Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 11:23 AM

Guest-

Wierd people do exist in this world, and some produce the best of music.

But thanks for sharing your concerns.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 10:58 AM

Why don't you just dig a big hole in the ground and put yourselves in it?

Alternatively, if the sound of the rest of a festival enjoying themselves is so annoying, why don't you just stay at home?

Are you seriously saying that you actually pay to go to a festival and then spend your time constructing your own personal space out of bales of straw?
That's extremely worrying and wierd.

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 10:43 AM

Carpet would work too, perhaps outdated samples (free) from a dealer? Corners/gaps...this ain't gonna be perfect, just better and portable.

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: treewind
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 10:31 AM

Egg boxes don't work anyway.

The only way to keep sound out is walls,doors and windows with (a) weight and (b) good seals so it doesn't leak though the airgaps.

A reasonable compromise that may weigh less is a double skin with a good sized air gap bewteen.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Bernard
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 10:26 AM

In my home studio (where Alio and I record 'Sounds of Folk' for Radio Britfolk - shameless plug!), I came up with a great flash of perspiration...

I bought some cheap 'sapele print' internal doors, and stapled some contract carpet to them. Fastened to the walls and suspended from the ceiling they serve both to 'dry' the acoustics of the room, and to inhibit external noise.

The doors only cost six quid each (roughly 11 US dollars), and the foam-backed contract carpet was being binned by one of our suppliers at work after a stage show. They were delighted when I offered to relieve them of the responsibility of dumping it! Such a shame - it had only been used once, yet they couldn't use it again...

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 10:10 AM

Sound insulation with egg boxes or other recycled styrofoam is asking for trouble if there is any risk of fire from smokers, electrical malfunctions or pyrotechnics. Cork is reasonably safe.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 09:28 AM

When I was involved in Station Radio in the RAF , I came across several 'Studios' that had been Acoustically Insulated on the cheap
using Egg Boxes ! Use these with Sorcha's Cork and you should be able to cut down external noise interference quite effectively , without spending a fortune !

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 08:04 AM

I'm not a sound engineer but here's an idea. I've seen 'castles' for re enactment built this way.

You'll probably need a flatbed trailer to haul it on. Get as many sheets of 3/4" plywood (4'x8') as you need to make the room large enough. At least 2 'slide bolts' for each join. Cover one side of the sheets with cork--they still sell the 12" cork tiles. 2x4 pieces cut on the angle for bracing the corners. Toe screw one end into a corner piece, or drill holes in each corner piece and lash the bracing in.

Cover with a large tarp if desired. You might also haunt 2nd hand/thrift/charity shops for heavy bedding to hang over the cork, or use instead of the cork. Rugs for flooring optional.

Subject: RE: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Bernard
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 06:39 AM

Here's another wildcard... some years ago I was an audio engineer on the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales (I think it was Newport/Newydd), and it was the first time the Main Pavilion had been a marquee instead of the old tin shed.

We were about two miles from the nearest motorway, which caused the entire marquee to amplify the low frequency noise transmitted through the ground from the motorway!

Fortunately it was only a slight annoyance when everything was totally quiet and no audience present, but it gaves us (and the Beeb lads) a bit of a run-around trying to work out where the noise was coming from!!

Once the audience came in and the performances started, the noise was imperceptible - probably as much to do with the interference patterns set up by the presence of people as anything, I suppose.

Subject: Sound proof 'bunker' for festivals?
From: Keef
Date: 25 Nov 06 - 03:01 AM

Most of the festivals I used to enjoy have now become much larger and louder than wot they used to be. Folks like me that enjoy harmony singing and an acoustic session find ourselves in a huddle with our fingers in our ears trying to hear ourselves and each other.
Some years ago I helped build the "singing room" at the Woodford festival in Australia. It was built from straw bales and did make some improvement to the sound levels but had to be demolished after the festival (waste of materials and effort).
Bearing in mind that the external sound level is about 100 dB (not much below the threshold of pain!) and the desirable sound level for a concert hall is about 20 dB we need some pretty serious noise reduction.
Any acoustic engineers out there able to come up with a design for a transportable, reusable "concert hall" that could be hired out to festivals. Ideally this would use some high tech sound absorbing material in the walls but with a hard surface inside to give some life and resonance. Perhaps active noise cancellation could be used also to reduce the level of intrusive "Doof" which is apparently essential to cater for the "Yoof" market.
An impossible dream?
Bearing in mind the budget available to the larger festivals I would guestimate that even if such a structure cost say $100,000 to build then it might be economic if it could be used by ten or more festivals through the year. I would imagine a similar need occurs at the larger festivals in other countries also.
There again I could just stay home and stop my bloody whinging I suppose.
Keef