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So next week I'm going to start making some things for the studio that we should've had for a while: Gobos and some acoustic panels that can be assembled to create a kick drum tunnel.

Before I go ahead and start cutting some wood. Any suggestions for dimentions and how many I should make? I'm looking squarely at Andrew because we've run into this before. But any one that wants to add their input or submit their own questions are free to do so.

One of the things that worry me is sight lines as well. Anyways, let's discuss!

EDIT: That link wasn't working in this post.

So many different options.

The absorbers are the simplest. We just have plywood backing with Owens Corning 703 or rockwool and then wrapped in burlap. You can use any acoustically transparent material for covering, but burlap is nice because it's cheap and durable.

Gobo's there's a variety of different ways to go about it depending on your needs.

Here's a nice site to get some ideas from for acoustic materials. http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewf ... 8296bcec70

Might not hurt to build a few bass traps while you're in the building mode, seeing as they're very similar construction wise.

macrae11 wrote:Here's a nice site to get some ideas from for acoustic materials. http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewf ... 8296bcec70

Might not hurt to build a few bass traps while you're in the building mode, seeing as they're very similar construction wise.

Great link. The 25-minute bass trap looks simple enough to make.

Crimson Chameleon wrote:Great link. The 25-minute bass trap looks simple enough to make.

You realize it's to put you bass players in right?


Well Alain and I have just purchased some trusses from Warren so, I have a new plan altogether now. Pictures to follow...

I like a variety of sizes for flexibility.

If you're an overachiever, and are making full size panels, add "windows" to the design to help with sight lines. For height within the gobos, don't forget to consider seated players as well as standing.

I'm always surprised at how many people overlook the importance of having at least a few things around to help separate and control things in the space.

There are of course a ton of commercial products, mostly overpriced for what they do.

This is a cool link to Mercenary where they posted the "BBC" style gobo plans.

http://www.mercenary.com/abrogopl.html

Malcolm Boyce wrote:If you're an overachiever...

What do you think?

Drumwaiter wrote:

Crimson Chameleon wrote:Great link. The 25-minute bass trap looks simple enough to make.

You realize it's to put you bass players in right?

A man goes to a pacific island for vacation. As the boat approaches shore, he notices the constant sound of drumming. As he gets off the boat, he asks a native how long the drumming will go on. The native looks around nervously and says, "Very bad when drumming stops."

Later that day, the drumming is still going and it is really starting to annoy the guy. So he asks another native when the drumming will stop. The native looks as if he's just been spooked. "Very bad when drumming stops," he says, and hurries off.

After a couple of days with little sleep, the man had had enough. He grabbed the first native he saw, slammed him up against a tree, and shouted, "What happens when the drumming stops?!"

The native replied, "Bass solo."

macrae11 wrote:The absorbers are the simplest. We just have plywood backing with Owens Corning 703 or rockwool and then wrapped in burlap.

Where can one find rigid fiberglass like Owens Corning 703 around these parts? Home Depot doesn't carry it.

John Cudmore at Home Hardware has ordered stuff in for me in the past. Had it in within a day.

Guildfords on Grandview Ave is one place.

It's an "industrial" type insulation so finding it off the shelf in "home" building supply places is probably not gonna happen.

That's where Alain got his actually so that's where I'm going to go.

I found a link to the product in question if anyone is interested.

700 series insulation

Guildford's has it but they don't carry 3" thick sheets in stock which is what I wanted. I'd have to order it in. They only come in 4' x2' panels with the option thickness from 1" to 3".

It would be $1.69 a sq.ft. for the 3" thickness ($13.52 a panel.) The panels need to be purchased in bundles of 4 ($54.08 a bundle.)

Not too bad, if you ask me. I just wanted to let you guys know the rough prices on these in case anyone else wanted to pick them up.

I ordered 8 bundles today.

The gobos are starting to look good.

