Tagged with 'acoustic'

Open floor plan acoustics can determine how well you’re able to enjoy your home or office. Before modifying your social space, consider the importance of soundproofing open floor plan homes.

Q:           We are doing a see-through fireplace in our contemporary home. It will be a prominent feature in the open space. Because of all the hard surfaces and the ceiling height I'm hoping we can come up with some way to incorporate acoustical properties since this is happening in a social space of our home. What type of treatment or product would you suggest?

A:            We love the open floor plan trend, but the exposed hard surfaces can cause a lot of sound issues - especially when you modify it even more with a see-through fireplace. There’s no need to sacrifice your design vision as long as you incorporate open floor plan acoustics.

The key is to break up your large reflective surfaces with soft absorbing materials. If you have carpet or drapes in the space, you’ve already made some improvements, but even if those are in your design they won’t get the whole job done. The best approach to soundproofing open floor plan homes is soft acoustic panels.

Acoustic panels placed throughout your space are designed to break up these surfaces and soak up echo, reverberation, and mid to high range frequencies. This creates a calm atmosphere where clear conversation can happen, perfect for social and entertaining space. We typically recommend starting by treating 10-25% of your total wall space, and building your open floor plan acoustics up from there until you achieve you desired sound.

The core of Audimute acoustic art panels, fabric sound panels, and all of our custom and signature panels are made from our recycled eco-C-tex™ material with an NRC rating of 1.0 for excellent sound absorption. All of our panels include hanging brackets, making soundproofing open floor plan homes as quick as mixing and matching colors, sizes, fabrics, and images to accent your fireplace centerpiece.

We have found that when working with contemporary homes and open floor plan acoustics it is often best to have a couple of photos to help us to get an idea of the space and how the sound might be moving in it. For more information about treating your space, give our Acoustic Specialist team a call at (866) 505-6883 today for personalized advice.

Check out this video from an Audimute Acoustic Specialist for more tips on noise control in open home floor plans:

Open, collaborative office space seems to be the new way of life for most businesses. With walls, cubicles, and partitions stripped away, the idea is that:

• Employees benefit from free-flowing brainstorming and communication with colleagues

• Business objectives and pursuits become more innovative

• Expenses tied to office equipment, construction, and utilities dwindle

What’s not to love? Heck, the offices of Google and Facebook basically pioneered this unfastened environment. The trend has caught fire and it seems as though (most) businesses around the world don’t believe in closed-door, work-place barriers anymore.

The downside? Noise.

Yes, the challenge that comes attached to an exposed environment is the acoustics. So, back to our initial question: What’s sound got to do with it? Well, quite a bit.

Conversations, phone calls, meetings – and that co-worker that always plays his music too loud – combine to create distractions and a clutter of noise in today’s open office. But before you decide this open office layout just ain’t workin’, look up. Your ceiling is about to become your solution.

Drown out echoes and excess noise with high-quality, eco-friendly acoustic ceiling baffles. A wide selection of cover material will help add style and customization to your sound absorption efforts. Choose from:

• Standard or designer acoustic baffle fabrics, which give your space a simple yet sophisticated look

• Custom color or custom image acoustic baffles, which are perfect to place company colors, logos & quotes on

• Acousticolor™ sound baffles, which match any Sherwin-Williams shade

At Audimute, we help businesses of all shapes and sizes find the right solution for their unique sound problem. Unsure which solution is best for your open office? Contact us today. In less than 15 minutes, one of our sound solution experts will be able to understand your space and recommend a solution.

Shop our vast selection of acoustic ceiling baffles. Here’s to your quieter open office environment.

As a company born from the love of music and sound, we catch ourselves these days living vicariously through musicians who release their one-of-a-kind art and sound into the world. It’s always an honor to learn that our acoustic panels are helping musicians create desired sounds and aid in their artistic process.

