So the carpet is pretty much down (due to the hard work put in by Steve the fitter – thanks mate!) and while I hate to admit it, my boss Richard was absolutely right about the amount of reverb that it would kill.
Even though the area covered by the carpet is probably less than a third of the total reflective surface in the room, I’d estimate a reduction of over 50 per cent in the amount of audio bouncing off the walls. In an interesting side note, apparently the carpet isn’t being glued to the underlay (which is the usual practice) as this will help to reduce to absorb more of the vibration. Guess it’s the same principle as de-coupled walls and ceilings.
Next stage will probably be the curtains, but I don’t have a date for that. Will post it when I get it.
Cheers!
Laurence
Archive for October, 2011
While freelancing has its advantages – not least of which is the freedom to work in your PJs without causing a stir (though this isn’t something I’d recommend for client meetings) – going back to full-time work is not without its benefits. The most obvious of these is the tangible relief of having a regular paycheck coming in each month without having to spend six months chasing a client to get it.
But more significant is finding a company that’s taking video content seriously enough to invest in it – and I’ve been lucky enough to find one that’s not only serious enough to employ a full-time producer like myself, but also willing to invest in the kind of equipment and installation that I simply couldn’t afford as a jobbing contractor.
One of the most exciting things for me right now is the creation of a dedicated studio space. What used to be a room where office furniture went to die is now becoming a custom-built recording studio that I’ll have pretty much to myself. (The fact that the boss also wants to use it as music studio for those moments when he wants to let rip with his guitar has played a fairly significant role in the fitout.)
As I write this, the paint is drying on the decoupled, double-insulated walls, and the underlay is about to be laid down by the carpet fitters. But the acoustics are absolutely terrible.
Which is to be expected from an open room filled with hard reflective surfaces. But we’re obviously not stopping there, so I thought I’d document some of the key stages so that you can see how it shapes up. Here’s the first part.
Cheers!
Laurence
