Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65318 10/21/04 12:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21
D
dmw Offline OP
hobbyist
OP Offline
hobbyist
D
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21
Would it be a mixture of hard and soft surfaces, or just soft surfaces? What other factors are involved? I realize the size and shape of the room are important, but are there any other practical considerations, since I'm building a room to be my Man Cave?

Dan

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65319 10/21/04 02:14 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016
B
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
B
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016
every high-end home thater set ups i have seen , all have soft sound absorbing material on the floor and walls. i suppose its so you dont get any sounds 'bouncing' around, and becoming misdirectional. ?

i dont have any direct advice on what to use in your HT room, but i would think soft materials is the way to go.

bigjohn


EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU THE SINGING BUSH??
Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65320 10/21/04 06:05 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,602
B
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
B
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,602
A mix, believe it or not.

Having NO reflective surfaces sounds very odd.

Bren R.

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65321 10/21/04 06:11 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016
B
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
B
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016
well, there ya go!!

i would take bren's advice on this kind of stuff, way before i would take my own.. he kinda has the advantage being that he does this FOR A LIVING!!!!

bigjohn


EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU THE SINGING BUSH??
Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65322 10/21/04 06:23 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,602
B
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
B
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,602
I've never been in an absolutely dead environment acoustically, but I've been in close (recording studios) and it's an odd feeling... like there's a "gate" on your hearing... the notes slam shut.

In the other extreme - an empty concrete concert bowl sounds awful as well - need to pack it full of all those sound-absorbing bodies.

Bren R.

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65323 10/21/04 07:34 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331
axiomite
Offline
axiomite
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331
The recording studio is relatively dead, not because that's what sounds best, but so that the sound can be controlled. If you were to record in a reverberant room, the reverberation could not be controlled. What you got recorded would be it. But by recording the artist with a minimum of room effect, the mixer can add just the right amount of effects, whatever they may be, to achieve what is desired.

Just saw, in another thread, that jh20477 is a soundmixer. Hopefully he'll chime in here.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65324 10/21/04 07:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,459
Likes: 6
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,459
Likes: 6
The college I did some course work in had an anechoic chamber.

As Bren said, it is a very odd transition from normal everyday room, to listening to simple sounds within this environment.

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65325 10/21/04 10:12 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
shareholder in the making
Offline
shareholder in the making
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
Part of the reason an "dead" or relatively anechoic room is strange is that it confuses the brain. Your brain is used to being able to get a TON of information from the sounds it hears: the distance of the source, the relative size of the room, the direction of the sound. Most of that information comes from reflected sound.

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65326 10/22/04 02:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,459
Likes: 6
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,459
Likes: 6
Yes, I am well aware of the science and reasons for this.

But that still does not prepare your senses for the experience. The sterile nature can become a bit interesting to experiment with. In my case we were designing circuits that needed to produce certain outputs and be tested for this output, and several charateristics - such as "ringing".

I have been in many tuned rooms, and had designed and built a good listening room in a previous house I owned. It looked much better than that of the lab room referenced in another thread.

Re: What is the ideal acoustical environment?
#65327 10/22/04 05:25 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
shareholder in the making
Offline
shareholder in the making
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
I didn't mean to sound like I was lecturing. That post was meant for everyone, but I had to reply to somebody.

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  alan, Amie, Andrew, axiomadmin, Brent, Debbie, Ian, Jc 

Link Copied to Clipboard

Need Help Graphic

Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics24,940
Posts442,457
Members15,616
Most Online2,082
Jan 22nd, 2020
Top Posters
Ken.C 18,044
pmbuko 16,441
SirQuack 13,840
CV 12,077
MarkSJohnson 11,458
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 563 guests, and 1 robot.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newsletter Signup
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4