Acoustics, Page 2

Exploring the Variations

In the realm of controlled acoustic environments, two terms that often surface are "soundproof booth" and "acoustic booth." These terms, while related, encompass distinct concepts that cater to different aspects of sound management. In this article, we'll delve into the differences between soundproof booths and acoustic booths, shedding light on their purposes, features, and applications.

Soundproof Booths

A soundproof booth is a specially designed enclosure engineered to block external noise and prevent sound leakage. The primary goal of a soundproof booth is to create an isolated space where sound from outside the soundproof booth is minimized and sound generated inside remains contained. These soundproof booths are meticulously constructed using materials that are effective at impeding the transmission of sound waves, resulting in a quieter and more controlled environment.

Key Features of Soundproof Booths

• Sound Isolation: Soundproof booths excel at minimizing external noise infiltration. They are designed with features such as thick walls, sealed doors, and insulation to create an effective barrier against ;
• Acoustic Treatment: While soundproofing is a core focus, some soundproof booths also incorporate internal acoustic treatments to manage sound reflections and reverberations within the booth. This ensures that the audio quality inside the soundproof booth is optimal.
• External Sound Reduction: Soundproof booths are particularly beneficial in environments with high levels of external noise, such as busy streets or construction sites.
• Isolated Flooring: Soundproof booths often have specialized isolated flooring to further reduce vibration and impact noise. This helps prevent external vibrations, footsteps, or equipment noise from affecting the interior environment.
• Observation Windows: Some soundproof booths have built-in observation windows or ports that allow individuals outside the booth to monitor activities inside without compromising sound isolation. These windows are typically designed to maintain soundproofing properties.
• Ventilation and Air Circulation: Soundproof booths typically include a ventilation system that allows for the exchange of air while maintaining soundproofing. This ensures that occupants can breathe comfortably without compromising sound isolation.

Applications ofSoundproof Booths:

Soundproof booths find their applications in scenarios where the primary concern is the prevention of external noise intrusion or containing internal sound. They are commonly used in recording studios, podcasting setups, voice-over studios, and any setting where maintaining a controlled audio environment is essential.

Acoustic Booths

An acoustic booth, on the other hand, is a space designed to optimize the internal acoustics for specific purposes. While acoustic booths might have soundproofing elements, their primary objective is to create an environment with controlled sound reflections, reverberations, and overall sound quality. These acoustic booths are equipped with acoustic treatment materials to achieve the desired sonic characteristics within the space.

Key Features of Acoustic Booths

• Interior Acoustics: Acoustic booths prioritize the treatment of internal surfaces to enhance sound quality and achieve the desired acoustic properties. Acoustic panels, diffusers, and bass traps are strategically placed to manage sound reflections and resonances.
• Sound Reflection Control: Acoustic booths are designed to minimize unwanted sound reflections that can impact the clarity and quality of audio recordings or performances.
• Focused Acoustic Characteristics: Acoustic booths are commonly used for activities such as music recording, vocal training, instrument practice, and audio testing, where the emphasis is on achieving specific sonic attributes.

Applications of Acoustic Booths

Acoustic booths are ideal for environments where the focus is on optimizing sound quality and creating specific acoustic characteristics. They are popular in music studios, home theaters, audiometry rooms, and environments that require controlled listening experiences.

Conclusion:

While both soundproof booths and acoustic booths address acoustic concerns, they serve different primary purposes. Soundproof booths prioritize isolating the space from external noise and containing internal sound, while acoustic booths emphasize creating optimal internal acoustics for specific activities. Understanding the distinction between these concepts is vital when choosing the right solution for your audio-related needs, whether it's creating a noise-free recording space or fine-tuning an acoustic environment for music production or critical listening.

Just 2 Flex Tee stands and 3 acoustic blankets from VocalBoothToGo.eu

See how our customer in Ireland solved his acoustics for VoiceOver recording by placing two Flex Tee stands opposite each other to create a cube.

On the stands he simply hung with 8 spare hooks for FlexTee stand, two acoustic blankets VB70G which are 2x2m and one side is white and the other black.

Just one more VB70G acoustic blanket was put on top and the whole acoustic booth for recording his voice was ready.

You can even directly attach arms to FlexTee stands to hold your microphones.

