Posts Tagged sound channels
New Sound Channels® Colors!
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Press Release, Products on March 23, 2018
Acoustics First® is pleased to announce that our Sound Channels® wall fabric is now available in eight new colors! Just in time for Spring!
Remember, Sound Channels® and Blockaid® Viny Sound Barrier make an excellent combo for treating existing walls. You can block unwanted sound, while improving speech intelligibility and give your room a jazzy new look all at the same time!
Here’s a link to our Sound Channels®/Blockaid® install guide.
https://acousticsfirst.info/2015/07/16/treating-a-wall-blockaid-and-soundchannels/
Exploring Green Acoustic Treatment: Sound Channels® Acoustical Wall Fabric
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Press Release, Products, Sound proofing on March 15, 2016
Sound Channels® Acoustical Wall Treatment – Made from Plastic Bottles?
Buzz words like “renewable”, “100% recycled” and “eco-friendly” seem to be everywhere we look, from coffee cups to building codes. This preoccupation with all things “green” has long passed the point of being just another fad. The desire for environmentally responsible products has shifted from being simply in vogue to being firmly requisite.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has become a standard benchmark for most modern buildings. To achieve the most points towards a LEED certified building, many architects are looking for “green” materials that show a commitment to the environment and responsible, eco-friendly practices. This includes the focus on materials that go beyond how much is used; to get a better understanding of what’s in the materials they specify for buildings and the effect those components have on human health and the environment. LEED certification also requires a more performance-based approach to indoor environmental quality to ensure improved occupant comfort. Specifying Sound Channels® acoustic wall fabric can help designers realize the above goals.
Obviously, specifying acoustic materials that use recycled content gets big points towards LEED certification. That said, the use of recycled content for acoustical products is not necessarily unique. For example, the fiberglass substrate for our Sonora Panels are made of 52 percent pre-consumer and 5 percent post-consumer recycled content. What is truly unique is the extent that Sound Channels® utilizes the waste product of one of our most widespread habits: the use of plastic water bottles.
Sound Channels – Recycled Textiles by the Numbers:
One yard of Sound Channels® acoustic wall fabric utilizes 15 post consumer plastic bottles. Recycling one ton of plastic from bottles saves approximately 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. This means that 36.5 million pounds of Sound Channels® fiber saves 365 million bottles from landfills, 91,250 barrels of oil and over 64,000 tons of emissions!
How does a discarded plastic bottle become wall fabric? Let’s take a look at the process…
First, bottles are picked up at recycling centers then sorted by type and color. Then labels and caps are removed; the bottles are washed, crushed and chopped into very small pieces called “flakes”. These flakes are melted down and color is added. Lastly, anti-microbial technology is added before the product is made into Sound Channels® acoustical wall fabric. Sound Channels® then can be recycled back into fiber at the end of its life cycle.
Besides the “green” benefits, there are performance advantages with Sound Channels® acoustic wall fabric. The anti-microbial technology incorporates silver and copper ions into the root fiber which naturally attack microbes. This technology works against the types of airborne bacteria that we are most concerned about, making this product ideal for hospitals and classrooms.
Recently, an improved design has increased its sound absorption by 25% (NRC of .25). The uniform coverage you get with treating the walls with Sound Channels® eliminates the flutter/slap from reflective parallel walls, while helping to control excessive reverberation and noise buildup.
Whatever your application, Sound Channels® acoustical wall fabric and Acoustics First can help you towards your “green” goals!
Sound Channels® – Top Product!
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Classrooms, Customer Feedback, Mentions, Press Release, School & Educational Facilities on December 22, 2015
Acoustics First® Sound Channels® wall fabric has been named a ‘2015 Top Product’ by Christian School Products magazine!
http://www.cspmagdigital.com/publication/?i=284531&p=18
Christian School Products – 2015 Top Products
This article from their November issue explains why:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Acoustics First!
DIY – Treating a Wall – BlockAid® and SoundChannels®
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Animal Shelters, Auditorium, Broadcast Facilities, Classrooms, DIY, Fitness, Government, Gymnasium, Home Entertainment, Home Theater, HOW TO, Media Room, Multipurpose Rooms, Music Rehearsal Spaces, Music Tracking Room, Product Applications, Recording Facilities, Recording Studio, School & Educational Facilities, Sound proofing, Studio Control Room, Teaching Rooms, Teleconferencing, Theater, Uncategorized, Vocal Booth, Voice Over on July 16, 2015
On many occasions, we get asked about common ways to treat a wall (or walls) either for broadcast, podcast, or other voice recording scenario – where they not only want to tame the reflections within the room, but also block a certain amount of sound coming into – or leaving the room.
Budget is frequently an issue, major construction is usually unwanted, but effective results are always required.
We’re going to show you how to handle a room upgrade – cut down on the sound transmission and cut the room reflections – all with the same skills required to hang high quality wall coverings! Let’s see how you can cover a wall with BlockAid® vinyl sound barrier to block unwanted sound, then go back and cover that with an absorptive layer of Sound Channels® wall covering to finish it off!
