LEVEL 4: Center for Entertainment build - Page 4

I'd like to run my acoustics plan by you and see if anyone objects to anything or has any ideas for improvement.

What I'd like to accomplish is to provide some standard practice acoustical treatments to baseline my room's acoustical performance. Beyond this plan I can add/tweak what I've already done to address issues that crop up.

As the room stands, rocked, the sound in the room is very comfortable. There's little to no echo. That may change with mud/paint, but I don't think by much (I could be wrong). So, I'm pleased with that. I did the clapping test and there is nothing.

Here's what I'm planning on currently:

1. Linacoustic or equivolent treatment along the front wall. I don't have a cover planned for the linacoustic. Do I need one?
2. I will build triangle corner bass traps in the front behind the screen using stacked and cut R30 insulation. My structure will be made from cheap-o 1by2's and will have bracing in levels so the insulation doesn't compress. Then I'll cover it with a black muslin or other cheap black mostly transparent cloth.
3. I will build two acoustic panels on each side to handle first reflections. You can see the placement in my design mockup. The frames will be built to support 2" OC703 with a 1" air gap to the wall. Then I'll cover it with a custom printed cloth from Spoonflower (or whatever that place is called). The panels will be about 3 feet by 5 feet.

I don't have any plans yet for the back of the room, so if you think I should put something there, please let me know!

I figure the cost of this will run me about $300-$350, and I'm hoping I'm not wasting my money.

Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!

I do feel pretty good about spending at least a few hundred bucks. Thanks for the reinforcement! I was thinking about building shelving between the last two columns, but if that falls through, I'll definitely add more panels there.

About the back of the room. Are you saying I should stack two 2" panels so I have a total of 4", and that would help with frequencies that are closer to the bass range? And then face it to retain brightness on the high end. Right?


I have read a few different places that people have used loose fluffy as bass traps because they have good gas flow resistance. (I think that's the term anyway) The cost to me is about $40 for 1x2's and 2-3 rolls. The OC703 here is about $85 for a box of six 2" 2x4ft boards. I'd need 3 boxes to fill both corners, which is about $250.

I figured I could try the cheaper route, which has been said to work, and upgrade if need be. I'm at near end of my budget, so every $100 counts!

When I'm doing the treatments for the back wall, do I go all the way down near to the floor? It seems like the seating and people would be blocking the lower third of the wall at least. So, the sound waves would be at the very least broken up, and partly absorbed by the furniture.

Thanks, I'll cover as much as I can.


Are you talking about their black acoustical board? That stuff looks great and it's black so it won't show through any porous dark fabric I choose for my treatments.

I also found Certainteed's alternative to OC703.

Also, if I can find bracing for it, I like the JM Spin Glas since it's fermeldahyde free.

I'm open to other alternatives. I'm calling my dealers here locally and I know that at the very least, I can get OC703 for about $85 per box.

And I was checking the pfc on all of them! I must have missed the Spin Glas spec. D'oh!

Thanks for the info everyone, I think I have what I need to order my stuff.

NOW, down to try my hand at mudding for the first time. I'm armed with internet videos and tips from a friend. If I don't emerge in a few days, send help! Likely, I will have found a way to mud and tape myself into a corner.

I prefer "adventurous". (though, to be honest, I strongly considered doling out the $300 or so)

I kind of wish I had, too. I'm taking it slow and doing the parts behind the stage first to practice. It's not too bad, and I think I'll do a great enough job.

The tape seemed to be leaching a lot of the moisture out of the mud, so I ran it through water first. That was too much moisture, and the mud became goopy. Then I wet a washcloth, and ran my tape through that. That seems to work well.

I think I'm fortunate that my ceiling is very broken up. If I had long seems running down the middle of my ceiling, I can guess that I'd have a harder time perfecting it.

Oh, and on outside corners, I used metal bead that had tape on the outside of it. Then I used Drywall Adhesive from HD to just glue it on. This worked very well! I highly recommend it.