The customer used the black rod from the photo stand to hold the roof so that it doesn't bend inside, but you can use any other rod, even from a broom.

If you would like to build such a cheap acoustic booth with great sound, here are links to the products you need:

Flextee stands on which acoustic blankets were hung

VB70G acoustic blankets, from which the acoustic booth was built, including the roof

PS: If you would like to achieve a better roof appearance, we can customise your roof for you, just write to us at support@vocalboothtogo.eu

My dream, which I am still pursuing, is to build my own film studio. This involves a super location, high ceilings, constant buying of everything I need and a way to control the acoustics.

What is an acoustic blanket?

An acoustic blanket is the least hi-tech thing in my tech park, yet I'm always impressed by how easy it is to tame the acoustics of a room with a sound blanket. So a sound blanket has become a faithful helper in and out of the studio. And it certainly doesn't stop there.

I regularly use acoustic blankets instead of blinds or curtains in my studio and on projects. They can quickly minimize parasitic light from outside by covering windows or even larger glass surfaces, while improving the reverberation of the room including light insulation from outside noise.

I found that I could just fit two acoustic blankets in a blue Ikea bag. The features of the acoustic blankets are redeemed by their weight, with each acoustic blanket being around 5.5 kg. Two acoustic blankets already add up to an 11 kg package (roughly 70x35x35 cm when folded into the bag). This also makes sound blankets one of the heaviest things I have to lug around on a job. My tripod and head is about 9 kg and just throw it over my shoulder. Acoustic blankets are already quite voluminous - it's good to have a car, or a very strong back.

Who are acoustic blankets suitable for?

After two years of working with acoustic blankets, I can recommend them to all creators who are setting up their own studio or podcast studio at home. To all experienced and aspiring musicians who don't mind egg shells at all, and to all fellow filmmakers who want to scoop up sound in hopelessly small offices.

Improving room reverberation

Acoustic blankets do not serve as a sound insulator, but as a reverberation absorber. As I discovered, there is a difference. An acoustic blanket improves the reverberation of a room and, when placed appropriately, can also contribute to sound insulation – when placed in a window.

What acoustic blankets help with the most is reverberation, so that the room doesn't sound like a cave. It is reverberation that most often spoils my spoken word recordings. It's the sound that reverberates endlessly against the big white walls of the room – the echo/echo.

In this aspect, the size of the acoustic blankets is a key factor. Their 5 m2 is already a decent area through which the sound must pass. Thanks to the acoustic blanket, the sound is largely absorbed and does not return in such intensity and what is even better: the sound that does pass through has to pass through the blanket again after the reflection and is absorbed again. For this reason too, it is a good idea not to put the acoustic blankets directly on the wall, but to leave a gap to increase their effectiveness.

Work in the studio

Bad acoustics are fine for shooting, but the film studio works mainly with sound. I want to be able to change the existing conditions in the studio, just like when working with lights. Recording live music can be different from recording noise or spoken word. So my main requirement for acoustics is the ability to control them, which is why I have been considering acoustic panels for a long time.

Acoustic panels

Acoustic panels look great, especially when you buy designer pieces, but the installation... I have to be pretty sure I want them exactly where I'm going to stick them.

I just don't want to stick anything anywhere!

Acoustic screens

Then I found something called acoustic screens. They do the job, sure, but I can move the fridge around the room and it will be the same in the (in)freedom of movement. I'll think carefully about whether I want to move it back and forth, plus they're still not cheap or efficient at all.

Advantages of acoustic blankets

These common ways of dealing with acoustics are not for me. If I also need to record sound while shooting, I need a mobile acoustic panel solution. Panels that can be packed up, rolled over and placed in the space without much delay, or just thrown over the fridge and get rid of unwanted noise in the room.

I found these features in the acoustic blankets from Vocalboothtogo.EU At the time of writing I own five acoustic blankets in sizes 200*243 cm in two colours white/black.

I am Jan Štumpa,
video producer
Watch my show on youtube
www.filmambo.cz

Different sizes of acoustic blankets can be viewed or bought directly from e-shop by clicking HERE

How to reduce ambient noise?

I go ordinarily to my favourite Wolťák Karel for a friendly chat, run up a few stairs, shake his right hand and there is no indication that Karel is a gamer who is going to try it online.

