Padded walls or a padded cell for me?

Ok, so I'm trying to figure out the discrepancies I'm seeing between interior wall finishings discussed here and what I've seen in studios lately. With the exception of John's space-saving "inside out" wall design, the consensus seems to be that some type of two leaf MSM system (staggered stud, double wall, etc.) is the way to go, leaving a finished surface of drywall which may or may not be further treated. However, in many, if not most, of the commercial facilities that I've worked in recently a large portion of the wall surfaces (especially in the control rooms) have been fabric covered. When I examine them, they seem to be fabric over some type of insulation, perhaps 703 or some other type of compressed pink stuff. What is the reason for this? Is there a financial factor here where these commercial spaces have more expensive wall designs/materials? Or perhaps, because they tend to be much larger spaces that more mid/high absorption is used to keep the decay times down? Does it tend to be more cost effective to finish the walls in sheetrock and then apply treatment as needed on top? Thanks to anyone who can shed some light here.. Ted

That wall is johns design. It's an inside out wall that "acts" as a bass trap. It's cheaper and more effective in smaller rooms. Go with it!

tedpenn wrote:

With the exception of John's space-saving "inside out" wall design, the consensus seems to be that some type of two leaf MSM system (staggered stud, double wall, etc.) is the way to go

Ted, John's "inside out" wall system is still a 2 leaf MSM system........ it's just that the 2 leaf is inside of the framed wall instead of outside....... Rod