Drum Isolation on Stage (pics)

A

astoebe

New member
Hey everyone,

I posted a little while ago and threw out some ideas of building a booth around the drums at our church...and after reading the replies decided that the only thing I would do would be to place some absorption behind the drums so everything wasn't bouncing off the back wall so much.

So, I got the bass player to help me and we built some absorbers. There are 2, the frames are 6'x4' out of 1"x6" boards. We braced to back with 1"x2"s to support the mineral wool and covered the back with some black fabric. Then, we put 3" 8 lb. mineral wool in, then 2" 3 lb rigid fiberglass over that. I purchased that at BWI in Columbia, SC. It was .70 a square foot for the wool and 1.07 for the fiberglass. We braced the corners with L-brackets, covered them with some grey fabric, and hinged them together behind the drums.

For those who are interested, we did a before and after with an SPL meter walking around the room....it seemed that there was about 3 dB of difference afterwards. On Sunday, our drummer felt like he could hear his monitor mix better, and the sound guy thought he had much more control over the mix. I was really pleased with the results...it actually makes a bigger difference than I thought. I tried not to get my hopes too high so I wouldn't be dissapointed. An unexpected plus is how much better the kick drum sounds in the room. Our next project is to treat the rest of the room a little.

Here is a link to pictures: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/561141897vDZTvE

All in all the project cost about 160
- 90 for insulation
- 30 for wood
- 30 for screws, hinges, l-brackets, gloves, respirators, etc.
- 10 for fabric (just some 1.00 a yard fabric from Wal-Mart)

I thought you might enjoy seeing the pictures and hearing the results, I always like seeing different projects that are posted. Thanks to all of you who responded to the original question...
 
I didn't read the original thread, but I hope you ran this by the local fire marshal and the church's property insurance agent first, and used flame-retardant materials in your construction.
 
boingoman said:
I didn't read the original thread, but I hope you ran this by the local fire marshal and the church's property insurance agent first, and used flame-retardant materials in your construction.
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lol. Call the fire marshall for a bass trap??? I don't think the drummer will be smoking during services.

Nice work Astoebe.
 
TexRoadkill said:
lol. Call the fire marshall for a bass trap??? I don't think the drummer will be smoking during services.

Nice work Astoebe.
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Imagine it's your kids in there. Or your wife. It's hard to justify the risk because your drummer won't tone it down or your soundguy can't get a good mix. Besides the fact it may be illegal.
 
These are free standing, and I did not think that the mineral wool and fiberglass was very flammable. The wood is treated, and while the fabric is flammable I'm sure, I wasn't aware that it would be any different than curtains. What is it about them that would be illegal?
 
yeah he is right, you should also look into local building code when you purchase a new peice of furniture as well. sometimes they can really light up if you are not too carefull.
 
By illegal I guess I really mean "not up to code" which is essentially the same thing, as fire codes pretty much have the force of law. Not following it can lead to revocation of occupancy permits, voiding of insurance policies, fines, etc. If you take the initiative and cover them in flame-treated fabric, or treat the fabric yourself, that may be enough in your area to make the inspector happy.

I've had a keen interest in fire safety since the Station fire in Rhode Island-and the stories of other nightclub fires in which one of the main culprits turned out to be flammable decorations. Google Station fire, and read the other stories as well...it's pretty chilling stuff. I've worked with a few local clubs, taking them through the permitting process for sound treatments. It's a pain, but much less of a pain than ripping it all out afterwards, or dealing with victim's families and always wondering if something you did cost someone their life...

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, or anything, but it scares me. The cost can be staggering. :(
 
boingoman said:
By illegal I guess I really mean "not up to code" which is essentially the same thing, as fire codes pretty much have the force of law. Not following it can lead to revocation of occupancy permits, voiding of insurance policies, fines, etc. If you take the initiative and cover them in flame-treated fabric, or treat the fabric yourself, that may be enough in your area to make the inspector happy.

I've had a keen interest in fire safety since the Station fire in Rhode Island-and the stories of other nightclub fires in which one of the main culprits turned out to be flammable decorations. Google Station fire, and read the other stories as well...it's pretty chilling stuff. I've worked with a few local clubs, taking them through the permitting process for sound treatments. It's a pain, but much less of a pain than ripping it all out afterwards, or dealing with victim's families and always wondering if something you did cost someone their life...

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, or anything, but it scares me. The cost can be staggering. :(
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But those stories are because a huge area was covered by extremely flammable foam(causing very toxic gases when lit), and they used pyrotechnics.

This is just a 6'x8' area, with everything but the fabric is flame treated(and no pyrotechnics, i don't think :D). Although i do agree, for the price and time it takes to treat the fabric, it's certainly worth it.

I also thought of the curtains thing. Churches can have huge curtains. This would be more of a risk than these panels.
 
I remember the original post, and commented on there...we have a large church and iso-room for drums. I think the panels look great, and you did a good job on them. I can see why you needed them behind the drummer. The panels would absorb and give a better sounding kit especially fronted by the plexi-glass type panels and the original plaster wall. You might also try some aurelex panels on the plexi walls too at mic placements...fire is serious stuff and I remember our shows & setting off flash cans in the 70's, its a wonder we didn't burn down anything, as we now know and have seen how devastating this can be... some churches nowadays don't have that many huge curtains in them, but there is carpeting, seats and clothing....just spray the congregation down with fire proofing when they come in *smile*...you did a fine job.
 
boingoman said:
Imagine it's your kids in there. Or your wife.
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If it was my ex-wife I would douse the place with gasoline before the candlelight service.

Other then that a small acoustic panel isn't going to spontaneously burst into flame and would be much less dangerous then the probably pre-existing carpet or seat cushions. If they were installing floor to ceiling curtains your concerns would be justified but otherwise it just seems like your being pedantic.
 
TexRoadkill said:
If it was my ex-wife I would douse the place with gasoline before the candlelight service.

Other then that a small acoustic panel isn't going to spontaneously burst into flame and would be much less dangerous then the probably pre-existing carpet or seat cushions. If they were installing floor to ceiling curtains your concerns would be justified but otherwise it just seems like your being pedantic.
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Again, pre-existing cushions and carpet are going to meet the legal standards. And danger to life aside, that's what you want to look at, the legal standards. Astoebe may be in violation of local fire codes, and therefore unknowingly be exposing his church to liability in the event that something happened. And it's not worth it. Nor is the guilt or actual knowledge that something you have done may actually have played a part in someone's injury or death.

These things don't necessarily have to be the thing that catches first. What matters is that they could contribute to a fire more than they would if they were flame-retardant. And insurance companies can use this info to cancel policies and not pay for damages, legal expense, etc. And fire investigators can and will prosecute for it, even if no death or injury occurs. This stuff is part of what I do for a living. I've done a lot of research, and talked to a lot of fire officials and investigators. And these...

lol. Call the fire marshall for a bass trap??? I don't think the drummer will be smoking during services.

....are what are known as "famous last words". :)
 
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