Acoustical Design of Television, Radio, Film and Audio Studios

MEDIASOLUTION.in provides solutions for sound isolation, noise control and room acoustics for private and public broadcast and recording studios, as well as TV, Radio Station and Production Houses. Our design team has the multi-disciplinary expertise to provide the best possible acoustical design package for new construction or renovation of your studio.

The Importance of Acoustics

Excellence in sound quality and room acoustics is fundamental to the successful operation of studio facilities.

The success of building broadcast and film studios require cautious implementation of many aspects of acoustical design, including:

 

Noise Isolation

The single most important design element for broadcasting and recording studios is that they are QUIET and PIN DROP SILENCE. Noise from sources external to the building, such as aircraft, trains and road traffic etc and noise from adjoining spaces of both similar and dissimilar use, must be adequately controlled. This requires careful design of separating partitions to meet the requirements of the broadcast and recording industry. We can provide acoustic design advice on the complete noise isolation of a studio, including isolated walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows.

In exceptional cases, for example where studio buildings are located close to environmental noise sources such as top of building in a hilly area, the studio building can be designed to be constructed on air isolation bearings.

Ambient Noise Control

Ambient noise within studios must also be kept at very low levels. Primarily, this means sufficient silencing of air supply and exhaust systems, low duct velocities and selection of low noise grilles and diffusers. However, this is not the only consideration. Noise from sources of structure-borne noise throughout the building such as mechanical equipment, elevators and plumbing must also be very well controlled.

Echo Control

Room acoustics is critical to the studio environment. Special attention must be paid to the design of the room in order to keep the echo time short and within very close tolerances. We help by providing construction assembly details for support of bass response and balanced room decay by selection of suitable sound diffusing and sound absorbing surfaces. We also provide guidance on relative room dimensions and on the control of reflections that would degrade the sound quality and imaging of the control room monitor loudspeakers. Fixtures and fittings can also be detrimental to studio sound quality. Special attention should also be paid in the selection of lights, dimmer switches and switching power supplies, all of which can generate low level hum or whimpers that are audible in the low noise studio environment.

Site Services

The careful design of broadcast and film studios does not guarantee the successful provision of a high quality product to the client. Many of the acoustically critical construction and assembly details are not fully appreciated by Clients on site. We can make thorough site inspections during the construction stage of a studio project to ensure that the design details are being implemented properly by the building contractor. This is the most critical aspect of studio construction. Time spent on site by the acoustic consultant during construction can save a great deal of time spent on diagnostic investigation if commissioning tests show a failure to meet the contract specifications. In Indian scenario, very few Acoustic Consultants Inspect the studio site during construction stage and very few Clients appoint Acoustic Consultant before the studio construction.

FOR EXAMPLE:

We want to build a studio in basement, can we build it so that any buddy won't hear anything?

Building a studio space in existing industrial construction severely limits the amount of sound isolation that can be achieved. Wood frame construction is difficult to isolate because of its light weight, and connectedness. You can't start separating the structural sound paths without having your building fall down. Even isolated ceilings and isolated inner walls, which may achieve STC ratings over 50, do not provide significant attenuation below 125Hz. For this you need mass, concrete would be a start, but depleted uranium or solid lead would be better, and not much more impractical than trying to pour concrete walls and ceilings in place in a basement. Even concrete walls and floors need additional attention. You have to shield the concrete structure from a loud sound source by building an isolated wall. Once the sound energy enters the concrete building structure, it will travel throughout all the walls and floors. This shielded and isolated construction rapidly erodes ceiling height and floor space, and costs a bunch.