Portable Interview Insulation at DVinfo.net

Steven Davis · October 25th, 2015, 10:33 AM

Sooo, I have a 600 square foot studio with a cement floor. And when I do interviews in it, you can imagine the bounce on the sound. So, looking around for a movable/portable isolation solution, I came across these, they look interesting and, may be something I could even take on location. Maybe four of them for an interview?

What do you guys think?

Dmass Acoustic Foam Gobo's 2 2' x 4' Gobo Panels Feet Extenders Sound Proof | eBay

This is what the inside of my studio looks like. Although I have more stuff in it now...

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MKVn4/i-cjh4nKb

Jim Michael · October 25th, 2015, 11:12 AM

Go here https://www.gearslutz.com/board/bass...nels-foam-etc/

The common recommendation is to use fiberglas or rock wool panels. There is a guy posting on that forum that sells materials and complete units that are very reasonable. His company is based in Atlanta.

Bruce Watson · October 25th, 2015, 11:57 AM

I'd actually recommend the forum above that one, the studio building / acoustics forum. Just about any question you've got has already been answered there. Search away.

Seth Bloombaum · October 25th, 2015, 01:05 PM

It took some digging to find out that nextacoustics.com doesn't publish NRC data on the dMass panels you're looking at. Without that info you can't compare them to other solutions - I'd stay away. They may be a good product, or maybe not.

In addition to the study and DIY resources above, have a look at atsacoustics.com. I'm not recommending them above anyone else, but they are respected and they publish NRC data on all their products!

NRC = Noise Reduction Coefficient. Learn about it!

Rockwool doesn't outgas like fiberglass products... but DIY projects are frequently based on what you can locally source in your area.

Richard Crowley · October 26th, 2015, 11:10 AM

Presumably you will have some throw-rugs in your studio so you don't have to deal with a hard concrete floor.

I don't know what to think of those "dMASS" gobo things. It seems possible that they are a great product. But the promotional prose on the Ebay page makes it look like the guy doesn't really know what he is talking about. Or at least he doesn't know what is important.

It is not clear how much (IF ANY?) actual MASS is inside those things. And if there IS proper mass inside them, they are NOT the kind of thing you throw in the back of the wagon and take on location.

Jonathan Levin · October 28th, 2015, 09:28 AM

600 sq. feet is not that large of a space to control sound. How tall are the ceilings? This sounds like something a bunch of sound blankets or Home Depot moving blankets and rugs might be able to help as Richard mentioned.

Those panels look like they take up some space. Are you just doing audio or is there video involved too.

Steven Davis · October 28th, 2015, 09:39 AM

Hey Thanks for the feedback.

My ceilings are 15 feet tall. And we do photo and video both. The video narrations I've done in the past, you can hear the ring in my studio, so that's mainly what I'm trying to control. I'm not able upload a picture for some odd reason (upload failed) but my studio has a pointed 15 feet cathedral ceiling. I wanted something that I could easily move around, so if I had an actor reading, I could just put the walls up around them, and move them, even stack them out of the way easily. I may want something that really doesn't exist, Still researching.

Jon Fairhurst · October 28th, 2015, 11:44 AM

Regarding the cement floor, note that most studios use wooden floors rather than carpet as carpet absorbs frequencies unevenly. It's preferred to use wood on the floor and absorption on the ceiling. In my case (for a home theater with wood flooring), I purchased Corning 703 panels. What a difference they make! The bare and empty room all but drove me mad. Adding furniture and panels might not make it perfect, but it now sounds pleasurable.

FWIW, I was at a Dolby event a few months ago where they set up various listening rooms within a larger hotel ballroom. (It wasn't unlike how one might setup a haunted house tour within a school gym.) They happened to use thick, rubber flooring with a hardwood print. I'm not sure what they used for the temporary walls and ceiling, though they did have some 2" panels mounted on the walls at the reflection points. As you can imagine, their setup sounded great. I don't know if the rubber floor was there just for portability, comfort and looks, or if it also served as a bass trap.

