Does bass pass thru glass?

I am in the process of building a new control room and the rear of the room is covered with a big set of windows. They measure about 8 feet across and about 10 feet high. The windows seem to be about 1/4 " thick or maybe a bit less. I was planning on still doing corner trapping in all 4 corners and I know I am going to have to cover them with something like 703 or 705 to cut down on the horrible HF reflections but how do the windows affect the bass in the room. The room is 16 feet wide X 22 feet deep and has a 8 foot tall false ceiling. Thanks, Michael Greene

well the bass will go right through them and they will resonate at their resonant frequency but the insulation will dampen them to an extent. If you want to stop the sound escaping or sound geting in you'll have to box them in. cheers john

The noise as it stands now should not be an issue. I was more worried about what this will do to the bass response of the Control Room. Is it going to create a bunch of new mode problems or will it actually help even out the bass issues? Also with that in mind how should I go about treating the room for the bass frequency's? Thanks for your help John, Michael Greene

well as you said - it's a large sheet of 1/4" glass so I'd imagine it's resonate frequency would be fairly high. Can you alter it?? I mean could you glue vertical studs to the glass, thus lowering it's frequency and creating a low frequency panel absorber. cheers john

That is a great idea. I could do that plus if I spaced off the 705 with the studs could it give additional bass absorption? Thanks, Michael Greene

in a word - yes. why not remove the glass and use it somewhere else in the studio? cheers john

The windows goto the outside and even though I would like to the Landlord would not take to kindly to that. So that is not an option. I like the idea of spaced off 705 to help smooth out the bass. If I may ask. What do you see as being some major trouble spots with those room dimensions. 16 feet wide, 22 feet deep with glass back wall, 8 foot false ceiling, 10 feet to top of ceiling above false ceiling. (Roof joists) Can I use hangers in this airspace for extra bass absorption? I can't remove the false ceiling but does the space above it change the room mode response? Can I also use 705 panels in place of some of the ceiling tiles for more HF reflection control and will this do anything to the bass or does it only come into play as I get closer to the corners? Thanks again for all your help, Michael Greene

Can I use hangers in this airspace for extra bass absorption?

yes - that would be a good idea. You have a good sized room and provided you treat that rear wall correctly and add the appropriate low end, low mid treatment you should be fine. With 22' length you could easily add a false wall infront of the glass and start again. cheers john

Thanks John, You really help turn on the lights for me. When I am calculating the room modes should I use the 8 foot ceiling height or the 10 feet? Also will the friction of 2" 705 in place of some of the tiles help act as bass trapping or will it only work closer to the corners? Thanks again, Michael Greene

Use the full 10' as that is your outer boundary. I'd look at taking down all the tiles and adding a cloth ceiling with hangers in the 2' space behind. You could also put an angled ceiling in the front above your console. cheers john

Great advice. I will take a look at that and see if I can make it work. Thanks again for all your help. Michael Greene