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Nick's Homebrew Bar and Entertainment Area - Page 33

post #961 of 981
5/14/13 at 9:30am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vikgrao View Post

Everything looking super neat!! are you going to stain the door also?

 

Thanks Vik.  No, I will have acoustic treatments on the doors that match the walls.

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post #962 of 981
5/14/13 at 10:45am
Just catching up on the pictures - looking great Nick! Nice work!!
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post #963 of 981
5/14/13 at 12:41pm
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Thanks Ben.  I am just jealous that you are sitting back enjoying movies in your theater while I am still not done.wink.gif

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post #964 of 981
5/14/13 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 

Fred and Mike,

 

I can say with certainty that all of the acoustic theories are above my skill level.  I am going to have to rely on measurements before deviating from the plan.

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post #965 of 981
5/14/13 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NGiovas View Post

After my last post about the trim - time seemed to slip by with no progress.  I had a stomach flu that following weekend and was really busy the next week.  I decided to finally kick things into gear again and make some progress.  Fortunately, I got several things done.  things are finally coming together.

I finally wired the outlets on the back of my columns.  It makes it much easier to be able to plug things in inside the room rather than having extension cords running under the door.  I debated how high to make the outlets, but decided to make them a bit higher since they are hidden on the back side of the columns.





Before working on the trim any further, I decided to finish painting the ceiling so that I wouldn't have to worry about over spray.  The first step was finally installing my diffusers on the air inlets.  I finished caulking the small gap between the top of the drywall and the HVAC boot.  I then fabricated some small sheet metal lips for the register brackets to hook onto.  Once the registers  were installed, I finally was able to finish painting the ceiling.  All I can say is - the light levels plummeted with the flat black ceiling.  I'm actually worried that I may need to find some brighter bulbs.









After painting the ceiling, I cut all of the OC 703 for my corner base traps.  I still need to build some sort of frame so I can wrap in in fabric.

Next, I cut all of the wooden plates for my column speaker grills.  I am using a design similar to what BIG used on the Bacon Race build.  I am cutting black pipe for the corner supports and will use wooden supports in the rear of the grill.  The first one was a bit tight and will need to be adjusted so that it can easily slide in and out with the fabric attached.




HAH wow I thought I was looking at my own theater for a minute! Red, Yellow corners, black wall, same stage shape, curved soffit over the stage... Awesome! I had to do a double take! You even got the outlets on the side of the columns! smile.gif

Great job on the columns and soffit ! I definitely chickened out on the veneer, even though that's what I wanted to do originally. Your write-up of the process was also excellent. I might have done it if I had some more details from Sandman's build when I did mine. Kudos! Looking great Nick!!

Since you are using the same column idea, I'll remind you of the issue we had. Our "Inserts" were a little too tight in the end, mostly because we measured once and copied the heights all around, but if you fit in the "Speaker Cover" before putting on the fabric, remember that there will be fabric there later, so it will be thicker on the top and bottom. You want it to have friction, but not to be so tight that you scratch your columns later. If I did them again I'd make them a little more loose and find a way to make them hinge open or "Snap" into place. I could have used the front ones for some sort of super secret storage!
Edited by damelon - 5/14/13 at 1:47pm
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post #966 of 981
5/14/13 at 1:56pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks Damelon.  I definitely got lots of inspiration from your build.  I started out years ago drooling over Sandman's theater and then incorporated several of your improvements.  Just to save you the shock later - I will be doing red and black fabric on the walls (surprise, surprise).  Of course I had to do the veneer so that something was different than yours wink.gif.  I just hope my theater turns out half as nice as yours did. 

 

Thanks for the tip on the fabric.  I noticed the first column I mocked up was tight even without the fabric.  I am trying to figure out how much space is right.

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post #967 of 981
5/14/13 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NGiovas View Post

Thanks Damelon.  I definitely got lots of inspiration from your build.  I started out years ago drooling over Sandman's theater and then incorporated several of your improvements.  Just to save you the shock later - I will be doing red and black fabric on the walls (surprise, surprise).  Of course I had to do the veneer so that something was different than yours wink.gif
.  I just hope my theater turns out half as nice as yours did. 

Thanks for the tip on the fabric.  I noticed the first column I mocked up was tight even without the fabric.  I am trying to figure out how much space is right.

I still love his theater. It was his veneers and curvy columns that really stood out. Both of which I sort of axed. I still do love the Red and Black!!!

Since then, I've seen things like Mario's build and again it was the woodwork that caught me. It really ups the classy in a theater! You're doing an excellent job, I have no doubt you'll love the end result. You are almost there!!

Have you decided on lighting? I've really liked the LED tape lights people have put in. I'd probably put that under a lip of the riser instead of step lights now. Hard to do once the carpet is up, but it's a cool effect. I even saw someone put LED lighting behind the edges of their columns to make them "Light up". That was a cool effect. I am starting to forget who did what now.