This treatment is not recommended for renters, as this is not an easy upgrade to undo. However, if you have an extra bedroom you are using as Podcast studio, this is a great way to treat it… Let’s get started!
Installing BlockAid®
 1. Measure the wall for the first panel length. Mark the panel width on the wall. |
 2. Measure and Mark the length of the wall on the BlockAid® |
 3. Use a straightedge and a razor to cut the BlockAid®. |
 4. Using a trowel, apply vinyl tread adhesive to the wall, covering the whole area where the first panel is going. (You marked the wall right?) |
 5. Hang the panel starting at the top, install a few screws to hold it in place while the adhesive sets. (You will probably need a friend to help, as BlockAid® is a pound per square foot!) |
 6. Using your hands and a putty knife, smooth out all the air bubbles from behind the BlockAid® so that you get a good bond when the adhesive cures. |
 7. Repeat the steps for the next strip. Measure, Mark, Cut, Trowl, Hang… |
 8. Make sure you line up those seams! push them right up agaist each other. Smooth out the air bubbles, cut out any outles, trim any extra… Let dry! |
Good job! Now, take a breather while that dries, and notice how much less sound is passing through the walls. This is when you will notice that the sounds are now coming from under the door, and through the leaky old window. These can be taken care of in different ways…. but the easiest way is the same way you deal with keeping the cold out! Get some weather strip, a door skirt, seal the gaps around the frame of the door, and windows, maybe go out and buy some heavy curtains for the windows… if you have some leftover BlockAid®, you can always get some Industrial Velcro and temporarily stick a piece over the window!
Installing Sound Channels®
 1. Remove the Screws from the BLockAid® – if you didn’t already… then same as BlockAid®, measure the wall, mark it, measure and cut a piece of Sound Channels® and start troweling on the Chapco! |
 2. Well, when you get tired, make your friend finish troweling out the adhesive to cover where the panel is going. (You are going to overlap the seams.) |
 3. Starting at the top, hang the Sound Channels® overlapping the seam of the BlockAid® under it. Smooth out the air bubbles with your hands. Make sure it lines up well. No screws needed! |
 4. Measure and cut the next strip, carefully following a rib in the fabric, while your friend, (who is way better at troweling than you are anyway,) preps the next section with adhesive. |
 5. Best practice is to run the fabric in the same direction every time. Not just with the ribs, but in the same direction it comes off the roll. So find the top. |
 6. After you find the top, start hanging from the top, lining up the seams and smoothing out the bubbles as you go. |
 7. Keep those seams tight as you go. Keep smoothing… almost done! |
 8. Trim up the extra and repeat as many times as needed. |
That’s it!
Don’t forget to trim around those outlets!
This treatment is a common first step in treating many professional broadcast studios – it gives you extra isolation with the barrier and takes the edge of the sound reflections. Many professional environments then go back and add some additional treatments such as bass traps, diffusers, and broadband absorber panels – especially if these studios are planning on bringing in any musical guests.
This isn’t just for home studios. It works great for kids play rooms, bedrooms, home theaters, home gyms, and any place you want to block sound and tame the sound inside the room.
Customize your space as you will, but this treatment is a consistent winner for cost and performance, and is a great way to get started without breaking the bank!
DIY: Fix Music Stand Ringing and Reflection
Posted by Acoustics First in Absorption, Articles, Broadcast Facilities, DIY, HOW TO, Music Rehearsal Spaces, Music Tracking Room, Product Applications, Recording Facilities, Recording Studio, Studio Control Room, Vocal Booth, Voice Over on April 4, 2013
DIY Project – Music/Copy Stand Cover
Take a few seconds and DIY fix some of the common problems with using metal music stands!
Not too many people think about their music stands, but we all have them somewhere. Usually it’s one of those you see to the right – the great, sturdy, utilitarian devices that they are. Unfortunately, there are a couple inherent problems with these:
- Ringing – The metal resonates causing a ringing effect.
- Reflections – many times you are using a stand close to a microphone and getting early reflections off the stand.
Here’s a few DIY fixes for these common problems.
- 1 yard of Sound Channels® acoustical fabric will reduce reflections back to the microphone – for up to 4 stands!
- 3 Linear feet of BlockAid® Sound Barrier will reduce ringing and resonance.
- a few feet of composite foam will give you both reflection and ringing fixes
The ultimate suggestion would be the Composite Foam/Barrier adhered directly to the stand, then covered with Sound Channels® fabric – This would turn your stand into a mini absorber.
Do the front and back! Make a slip cover for a temporary/removable solution.
This simple DIY project is provided as a way for our customers to learn better ways to use our products and get more value out of the products they buy. If you are looking for more ways to use the products you have, look to Acoustics First for Ideas. http://www.acousticsfirst.com
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Acoustics First Corporation supplies acoustical panels and soundproofing materials to control sound and eliminate noise in commercial, residential, government, and institutional applications worldwide. Products include the patented Art Diffusor®, sound absorbers, noise barriers, acoustical fabrics and accessories. Acoustics First® products are sold for O.E.M applications, direct, and through dealers. For more information on acoustical materials and their application, please visit www.AcousticsFirst.com or call Toll Free 1-888-765-2900 (US & Canada).
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