Entertainment
There are many types of building within the entertainment sector that benefit from good acoustic design, both in terms of building acoustics to control noise transmission between rooms, and room acoustics, to ensure that reverberation within each space is appropriate for its use. Without soundproofing for bars, entertainment venues can be noisy places with high performance sound reproduction equipment such as powerful speakers, sub woofers and therefore can be demanding in terms of performance criteria. SRS are not acoustic consultants, and therefore can’t provide a details measurement and design service, but we can certainly point customers in the right direction for tried and test soundproofing and acoustic absorption products.
Acoustic insulation
Our most popular sound insulation, for soundproofing for bars and other entertainment venues is Maxiboard, our patented 17mm thick acoustic building board. Maxiboard offers extremely high sound insulation performance and can be used as soundproofing for walls and ceilings within nightclubs, bars, theatres, recording studios, and band practice rooms. Typically, Maxiboard is installed on to walls and ceilings on our heavy duty Maxi Resilient Bar, with Maxi Slab in between the void, and over-boarded with a layer of plasterboard. Maxiboard has a history of use within the entertainment sector and has been used at both Cream nightclub in Liverpool and Wendyhouse Productions’ recording studios in Shepherd’s Bush. Crucial for both projects was that maximum acoustic performance was provided whilst minimising the loss of room space.
Where impact sound insulation is required for floors, SRS recommend our Acoustilay proprietary flooring underlay system. In situations other than domestic environments we recommend that the Acoustilay is bonded to the subfloor and that a stabilising layer of Acoustilay T&G MDF is bonded to the top surface of the Acoustilay. The top surface of the MDF is stable enough to accept vinyl, laminate, and carpet tile floor finishes.
Please note - sometimes complaints from neighbours that aren’t joined to the entertainment premises can be because of noise escaping through windows and doors. Please note that this is what we would call an environmental noise problem and we would recommend that you seek the advice of a reputable company that specialises in this field. Usually the solution boils down to installing secondary glazing systems and acoustic doors. SRS do not manufacture systems of this kind but suitable manufacturers may be found on the institute of Acoustics website here: IOA Website
Acoustic absorption
Within the entertainment sector good room acoustics are crucial to certain environments. Any rooms where critical listening is involved require some serious thought in terms of design. This is important to ensure that the reverberation within the space is kept in check so that it does not detract from the experience of the audience. Ideal reverberation times will depend on the size of room and the kind of entertainment that is being performed. Some reverberation or liveliness can actually be of benefit for some kinds of music and help to fill the room with sound. SRS can assist with reverberation time calculations if required to meet your reverberation time target.
Within recording studios and mixing studios a low reverberation time is often required to remove the effect of the room from the recording and give a ‘clean’ representation of the instrument being recorded.
Sometimes excessive reverberation and the build-up of noise within bars and pubs, and theatre refreshment/foyer areas can be an issue. Although some noise is welcome to give speech privacy, when people get together to have drinks and socialise in an environment that contains many acoustically reflective surfaces a phenomenon appropriately named ‘the cocktail party effect’ can take place. This occurs when people talk to each other in small groups. The noise generated by many different conversations results in individuals having to raise their voices to continue to make themselves heard by their companion(s) over the activity noise caused by other groups. This gives rise to a gradual but significant increase in voice effort from casual to almost shouting in terms of speech effort and consequently an increase in background noise.
To reduce the background noise in these areas, and the efforts that people have to go to be heard by friends, SRS recommend that use of our Sonata acoustic panels for sound absorption. These are typically installed to walls and ceilings, working around obstructions such as lights, ducts, windows, doors etc. Sonata acoustic panels are available in an attractive range of colours and can even be printed with high resolution images or patterns to help them blend into the environment. The most popular sound absorption panel for the entertainment sector is the Sonata Aurio. This is 50mm thick and can be bonded to most surfaces using our proprietary Sonatac adhesive. Should the panels need to be removable then we would recommend our Sonata Vario product.
If you would like a quotation for Sonata acoustic panels for your reverberant room then please fill in our form here: 3-Step-Estimator
Expert advice
If you require acoustic products for use within your entertainment premises and need some expert assistance with specification, then we’d be delighted to speak to you. We can be contacted on the telephone on 01204 380074, by email to info@soundreduction.co.uk, or even by tweets to @soundreduction. An enquiry can also be made using the form below. All the advice we offer is from qualified technical personnel and is completely free of charge.
