plexiglass?

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gascap

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Hey All,

I think I know what the replies will be, but here goes:

I am going to put in a partition in my finished basement - sort of making a control room/performance booth condition. I've been reading alot of good info on home studio contruction here, and while I would love to do it all, family budget won't allow it, but I believe my needs will be met nicely with this wall (along with other sound-deadening measures along the way.) I AM planning on staggering the studs, and two layers of gyp, but my question has to do with the necessary window:

Installed correctly, is plexiglass comparable to regular glass for such an environment ?

Thanks!
 
This is only supposition but;

I think plexiglass would be more expensive.

Depending on the size (area), plexiglass being more flexible, would have a tendecy to "drum" or resonate much more than a similar thickness glass.

Plexiglass never has that clarity to look through that glass has.

Hopefully, John Sayers will see this thread and be able to give you a definite answer.



:cool:
 
I work for architects and it's unclear to a few of them regarding the cost differences - which surprised me. I guess I'll be making some phone calls.

The 'drum' aspect never occured to me. I'm thinking a 2' x 4' would suffice. You're right about the clarity too. I guess I'm thinking it would just be easier to buy/cut/handle.

Thanks!
 
I guess it depends on how you construct things, but ideally you should have two layers of glass. If you are using the double wall method, then one sheet in each wall appropriately fitted and sealed. The tracking room sheet should be thicker than the inner (control room) one, as a guide, 1 sheet of 3/8" and one of 1/4".

My personal opinion is to use laminated glass.........yeah, it's quite a bit more expensive, but it is less traumatic for anyone nearby when it breaks compared to "tempered" glass and more importantly, laminated is constructed from two sheets with a rubbery membrane between them which reduces the resonance in the glass.

From memory there is info on construction in John Sayers tutorials at this site;.........http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html

:cool:
 
Thanks for the tip on different thickness. Yes, I would construct it the same as if using real glass - which sounds like the way to go, although I guess I'm not sure what laminated glass is - is it two pieces that you assemble, or do you buy it already laminated?

I've read the saecollege stuff - very good!
 
Not really. Not enough mass to stop sound. What I used was two pieces of patio door glass (each one is a double Panes) which comes out to four pieces of glass set in the frame in a "V". Each one is about 32"X76".
 
Interesting. Is each double pane sealed? I'm guessing so. Is that the laminated glass ausrock is talking about?

I think I've ruled out plexi.

You all are helping much.

Thanks!
 
I don't think plexiglass will have the mass of real glass and it's the mass that counts when it come to resonate frequency, sound stop etc.

cheers
john
 
I called the a local glass shop and they quoted me some prices for single pieces of tempered - which weren't too bad..pleasant surprise. The guy then told me that for basically the same price, they could fabricate a 1" thick piece of insulated glass - (for now I'm still going with a 2' x 4' window.)

It's 2 pieces of 1/4" tempered glass sealed all around with some sort of epoxy (or butyl stuff) over an aluminum spacer frame along the edges. Anyway, I'm thinking this 1" thick assembly will have some good mass to it - might be a good cost-effective solution (@ $100 for that size here in K.C.)
 
Gascap,

Tempered (or toughened) glass is heat-treated to give it certain structural properties, i.e: it is more impact resistant than straight off the shelf float glass. However if it does break then it usually does so with a "bang" and ends up in little pieces ........same as the side windows on a car.

Laminated glass looks like one single piece, but if you look at the edge you will see that it's two sheets with a membrane between.....hence the term "laminated". Now, that membrane acts to dampen vibration. If broken, usually only one layer will crack, unless of course the impact is severe BUT the glass will usually maintain some of it's structural integrity...........think of a car front windscreen. BTW, it's not something you can make, you have to buy it from a glazier.

If it is at all possible mount each sheet in it's own seperate frame to minimse sound transferance. Angling the sheets away from each other is useful if the sheets are of the same thickness (it minimises sympathetic resonance between the sheets)and try and have an angle of approx., 12 degrees, however, if the sheets are of disimilar thickness then angling them doesn't achieve much at all, although it may be of benefit in reducing annoying light reflections.

:cool:
 
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