Hey all, I'm not really sure where this post should go, so I put it here.
My question is: I have a party coming up in a few days. In one room on the main floor (a large great room) I'll be setting up a PA system for dancing and music and whatever (I have the PA anyway for my band). In the other, adjacent room on the main floor, I'll be setting up food / a place for people to get away from the music. The problem is there is no real barrier between the two rooms (no door, etc...). I was wondering if hanging a sheet or blanket between the two rooms would be a way to (somewhat) dampen some of the sound between the rooms? I mean, theoretically it should dampen the sound a little bit, but would it be anything significant enough to warrant the eye sore of a blanket hanging between the rooms? I don't want the people trying to eat to be bombarded with music like they're in the "club" side of the party.
Any other thoughts or ideas, whether it be ways I can set up the PA system in the main room so it's not as loud in the adjacent room, or stuff to use to separate the rooms, would be appreciated!
My question is: I have a party coming up in a few days. In one room on the main floor (a large great room) I'll be setting up a PA system for dancing and music and whatever (I have the PA anyway for my band). In the other, adjacent room on the main floor, I'll be setting up food / a place for people to get away from the music. The problem is there is no real barrier between the two rooms (no door, etc...). I was wondering if hanging a sheet or blanket between the two rooms would be a way to (somewhat) dampen some of the sound between the rooms? I mean, theoretically it should dampen the sound a little bit, but would it be anything significant enough to warrant the eye sore of a blanket hanging between the rooms? I don't want the people trying to eat to be bombarded with music like they're in the "club" side of the party.
Any other thoughts or ideas, whether it be ways I can set up the PA system in the main room so it's not as loud in the adjacent room, or stuff to use to separate the rooms, would be appreciated!
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You can separate the rooms slightly by hanging something like quilted moving blankets... however the bass will still penetrate.
Also set the speakers so that they are not coupled to the floors, and the highs are not aimed AT the opening. In fact it will be quieter with the speakers near the opening side aimed away from the quiet room...
Of course anything hung will need a way for people to move through it, and you will need a *double* barrier, with airspace inbetween, since when a single person opens it (pulls it aside, like a curtain) it will otherwise open a direct path.
A sheet won't do squat.
Most blankets are insufficiently absorptive...
Don't know if this helps.
Also depends on how loud it is, and how big the space is...
The best case would be a temporary, but sealed "room" encasing the entry point, with actual doors on each side... aka: "air lock".
Absorption on/in the temporary room, etc will help too...
Also set the speakers so that they are not coupled to the floors, and the highs are not aimed AT the opening. In fact it will be quieter with the speakers near the opening side aimed away from the quiet room...
Of course anything hung will need a way for people to move through it, and you will need a *double* barrier, with airspace inbetween, since when a single person opens it (pulls it aside, like a curtain) it will otherwise open a direct path.
A sheet won't do squat.
Most blankets are insufficiently absorptive...
Don't know if this helps.
Also depends on how loud it is, and how big the space is...
The best case would be a temporary, but sealed "room" encasing the entry point, with actual doors on each side... aka: "air lock".
Absorption on/in the temporary room, etc will help too...
Hey, thanks for your response.
This is the general layout of the room:
Like you've mentioned, I plan on having my two PA speakers facing away from the openings into the quiet room and entry way, and on stands above head level. Unfortunately, the layout is kind of open concept, so the openings between the rooms are pretty wide (lager than door width). The great room has some curtains around the windows and things, but overall, it's not acoustically great and has hard wood floors.
Maybe I'll hang some kind of a quilt between the great room and the quiet room. If it even drops the volume 10db it may be worth it.
This is the general layout of the room:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Like you've mentioned, I plan on having my two PA speakers facing away from the openings into the quiet room and entry way, and on stands above head level. Unfortunately, the layout is kind of open concept, so the openings between the rooms are pretty wide (lager than door width). The great room has some curtains around the windows and things, but overall, it's not acoustically great and has hard wood floors.
Maybe I'll hang some kind of a quilt between the great room and the quiet room. If it even drops the volume 10db it may be worth it.
Absorption x sound transmission loss
Absorption is the wrong concept here - you want sound transmission loss.
You can get some using these:Barrier Sound Absorbers/Noise Barrier Composites
Remember that flanking transmission will dictate the outcome.
Absorption is the wrong concept here - you want sound transmission loss.