We caught up with Jerry Jean, a New York City based award-winning songwriter, arranger, producer, and musician. Read what he had to say about his path to becoming a musician and his experience with Audimute’s acoustic panels:

Q. Tell us about your path to becoming a songwriter and music producer.

A. I took violin and piano lessons from a young age and went to NYU to study vocal performance. Upon graduation, I worked as a freelance musician in New York, playing shows and contributing keyboards and strings on both indie and major label records. I also coached singers frequently and taught music theory at my alma mater. Although I was grateful making a living as a musician, I did not feel I was leaving a tangible record of my own music. So in 2010, I expanded my focus to encompass writing and producing. I’ve since released 3 EPs, and am currently working on my first solo full-length album.

Q. Tell us about your songwriting process. Where do you find creativity and inspiration?

A. Sometimes there is no predetermined subject, and I simply begin by improvising while singing at the piano. I let the subconscious determine the song as I play novel chord changes and vocalize whatever comes out: spontaneous refrains, wordless melismas, whatever. It's a rather vulnerable, private practice. I record these explorations on my phone, listen back, rinse and repeat. Other times, I set out to encapsulate a predetermined emotion, vibe, or event taken from life experience, either from my own or from what I observe from other people. When the song's seed is predetermined, the process will still go back to the improvisatory method I mentioned previously. These explorations are ultimately refined into the lyrics and music that win out.

Q. What is important to you when you start to produce a new sound or a song?

A. It’s important to be genuine, and to create something that can stand the test of time. This means investing effort and money not only to improving the songwriting and performance in the songs, but also to the technical aspects of proper recording, mixing, etc.

Q. You use acoustic panels on your studio wall. When did you realize you needed to improve the acoustics in your studio?

A. I installed the panels in late 2011, shortly after deciding to convert my spare room into my studio. The room was initially full of undesired reverberations. When I was coaching singers and they sang loud notes, the entire room shook with reverb. Although singers sometimes enjoyed this phenomenon, I knew it would be detrimental when recording since I wouldn’t be able to remove the excessive sound reflections. I ultimately installed 8 large Audimute panels. They have a stylish aesthetic, and are totally functional.

Q. How do acoustic panels help you achieve a desired sound?

A. The paneling effectively absorbs the unwanted reverb. Combined with my room’s carpeting and furnishings, the panels keep the sound controlled to my taste. More paneling would dampen sound reflections even more, but I wanted to maintain a modest element of liveness in the room so didn't go overboard with coverage.

Q. What successes have you seen as a result of using Audimute's acoustic panels?

A. My song Your Love, created completely in my music room, was a winner in the International Songwriting Competition. It now has over 50,0000 views online, and the Audimute panels can be seen in the studio performance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYymQbVah54.

My EPs Your Love and Fighting For You have both charted on iTunes, and I’m steadily improving my craft with each new project. Since setting up my studio, I haven’t had to make any adjustments to the paneling, and it remains an integral part of my daily listening environment. Not being bogged down with technical issues like proper room treatment allows me to focus my energies on making music and growing as a writer / producer. While working on my new full-length record, I’ve recorded live strings, horns, vocals, acoustic basses and guitars in my studio. The panels help me obtain clean recordings during each session while making listening back more accurate. Visually, they also complement the vibe of the room.

To learn more about Jerry, connect with him below:

Official website: http://www.jerryjean.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jerryjeanmusic

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/jerryjeanmedia

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jerryjeanmusic

When shopping for the acoustic solution that will best solve your sound issues and best fit your space’s style, acoustic panels and acoustic tiles can both get the job done. But there are differences between the two. Let’s look at a side-by-side comparison:

Style needs and desires can help you determine which solution will work best for you.

Audimute’s Acoustic Panels

Our acoustic panels are perfect for making your space come to life with vivid, high-quality images. Browse our galleries of popular images or upload your own personal photo, logo, or design for a personal touch.

Looking for a more classic look? Find just what your space needs with customary, luxury, and designer acoustic fabrics for a finished look unique to your space.

Audimute’s Acoustic Tiles

Acoustic fabric tiles bring a clean-cut, professional look to any space. With a wide-range of fabrics to choose from, you can match any design theme.

AcoustiColor™ Tiles and Audimute Acoustic Shapes will add personality, vibrant color, and fun shapes and configurations to your walls. Choose from seven standard sizes and thousands of color options to create your desired wall art.

Head on over to our acoustic panel vs. acoustic tile treatment comparison page to find more information on how these acoustic solutions differ.

