Transparent micro-perforated absorbers

[javamad]

Hi All,

I am currently in the design phase for my studio and it looks like, due to space limitations, I will have to have the control room oriented perpendicular to the live room and so have a window on the left side of the mixing position. I am currently looking at ensuring that the window between the CR and LR is behind the engineer/mix position but it will mean a lot of neck turning and I was wondering if a product like the Clearsorber foil would be worth investigating. It is a micro perforated transparent polycarbonate that you could place in front of the window class and get a reasonable reduction in first reflections (you'd probably have to put the same thing on the wall on the right hand side to preserve stereo imaging)

If it worked reasonably well you could place the window further forward into the non-reflective mix space.

http://www.rpgeurope.com/products/product/foil.html

The acoustic data looks pretty good.

Opinions?

Thanks

[Soundman2020]

I was wondering if a product like the Clearsorber foil would be worth investigating.

Micro-perf foils do work, yes. But it's not as easy as it looks, and it is expensive. To start with, it's basically a broad-band Helmholtz resonator array, and therefore the cavity behind it must be sealed air-tight. If it is not airtight, then it won't work, and making an air-tight box around your window would look rather strange.

... you could place in front of the window class and get a reasonable reduction in first reflections

I don't think you would get that at all! That's not what perf panel does: it is a tuned broadband absorber, but it does not reduce reflection. Whatever part of the spectrum is not absorbed, will be reflected. Either by the foil itself (highs) or by the window behind it (lows). You'd only see some reduction in the tuned range, but outside of that, it would be the same. I'm not at all sure that this product would do what you are hoping it will do.

(you'd probably have to put the same thing on the wall on the right hand side to preserve stereo imaging)

... and you'd have to create another hermetically sealed box over there too,

If it worked reasonably well you could place the window further forward into the non-reflective mix space.

Or you could just angle the window glass...

- Stuart -

[javamad]

Thanks Stuart. I thought it looked too good to be true.

I'm still in the design phase and the perpendicular control room has gone away - I am changing the design every day pretty much and going through the pro's and cons. I don't want to rush into this as budget is tight but I think that any mistake in layout or design would be way more expensive than a months rent on the space.

[Soundman2020]

I am changing the design every day pretty much and going through the pro's and cons. I don't want to rush into this as budget is tight but I think that any mistake in layout or design would be way more expensive than a months rent on the space.

Then you are absolutely doing it right! take your time, think it through carefully, check everything... and feel free to post your concepts as you go along! If they see what you are thinking, somebody might be able to suggest something that you hadn't noticed. to improve it. Two heads are better than one, and there's 21,000 heads here on the forum...

- Stuart -