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[email protected] smanilov@gmail.com is offline
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Default How to improve family room acoustics?

Hi!
I have an open architecture house. Family room flows into the kitchen
and into large living room and foyer (two story). In addition the
entire first level has hard floors - hardwood and tile.

My family room has a 42" TV and a home theater system. I would like to
improve the acoustics since the sound echoes even when people talk.
Using microphone for singing echoes even more. I like the modern look
of the open space, but what can I do to improve the acoustics without
compromising the look of the room? I understand that I will not be
able to get a perfect sounding room, but if any noticeable improvements
can be done, I will appreciate your advice.

What are my choices? What would it cost? How much improvement will I
notice?

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[email protected] rboy505@yahoo.com is offline
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Posts: 55
Default How to improve family room acoustics?

Well, there're two aspects to this sound conundrum: First is the sound
when normal things are going on, and second is the sound when you do
recording. The first you can attain fairly easily. The second not
so much without being at least somewhat flexible on the "look". I'm
sure you'll get a lot of good advice, but mine would be to not insist
that one solution will satisfy both the audio and your sense of
"without compromising look of the room". Large, flowing spaces and
hardwood and tile floors can be great for recording, but they have to
be controlled (rather the reflections have to be controlled or tamed),
or else all the soundwaves flow as much as the visual.

Your best bet is to use well placed portable baffles and diffusers when
you record, and them you can put them away afterwards. Almost any
semi-permanent treatment to the room as you describe it will compromise
the visual flow of it.

r




wrote:
Hi!
I have an open architecture house. Family room flows into the kitchen
and into large living room and foyer (two story). In addition the
entire first level has hard floors - hardwood and tile.

My family room has a 42" TV and a home theater system. I would like to
improve the acoustics since the sound echoes even when people talk.
Using microphone for singing echoes even more. I like the modern look
of the open space, but what can I do to improve the acoustics without
compromising the look of the room? I understand that I will not be
able to get a perfect sounding room, but if any noticeable improvements
can be done, I will appreciate your advice.

What are my choices? What would it cost? How much improvement will I
notice?


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hank alrich hank alrich is offline
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Default How to improve family room acoustics?

smanilov wrote:

Hi!
I have an open architecture house. Family room flows into the kitchen
and into large living room and foyer (two story). In addition the
entire first level has hard floors - hardwood and tile.


My family room has a 42" TV and a home theater system. I would like to
improve the acoustics since the sound echoes even when people talk.
Using microphone for singing echoes even more. I like the modern look
of the open space, but what can I do to improve the acoustics without
compromising the look of the room? I understand that I will not be
able to get a perfect sounding room, but if any noticeable improvements
can be done, I will appreciate your advice.

What are my choices? What would it cost? How much improvement will I
notice?



http://www.realtraps.com

Effective and reasonably priced. Plenty of prior discussion here, and if
you Google it, ignore the sour-grapesters.

Standard Disclaimer Applies: I have no financial affiliation with
Realtraps, but I've fondled some at an AES convention, and I have tried
like hell to get a local church to buy some of them.

--
ha
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Ty Ford Ty Ford is offline
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Posts: 2,287
Default How to improve family room acoustics?

On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:28:00 -0500, hank alrich wrote
(in article ):

smanilov wrote:

Hi!
I have an open architecture house. Family room flows into the kitchen
and into large living room and foyer (two story). In addition the
entire first level has hard floors - hardwood and tile.


My family room has a 42" TV and a home theater system. I would like to
improve the acoustics since the sound echoes even when people talk.
Using microphone for singing echoes even more. I like the modern look
of the open space, but what can I do to improve the acoustics without
compromising the look of the room? I understand that I will not be
able to get a perfect sounding room, but if any noticeable improvements
can be done, I will appreciate your advice.

What are my choices? What would it cost? How much improvement will I
notice?



http://www.realtraps.com

Effective and reasonably priced. Plenty of prior discussion here, and if
you Google it, ignore the sour-grapesters.

Standard Disclaimer Applies: I have no financial affiliation with
Realtraps, but I've fondled some at an AES convention, and I have tried
like hell to get a local church to buy some of them.

--
ha


"I have tried like Hell to go to Heaven" hmmmm, The new Alrich Lyric
Motivator seems to be working....


Regards,

Ty Ford

-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

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[email protected] smanilov@gmail.com is offline
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Default How to improve family room acoustics?

It seems that if I do no recording, but only listening, it is easier to
make the room "sound" better. I have heard that placing acoustic foam
under the couches may help, but I am not sure if it's really true and
if the effect is noticeable. Any comments on that?

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Ethan Winer Ethan Winer is offline
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Default How to improve family room acoustics?

I have heard that placing acoustic foam under the couches may help, but I
am not sure if it's really true and if the effect is noticeable. Any
comments on that?

That won't be useful. ALL acoustic problems are caused by reflections off
the walls, floor, and ceiling. So the solution is to apply absorption to
those surfaces. Putting something under a couch will have minimal effect if
the floors are bare, and no effect at all if you already have carpet.

rboy's suggestion for portable absorbers makes sense if you can't treat the
room surfaces, though you need absorption more than diffusion. Hank's
suggestion of my company RealTrap's products is also a good choice (thanks
Hank), and we have a number of panels and stands and wheeled options that do
exactly what you need.

--Ethan


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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default How to improve family room acoustics?

In article . com,
wrote:
Hi!
I have an open architecture house. Family room flows into the kitchen
and into large living room and foyer (two story). In addition the
entire first level has hard floors - hardwood and tile.

My family room has a 42" TV and a home theater system. I would like to
improve the acoustics since the sound echoes even when people talk.
Using microphone for singing echoes even more. I like the modern look
of the open space, but what can I do to improve the acoustics without
compromising the look of the room? I understand that I will not be
able to get a perfect sounding room, but if any noticeable improvements
can be done, I will appreciate your advice.

What are my choices? What would it cost? How much improvement will I
notice?


The first thing you can do is put carpet down everywhere. The second thing
you can do is block off the family area with screens.

Take reflective surfaces and make them nonreflective, then block sounds
in a smaller area so they can't reach reflective surfaces.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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