Tanner Ridge Cinema Construction Thread - Page 7

Thanks Mindset!

The sconces are from Rona - they were in store out this way last I checked, but there's nothing on the web site currently. You could try the Rona over in Shediac, and see if there's any on the shelves. The SKU is 2165118, and they were about $30 apiece.

Good Luck!

Hi Dlr944 - I have the reatiler's link and a short write up at post #17 on page one of the thread. They're $13.25 apiece, and I wish I had bought more to put all around the house!! Over a year, and no troubles whatsoever!

Yes, the seating is off-center.....the sofas are about a foot from the one wall, and the passage way is about four and a half feet wide. The passage is a bit of a high-traffic area (never ending supply of laundry to do ), so I wanted to ensure that it was relatively free to pass through and not face-plant. The centre seat places you about half a dozen inches offset to the left of the screen, while the right outermost seat puts you a few inches in the other direction.

An older pic I took shows it a bit better:



The centre of the screen/projector lens is about 4 inches or so just to the left of the 'split' between the two ottomans on the left (that also line up with the 'split' in the cushions of the couch).

From the bazillion threads and posts I've read in regards to acoustics and such, I believe that this maybe a good thing, as I recall that sitting 'dead center' may be more desirable for 2 channel listening (stereo sweet spot). I had read materials to the effect that 2/5 and 3/5 room lengths provide a more neutral sound (Audio/Video Interiors HT Guide, Russ Herschelmann). When I was building, I measured/taped off the 'fifths' of the room for both length and width, and tried to build the riser and seating placement to get as close to keeping the seating on 1/5 length/width increments as possible. That's why the front row ended up at ~12 feet (12/20 = 3/5). The back sits ~19, blowing my theory, but hey - nothing's perfect! Everything has a trade-off somewhere

It was actually a bonus that the seating worked out the way it did in relation to the passage! The downside is that the persons on the far left will be, well, kinda far left....and a little close to the wall but mind you, 4 out of 6 seats seem to have a good listening position, and anyone that's been in the 'left' seats has never complained

At last, the ever-elusive OC703 is in!!



I swear the lumberyard guys are comics or something.....when I ordered it, I was told that the 2" came in 2x4 sheets in stack of 12. My head math said "hey, that should be 2ftx4ftx2ft per bundle, and I needed two bundles. So I order it up, wait, and happily go to pick it up in the SUV - thinking that one bundle will definitely fit, but two might not, depending how squishy the stuff is....

So I ask the guy "think both will fit?" as I point to my chariot. He shoots back with a solid "in that?", and wanders off towards a forklift. So now I'm thinking 'why on earth would lumberguy need a forklift? Two bundles of 2x2x4.....maybe he's lazy. Maybe they screwed up the order. Maybe my head math isn't as good as it was in Grade 8?? I begin to worry...

Around the corner the forklift comes with a pallet with what I swear was six or eight cardboard fridge boxes, and the guy's headed straight for my truck!! I'm reading the pick slip, and it says two bundles.......I'm staring to feel an aneurysm building, coupled with the hemorrhaging my wallet is about to feel with the restocking fees....

I was in the midst of swallowing my thyroid when at last the lumberguy pulled two boxes off the forklift and cheerfully exclaimed "I think they'll both fit!!" Niiiicccceee

And they did both fit!

Time to go home and calm down before firing up the saws

And so, I ripped down some 2x6 spruce to make the frames. Each frame piece is 2" deep x1.5 wide, with a 45 degree bevel on the edges. I opted to build a series of 15, 21, and 27 outside width frames to visually break things up a bit as in the earlier sketchup. As it turns out, I didn't need two full-width panels towards the middle as there appears to be sufficient coverage without.

Frames:



Frames a la Dazian:



Tomorrow, I will hang them using french cleats and likely a few brads in the bottoms for good measure.

I still have yet to addrtess the ceiling, but that will be the next project!

Ta Daaa!

The laser level was sure my friend (think it's the first time I've ever used it!).