Are you building your own frames? How about the sizes/shapes? Are you doing those different? I think I noticed that you did some veneer mid-wall trim as well as baseboard in the same general locations I have them. What about your panels? It has been a little over 1.5 years since my frames were up. There have been paint scuffs on the columns in some places (Something some nice lacquer will help you with) and the frames have a few places where you can see the frame borders now through the cloth, or that the fabric bunches up very slightly. Of course only I notice, but I'm not about to rip anything down for something so small.
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post #968 of 981
5/15/13 at 12:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by damelon View Post


I still love his theater. It was his veneers and curvy columns that really stood out. Both of which I sort of axed. I still do love the Red and Black!!!

Since then, I've seen things like Mario's build and again it was the woodwork that caught me. It really ups the classy in a theater! You're doing an excellent job, I have no doubt you'll love the end result. You are almost there!!

Have you decided on lighting? I've really liked the LED tape lights people have put in. I'd probably put that under a lip of the riser instead of step lights now. Hard to do once the carpet is up, but it's a cool effect. I even saw someone put LED lighting behind the edges of their columns to make them "Light up". That was a cool effect. I am starting to forget who did what now.

Are you building your own frames? How about the sizes/shapes? Are you doing those different? I think I noticed that you did some veneer mid-wall trim as well as baseboard in the same general locations I have them. What about your panels? It has been a little over 1.5 years since my frames were up. There have been paint scuffs on the columns in some places (Something some nice lacquer will help you with) and the frames have a few places where you can see the frame borders now through the cloth, or that the fabric bunches up very slightly. Of course only I notice, but I'm not about to rip anything down for something so small.

 

Sandman's theater is still one of the top home theaters out there.  Especially if you consider that it was DIY (with the help of friends).  I love the round columns and really wanted to do something similar, but trying to find the right curved plywood was costly.  Plus, the speakers I am building wouldn't fit in them well.  It was a worthwhile compromise.  The other compromise I made was not having the star ceiling.  My ceiling height is too low to even consider it.

 

Mario's theater is stunning.  Nothing over the top design wise - just perfectly executed.  The fit and finish appears to be top notch.

 

I have 4 zones of can lights - behind the screen, screen wash, sides and rear.  I also wired for step lights, but really like the LED strips people have put under the lip.  Lastly, I will have an LED rope light in a lip around the perimeter of the soffit.  I wanted color changing 120V LEDs, but that isn't cost effective at this point, so I will likely just go with red dimmable LEDs.

 

I am building my own frames.  I am layering plywood and MDF so that I can chamfer the edges.  I am looking at a similar pattern to you and Sandman for the panels.  I will have one narrow black horizontal panel above the top trim.  There will be side-by-side vertical red panels above the chair rail.  Lastly, I am going to do a couple of horizontal black panels at the bottom above the base trim.  I was wondering how the fabric would hold up over time.  I am debating painting the frames to help hide them behind the fabric.  I'm not sure if it is worth the effort.  I am hoping the panel building goes quickly.  I feel like I am finally getting close.  I would love to knock a bunch of the panels out over Memorial Day weekend.

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post #969 of 981
5/15/13 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NGiovas View Post

I am building my own frames.  I am layering plywood and MDF so that I can chamfer the edges.  I am looking at a similar pattern to you and Sandman for the panels.  I will have one narrow black horizontal panel above the top trim.  There will be side-by-side vertical red panels above the chair rail.  Lastly, I am going to do a couple of horizontal black panels at the bottom above the base trim.  I was wondering how the fabric would hold up over time.  I am debating painting the frames to help hide them behind the fabric.  I'm not sure if it is worth the effort.  I am hoping the panel building goes quickly.  I feel like I am finally getting close.  I would love to knock a bunch of the panels out over Memorial Day weekend.

You should paint the frames black, even if it's just a quick and dirty on the front edge. I did that, but it's not the color that is standing out, it's just the tension itself. it's pulled over the wood and over time it is slightly more obvious where the wood on the frame ends, that's all. It would be less obvious if I angled the can light a little. Again, it's something only I notice really.... all of my guests seem to have the same reaction to the panels too, they want to stick their hands on them and feel the squish of the panels in the center. At least they don't touch the screen!
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post #970 of 981
5/15/13 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by damelon View Post


At least they don't touch the screen!

 

I am working on a way to electrify my screen - kind of like a bug zapper.  That way if someone touches it, they get shocked eek.gif.  I will keep you posted on my progress biggrin.gif.

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post #971 of 981
5/15/13 at 4:16pm
It's actually pretty easy. Go buy a cheap tesla coil and run a wire around the perimeter of your screen. You'll only get zapped when you touch the wire but you can turn it up where that would be quite unpleasant. Kinda funny, but your dog and kids won't think so. Have fun... biggrin.gif
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post #972 of 981
5/15/13 at 7:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by psychdoc View Post

It's actually pretty easy. Go buy a cheap tesla coil and run a wire around the perimeter of your screen. You'll only get zapped when you touch the wire but you can turn it up where that would be quite unpleasant. Kinda funny, but your dog and kids won't think so. Have fun... biggrin.gif

And thus, the Tesla theater was born!
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post #973 of 981
5/15/13 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by damelon View Post

.... all of my guests seem to have the same reaction to the panels too, they want to stick their hands on them and feel the squish of the panels in the center.

