dm
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Posts: 10
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Post by dm on Jun 11, 2016 15:24:23 GMT
Three initial questions:
1) Is there a flat figure (width and height) that a control room window should not exceed, or is it relative to the room's dimensions?
2) Since isolation between CR and Rec Rm improves as distance between CR pane and Rec Rm pane increases, the window frame will often protude quite a bit past the CR wall. At what extent protusion does this begin to affect acoustics (reflections off the rim, etc)? 3) Does it help in any way (eg. less 'brittle' reflections) if one uses polycarbonate for the pane, rather than glass?
Thanks, Dovis
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Post by Hexspa on Jun 12, 2016 7:02:15 GMT
Hey dm. I don't know much about this but
1. I'm betting no.
2. I'm sure any protrusion affects room acoustics. Though which frequencies and to what extent will be determined by speaker orientation, polar patterns, room reflectivity, location of the window, shape, etc. In general a window in front isn't going to do much - my guess.
3. I'm sure no based on what Ethan's mentioned about reflective surfaces. What could change is how much sound passes through, is absorbed etc but it's not like this window is a key feature of your acoustic treatment.
Thanks,
-m
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Post by rock on Jun 12, 2016 13:22:07 GMT
I'm inclined to agree with Hex but I'd also suggest checking with Rod Gervis' book if you can get your hands on it.
If you're concerned with #2, why not consider building the CR wall the same thickness as the window? I believe it was in Rod's book that I was surprised to read that proper window construction exceeds STC of typical wall construction so if I read this correctly, the wall could use thickening up anyway.
Another idea to consider is wide-screen/camera system. The advantages may outweigh the disadvantages depending on your situation.
Cheers, Rock
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dm
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by dm on Jun 12, 2016 17:59:37 GMT
Rock - in other words not to have a CR window at all, but only view what's going on in the recording areas via a wide-screen? But then what about the musicians - they'd also need a screen. And what if you have a choir of 30 people - how would all see you and/or the producer?
I was thinking less about the STC problems than the kind of harsh sound reflections that come off glass. Plus, if the window is too wide, each speaker in the CR (if you're talking about large monitors ensconced in the wall) will be almost next to the window rim. And usually there's at least some absorbent material surrounding the whole speaker (or whole speaker encasement); isn't there a minimum distance required between glass rim (i.e. glass-frame rim) and speaker, and minimum amount of absorbent material between them?
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Post by Ethan Winer on Jun 12, 2016 19:09:19 GMT
Yes, Rod's book is a good authority, though I have some experience with this. When I built my big pro studio in the late 1970s the main window was enormous. I forget the dimensions, but it was at least four feet high and probably 12 feet wide or even more. It's not totally clear in this photo, but the window is near the top left, and the vertical stripes above the window are alternating bass traps in the large live room seen through the window. In the lower photo the control room and window are off to the left, out of view. As I recall the two panes were 12-15 inches apart, one in each wall, with one 1/2 inch thick and the other 3/4 inch thick. They were very expensive to buy and have installed!
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Post by rock on Jun 13, 2016 1:58:47 GMT
Dovis, Yes, two way (or more if you want to include iso booths) CCTV visual communication system (no windows). Cameras have pan and tilt so seeing what you need in the studio should not be too limited. Sure, it's not as intimate as a window but might be much less expensive but you need to do the numbers. If you're designing a big bucks studio, the window is probably "required" possibly because "that's the way we've always done it" As far as harsh reflections off glass, I don't know of any specific reported problems but I'm no expert. As far as proximity of far field monitors to edges, eliminate edge offsets and keep the glass pane in the same plane and flush with the wall or as flush as you can if you think that will be a problem but it probably depends just how extreme the offset is. Small dimensions offsets will probably make small errors if any. My best guess. Cheers, Rock
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Post by Hexspa on Jun 15, 2016 20:21:00 GMT
I was a client at a studio with one-way video and two-way audio. We were teenagers, first time in a studio. It was fine.
I've even seen a guy in a video on YouTube using Skype to communicate with his vocalist.
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