Maybe it was something like this: https://www.postupstand.com/trade-sh...aXIaAtaT8P8HAQ

October 25th, 2015, 10:33 AM	#1
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Portable Interview Insulation Sooo, I have a 600 square foot studio with a cement floor. And when I do interviews in it, you can imagine the bounce on the sound. So, looking around for a movable/portable isolation solution, I came across these, they look interesting and, may be something I could even take on location. Maybe four of them for an interview? What do you guys think? Dmass Acoustic Foam Gobo's 2 2' x 4' Gobo Panels Feet Extenders Sound Proof \| eBay This is what the inside of my studio looks like. Although I have more stuff in it now... https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MKVn4/i-cjh4nKb __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

October 25th, 2015, 11:12 AM	#2
Jim Michael Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 895	Re: Portable Interview Insulation Go here https://www.gearslutz.com/board/bass...nels-foam-etc/ The common recommendation is to use fiberglas or rock wool panels. There is a guy posting on that forum that sells materials and complete units that are very reasonable. His company is based in Atlanta.

October 25th, 2015, 11:57 AM	#3
Bruce Watson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Raleigh, NC, USA Posts: 710	Re: Portable Interview Insulation I'd actually recommend the forum above that one, the studio building / acoustics forum. Just about any question you've got has already been answered there. Search away.

October 25th, 2015, 01:05 PM	#4
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: Portable Interview Insulation It took some digging to find out that nextacoustics.com doesn't publish NRC data on the dMass panels you're looking at. Without that info you can't compare them to other solutions - I'd stay away. They may be a good product, or maybe not. In addition to the study and DIY resources above, have a look at atsacoustics.com. I'm not recommending them above anyone else, but they are respected and they publish NRC data on all their products! NRC = Noise Reduction Coefficient. Learn about it! Rockwool doesn't outgas like fiberglass products... but DIY projects are frequently based on what you can locally source in your area. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

October 26th, 2015, 11:10 AM	#5
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Re: Portable Interview Insulation Presumably you will have some throw-rugs in your studio so you don't have to deal with a hard concrete floor. I don't know what to think of those "dMASS" gobo things. It seems possible that they are a great product. But the promotional prose on the Ebay page makes it look like the guy doesn't really know what he is talking about. Or at least he doesn't know what is important. It is not clear how much (IF ANY?) actual MASS is inside those things. And if there IS proper mass inside them, they are NOT the kind of thing you throw in the back of the wagon and take on location.

October 28th, 2015, 09:28 AM	#6
Jonathan Levin Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Chicago, Illinois USA Posts: 692	Re: Portable Interview Insulation 600 sq. feet is not that large of a space to control sound. How tall are the ceilings? This sounds like something a bunch of sound blankets or Home Depot moving blankets and rugs might be able to help as Richard mentioned. Those panels look like they take up some space. Are you just doing audio or is there video involved too. __________________ "Fearless Fernando Hernandez: A Fighter's Journey"" Jonathan Levin Photography & Video

October 28th, 2015, 09:39 AM	#7
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Re: Portable Interview Insulation Hey Thanks for the feedback. My ceilings are 15 feet tall. And we do photo and video both. The video narrations I've done in the past, you can hear the ring in my studio, so that's mainly what I'm trying to control. I'm not able upload a picture for some odd reason (upload failed) but my studio has a pointed 15 feet cathedral ceiling. I wanted something that I could easily move around, so if I had an actor reading, I could just put the walls up around them, and move them, even stack them out of the way easily. I may want something that really doesn't exist, Still researching. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

October 28th, 2015, 11:44 AM	#8
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Re: Portable Interview Insulation Regarding the cement floor, note that most studios use wooden floors rather than carpet as carpet absorbs frequencies unevenly. It's preferred to use wood on the floor and absorption on the ceiling. In my case (for a home theater with wood flooring), I purchased Corning 703 panels. What a difference they make! The bare and empty room all but drove me mad. Adding furniture and panels might not make it perfect, but it now sounds pleasurable. FWIW, I was at a Dolby event a few months ago where they set up various listening rooms within a larger hotel ballroom. (It wasn't unlike how one might setup a haunted house tour within a school gym.) They happened to use thick, rubber flooring with a hardwood print. I'm not sure what they used for the temporary walls and ceiling, though they did have some 2" panels mounted on the walls at the reflection points. As you can imagine, their setup sounded great. I don't know if the rubber floor was there just for portability, comfort and looks, or if it also served as a bass trap. Maybe it was something like this: https://www.postupstand.com/trade-sh...aXIaAtaT8P8HAQ __________________ Jon Fairhurst