I get this as well ... drives me nuts !

Cheers,
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post #974 of 981
5/16/13 at 4:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter M View Post


I get this as well ... drives me nuts !

Cheers,

 

Because of my low ceiling height, I am more worried about people reaching up to touch the black ceiling while standing on the riser.  I can see the fingerprints already.

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post #975 of 981
5/16/13 at 11:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbdudex View Post

Nick on your corner bass traps you putting a reflective cover on the face before the fabric or just fabric?

Possible uncovered may contribute to over dampen room.

Measurement time.

Nice progress, keep at it.

Sent from my 32GB iPhone4 using Tapatalk

 

Mike,

 

I confirmed with Bryan that I do not want to put paper on the front bass traps.  He said that you want 100% absorption on the front wall and only want to reflect highs in the rear of the theater.  I am going to stick with the original plan unless measurements show otherwise.

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post #976 of 981
5/17/13 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NGiovas View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by mtbdudex View Post

Nick on your corner bass traps you putting a reflective cover on the face before the fabric or just fabric?


Possible uncovered may contribute to over dampen room.


Measurement time.


Nice progress, keep at it.


Sent from my 32GB iPhone4 using Tapatalk

Mike,

I confirmed with Bryan that I do not want to put paper on the front bass traps.  He said that you want 100% absorption on the front wall and only want to reflect highs in the rear of the theater.  I am going to stick with the original plan unless measurements show otherwise.

Is there a reason why OC703 for the corner vs Pink Fluffy?
I made mine from OC ridgid before the gas flow resistivity equations were put into usage and results shared with the DIY community.
I'm sure Bryan is aware that, so I'd like to know his rationale for sticking with OC703 in corners superchunk.
http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm
Quote:
There are several types of absorbers
a) thin porous most of wall
b) thick porous entire ceiling full
c) corner porous panel (corner chunk)
d) corner porous full (superchunk)
e) parallel out from surface porous (e.g. 4" out, acoustic ceiling tiles)
f) covered porous (FRK, leather couch)
g) constant slat/slot helmholtz (traditional formuals)
h) variable slat/slot helmholtz (John Sayers example)
i) port helmholtz (e.g. helmholtz riser)
j) constant perforated/microperforated helmholtz
k) variable perforated helmholtz
l) membrane, panel, diaphramatic (cupboards, bad risers)
m) polycylindrical {membrane,slat,port,perforated} absorbers
n) active noise suppression

porous includes
1) fiberglass (fluffy pink, rigid)
2) rockwool (semi rigid SafeNSound, rigid)
3) cotton
4) polyester batting (WalMart fabric department ish)
5) foam (often available in shapes like wedges)

Any absorber may be placed in a checkerboard or separated baffles.



In all cases if you have less than 4" you use rigid, if you have 8" or more you use fluffy, unless you need rigid for structure.

Porous absorbers are always broadband.
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post #977 of 981
5/17/13 at 11:14am
I wouldn't want to speak for Bryan, but it seems to me that the only place the loose batts offer significantly better absorption is in the lowest two octaves or so. Corner treatment for the first order modal interactions that dominate those ranges will be largely ineffective. For the lowest octaves, placement and eq are much better solutions, so the 703 makes good sense to me.
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post #978 of 981
5/17/13 at 5:53pm
Thread Starter 
Honestly Mike, Bryan specified triangle dimensions and height, but I'm the one who selected OC 703. I had enough available and had seen that others had used it with good results. I figured it would be really easy to swap out later if I choose to.
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post #979 of 981
5/19/13 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 

I continued to make some progress this week.  I finished up the frames for the speaker/column grills.  I have 4 of them covered in fabric.  The columns look great with the grills in place.  I am really glad I took the time to put the black dividing stripes between the trim.  It really ties the column together.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The four rear columns are deeper because they will house my surround speakers.  I wanted room to angle them if necessary.

 

 

 

 

The front columns are "false columns".  They really are only there to balance out the look of the room, so they are only half as deep.

 

 

 

Since there is a false column right inside the door, I decide that would be a great place to mount my scene selector to control the lights in the room (besides using a remote).  I had to develop a bracket to mount the electrical box so that it could be hidden behind the fabric on the column.

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the two columns I still need to put the fabric on.  I have it cut for both, so hopefully I can finish up during the week.  

 

I had previously cut a bunch of strips of MDF for my acoustic panels.  I finally picked up the plywood for the frames today and cut all of the strips.  Now I have everything I need to finish the panels.  I glued up the first two today.  Once the glue is completely dry, I will chamfer the edges before wrapping them with fabric.  I hope to take advantage of the long weekend and knock several panels out.

 

It may be time to start calling carpet installers to discuss pricing and measuring...

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post #980 of 981
5/19/13 at 9:39pm
Slow Down!! Ha, looking great, keep it up.
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post #981 of 981
5/20/13 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 

Thanks Chase.  In my mind, I want it to be done so bad - it seems like it couldn't go any slower.

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