Several months ago I started work on a project to contain the sound of a drummer in a residential home. This type of project is pretty typical. The part of the project that wasn’t typical was that the drum isolation needed to be removable in a couple of hours so that the space could be used for other purposes.
Detail of the latch and edge of the isolation acoustic door. We laminated the acoustic doors from scratch with 5 layers of MDF damped with Green Glue and bonded with polyurethane glue. The outer frame of the door is laminated poplar using floating tenon joinery for maximum strength and stability. The door is 2 1/4″ thick requiring both specialized hinges and a custom leverset. The weight, feel and sound of the door is perfectly satisfying. The door weighs enough to stop sound, but it’s light enough to be easily moved by two people.
The view from inside the booth looking at the second wall of gobos with the second acoustic door closed.
A detail of the inside top of a gobo. The 4 inch broadband absorber stops just below the bolts that press against the ceiling and push the gobo into the floor. The bolts are 5/16th that require a 1/2″ hex driver or socket.
A detail of the four gobos that make up the second wall from the outside. The gobos have been printed with a high quality oil based primer to minimize moisture effects on the MDF (medium density fiberboard.)
A view of the track lighting, the music stand and the structural pillar to which the gobos bolt.
The view from outside the second wall back through the booth into the joined storage closet.
A detail of the threshold. The entire for frame attached the the gobos on either side and is pressure fit against the ceiling. The entire door, frame and all is removable.
This is the same perspective with the door open.
This is the view of the ISO both coming down the basement stairs. You can see the array of gobos and the heavy acoustic door with 4 heavy duty EMTEK hinges.
Looking into the ISO booth from the basement floor. You can see the drums set up with a music stand.
Another treatment option is this hybrid absorber / polycylindrical diffuser. A QRD pattern is cut into softwood fir 2x stock (similar to RPG’s Flutter-Free) and then arranged on a large radius similar to a large polycylindrical diffuser. Air spaces are left between the mini-QRDs to allow low frequencies to pass while scattering mids and higher frequencies. The cavity of the treatment is filled with rigid fiberglass to reduce low-frequency build up.
This is a very nice treatment for rear walls of critical listening spaces and for general treatment of live and performance spaces.
These 4 Acoustic Ramps in Black with Rock Maple are headed to Portland, Maine to Pat Keane Mastering which is currently building a new Mastering Room with design work by Lou Clark of Sonic Space.
We converted from a noisy oil-fired furnace to a gas boiler this summer. When the heating season started, we were unpleasantly surprised to be woken from a sound sleep the first time the new boiler fired up. We called our plumber, and the boiler manufacturer, who both told us the boiler was just fine. Fortunately, we found Hendrik Gideonse and XIX Acoustics. Hendrik had a diagnosis on his first visit, and he quickly put together a plan of action – involving both plumbing changes and acoustic isolation. He coordinated all of the work, and personally installed isolating feet underneath the boiler which stopped any vibrations causing unwanted noise. Thanks to Hendrik, we now have a silent boiler, and most importantly, we’re sleeping through the night! -Joanna Revelas, Cambridge, MA.
Custom manufactured isolation spring and plate prevents vibrations from the boiler’s burners from entering the structure of the condominium.
Lou Clark of Sonic Space designed Electric Tree House for engineer Alec Francesconi in Bedford, MA. Lou specified for Acoustic Ramps and used them in an extremely creative way as part of a large integrated bass trap on the rear wall of the control room. The picture from Mix shows the front of the room. Here’s the rear of the room:
The photo isn’t quite as fancy as the one in Mix, but it does show a very interesting approach to using both diffusion and low frequency absorption. Go Lou!
For years we have been building custom absorber treatments like bass traps and wall panels for the studios we design and install. Now we are starting to sell these absorbers to the public. The Big 12 Bass Trap is the deepest fiber-based trap out there. At 24″ wide, 48″ tall and a whopping 12″ deep, the Big 12 Bass Trap extends to absorb more lower frequencies than those skinny little bass traps out there. The Big 12 also absorbs midrange and high frequencies so they can be used at early reflection points too!
“People had significant trouble hearing speakers in our church sanctuary, while carrying on a conversation in our social hall was nearly impossible. Hendrik Gideonse was able to improve both significantly. Now instead of complaints, all I hear is, “It’s so much better!” Poor sound can exclude people, and we are grateful now to be much more inclusive.” — Rev. Susan Milnor, Interim Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford, MA
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Medford, MA has an a beautiful newly renovated room called Benker Hall. The space is used both by the church for social activities and by renters who use the space for rehearsals, meetings and performances. There is a nice sized stage, a wonderful stained glass window, and beautiful visible beams and trusses holding up the cathedral ceiling.
Unfortunately there is a serious problem with the acoustics. The room is so reverberant that is is extremely difficult to understand speech. The long echoes in the room blur the clarity of consonants and make listening to music difficult and frustrating. As you might imagine, the ability to understand a speaker or properly enjoy music is a critical requirement for the room if it is to fulfill its intended purpose. The room is 40 feet across and 32 feet tall. The following photos are from Benker Hall:
In order the quantify the problems with intelligibility, we performed acoustic testing to evaluate the length of the reverberation and to describe the problems created by the room’s echoes. The following data was generated using impulse response testing:
The church purchased 45 2″ thick 24″x48″ acoustic absorbers. I installed the panels with a bunch of church volunteers. As the panels went up on the walls, the acoustic response of the room steadily improved. When completed the room was significantly quieter, meaning the room was not amplifying speech as much. The reverb time was reduced audibly, but the real change was in the nature of the reverberation. The ambiance of the room was cleaner, less distracting and simpler. Older congregants and those with hearing loss were extremely enthusiastic about the improvements.
The following after “after” photos:
The testing procedure was repeated with the following results:
Last weekend I was doing the first listening and acoustic testing in Larry Clawson’s new XMIX studio. Last year Larry hired me to design his control room and the studio is now nearly completed! Here are some of the pictures of that first test session. The room sound extremely good considering that side walls and ceiling are untreated. Barefoot monitors help. The wood is Ribbon Stripe Sapele. Black granite counter tops.
This is the view from a couple feet behind the sweet spot. Earthworks mic is being used for acoustic testing.
The view towards the rear wall of the studio complete with Mr. Slim ductless, some nice black Ramps and custom made broadband absorbers. The counter is black granite.
The side wall of the studio with built in cabinetry and another black granite counter top. Reflector and bass trapping in the corner.
Another brilliant usage of Acoustic Ramps is shown photographed here. The array of 5 ramps is inverted and installed on an angle to support the slanted rear wall of this control room. The diffusers have been integrated into a bass trap with an 18″ base. Lou Clark of Sonicspace is the designer.
