Journey to the centre of Silence!
Previously in our interview with leading sound-man Brijith Madhavan, he explained to us about the basics of sound and acoustics in general. He went on to explain a few basic concepts in acoustics and also gave a few tips for the beginners. But in this edition, he gets a little deeper about the technicalities of sound and acoustics thereby helping you understand the nuances better.
What is easiest DIY procedure to soundproof your space?
There is no DIY procedure to sound proof a room. The best you could do is to close an unwanted opening, all unused windows and doors. Further replace the existing door with a sound proof one. This helps you achieve the best possible proofing within the existing structure and parameters. But this will not be enough for a professional studio. I prefer two layers of soundproofing on a recommended support system.
How to remove natural reverb of a room?
Adding porous sound absorption materials to the wall and ceiling should help you control the natural reverb. Professional studio’ s needs to be done with high precision since each frequency band needs manipulation and to be bought under intended parameters.
To attain this acousticians usually use a combination of porous and panel absorbers, diffusers, sound re-directors etc
How to evaluate a bare room?
A bare room can be evaluated by analysing the reflections produced during a loud conversation, a clap or playing any loud sound inside the room. You need to close windows, doors and any other openings before doing this.
Could you please differentiate between absorption and diffusion
and how each is important?
Absorption and diffusion are integral parts of Acoustic Designing. What absorption surfaces generally do is to absorb sound hitting them and is defined & measured by the term“ absorption coefficient” which is frequency dependent. On a Porous Absorber, depending on the absorption coefficient, a part of the absorbed energy is transformed into heat and rest is transmitted through the absorbing body. The energy transformed into heat is said to have been ' lost '.
“ Panel absorbers” works on damping method. Porous absorbers are broad band absorbers whereas panel absorbers are limited to particular band of frequencies.
Diffuser, on the other hand reflects sound hitting there surface back to the room in a controlled pattern depending on the type of diffusers used. According to the desired acoustic nature a room demands, we place them critically in the design to have an optimum output. However, one should not confuse diffusers with sound re-directors. They are meant to re-direct sound in a required angle as the design may demand it. Customised diffusers for different frequency bands can be made according to specific requirements.
The Score Magazine
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