You can get some using these:Barrier Sound Absorbers/Noise Barrier Composites
Remember that flanking transmission will dictate the outcome.
as far as I know, no absorber will do very much if there is a direct transmission path around an absorber.
That leaves a sealed airspace (known to be effective, take a look at a studio door or anechoic chamber), or doing the best absorption in the open space between the two rooms... since this is obviously temporary, that leaves not that many options to the OP...
The material linked to is intended for fixed, permanent use, away from people, like in a roof or wall. Not practical for this application.
In this case pure "absorption" isn't quite the thing wanted, and in fact transmission loss is, but that implies absorption first.
The OP still needs a way for people to get freely from one room to the other...
Regardless, the more layers of "barrier" and "air space" between the main room and the other room, the better whatever system is used will work.
_-_-bear
That leaves a sealed airspace (known to be effective, take a look at a studio door or anechoic chamber), or doing the best absorption in the open space between the two rooms... since this is obviously temporary, that leaves not that many options to the OP...
The material linked to is intended for fixed, permanent use, away from people, like in a roof or wall. Not practical for this application.
In this case pure "absorption" isn't quite the thing wanted, and in fact transmission loss is, but that implies absorption first.
The OP still needs a way for people to get freely from one room to the other...
Regardless, the more layers of "barrier" and "air space" between the main room and the other room, the better whatever system is used will work.
_-_-bear
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You would be surprised... this is used a lot in temporary applications such as hotel ballrooms...
I send about half my life in hotel ballrooms and have never seen it. Must be a D.C. thing.
I have worked on the design of 750+ hotels around the world...
These are typically part of the "afterthought acoustics", hence not used in my designs.
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Thanks everyone; I like the discussion.
It sounds like (since I don't have much time or money to spend on this), just simply trying to put as much between the great room and the quiet room as possible (in terms of blankets or quilts or whatever) might just be the simplest solution. Obviously I can't put anything all that thick in the way because it'd be too hard to move and "not drunk person friendly" =)
As long as I can get it to a reasonable level where people can talk and not have to be screaming, I think it will be fine. It seems like I may be able to achieve this with the speaker set up I pictured in one of my previous posts and a blanket or two between the great room and the quiet room. If people don't like it, they can leave I guess, haha
It sounds like (since I don't have much time or money to spend on this), just simply trying to put as much between the great room and the quiet room as possible (in terms of blankets or quilts or whatever) might just be the simplest solution. Obviously I can't put anything all that thick in the way because it'd be too hard to move and "not drunk person friendly" =)
As long as I can get it to a reasonable level where people can talk and not have to be screaming, I think it will be fine. It seems like I may be able to achieve this with the speaker set up I pictured in one of my previous posts and a blanket or two between the great room and the quiet room. If people don't like it, they can leave I guess, haha
From the pic you posted earlier, it looks like people could walk the long way around - from the noisy 'great room', through the entrance hall way to the kitchen.
If so, why not just block the opening between the great room and the kitchen as thoroughly as possible? Upended mattresses or sofa, heavy wooden table stood up on edge... that sort of thing.
Not really.
Sound travels through air. Duh. So to isolate the sound, first stop air.
Second, sound will transfer energy into anything it hits, putting it in motion. That object in motion will then transmit the sound to the other side. In other words, you either need a air-tight absolutely rigid wall, or a barrier that absorbs the energy you put into it.
There are barrier materials that do this. They are not cheap. Blankets may take some of the very highest frequencies, but that is about it. It takes FEET of absorption material for audio frequencies.
What to do? Wait until summer and have inside/outside. Invite the folks from next door and have a multi-house party. Put up with it. (Acoustic barrier sheet rock runs $100 a sheet)
Sound travels through air. Duh. So to isolate the sound, first stop air.
Second, sound will transfer energy into anything it hits, putting it in motion. That object in motion will then transmit the sound to the other side. In other words, you either need a air-tight absolutely rigid wall, or a barrier that absorbs the energy you put into it.
There are barrier materials that do this. They are not cheap. Blankets may take some of the very highest frequencies, but that is about it. It takes FEET of absorption material for audio frequencies.
What to do? Wait until summer and have inside/outside. Invite the folks from next door and have a multi-house party. Put up with it. (Acoustic barrier sheet rock runs $100 a sheet)
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