Thanks! I'll post some pictures at some point. It's a lot of work, but I'm really happy with the results. I hope to get 3 more sections done by next weekend.

Here is the first frame I built. It's 8' x 2' and will be hinged to 3 other identical pieces to make an 8'x8' wall that's easy to store away. As you can see in the third picture, the studs inside are offset. That is because one side of the gobo will have 3" thick insulation and the other side will have 1" thick insulation. I'm building 2 identical 8'x8' walls like that.

I will build a 3rd wall that will be identical except it will have window sections in each of the frames to help with sight lines.

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9504%20[1600x1200]%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9505%20[1600x1200]%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9506%20[1600x1200]%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

Looks awesome Matt!

macrae11 wrote:Looks awesome Matt!

I'm not just another pretty face.

Total cost of each section of 8'x2' should be about $85. But I'm not really cutting any corners though, so all in all I feel it's a worthwhile investment.

Lumber: $35.00
Insulation: $40.00
Fabric: $10 (approx.)

What are you using for fabric?

macrae11 wrote:What are you using for fabric?

Don't know yet. I'm gonna let the wife pick that out, I may go to Fabricville with her tonight to have a look actually. I want something that will make for a great accent to the room. I want these to be as attractive as possible to help improve the overall vibe. I do know that the fabric will be rather porous and I intend on having two different colors to indicate which is the 1" side and which is the 3" side. I was thinking some kind of blue on one side and red on the other. Maybe Regal Blue and Cardinal Red? Not certain yet, but it will be tasteful.

It looked and worked awesome while recording Monday night. It really matched the room.

dylanger wrote:It looked and worked awesome while recording Monday night. It really matched the room.

I have a template now for the sides. I already predrilled enough to make two new sections, however some of the wood I got at home depot was defective (short by 1/4") so I have to go back to return 3 of the pieces I bought tonight and I'll have a look at some fabric at the same time. Anyways the next pieces will come together in a fraction of the time now. The hardest part of all this is finding quality lumber.

All of my insulation is in today. So tonight I'm going to go find some fabric and get to work. I'll show pictures once I have one completed.

And for my 3000th post!!!


Here is a finished 8' x 2' panel. I went with a more classic color scheme for the fabric. The 3" thick insulation is covered by black fabric, and the 1" thick side is covered by beige fabric. This weekend I'll have made 4 of these and will attach them together in pairs by hinge for ease of storage. Then over the course of the next little while I'll build another wall identical to it that will also have two pairs of panels hinged together. I've kept all my templates so the next wall will be a joke. I will admit 8' is taller than I thought... but the room is 14' high at it's lowest point so, it's not that big in context.

How do you like me now Andrew?

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9507%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9508%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9509%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9510%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

Those look friggin' stellar Matt! Really looking forward to trying them out. Have you checked them out yet, do you find a difference between the 3" and the 1"? I just wonder since the frame is fairly porus? The design would probably work perfect for bass traps too, just by leaving the 1" section empty.

Another question, would you be able to get away with one piece of strapping per section do you think? Just trying to figure out if there's a way to lighten them a bit. Maybe it wouldn't make enough of a difference to bother.

I tried them tonight while helping Dylan with some tracks. Here's some pics:

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9511%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.fluidproductions.ca/stuff/IMG_9512%20[1600x1200].JPG[/img]


I don't know yet if there's any real difference between the 1" and 3". But the 3" absorbs really well. My goal was to build 6 pairs but I think 4 will do us for a while yet. I didn't realize how big of a difference these 2 pairs were going to make just on their own. I'm going to build 2 more pairs this week. I'm buying the lumber tomorrow.

The reason I wanted the strapping every foot, is in case something feel into it I don't want it going straight through. The weight isn't bad really but to pick them up is a two person job. They're on felts though and I'm going to put handles on the end. They slide very easily and can be set up by one person without any hassle. So the odds that you'll ever have to pick them up are slim.