Slot Resonators and Surface-Mounted Outlets

Hi, everybody. Long time reader, sparse poster. I'm very, very hesitant to post anything because I've always been able to find my answer by searching the forum, about which I am INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL for those that came before to ask and those who answered. :) However I haven't been able to find an answer to this concern. I'm putting together a small combination studio/control room (you'll see more on this soon), and I want to put independent slot resonators on the side walls so I can move them if I need to. My question arises from the fact that where some of these resonators are going to be, there are also going to be surface-mounted electrical, phone and cable outlets. It seems that my three choices are: a) Move the outlets to where there are going to be no treatments that butt against the wall b) Build the resonators directly to the wall, negating the need for a back panel. This will put the outlets in the resonators. c) Offset the independent resonators about 4-5" from the wall, leaving room for the surface-mount outlets. Firstly, I like having plenty of outlets, so I don't think that I'd get nearly as many as I'd like by putting them where no treatments are necessary. This is a small room, so will need a good deal of treatment. I wouldn't mind building the resonators directly to the wall, except for the fact that 1) I wouldn't be able to move them if I wanted to and 2) I won't be able to mount them at some critical points, because I have windows on one sidewall and I believe this would be against building code. So ultimately, if I could, I'd like to just leave a space between the back of my resonators and the outlets. But I have a few concerns with this. 1) Will the small space behind the resonators cause a ring? Obviously, independently housed bass traps need to be flush with the corner, but is it necessary with all fully-enclosed treatments? 2) Will this negatively effect the performance of the resonators? It seems that with the opposite absorbers closer together, they might have to be tuned to SLIGHTLY higher frequencies, but they wouldn't otherwise be effected. Here's a preliminary Sketchup file to give you an idea of my intended setup thus far. The wall studs are already up, so I can't change anything about window and door positions. The first file is an example of an offset resonator with a surface-mount electrical outlet behind it (just in case I didn't explain it well enough) and the second and third files are a couple of my attempts at the control room. Thanks! Dany

you could also put in cutouts in the cabinets to allow space for the outlets and even opening to let you access them through them. since outlets tend to be set to specific heights, you should be able to construct your treatments to allow access.

Dany - you must remove the existing power outlet and seal up the hole in the wall and seal the cable coming through the wall. Then extend the cable and mount the power outlet on the face of the slot resonator.

thanks John, i was assuming he needed to move the resonators and didn't need a permanent fixture... :oops:

Hi, John and Glenn. Thanks for the responses guys. I've been working out some details with my father-in-law, with whom I am pursuing this project (the "studio" is a small part of a cooperative effort to put an addition on his existing house so my wife and son and I can fit in the house too. Things are too expensive out here to go throwing my money away into an apartment). Currently, all the studs are up, no drywall, no electrical, plumbing or HVAC. At the bottom is a picture from the outside of my combination studio/control room and another picture of the view from across the street. Like I said, expect me on the construction forum soon. :) Eventually, we're going to be selling this house, maybe 5, 10, 15 years down the road. So my father-in-law wants to avoid as much fix-it work as possible when converting the studio to a bedroom when we go to sell it. So he wants to put in crown molding all around the ceiling and floor, he wants to put in regular, flush-mount outlets (not surface-mounted) and he definitely doesn't want any of my treatments to be caulked directly to the drywall. So it turns out they will have to be independent. Also, concerning the design of the resonators, traps and absorbers, he wants to hang them from the wall with a 6"-1' space from the floor and the ceiling on the top and bottom to allow room for the crown molding (this will only be necessary if the treatments are placed flush with the walls and corners). And here in Virginia at least there is a code about electrical outlets being no more than 6' from any corner and each outlet on a long wall can be no more than 12' apart from another. This obviously falls right behind my treatments. I'm trying to come to a solution where we can both get what we want, but I need a few questions answered. John, to my first post, you responded:

Dany - you must remove the existing power outlet and seal up the hole in the wall and seal the cable coming through the wall. Then extend the cable and mount the power outlet on the face of the slot resonator.

1) I assume that this means that I can not leave a space behind my resonators even if they are independent units, is that correct? 2) If I can't have a space behind the resonators, is it okay to have a space above or underneath? My assumption is "no," especially in the case of the corner absorbers because part of the purpose of these units is to diminish the actual amount of corners in the room for low frequency control purposes. If they can be offset from the wall, then that will be a few problems solved, but if not, then we're going to have start planning for solutions to satisfy both of us. Thanks again for the help guys. :D Your advice is mega appreciated. Dany Here are those pics:

i would say check John's wall units. they're self contained units and you could stand them in from the wall by a few inches to clear the molding and still run an extension cord from the outlet to your equipment (similar to how you might set up a bookcase). http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm

gullfo wrote:

i would say check John's wall units. they're self contained units and you could stand them in from the wall by a few inches to clear the molding and still run an extension cord from the outlet to your equipment (similar to how you might set up a bookcase).

Hey, Glenn. Yeah, it's looking like I gotta go with these now no matter what else we do. My father-in-law is dead-set against having these units sealed to the drywall. In fact, he's been dead-set against most of my ideas, but he's relenting little by little (a monumental occurrence if you knew him). I'm still wondering, though, if it's okay to set the corner absorbers off the wall. It seems like it would be counterproductive to me. You'd be trying to control the bass, but would be leaving those huge corners behind the traps.

you could leave the corner units off the wall and then place insulation in between them and the wall - easy enough to put in there and not damaging to the wall. as needed, put in some 703 on top (cover w/ cloth...) to add some additional absorption...

Not a bad idea. I'll see how may FIL feels about it. Thanks, Glenn.

dany, just wondering what you've decided to do? i'm in the process of building 8 slot resonators, which are all portable. i'm building them as broadband units, with a sealed back, which will not be fixed to the wall. might that solution not work with you? and as for the corner traps, glen's idea sounds spot on... and something that i've been thinking about alot, since my door is blocking the corner trap area, i think i've come up with a portable corner trap, which will be in place when i'm doing mix downs, but can be moved when i need to get in and out of the room. I'll try and post pix as soon as i get them built :) kevin

Hey, Kevin. Sorry, I just noticed your post. Yeah, I've decided to go with fully sealed treatments with extra insulation behind them to avoid air cavities (depending on how I feel about the performance without the insulation). Of course, it's still about three months before I start building the treatments. I want to be absolutely certain of the as-built dimensions first. As for your corner traps, I can't wait to see them. I haven't run across anybody doing "really" portable ones yet (those things sound HEAVY!). :shock: Thanks, Kevin. Dany