Michiel Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was wondering if anybody could share some tips on acoustic damping. And I mean mobile, compact damping for location shoots, that can be moved out of the shot easily. This is the best I've come up with so far.. A mic stand with two pieces of foam. But I would need quite a lot of these for it to be effective in large spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atheisticmystic Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Would that foam configuration knock things down better than an actual sound blanket (not a regular furney pad) up on a C-Stand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiel Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'm not sure. I haven't heard of special 'sound blankets' before, I looked it up. Am going to check now if the few dealers here in Holland sell something like that. In every case a mic stand is more compact and lighter as a C-stand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartley Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 http://moverssupplies.com/Sound-Blankets-Producers-Choice/ Sound blankets are the way to go. Buy a bunch ot these and pony clamps. Use c-stands with booms if possible. Mic stands tend to be a little light for the weight of the blankets. You can get the blankets up higher with c-stands as well. Easy to rent c-stands by the job as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Te foam will only be effective for higher frequencies, but will be useless for most of the range. It might be what the doctor ordered, but in many cases it will be nearly ineffectual. Ever treat a room with thin foam only? It doesn't sound too good even though the initial sound when you walk in the room seems dead and gives you the impression of "studio" sound, until you actually playback a recording. Blankets are far from perfect too, but much more effective as they have more mass and are effective through a broader range of frequencies. Another great help is carpet. Treat the first reflection point of the axis of the mic first. For most downwards facing mics, that's going to be the floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrd456 Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 On a Disney shoot {usually cheap guys} as per productions request,I set-up acoustical foam panels all over a small wherehouse they where using as a "sound stage"and tested the effect----Didn't do much at all. Then I put carpet down and it made a reasonable difference on a cement floor.remember the mic. is usually pointed at the floor.Carpet is what I've found to be the best bet,but you'll have to keep it out of site of camera.....it can be a pain in the #ss,so make sure it's worth it. Tom's right P.S.-quiets shoes too J.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Yeremian Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I agree with above. Blankets and carpet are going to give you much better results than foam. Plus they pack up smaller, and are typically cheaper than that Auralex crap. But if you have the means to do it, get some of those really heavy duty drapes. Hang those around on a few C stands and in conjunction with carpet or sound blankets on the floor (assuming hard flooring) you will be in a much better situation. The drapes are pricey though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 " than that Auralex crap " er... Auralex is a fine company that makes quality products. they do not claim to have much in the way of "mobile" or portable solutions for our location uses, but they have successfully provided solutions for venues large and small for years, and are nice folks, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'd recommend high quality thick ones as they take out a broader band of frequencies rather than just the thin ones. Here is a good list of nrc ratings. http://www.nrcratings.com/nrc.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Yeremian Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 " than that Auralex crap " er... Auralex is a fine company that makes quality products. they do not claim to have much in the way of "mobile" or portable solutions for our location uses, but they have successfully provided solutions for venues large and small for years, and are nice folks, too. Your right. I should re-direct my distaste with the way people use Auralex and their unrealistic expectations of it. But regardless I think their marketing preys on people who don't understand how it is supposed to work. So people waste a few hundred dollars on some some fancy pieces of foam to throw in their bedroom studio because they don't know better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I was wondering if anybody could share some tips on acoustic damping. And I mean mobile, compact damping for location shoots, that can be moved out of the shot easily. If you're trying to tame a really bad location with excessive slap-echo, traffic noise, poor insulation, overhead planes, HVAC, and so on, there's not a huge amount you can do. You can close windows, aim the mikes away from the sources of noise, and move around sound blankets to a point, but these are bandaids. Even if you hang the blankets on C-stands and get it very close to the actors, you can't depend on that position for every shot and every angle. In some cases, wireless lavs will "take the room out of the dialogue," but even that can't overcome really terrible locations. I find a combination of sound blankets, decent mike placement, lav isos, and wild lines usually can get us something usable in all but the worst places. And get good room tone to help out the post department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 ...But regardless I think their marketing preys on people who don't understand how it is supposed to work. So people waste a few hundred dollars on some some fancy pieces of foam to throw in their bedroom studio because they don't know better. I disagree with you. The Auralex web site has tons of information about what their products can do and how to use them. They even have their own acoustic university at http://www.auralexuniversity.com/ . Holding them responsible for all the newbie's unrealistic expectations is like holding Sennheiser responsible because a newbie sound mixer doesn't know which way to aim a 416. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Burstein Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 In addition to furni-pads or sound blankets dampening a reverberative room, I've discovered that if you put some sort of padding like a blanket or sweater underneath a door crease where a unwanted sound is coming from, you do a hell of a job dampening. A lot of the times I'd forget that doors have creases and closing a door isn't always enough. Pretty basic but didn't occur to me for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chase Yeremian Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I disagree with you. The Auralex web site has tons of information about what their products can do and how to use them. They even have their own acoustic university at http://www.auralexuniversity.com/ . Holding them responsible for all the newbie's unrealistic expectations is like holding Sennheiser responsible because a newbie sound mixer doesn't know which way to aim a 416. I am speaking particularly about their foam paneling as the OP mentioned. A average person that goes out to guitar center and is roped into paying 150 dollars for a few square feet of foam because it says on the box "to optimize you room for great sound" is a bit misleading. That's all i'm saying. And I actually agree that many of the products they make are great, but for this instance the foam paneling is of little to no use imo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiel Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Thanks all for the replies, I should have mentioned that I specifically was aiming to reduce room reverb. Dedicated soundblankets seem not for sale in Holland, so I'll get something close to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olle Sjostrom Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 You could also use a thick fabric, like stage fabric. They're probably around half a centimeter thick (5mm) and come in either white or black. Sow two of those together, so one side is black, the other one white, and you got yourself a heavy, big fat sound blanket. The white side goes out and can be used as a reflector. So anytime you need to baffle a room, ask the gaffers "you need any reflectors by any chance?" and put it up there instead of theirs. Worked for me... Also, big cardboard boxes can work sometimes. They're cheap and foldable. Paint one side black and the other white and you got that gaffer team building again. In great numbers they are actually quite good. But you'll need at least 50 pieces :S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Rose Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Surprised nobody's mentioned the studio-builder's friend: Owens Corning 703. 2" thick fiberglass, very cheap (about $65 for a bundle of six 2'x4'x2" pieces). It's semi-rigid, so you can't fold it up like a blanket, but a panel will support itself leaning against a wall or can be clipped to a c-stand. And it's also lightweight; one person can can carry enough to dampen a small shooting area easily; in a pinch you can hold one on a wall with gaffer tape. Yes, the fibers aren't nice to rub against. But you can wrap it in fire-rated cloth... which is what I do with leftovers after building a studio, making wonderful dampers for noisy rooms in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 " their marketing preys on people who don't understand how it is supposed to work. So people waste a few hundred dollars " not really... their marketing is primarily to folks who typically know what they are doing, and their sales are mainly much much more than a few hundred dollars... " the foam paneling is of little to no use imo! " you are, of course, entitled to your opinion, which is just that. I have installed these panels and not only heard, but measured the (positive) results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Who cares what noises are going on or where you point the mic we have that de-reverb and Rex plugin! Jk buddies, jk... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Rose Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 And don't forget the virtual mic DSP plugins! Make your Azden sound like a Schoeps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Tuzo Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 Surprised nobody's mentioned the studio-builder's friend: Owens Corning 703. awww, man. 703 is fantastic stuff. Want to go more permanent? Frame it out with furring strips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted August 31, 2012 Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 And don't forget the virtual mic DSP plugins! Make your Azden sound like a Schoeps. Doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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