My Walls Are Concrete? ahhhhhhhh

[ram3n]

Here's my situation; my walls are concrete !!! ahhhhhhh

What's the best way to mount panel absorbers to concrete walls? I've rented one of those 22 nail guns (those things are awesome) and it did the job once before, but is there another way to do this?

[lunatic]

From what I understand, as long as you seal the back of the panel absorber with a material heavier than the face (Ethan should be able to clarify this), then you could install a notched wooden hanging bar to the back of the panel.

Then, on the wall, install another notched wooden bar using your nails. Now, you can mount a panel anywhere on your wall!

And yes, those nail "shooters" do kick butt don't they

Peace,
Lunatic

[lomky]

You can also fasten to concrete with a shotgun:

http://www.hilti.ca/holca/modules/pr...jsp?OID=-29389

[Blue Bear Sound]

Or you have a good possibility of doing some real treatment using John Sayer's Slot Resonators.... you could frame up the concrete with studs, and use acoustic insulation covered by a combination of slots and material to get the desired acoustic effect. Will be much better than panels.

Check out John's site for great detail on the subject.

[c7sus]

Listen to Blue Bear.

And trade in that shotgun for a RotoHammer and drop-in anchors, too! All those little shotguns do is fracture the surface of the concrete and the fasteners spall out over time.

[lomky]

Originally posted by c7sus
Listen to Blue Bear.

And trade in that shotgun for a RotoHammer and drop-in anchors, too! All those little shotguns do is fracture the surface of the concrete and the fasteners spall out over time.

Agreed, we mostly use them for fastening track to concrete floor.
I just build the shit, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[c7sus]

I'm an Inside Wireman by trade, so I know what I'm talking about too. Been in construction over 25 years. I started out doing steelstud framing, drywall, door frames, and glass and window sections in the late 70's. My after-school job in high-school was hanging firewalls in a housing tract down the hill from where I lived.

Those .22 shotguns are fine for shooting tincan track to the floor. It's about the only thing they're good for! Drop-in anchors have advantages that powder-driven pins can't begin to match, IMHO. For wood framing I wouldn't use anything else.

[lomky]

No no, you got me wrong. I really don't know what I'm talking about, I just do what I'm told... I totally agree with you. Sorry for the confusion.

Are you talking about those things that you make a hole w/ a hammer drill and pound those pins in?

[ram3n]

I'll give you a little more info. I'm in the process of upgrading my console which I'm buying with a custom desk with built in patchbays. So yesterday I went to my studio and basically unhooked EVERYTHING (oh man I was in shock) to make way for the new goodies... ever notice how it only takes less than 20 minutes to have your studio in shambles.

So I figured that since my studio was all wide open I should get in there and do some more sound treatment as well. I'm actually very happy with my back wall. I have one DIY wall unit behind me (from ceiling to floor) in the middle to help with my imaging. It's about 10" deep with 6" of rigid rockwool with a 4" air gap. I also have two small bass traps in the back corners (these probably don't absorb that low).

At the moment, I'm most concerned with the wall behind my monitors, the one I face. But here's some good news. That concrete wall has actually already been framed with 2x4s 16" oc as Blue Bear mentioned earlier. I didn't realize that until I ripped a piece off today. So I figured what the hell, and completely gutted that wall. But at least I now have studs to work with on at least one wall.

I have a ton of literature from John S. an others that I've been collecting for some time. So I'm going to put something together for that "front" wall and I'm re-post here. Please check back because I love all the input.

Thanks.

[ram3n]

The link below shows a plan view of my control room:
http://members.cox.net/capstanrecording/ControlPlan.jpg

The first thing you'll probably notice is that my control room is small, but this is what I have to deal with at the moment. The wall of interest at this point is the wall behind my desk (the one without the absorber). Also keep in mind that the placement of my desk is not necessary in it's permanent place. I just put it in there with correct dimensions. In fact, the desk and console are still at my house, where I am modifying the desk and changing a few pots on the console.

The rear absorber is currently in my control room.

Regarding the wall of interest, I was thinking about putting a slat resonator, about 4 to 5 across in the center of the wall. Then putting some type of bass trap in the corners. Is it a bad idea to have a slat resonator behind my monitors, or is this good?

All comments and guidance are welcome.

I also plan to put some diffusors on the side walls, but I want to get this one done first.

I can also send anyone the actual AutoCAD file used if any one wants mark-up on it.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Go to this site and post your questions -- might as well get it straight from the source!

John Sayer Recording Studio Design Forum