John Bullard Live Room – Tuning a Live Room for Classical Banjo
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Customer Feedback, Diffusion, HOW TO, Music Tracking Room, Product Applications, Products, Recording Facilities on May 3, 2023
When you think of classical music; what instruments come to mind? Piano? Violin? Cello? …What about Banjo?
In the summer of 2022, classical banjoist John Bullard reached out to Acoustics First for assistance with his newly renovated home-studio. John is one of a select group of classical musicians aiming to showcase the versatility of this uniquely American instrument. The banjo, with John’s expertise, lends a very distinct, melancholy sound to contemporary and traditional compositions.
Having recorded a number of albums already, John knew he wanted his live room to be catered specifically to tracking solo, classical banjo as well as small acoustic ensembles. Acoustics First analyzed John’s live room and came up with a treatment design that would achieve an “ideal-as-possible” acoustic environment for recording classical instruments.
The largely reflective live room had walls comprised of unfinished, reclaimed wood planks over plywood, a drywall ceiling, stone fireplace and a polished concrete floor. The parallel, hard surfaces contributed to a poor tracking environment; with standing waves and “flutter” echoes adding unwanted coloration to recordings, inhibiting music definition.
Spaces used for rehearsing and recording classical music often benefit from elevated levels of reverberation, which add a sense of warmth and ambience to acoustic music. Although the reverb in John’s untreated room was only slightly excessive when measured, it was far from “diffuse”, with the majority of energy coming from early reflections.
The primary challenge in the live room was to address the early specular reflections and standing waves without taking too much “life” out of the room. To achieve this delicate balance, wide band diffusion was recommended as the primary ceiling and wall treatment with selective sound absorptive treatment with fabric-wrapped Sonora® panels.
Double Duty Diffusers™ and Aeolian® sound diffusers were recommended as they would also provide some much needed low-frequency absorption in addition to broadband diffusion.
After the treatments were installed, John got right to work on experimenting…
“…ready to start doing extensive test recordings to locate the best spot and rug configuration for solo banjo… It sounds really good to my ear – now to see how the microphones hear it!”
John Bullard
Please check out John Bullard’s music!! – https://www.johnbullard.com/
StratiQuilt™ Goes Mobile!
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Product Applications, Products on April 14, 2023
Here’s a recent install pic featuring our sound absorbing StratiQuilt™ Blankets. These custom-made fiberglass blankets were installed for the County of Henrico’s mobile stage by RTW Construction out of Bumpass, VA.
For this application, the double-faced ‘SQ124’ version of this product was used. StratiQuilt Blankets are also available as single-faced (SQ122) or double-faced with a sound blocking vinyl barrier septum (SQ125).
A mobile stage has some different practical considerations compared to a standard auditorium, and the rugged SQ124 blankets fit the bill nicely!
Fabtec™ Panels: A Fully-wrapped option.
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Product Applications, Products on March 7, 2023
This month we thought we would post a of picture of the seldom seen FabTec™ with fully wrapped edges. Although more commonly produced with unwrapped edges to facilitate abutting panels for seamless installs, FabTec™ can also be produced with a fully wrapped edge, for a look and function very similar to our Sonora® wall panels.
These fully wrapped FabTec™ panels do exhibit a few unique qualities all their own:
1. They are extremely lightweight, roughly ¼ the weight of a standard Sonora® wall panel.
2. They flex. Unlike panels produced with the more commonly used rigid fiberglass boards, the FireFlex™ foam substrate of the FabTec™ panels can flex a bit. This can be particularly helpful when trying to install over a curved surface.
3. The combination of the spongy FireFlex™ substrate coupled with FabTec’s robust fabric covering make for a panel that’s actually pretty tough.
So, there you have it: a solid offering that straddles the line of acoustical foam products and architectural type panels, and encompasses some of the more desirable characteristics of both.
Reach out to Acoustics First® with any questions about which acoustic treatments would work best for your space!
Chickahominy Multipurpose Room – Sonora® Wall and Ceiling Panels
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Multipurpose Rooms, Product Applications on January 31, 2023
With multi-function rooms, there are usually a wide range of events being held in the same space. It could be full of kids playing games, dancing and music, or large important meetings. A balance can often be struck, making the room lively enough for the music and games, but tame enough for the speech intelligibility needed for the important meetings.
This particular space took advantage of the expansive ceiling with the use of direct mounted Sonora® Panels – which helped reduce the low-frequency buildup between the ceiling and the floor. Then some carefully-placed, wall-mounted Sonora® Panels were used to reduce the reflections bouncing off the walls. These panels were spread out in clusters along the walls to help reduce troublesome reflections, and tame the flutter from the long parallel walls.
The end result turned out great and all were pleased.
Treating a reclaimed space: Tone Tiles®
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Multipurpose Rooms, Product Applications, Restaurants on December 30, 2022
Reclaiming historic spaces and updating them for modern functions is a bit of a balancing act. Often, the aesthetics of the space are tantamount, and should be minimally impacted by the materials and methods used to bring them up to modern standards. Acoustic treatments are no exception, and it is usually best if the materials blend into the space – or at least don’t detract from the overall “vibe.”
When this old factory was converted into a multi-function space with a restaurant and brewery, there were concerns about the build-up of sound. As is often the case, the rustic patina of the concrete and brick surfaces were a focal point in this space, leaving the ceiling as the primary treatment location.
The solution was to install 2″ Tone Tiles® directly to the ceiling. This solution allowed for the sound build-up to be absorbed, while blending into the whitewashed ceiling structure. The rustic charm of the room was maintained, while having a modern, intimate acoustic profile, which is more conducive to gatherings and functions.
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