Primacoustic IsoPads Monitor Isolation Pads

The IsoWedge and IsoPlane are monitor isolation pads designed to decouple the sound from the loudspeaker so that it will not resonate with the desk or shelf. This helps reduce an effect called comb-filtering that occurs when various frequencies add or cancel with each other when coupled.

The IsoWedge is angled while the IsoPlane is flat. This allows the user to select between either platform shapes to optimize the studio setup. The IsoPlane can also be used to decouple turntables and other devices that can be adversely affected by sound resonating through the floor and furniture.

Sold in sets of four units, the IsoWedge and IsoPlane are designed to be used in pairs and spaced under the monitor as a means to distribute the weight. The cost effective design makes them ideal for home studio use and other applications where vibrations are an issue and decoupling is required.

Features

• Eliminates resonance from loudspeakers to shelf
• Made from high density open cell acoustic foam
• Down-fire angle to optimize monitor placement
• Cost effective solution for home studio recording

The Science of Isopads

Given enough energy, sound will travel through anything. Just stand outside a night club and you can hear the bass travel right through the walls. This occurs when the source of the sound vibrates and the vibrations, if sufficiently strong, will couple through the air or through the device itself, the floor and substructure which will cause the following device to also vibrate and emit sound.

In the studio it is no different. Sound from a near field monitor will vibrate through to the shelf or desk on which it is resting. This will cause the shelf to vibrate. The size and mass of the shelf will determine the frequency at which this will occur. If the frequency being generated is in phase with the loudspeaker, then this frequency will rise in amplitude. If the two sounds are out of phase with each other, then a cancellation will occur. This not only happens at the fundamental frequency, but will also occur at related harmonics. The effect is commonly known as comb-filtering.

By insulating the loudspeaker from the shelf, you can eliminate the coupling which causes the problem. This is precisely what the IsoWedge and IsoPlane are designed to do. They effectively decouple the monitor which in turn brings greater clarity to the loudspeaker. The energy in fact will be dissipated into heat via a process called thermo-dynamic transfer.

Critical to the performance is the quality of the acoustic foam and the thickness. It is critical that the acoustic foam be sufficiently dense to ensure the loudspeaker properly ‘floats’ without coupling into the shelf. If the foam is too thin, the bass frequencies will merely jump across the boundary therefore using a thin layer of foam will have little or no effect.

The IsoWedge and IsoPlane have been specifically design to provide sufficient space between the loudspeaker and the shelf to ensure these are decoupled and the high density open cell acoustic foam is custom ‘baked’ to achieve the desired stiffness. Once in place, these will bring greater clarity to the mix, thus making it easier to get the job done.

How To Use The IsoPads

IsoPads consists of 4 pieces of high density, low compression polyurethane foam, enough for two loudspeakers. Each piece measures 12.75" x 4.5". and available in two profiles.

The IsoWedge is cut with a 6° slope and is intended to accommodate meter bridge or tabletop mounting where the monitor speaker will need to be aimed up or down for the best on-axis positioning.

The IsoPlane is cut with a planar profile making it useful for isolating equipment that requires a level surface such as DJ turntables and CD players.

IsoPads are used to counter the effects of vibration-loading, or the physical transfer of vibrations from one solid directly to another solid. In the case of loudspeakers, vibration loading occurs when speaker cabinet vibrations are transferred to structures that support the loudspeakers.

Vibration-loading is perceived as an artificial boost of mid and low frequencies. The direct result of vibration-loading is that a listener will hear a combination of direct sound from the loudspeaker and the effects of structural resonance. They hear a frequency content altered by resonance instead of an accurate picture of what is actually on the recording. If that listener makes mix and equalization decisions based on what they are hearing, the mix will lack low and mid-range frequency content when reproduced on other play-back systems.

Monitor Size and Orientation

Installing IsoPads is easy. Simply place two pads under each device that you wish to isolate. Two IsoPads will accommodate virtually any size of loudspeaker or equipment. To match varying width, simply spread the pads apart. Maximum stability is achieved by placing the pads close to the outer edges. The split pad design also allows flexibility for either vertical or horizontal orientation of the monitor.

Monitor Height and Angle

By rotating the IsoWedge pads the slope can be either positive 6° (up-firing), or negative 6° (down-firing). For table top use, place the IsoWedge pads so they are in the up-firing position where the Primacoustic logo is facing away from the user. Place the loudspeaker on the pads so they are tilted up. For meter-bridge use, place the IsoWedge pads so they are in the down-firing position where the Primacoustic logo is facing the user. Place the loudspeaker on the pads so they are tilted down.

Shock Mounted Turntable

In the case of vibration-sensitive equipment, vibration-loading can cause turntables and CD burners to skip. High output subwoofers are notorious for this. The natural damping characteristics of the IsoPlane make it very effective for shock mounting turntables and CD players.

Using IsoPlane pads will also improve the sound quality of turntables and CD players. For turntables, less vibration mean less low frequency rumble, for CD players it means less error correction. By inverting the IsoPlane pads the front lip can be used to grab onto the table edge. This can provide extra grip to secure turntables and CD player in place during a DJ performance.