In the beginning, there was perfect sound. Then man invented rooms and forever made it difficult to achieve good sound. The end? Luckily, no. Sound waves emanate out from their sources and strike room boundaries in predictable ways. Since tons of studies have shown that reflected sound is inherently inaccurate sound, controlling reflected sound is the key to making our spaces sound “good.” While it’s true that we all may have our own ideas as to what’s a “bad” mixer, a “bad” loudspeaker or a “bad” microphone, I’m sure we can all agree on what a bad-sounding room sounds like. Two common examples of bad-sounding rooms that you’re probably familiar with are gymnasiums and tiled bathrooms. The good news is that by implementing the proper acoustical treatments, Wisconsin Audio Video can make even the worst-sounding room good enough to yield world-class sound. Controlling reflections yields truer sound and allows the “real” sound of an instrument, voice or loudspeaker to come through. The two methods of controlling sound are sound absorption and sound diffusion.
Hard room surfaces are responsible for the most detrimental reflections like standing waves, flutter echoes, and low-frequency room modes. Ever clapped your hands and heard a ringing, repeating, hollow sound? Say hello to your arch rival, Mr. Flutter Echo. Ever been in a conversation with someone or played music in a room where the low frequencies were overpowering the rest of the sound, making for poor intelligibility? Meet Mr. Room Mode and his nasty sidekick, Low-End Buildup. The three types of sound wave reflection are called axial, tangential and oblique modes, which relate to which direction in a room sound is being reflected from one hard surface to another. The worst of these types is the dreaded axial mode, which means sound is being reflected from wall to opposing wall or floor to ceiling. Corners cause us a lot of problems, too, boosting the apparent amount of bass in our rooms by 9dB, making us think we have 3 times as much bass as we actually do. Corner bass trapping is vital to smoothing out virtually any room’s sound.
Wisconsin Audio Video can advise you how to provide Acoustical Treatment to best achieve bass absorption if you don’t have any 90° corners available. Free Noise analysis available in Des Moines, Ames, Fort Dodge, Ottumwa, Creston, Marshalltown and Mason City and surrounding counties.
About Iowa Audio Video
Iowa Audio Video has a team of certified Designer Engineers and Brand Consultants ready to provide a FREE consultation with you on the right products for your business. We operate in and around Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Council Bluffs and Davenport
Additionally, Iowa Audio Video is part of the MOOD: Media National Service Network of service making our installation professionals talents unrivaled in the industry. We have more than 450 professional technicians who can mount, connect and set up all equipment for any location across the country.
