can you stuff sound control insulation in the ceiling plenum?

there's also stc-rated gyp if you just want it to blend in with the existing walls (assuming they are also gyp).

Ooo. Impact sounds? Footsteps?

yeah, impact sounds from people walking around, moving things above, etc.

jafidler, we don't really want to merely stuff insulation into the plenum. it's an exposed steel decking on top of wide flanges with exposed duct work. it's about 14' to the decking, and the depth of the wide flanges is probably about 18".

I can imagine the way to prevent impact sounds, which wouldn't be stifled by insulation, is to carpet and pad the cafeteria.

yeah, garpike, that's the obvious solution, and eventually we're going to do that since we're planning on remodeling the cafeteria.

but for now, we need something within the actual space that would help dampen those sounds.

i guess we'll just have to bite the bullet and go with something that may not be so pleasing to our eye.

but thanks to you guys for responding!

if anyone else out there in archinect world has anything OF RELEVANCE to add please do so!

How about sound masking technique? such as putting water fall inside the room...

ups sorry i forget that the function of the room is for filming, ignore my previous post then

My dad built a giant room in his office that is laced with huge foam triangles, very large ones, about a 18 inches long each. He then covered all the walls and ceilings (he builds and designs speakers for a living before you ask). The foam obviously dampens the sound, but its the shape of the triangles that keeps the sound from directing hitting the side of the walls I guess. It works pretty well, he built it 20 years ago and still uses it.

i could get pics for you if you'd like...it's very cool looking I think, but not subtle.

you may want to look at Tectum.

http://www.tectum.com/


I would HANG the panels a few feet below the beams, essentially creating an isolated airspace above the panels that will trap some of the sound. Ideally, you would build an accoustically isolated room for filming. Also, if you can isolate your mics so they dont pick up vibrations, that will help

sounds cool sbd! yeah, post some pics, i'd like to see that.

and thanks mdler!

Sound transmission is only inhibited by mass, so the standards solutions are adding more gyp, adding a topping slab, and eliminating or preventing physical connections between the materials on the source side of the wall from the rest of the assembly.

Eh --- this is more about how the sound are distribuated ; if there are actural active structural maybe, gadgets to transport or even maginfying the noise. Easy solved with the optimum solution but chose the wrong path, and it will newer work. in building structures we talk about floating floors and I wonder if a real efford is not better than a patch repair aproach ,and I fear this to be a display piece .

Anyway there is a solution simply to offset the surroundings , the actural inner walls of your volumes and then prepare a total silence interiour , You just build that, with build in furnitures and auxilery , make that structure so strong it hold itself, and then make that the "floating floor" that only would profit, from controlled assembly points of the two structures.

Eh -- sorry if the last part are dull, I better write that when an inner structure assembly is one structural unit, there are many way's to destribuate the noise and many way's to aproach the problem , but the solution is obvious --- as I see it it hardly are a problem at now what would be the best attitude for such volumes ,spaces as you call rooms ???

in condos they combat this problem by offseting the floor joists from the ceiling joists below. Essentially, you are trying to stop the vibrations from traveling from one area to another. Until you actually renovate the cafeteria or build an isolated 'studio' for recording, I think that the trying to create an airspace between the above ceiling and the recording space is the best way to go...

Another thing you will need to consider is how dead or bright you want your space to be accoustically. If you add too much sound absorbtave material, you will end up with a space that sounds dead and artificial.

You may want to start looking at producs like the following...

http://www.auralexelite.com/products/product1.asp?id=30&bundle=

I think you shuld ask yourself what piece of display this will be ; if you want to use methods that lead the patch on patch road or you want to point to a masterpiece where ontop solving the problem a few side effects make it all a good busyness . With floating floors you already have a pointer how to issue the thing seen from a 2D aspect, now get on your pants and do it 3D and with those few side effects, that make it that piece of display.

What do you want a sound studio or a space of legends.

What would the difference be for your film for the colleage, if the pictures was taken at the new advanced fancy studio builds, where not even the cosmic ray would disturbe the director , compared a somewhat patched together studio under the cafeteria done by stuffing the existing, done cheap materials that turned out to be expensive . What about the interiours ,wouldn't it be splendid if these became active and replasable , if the studio could grow by volumes and even explode it's borders in demands for new rock music , What is it you want ?