I've got the first coat on the front wall and the new side wall.

One more question about acoustics. (all rights reserved to continue with more questions at a later time)

On the front right corner of my room, where my right bass trap is going, I have an out jut where my foundation come out. I'd like to put a corner trap here.

Option1: Make a smaller trap only 20" on the short edges.

Option2: Make a larger trap with 24" on the short edges, but it's not really a triangle.

I'm not really sure how to handle the odd shape.

Here's a picture and diagram.

I have to choose my front wall product, please help! I need about 200sqft of duct liner.

1. I can get 400sqft of Linacoustic 1" for $245.
2. I can get 400sqft of Knauf Sonix XP duct liner 1" for $200. I prefer this option because it's formaldehyde free.
3. I can get 200sqft (100' by 2') of the Anco System 7000 Duct liner. I've attached the spec sheet here. It's $71 for the 200sqft (much cheaper).



Right now, I'm leaning toward the second option. Since I'd have so much left over, could I double it up on the front wall and have two layers of 1", yielding a two inch layer? And if so, would you recommend a 6mil plastic layer in between the two layers to maintain brightness?

 

20120522_101457.pdf 259.0703125k . file

Another option just occurred to me. I can get the the Knauf 2" 3pcf rigid insulation (oc703 equivalent) for about $1/sqft. That's also formaldehyde free.

I could cover the ~60 square feet of my front wall with that for about $60. They'd probably be easier to mount than 2 overlapping strips of 1" linacoustic, I would assume.

Any gotchas to using the rigid board instead of the duct liner?

That makes perfect sense to me. Thanks Brad!

My wife is kind of a stickler for safety and perceived "safety" (if you know what I mean), so I'd probably have to cover the linacoustic anyway.

I'll just get a boatload of the rigid board and cover it like you did.

I'm hoping some of you out there can help me make a choice. I'm at a point here where I need to decide whether or not to build a 16" riser.

From how you've used your theaters, what would you recommend? I like the bar because you can eat on it or use the computer on a desk like surface. I like the riser because it gives you a nice extra row of really comfortable seating. Also, it makes the room look more "dedicated". A downside is that I'm 6' 2", so I'd definitely have to duck to access those seats.

I've mocked up a couple of renders that are close. You'll notice the room gets narrower in the rear due to the stairs and a/v rack. I'm also not what I'm going to be doing with the space behind the bar/riser, so if you have any ideas, they are welcome!

What do you think?

I've finished my first coat of taping and mudding. It went pretty well. You definitely get better as you go along. I really glad I did the hidden walls first!

I hope I can finish the sanding and finish coats in the next week.

Unfortunately, my dancing, or what most people refer to as "flailing without thought for safety", could not be contained in such a small area.

I had my builder friend over last night and he mention maybe building a dart board. That seemed kind of cool. I suppose it'll come to me what I can do with the space.

I think you're right about the seating.

What I didn't like the most about my seating option was the height of the riser, which was based off of Berkline recliners in the front row. I had always figured that I'd have sectional seating in the front row, but I wanted the option to put in recliners. Now, I'm forgoing that option in favor of lowering the riser height to a less ridiculous height.

My sectionals, which I already own, are a little under 30" high. This helps tremendously for the visibility of the back row. I was able to lower the riser to a standard 7" step height. I will have a width of about 93", which allows me to put in two full sized recliners, a loveseat recliner, or a simple couch. Also nice, the left recliner is perfectly centered to the screen.

Take a look, I think it looks sharp!

For the duct liner, I was working with John Hansen at API Distribution. That was the Anco Liner at $.355 per sqft.

For the OC703 Knauf equivalent, I am working with Jim Romansky at Tristar Insulation. He quoted me $.975 per sqft with 80sqft per package of the 2" 3pfc ridgid board. I am choosing this option for Knauf's ECOSE no formaldehyde option.

These are both companies that are local to me here in the Twin Cities, MN.