John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Found this cool article about the history of resilient channel and it copy cat versions. Very interesting. Sorry if already posted.

http://www.pac-intl.com/rc_update_12-02.html

Thanks!

I don't if it has been in posted anywgere, but it is a great document.

Dogbone Andre

I found another really good link on aurlex's website. Check out the pdf files. I read a pdf file of the Noise Control Manual for Residential Buildings by David A. Harris. This guy basically says the hat channel and resilient channel have about the same STC ratings. My local Home Depot only sells hat channel. I've always wondered if it would work as well as RC. Anyone got an opinion on this?

Here's the link to the aurlex page
http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_ ... ussion.asp

This guy basically says the hat channel and resilient channel have about the same STC ratings.

There has been much written here and on other forums about how STC is not appropriate for studio applications. There is also a thread where I compared several wall systems from IR-761 on LF TL with and without RCs.

Resilience is only good if you do it right.

That apart, STC ratings should have a "studio grade" quality. I mean if you have good STC rating stopping at 125Hz, this meaningles to studios. It is much easier to get rid of low-mid/high freq. but the 50 to 125Hz is much harder to get rid of.

Same thing applies when you have STC 50 with 2 layers of 5/8 gypsyum then you add 2 other layers (4 in total) and only have 2 DB more of TL. This doesn't translate the same in the bass departement.

We should have a new STC Studio Pro classification

OK. But, what about hat channel vs. resilient channel? Or am I missing something here?

OK. But, what about hat channel vs. resilient channel?

For studio applications, the differences are unknown. RC reduces the LF isolation of walls. The lack of test data on the different channels makes it difficult to make objective evaluations.

Consider though the last paragraph in the following:

http://www.dietrichmetalframing.com/pro ... log_46.pdf

and the similarity in the dual-lip RC to hat channel.

Andre

[edit] What is prompting the query? There is test data on RC wall systems, but none on hat channel systems that I am aware of. Why are you so interested in the hat channel?

I'm interested in hat channel because they sell it at my local Home Depot but they don't sell RC. So, I was just wondering. I'm sure I can find RC though. Just curious really. I did find this, though, from an acoustics engineering company site. They say don't use hat channel, use RC.

"It is important to distinguish acoustically effective resilient channels from hat channels, z-channels, and other lightweight metal furring systems. These other systems may resemble resilient channels, but they afford no movement and are simply too rigid to be effective. Only resilient channels have any acoustical benefit."

Heres the link
http://www.ta-inc.com/newshtml/rc.htm

Hummarstra wrote:I'm interested in hat channel because they sell it at my local Home Depot but they don't sell RC.

Okay. Think of everything that has been presented in this thread. RC vaies wildly in acoustic performance from company to company, even within companies. Hat channel provides much greater fastening stiffness of the wallboard to the studs. It is less effective, if effective at all in increasing TL.

Andre

Sorry, I'm just a little slow when comes to construction. But, I get the point now.

Hummarstra wrote:Sorry, I'm just a little slow when comes to construction. But, I get the point now.

Absolutely nothing to apologize for. Good acoustic building is 90% design and 10% construction. Where it problematical is when money has been spent on the wrong product (a current thread in this forum), or the wrong product has been installed by supposed professionals ( a thread on Avsforum).

Good luck with your construction!
Andre

Hummarstra:

I also live in Denver, the Home Depot near Park Meadows does sell a product like the RC8. It comes in 12 ft lengths for about $4.37 each. It looks exactly like Auralex but not with as much easy to punch through holes.

James

On standard Hat channel - read through this thread for reasons to RUN AWAY from this -

http://www.recording.org/modules.php?na ... ic&t=22469

I spent a few HOURS trying to figure out what went wrong with this install, til Bob finally posted the pix here -

http://www.pbase.com/jnazzz/gallery/inbox

Note in a couple of the pix that his "resilient channel" is really just standard, NON-perforated wall, hat channel.

Haven't heard back from him, I hope he SUES the contractor or gets him to completely RE-DO the job CORRECTLY... Steve