I spaced them about ~2 inches apart - it looked like the angle of incidence from the speakers wouldn't have much chance of a reflection even with the gap. From a seated position, it's a bit more obvious:



Boy, using no flash sure makes them look 'purplyish', but they are in fact black, and the green walls are supposed to, well, be dark green! I will sometime actually take some 'decent' non-flash pics that show the colors of the room properly.......

Anyways, what a huge auditory difference so far - when you talk in the room, it's like there's a super sound-vacuum sucking everything up! I was worried a bit about aesthetics, but I received a solid WAF 'thumbs up' last night - so not to worry.

Onto the ceiling now.....however, still trying to figure in my head how to secure these puppies so that they don't fall and crush people.....

That makes perfect sense! I had pondered something similar, but for some reason I'm stuck on the fact that the panels likely might not land on a joist - would drywall anchors really help in that regard? For both the cleat side and the screwed-in side?

Well, as a bit of a diversion from making panels, I opted to start on framing the screen. I managed to find a good deal on some black velvet this afternoon, so I went about cutting some MDF into strips.





As it turned out, I had anticipated about a one to two inch framed border around the screen on the inside of the shadowbox - but I had not figured in the calculation for the carpet tack strips and the last minute decision to go with underlay on the stage. This left me with about an inch or so all the way around except for the bottom was about 3/4 of an inch. Not as 'beefy' as I would have liked, but there's no way I'm tearing down and rebuilding now!

I fired up the PJ onto 'blue screen', so that I could bring the edge of the frames up against the outer row of pixels - for consistency's sake. The little tolerances on the inside edges were negligible, and I was able to pull up the carpet just a touch to get it to meet with the framing.

Overall, minus the 1/4 inch error, I'm pleased with the results that the black velvet border provides. It's the blackest material in the room, and really makes a nicer transition to the screen. Can't say if it improves contrast, since everything is so black anyways



At last, screen wall is DONE!!

Back to acoustic panels tomorrow.......

Swithey - Yup, those things weigh a bit for sure... This whole build thing has got me into the habit now of really over engineering things . Appreciate the comment - I've followed your thread from beginning to end, and it's great to hear from you!

DC - Glad it was of value to you! I plunk stuff into this thread with the faint hope that someone will glean at least something of value . God only know how many of your guy's ideas and techniques I've adopted over these past few years on the boards......

Wazzey - Again, glad I could offer something back to us AVS folks! Funny you mentioned that, since about 20 minutes ago my WAF diminished as I hung the remaining panels on the ceiling I'm hoping they will grow on her....

Speaking of which, next post will be the panel adventures...............

Okay then , I had a couple of PM's in regards to the panel construction/703 saga, so I thought I'd post a bit more of my process here to hopefully assist those who may be interested...

Tonight I finished up another 6 panels, and took some pics to show some of the guts of them. Here is a 21"x48" panel frame - cut down from 2x6 KD Spruce from the lumberyard into 2"x1.5" pieces:



You'll note that the ends aren't beveled yet - once I brad/glue them, then I bevel the remaining portion while my table saw is still at 45:



I end up with a decent cut that's fairly close, and sand off whatever might affect the lines that show under the fabric:



Here, I'm fixing to finish up my two ceiling 'cloud' panels for the centre channel reflections



A gazillion 18ga crown staples later, the Expo Cloth is stretched and secured



The OC 703, I rip down to 18" inside width for the frames by using the tablesaw, goggles, and a 3M respirator (safety first!!), and friction fit it into the frames. I left the backs of the 703 open, as the mounting was flush to the wall/celing and I felt that fiberglass won't be escaping from the fabric seal around the back edges of the frames



Now seeing as I'm using a cleat system to secure them to the walls, ceilings, I ripped down some more spruce on 45's, and secure it inside the frame like this - with a cutout of 703 so that the receiving end can catch on the lip



For the ceilings, I added three small metal tabs screwed to the frames to take the weight and secure the opposite ends. All were screwed in with heavy duty drywall anchors if I didn't luck out and hit a joist....

Onto the finished product......