With a wave of his hand, he points me in the direction of his room, where we're supposed to play games for a while. Already from the doorway, VocalBoothToGo.EU acoustic blankets tower to the ceiling, mounted on film spacers such as Manfrotto autopole. I enter the room and see up close that the sound blankets are held together by the exact green clamps. I have them too.

Acoustically treated room

My first concern was whether it met his expectations of an acoustically treated room. I could only read satisfaction from the slight smile. Without much more conversation, we are sitting in Karel's burrow, and a comfortable silence surrounds us. The sounds of the city are no longer disturbing us, now more important things come up.

Construction

Karel describes to me how he got the spreader bars, measured the space and chose the appropriate acoustic blankets for all four sides VB76-G Acoustic blanket 200x300cm and for the ceiling the shorter VB70G Acoustic blanket White/Black 200 x 200cm. All simply clamped to the spacers.

I don't often go to churches, but to lean over and see such a beautiful ceiling moves you. At that moment, the concept of a party burrow disappears from my mind – perhaps a monastery is more appropriate. 

Conclusion

Karel loves survival games and in such a silent monastery this genre of game excels best. It's not for nothing that our friends say, "Don't run in the woods late at night when there are zombies everywhere!"  

I am Jan Štumpa,
video producer
Watch my show on youtube:plný kufr
www.filmambo.cz

Check out VocalBoothToGo.EU's acoustic blankets if you're disturbed by your surroundings and want some peace and quiet to play survival games.

In places such as recording and music studios for singing, VoiceOver, recording musical instruments, playing music, films etc., it is necessary to have good acoustics.

But it has been ingrained in our brains that this can only be achieved with products that are not cheap and that you have to pay a lot of money for effective results

But is this really the case?

Our customers deal with this issue quite often, so we decided to do a comparative
study of sound absorption efficiency and price between acoustic foam and sound blankets.

(WARNING: In the interest of transparency, VocalBoothToGo.eu sells acoustic blankets! We design them, we test them, we sell them, we do this for a living. Our customers love our products.
To be accurate and honest, we test our products in accredited acoustic labs in the U.S.)

ACOUSTICS COMPARISON BETWEEN:

Auralex Studiofoam Wedges (V-profile) and Sound blankets Producer's Choice

** Acoustic foam comes in various shapes and thicknesses. For the purpose of this study we have used products from one of the leading manufacturers, Auralex. For this particular product, we compared the full range of thicknesses available.

** To be fair in comparing acoustic foam prices, we used the sale price from the Thomann and B&H Photo Video e-stores (not the manufacturer's suggested retail price). The price is calculated from the price for the whole set. (Foam sold in individual 60x60cm or 60x120cm pieces is typically 30% more expensive.)

Sound absorption efficiency:

The sound absorption efficiency of the acoustic blankets falls right in the middle of the acoustic foam samples compared, between the 5cm V-profile and the 7.6cm V-profile.

The sound absorption efficiency of Producer's Choice Sound blankets exceeds that of 2.5 cm and 5 cm thick acoustic foam and is close to that of 7.6 cm thick acoustic foam. In fact, when the sound blankets are hung with 15 cm of corrugation, their sound absorption even exceeds that of 7.6 cm acoustic foam, reaching 95% sound absorption (NRC 0.95). If you look at the absorption curve below, you can easily see that adding 15 cm of corrugation gives the acoustic blanket an absorption exceeding that of 10.16 cm of acoustic foam.

This shows that sound blankets are a very effective product for sound absorption.

Price vs. use value:

Acoustic blankets clearly outperform acoustic foam in terms of price/performance ratio At first glance, you can already see the huge difference between price and performance.

For example:

- Acoustic foam with a thickness of 2 5 cm is 30% less efficient than acoustic blankets but times more expensive.

- 7.6 cm thick acoustic foam is only 10% more absorbent than acoustic blankets but is 3.6 times more expensive.

- 10 cm thick acoustic foam is 30% more absorbent than an acoustic blanket and is 6 times more expensive.

(Just imagine how many acoustic blankets you could buy with the extra money you have set aside for acoustic foam, or how much money you might have left over for other audio equipment)

(NOTE: For ease of comparison, the default NRC value of 1.0 is 100%)

For example, the absorption of 2.5 cm thick foam is (NRC 0.5) which is 50% and the absorption of a blanket is (NRC 0.8) which is 80%. Therefore, 2.5 cm thick acoustic foam has 30% lower absorption and lower efficiency than acoustic blankets)

Practicality of use:

Ease of use is important and hard to put a monetary value on.

