[Rfu-barnraising] acoustic building techniques - walls and windows

[Andy Gunn]

i had a request from danielle to send along some info about building walls and windows that weren't totally transparent to sound.  i have pretty good reference materials on the subject, so i scanned some pages in and uploaded them.  take a look at this doc, if you get a chance:

http://prometheusradio.org/tech_docs/acoustic_walls_windows.pdf

 ** warning - it is humungous.  15+ mb, so be warned before downloading.  i advise printing it out once you get it, and make sure the contractors have a copy or two on hand before they start building.

the material is somewhat technical and 'mathy'.  don't let that discourage you, there is a _ton_ of info in there, and i think it is one of the better, more direct treatments of the subject i have seen.  these bits of information often don't leave the heads of acoustic builders and engineers, so it is nice to see it all compiled.

that said, i think people have a tendency to 'over build' with regards to acoustic walls and windows.  there is such a thing as good enough in this case.  you can spend thousands and thousands of dollars, and still have walls that leak some sound.  i think in your case, where your station is in such a public place is great.  some sound leaking in to the background of the mic sets will be another thing that sets your station apart.  it will really emphasize the COMMUNITY in community radio - which is absolutely the most important part.  being a self-identified techie, i sometimes have a tendency to want things to be perfect, especially when i am building something myself.  in this case, perfect will be way too expensive, if not impossible.

i think, when building out these walls and windows, just attention to detail will help a lot.  don't shoot for a STC-80 (you will know what this means when you read the doc!), go for something reasonable in your walls.  since the windows are going to be so large, some more attention might want to fall on those - thicker glass, tight rubber seals, etc.  the fact that there has been so much deliberation lately about the building is great.

good luck!
-a


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|  Andy Gunn - Technical and Training Organizer  |
| Prometheus Radio Project - prometheusradio.org |
|    andy at prometheusradio.org   215-727-9620     |
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