam on the walls. We offer corner bass traps in 2 ft and 3 ft sizes, made from acoustic foam with a density of 30 kg/m3 and a Crib 5 fire classification under UK Furniture and Furnishings regulations, so they can be used safely alongside wall panels in rooms that need extra low-end control. Ceiling panels or baffles can also interrupt the vertical bounce that many low tones follow.

Other helpful approaches can include light diffusion. This breaks up how sound travels without simply absorbing it all. It works best when absorption has already handled major bounce points.

We often blend treatments like this:

• Wall panels to absorb mid and upper range reflections

• Corner traps to catch low-end build-up

• Ceiling foam to stop vertical throwback

It’s not about overloading the space with foam. It's about getting coverage in the right mix of places and angles.

When Adjustments Make a Bigger Impact Than Quantity

Sometimes, a few changes in layout fix more than adding extra panels. We often revisit rooms where loads of foam were installed, only to find the placement worked against results instead of for them.

Sound doesn’t travel in a straight line. It bounces, shifts, and squeezes into strange corners. That’s why we often test where sound paths fall before finalising layout. Moving a panel just a metre to the left can result in much better absorption, especially if reflections are coming off glass or screens nearby.

Spreading out smaller panels evenly might look tidy, but areas with higher build-up need more attention. A big bare wall across from where someone speaks is worth treating in a bigger way, even if the rest of the room is already covered.

Here's how we approach layout fixes:

• Reassess where people sit, speak, and listen most

• Identify spaces where noise builds up (corners, near windows, long flat walls)

• Adjust panel height and spacing for realistic sound paths, not just visuals

Every room speaks differently. Listening to it makes all the difference.

Looking to take control of the distracting hum and improve focus in your workspace? The right solution starts with choosing materials that address deeper sound issues where they matter most. At Advanced Acoustics, we specialize in providing products that go beyond surface fixes to target unwanted noise at its source. Explore our range of expertly designed acoustic foam to help you create a more comfortable and productive environment.