Acoustic Problem Areas

Reflections

• A 'dead' live room allows artificial reverbs to be added as required at mixdown.
• Some instruments (such as drums) benefit from a sympathetic, naturally reverberant room.

Modes

• Rooms resonate just like instruments do.
• The room's modes are related to it's dimensions.
• The lowest mode in a room is the frequency whose half-wavelength is the same length as the room's longest dimension; this is the room's standing wave.
• Modes occur at integer multiples of the lowest mode. Each mode reinforces that frequency, and therefore colours the sound at that frequency.
• Modes occur in all dimensions of the room.
• The formula for calculating axial modes between opposing surfaces is…
  
  ƒ_o = (565 × n) ÷ L
  L= the distance between surfaces in feet
  ƒ_o= frequency of the mode in Hz
  n = the order of the mode (1, 2, 3 etc.)

Don't get soundproofing and acoustic treatment confused!

Useful Sites

• One
• Two
• Three

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