Auditoriums – Sound Proofing & Acoustic Treatment
With auditorium design, the goal is to deliver crisp clarity to original sound for every member of the audience regardless of their seating location. Public speakers, musicians, singers and performers all command quality soundproofing for the space, so that every word is understood and the music is delivered with great harmony. Members of the audience want the assurance that regardless of their seating location, they will experience superior acoustics with minimal “live” or “dead” spots in the room.
The acoustical materials targeted for soundproofing an Auditorium need to be decorative, durable, fire rated, and able to both absorb sound wave reflections to control background noise, as well as scatter the sound waves to produce greater balance and exposure to the sounds emitted from the stage.
Soundproofing Treatment
By introducing a set of decorative, fire rated wall or ceiling sound panels into an Auditorium, both the sound reflections and their reverberations within the room can be better controlled to deliver premium quality sound. Reverberating sound waves within the auditorium will be captured by Architectural Sound Panels designed to convert sound to kinetic energy. Diffusion Panels can help scatter the reflected sound waves to balance out the live and dead spots in the room. Sound panels should also be placed as a backdrop in the stage area or behind the musicians to help control back slap echo. The ideal auditorium will be fan shaped with a curved or sloping ceiling and inclining floor leading down to the stage area. This shape will help break apart standing sound waves.
Acoustic Results
The acosutical panels for soundproofing an auditorium will capture and convert the unwanted background noise, dropping the reverberation time down to under 1.5 seconds. This in turn will produce better speech clarity for the audience, and balance out the tones produced by the musicians. The diffusion panels will help scatter the noise to deliver better balance spread throughout the room regardless of seat location. This will make for a more enjoyable experience for the audience and help ensure their return. Simulated results for soundproofing an auditorium are broadcast in our Sound Chamber.
Additional Soundproofing Tips for Your Auditorium
Well designed auditoriums will consist of non-parallel surfaces that will serve to break up standing soundwaves, scattering the acoustics and preventing “dead” spots in the room. If your room is more gymnasium shaped, there will be more repitition in the path of the reflecting sound waves. This will increase the potential for “live” and “dead” spots, and therefore increase your need for diffusion panels. Remember that absorptive panels reduce background noise, while diffusion panels are designed to scatter sound reflections into multiple directions for greater acoustic balance in the room.
For fan shaped auditoriums with inclined floors, use a ratio of 10-1 when determining quantities of diffusion panels in relation to absorption panels. For instance, if NetWell recommends the installation of 2,200 square feet of sound panels, go with 2000 sq feet of Fabric Panels and 200 sq feet of BAD Panels, Pyramidals or Barrels for diffusion.
Thicker material will collapse more low bass reverberations in the room. Go with 2″ thick Fabric Panels over the 1″ thickness. Our goal is to absorb enough background noise in the room to produce excellent speech clarity, but leave enough reverb in the room to blend the musical tones together.
To determine the amount of material you need for your treatment, contact Aural Exchange’s help desk at +91-8779064294 or send an email to sales @ auralexchange.com
Aural Exchange is a leading consultancy and turnkey service provider in the field of auditorium design in India. Specific areas of consultancy are Auditorium Acoustics, Audio-visuals, Line of sight & seating, Stage craft and stage Lighting. Our team has a total experience of more than 110 Auditoriums including national-award winning designs.
Speech-clarity, true reproduction of music & Audio-Visual programs are the things for which the auditorium is always built for where acoustics and A-V system plays a very important role. Acoustical behavior of any auditorium is a physical property of that hall & can only be controled by proper acoustical treatment. Proper acoustical design of any space needs:
1. Detailed calculations of reverberation time over a wide spectrum of audio frequencies.
2. Detailed study of modal & resonance frequencies.
3. Choice of Acoustical material based on their performance across the whole spectrum.
4. Proper positioning and Installation methodology to achieve the desired performance.
5. Choice of Acoustical reflectors to achieve the desired acoustical gain.
6. Choice of Acoustical diffusers to scatter the sound to achieve diffused sound field.
7. Along with this internal acoustics, control of sound transmission, from outside to inside & vice-versa to achieve required noise levels & acoustical comfort.
8. In Electro-acoustics (A-V system),a properly designed Audio system, which involves selection of equipments, design, location & direction of speaker-boxes, when installed, enhances the performance of the auditorium giving clear and absolutely natural sound quality.
In short, acoustical treatment of any place is a carefully designed combination of Absorption, Reflection & Diffusion fluently merged with interior aesthetics, in a noise controlled envelop. Acoustical designing &/or problem solving definitely needs technical expertise & experience in the field.
Scope of Work
- Computerized Acoustic Testing and Measurements
- Acoustical design
- Acoustical treatment
- Sound System Design
- Architectural and Auditorium Stage Lighting Design
- Seating Design
- Musical instruments and stage equipment
- Ventilation and Air Conditioning Design
If your institution or organization wishes to construct an auditorium, or wishes to acoustically treat or equip your existing auditorium, please contact us and we will arrange for a meeting to understand your requirement. We also undertake auditorium projects as part of a consortium.