Finished ceiling panels -



Here come the clouds





I figured seeing as the other panels were making things a bit predictable and 'boxy', I would use the front panels to add some angles and depth the the front stage area where everyone is supposed to be looking

I suppose the area where I have a good 4" depth of OC703 may mystically help with lower frequency absorption, but it at least works on the first reflections and I figure looks a little different from the 'norm'....

Boy, it sure feels great to be getting that much closer to the end of the build Just some minor trim and rack work, plus calibrations to go, then I think I'll take a little break!

Cheers All,

Are you sure? I started reading that thread long ago, but bailed out, fearing I might get lost again.....one time, I stumbled into the Acoustic Treatments Master thread and had to be pulled out by Search & Rescue after I was reported missing and overdue by the Mrs...

I don't know if my 'technique' is all that good per se - I only opted for the butt joints seeing as I thought mitered corners would be a PITA to all get exactly identical over and over vs. everything all the same with a lot less cuts....I took the Henry Ford Conveyor Belt approach and cut everything in bulk assembly style. Was also thinking that the strain of the stretched fabric might hold better this way versus mitered corners that may want to 'implode'....

I'll maybe wander into the thread later and assess whether it adds anything beneficial - thanks for the heads up!

Well, time for an update

I ordered and received my Insteon setup - 3 V2 Dimmers, A Keypadlinc as well as an X10 IR controller (IR543)







I'm happy that the KPL was the latest firmware version 1.5. I figure what I'll do, is use dimmers on the sconces, stage cans and overhead cans, and leave the steplights on a regular switch in the 4 gang box - I never turn them off or want to dim them, so may as well apply the KISS principle!

The KPL will end up at the top of the stairs leading into the theatre - I figure that way, if the LEDs are bright, it won't matter, and will keep the bank of switches looking more consistent . With any luck, I'm hoping to have the KPL have one load to dim (overhead cans), leaving only 2 separated dimmed loads in the 4 gang and then will not have to de-rate them (even de-rated, they are still well within specs, but less heat is always better).

I'm going to have to put on my electrician hat and sort through my earlier mess:



Hoping maybe to have it done this weekend or early next week. I'm still debating as well as to whether to put the IR543 next to the IR Repeater eye in the proscenium, or if I should put it in the equipment closet with an IR blaster....

Well, it's really hard to quantify it per se - I haven't taken any measurements just yet, but the biggest difference of course was the wall panels. Those, plus carpet covers off three out of 'four' surfaces for primary reflections, so the difference with the ceiling was not as dramatic But I do think that for the effort, it was worth it to me especially since my centre channel is top-mounted close to the ceiling and did sound a little 'muddy' and almost as though the timbre was different than the mains. It's a lot less noticeable to me now, plus the room has more overall absorption and really sucks up the mids and highs. After lots of reading on this, I figured 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and went on to treat all the first reflections anyway.

In your case (snooping your thread ), seeing as you've got a great space, great equipment and are covering off all those other little 'details', I think you may find ceiling treatments beneficial......that penny/pound thing

Well, after some electrical finagling, the IR/Dimmer solution is up and running





Sorry for the blurry pics.....must've had too much coffee....

I put the KPL at the top of the stairs, so the primary load controls the sconce in the upper hall area, and the others controlling the screen cans, sconces and recessed in the theater (using Insteon Links for a virtual 3-way). The top right button I programmed for X10 to control all of the miscellaneous Christmas lights around the house

Adjusted the ramp rates for the local switches in the theater so they fade up/down with some pizzazz

To get it to integrate with the IR-543, I assigned each of the local switches an X10 address, and put the IR-543 into my Harmony 880 as a device. The X10 commands I'm using are the on/off variety by way of sequences programmed into the 880, and added them as separate buttons in the activities screen. Works like a charm!

The only glitch so far, is that the X10 is most happiest when it's on the same line as the switches - I tried a few different places to plug the 543 in, but it's 100% reliable when I plug it into my riser - I'll have to pop another outlet inside the equipment closet to power it at a later date. I used one of the HotLink IR blasters on it to relay the IR from the front of the proscenium.

I still have yet to figure out some scenes to program in - lots more reading and tweaking to do as time goes by.

I was glad that the WAF factor was good on this one Even she thought it 'was cool'...