The Secret Life of Low Frequencies

In music and post facilities, the acoustical design of rooms used for critical listening can end up using guesswork, "try it and see" experimentation, or dubious information acquired as hearsay or internet gossip.

While these rooms occasionally manage to perform decently, it is by accident rather than design. Mostly they deliver disappointing results, or fail completely. This has led to a perception by some that acoustical design is little more than alchemy, "secret mystical knowledge", or nonsensical babble camouflaged in lofty language.

In fact, successful rooms with exemplary acoustic performance can be designed and built reliably and repeatably. This is made possible and easy using a scientific approach and concepts of physics.

Over decades of practice, Bruce Black has distilled nine Essential Elements that consistently result in rooms with excellent performance. These can also be applied to other acoustically sensitive spaces.

This presentation details elements that assure quality acoustical performance –
• Well Defined Goals – know where you want to end up
• Rectangular Rooms – keep modes and resonances under control
• Relationship of the Dimensions – the critical ingredient for a neutral, high quality sound
• Isolation – keep outside sounds out and inside sounds in
• Correct Sound Absorption –it’s more than sticking up fluffy stuff
• Screws Every Four Inches – immobilize drywall panels
• No Bass Traps – use targeted treatments to maintain LF integrity
• Acoustical Analysis – use accurate data, not guesswork or hand claps, to properly treat a room
• A Good Contractor – someone who follows your directions, even seemingly absurd ones

Attendees will leave with a road map to excellent acoustics, understanding why these elements are needed, how they work, and how to get the most out of them, using data and graphs from Mr. Black's many acoustical analyses.