Are you ready to improve the acoustics of your home theater? We receive countless inquiries about home theater treatment each day, and the most commonly asked question is where acoustic panels should be applied to most effectively improve the sound quality in the theater. Today, I am going to take you step-by-step on finding reflection points and how you can use this as a guide for perfect panel placement.

First, we need to discuss what reflection points are. The primary reflection points are the points throughout your theater at which sound is initially reflecting. In other words, it’s the first surface that sound comes in contact with after leaving your speakers. Primary reflection points are important to find as these are the most effective treatment points throughout your home theater.

Now picture this: you just finished your home theater set up! You spent hours shopping for the right speakers, the most comfortable couch, and the best screen or projector. You throw in your favorite movie and notice something: you forgot to take the room acoustics into consideration! Fear not! That echo you’re noticing can be treated by adding acoustic panels to your theater!

To find the reflection points, you will need the following:

      • A home theater

      • A handheld mirror

      • Sticky notes

      • A patient friend

1. First, set up the room as if it were finished. Speakers and seating in your space should be placed in their final

locations. Moving any of these elements will change the primary reflection points of sound throughout your space.

I recommend leaving the walls mostly bare (aside from any speakers). This will make the process of marking and finding reflection points much easier.

Once the walls are bare and the speakers are in their final position, it’s time to start listening. Carefully examine where the sound is coming from in the theater.

2. Second, have your friend hold the handheld mirror parallel to the wall surface. Face the screen in your theater, and move the mirror around the walls until you can see any speakers reflected in the mirror. Be sure not to move your head or tilt the mirror throughout this process, as this will alter the reflection points. Mark these points with a sticky note. These are the primary reflection points.

Each speaker in your space should have 6 reflection points (one on each of 4 walls, one on the ceiling, and one on the floor). For a 5-speaker system, there should be 30 reflection points. Some of these points may not be treatable. This would include points that are blocked by open hallways, furniture, or other objects. This is not an issue. While treating primary reflection points is important, treating every reflection point is not necessary to improve the sound quality in your theater.

3. Once you have the reflection points marked, you can begin adding absorption.                 

For reflection points on the floor, consider adding a rug. If the theater is carpeted, treating the floor should not be necessary. For any windows, consider adding curtains or drapes.

To treat any reflection points on the ceiling, consider flush-mounting Acoustic Tiles to the ceiling surface, or suspending Acoustic Clouds from the ceiling.

4. Finally, for the reflection points on the walls, consider adding Acoustic Panels. With a variety of sizes, colors, and styles to choose from, Audimute Acoustic Panels are an excellent option to consider for any home theater application.

For more advice on creating the perfect home theater, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Acoustic Specialists!

What is an acoustical ceiling cloud?

Ceiling clouds are designed to effectively reduce reflected sound in large and open environments as well as to delineate space. Stylish lines and soft shapes suspend horizontally from the ceiling and absorb sound across their entire surface for unequaled acoustical performance.

Ceiling Clouds create a modern appearance combined with noise reduction and reverberation control in most environments including residential and commercial spaces. Along with exceptional sound absorption and superior aesthetics, clouds feature outstanding architectural design flexibility and visual interest.

Are there other ways to perceive space?

Walls are perhaps the easiest and most recognizable architectural elements that define a room. Current design trends are focused on rooms that flow into one another without visual obstacles. Clouds are a subtle yet distinct method of delineating the differences that exist between areas.

How is a ceiling cloud different?

There is an acoustical benefit to exposing the backside of clouds. More air heightens the panel’s ability to capture and convert echo from the open space.

Acoustic clouds are hung parallel and offset from the ceiling allowing them to absorb sound waves at two points. Sound absorption occurs as sound travels toward the ceiling and then again as it bounces back to the floor. This dual-absorption ceiling cloud reduces echo and dampens noise.

Key Features:

     • The perfect soundproofing solution for areas with limited wall space

     • Dual sound absorption

     • Define spaces and accentuate a feature area

     • Mix and match sizes and shapes

     • Custom configurations available

     • Suspend individually or in groups

Acoustic ceiling clouds are the ideal solution for absorbing reflections from ceilings, reducing sound reverberation, and improving speech intelligibility!