Acoustic foam comes in different colors and is trendy - it looks cool.  It is lightweight and easy to stick to the wall or ceiling.  Unfortunately, once it's on the wall, you can't move it.  It tears easily, so it is very difficult to take it down without damage and use it elsewhere. The blanket does not need to be glued to the wall. In fact, they are even more effective when there is an air gap between the wall and the blanket.  Sound blankets make it very easy to create a vocal booth or dedicated recording space by simply hanging the blanket from the ceiling.  This makes sound blankets an indispensable choice for sound absorption if you don't have enough free space, for living in a rented property, or when expecting to move from one place to another frequently.

Difference in the way sound is absorbed and cleaned

Acoustic foam is a porous material with open cells.

The open cells are the openings of long twisted tunnels.

To be absorbed, sound must enter the holes and flow through the tunnels, losing energy through friction. One of the reasons why sound foam has V-shaped profiles is to increase the total absorbing surface area of the foam.  However, this V-profile also makes acoustic foam a great dust collector!

Porosity and flow resistance are the most important parameters in determining sound absorption. Imagine if the pores or openings of these tunnels become clogged with dust - sound cannot get in and therefore the sound absorption efficiency is reduced. No matter how thick the foam is or how well the tunnels are twisted, if the openings of these tunnels become clogged - sound cannot get in and therefore sound absorption is reduced. While we haven't found any specific research to cite, it stands to reason that the absorption of acoustic foam must also deteriorate over time. Foam also degrades over time and begins to break down.

The sound absorption mechanism of sound blankets is different. It is based on the fact that sound waves expend their energy to vibrate the fibres of the inner filling. The sound gets inside and passes through the blanket. As each fibre vibrates, the sound energy is lost by converting it into heat. If the blankets become dusty or dirty, they can be easily removed - knocked out, vacuumed or washed.

Any way you look at it, acoustic blankets are a more effective, cheaper and healthier product than acoustic foam.

It goes without question that in today’s competitive world of voiceover, you will need to invest in a home studio of some kind. Your home studio will be essential for auditions, practice, and paid projects as they flow in. However, the cost of equipping a home studio may vary anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on your individual needs.

When considering planning out your home recording studio, two important aspects must be addressed: soundproofing and acoustic room treatment. It’s quite obvious that your recordings should not have any sounds that do not belong such as traffic, barking dogs, noisy neighbors or a lawn mower passing by. Nonetheless, your recordings should not make you sound as if you are recording in a fish bowl either. Where do you start…

Soundproofing vs. Acoustic Room Treatment

Before jumping into purchasing products, take time to learn the difference between acoustic room treatment and soundproofing. Acoustic room treatment for audio recording means that your microphone should only pick up your voice and not the echo bouncing around the room. Acoustic treatment is intended to create an “acoustically dead space”, but not necessarily a soundproof isolated space. External sounds will be minimized, but not completely eliminated. So, if the neighbor’s dog is barking, you might need to stop your recording temporarily.

Soundproofing is expensive and complicated. A “soundproof” room will be completely isolated from all external sounds. Most soundproof studios are essentially a room within a room. If you are just starting-up in voice acting and don’t have a big budget, it may be easier to find a quiet spot or time where you can record without noisy interruptions. However, if you have constant external noise, such as living near busy and loud traffic, you will need to focus on soundproofing.

Acoustic Room Treatment Will Benefit Your Recordings

Even if you have properly soundproofed your space, you still need to treat the room acoustically. Creating an acoustically dead space is beneficial for your audio recordings and can be done relatively quickly using things like blankets, such as acoustic blankets. You can also invest in an acoustic vocal booth from sources such as VocalBoothToGo.com or build your own.

If you decide to go with the DYI project, you need to consider a few things. These items include room size and shape, building materials used to build the room, objects within the room/studio, position of the microphone, position of the source of sound, and other considerations.

Acoustic room treatment is a science, and the more research you conduct before designing a recording space, the happier you and your client will be with the end result — a professional clear recording every time.