Rock wool... What about real wool?! and what else?

[Smaug]

Hi all,
I see a lot of talk about rock wool in here, seems like pretty good stuff.
But how about real wool?, I recently scored a whole lot of Wool Batt seconds for nuthin. I was going to insulate my house but now i'm thinkin acoustics are more important than warmth.
Does anyone have any info/experience/opinions on this?

And while we're at it, I've recently bought a building (kinda by accident) that was set up as a reording studio for orchestral type music. Heaps of reverb, without having done any measurement the reverb sounds pretty even across the full spectrum. Probably sounds great for violins but absolutely hopeless for drums, boomy as.
So, now that I'm ticked up to the eyeballs with a second mortgage I need the cheapest and most easily removable acoustic treatment I can muster.
so I'm thinkin real wool aborbers since i have some wool. But what else?
How bout shredded paper?
What else could be used?

Any thoughts..........

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by Smaug

Hi all,
I see a lot of talk about rock wool in here, seems like pretty good stuff.
But how about real wool?, I recently scored a whole lot of Wool Batt seconds for nuthin. I was going to insulate my house but now i'm thinkin acoustics are more important than warmth.
Does anyone have any info/experience/opinions on this?

And while we're at it, I've recently bought a building (kinda by accident) that was set up as a reording studio for orchestral type music. Heaps of reverb, without having done any measurement the reverb sounds pretty even across the full spectrum. Probably sounds great for violins but absolutely hopeless for drums, boomy as.
So, now that I'm ticked up to the eyeballs with a second mortgage I need the cheapest and most easily removable acoustic treatment I can muster.
so I'm thinkin real wool aborbers since i have some wool. But what else?
How bout shredded paper?
What else could be used?

Any thoughts..........

The answer to the whole question is "density". Within that one word a couple of things are implied: "correct" and "even". The wool might work if you can get it to exactly the right density (48-90kg/m3) and do that consistently across the whole surface area. How do you do that? I have no idea. That's the problem. The other problem is that you have no way to test it really, other than building them all and shooting the room and hoping for the best. That's a lot of work for something that might not work at all.

Now, you could use blankets and stuff to bring down the reverb time, but keeping the right room character and maintaining and even decay time is tough. On the cheap, the most you can really do is put some blankets up, try the room, then move stuff around/add other stuff as necessary.

Sorry...I know those aren't the answers you want.

Frank

[orpheus69]

If that space is great for orchestral music, why don't you keep as it is?
I'm sure you would have lots of clients from classical!
What about removable panels to bring in the room when needed?

just a thought...

[Tomer1]

How big is the room , Must be fairly large if it was build for orchestral.
IMO It would be ashame to "threw" a great natural room sound out the window with permanent treatment.
I would use the advice posted above this, Build Gobos- portable absorbers which will surround the recorded source when you want it to sound try.

[fabricaudio]

One thing to say about rockwool, it is nasty stuff to work with, so if you use it wear masks, sweaters and gogles. Maybe even a space suit.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Smaug

I was going to insulate my house but now i'm thinkin acoustics are more important than warmth.

Spoken like a true audio geek.

When you find you'd rather mix a tune than eat or have sex, we'll start to worry about you.

--Ethan

[Smaug]

Originally Posted by orpheus69

If that space is great for orchestral music, why don't you keep as it is?
I'm sure you would have lots of clients from classical!
What about removable panels to bring in the room when needed?

just a thought...

Originally Posted by Tomer1

How big is the room , Must be fairly large if it was build for orchestral.
IMO It would be ashame to "threw" a great natural room sound out the window with permanent treatment.
I would use the advice posted above this, Build Gobos- portable absorbers which will surround the recorded source when you want it to sound try.

Hi, thanks for your input.
Yes I am thinkin removable panels etc. aside from a variety acoustics options I also want the room to be usable for other functions as well. Dance workshops maybe seminars, I don't know yet...
I'll get some pics today and post them tommorrow so you can see the space I'm on about. also has a smallish but usable control room at the back. And I'll measure it up too. Watch this space........

[Smaug]

Originally Posted by Weasel9992

The answer to the whole question is "density". Within that one word a couple of things are implied: "correct" and "even". The wool might work if you can get it to exactly the right density (48-90kg/m3) and do that consistently across the whole surface area. How do you do that? I have no idea. That's the problem. The other problem is that you have no way to test it really, other than building them all and shooting the room and hoping for the best. That's a lot of work for something that might not work at all.

Now, you could use blankets and stuff to bring down the reverb time, but keeping the right room character and maintaining and even decay time is tough. On the cheap, the most you can really do is put some blankets up, try the room, then move stuff around/add other stuff as necessary.

Sorry...I know those aren't the answers you want.

Frank

No, no, thats what I'm after.. Even though I kinda knew that it already its helpful to have it reiterated. I had though it would by easiy enough to establish what the density of the wool is by measuring and weighing, but I hadn't considered the fact tha it needed to be even/ consistent throughout. so absicly using the wool will be hit and miss, but as I have some I might as well give it a crack. Will give the studio a nice shearing shed aroma too.. (without the sheep shit of course)

Thanks for your comments