wood floor spot treatment.

[jal]

wood floor spot treatment question.

hello. im thinking about buying two 4x8 3/4" sheets of oak wood, and just lay them down on my industrial carpet where the drums go. ive seen people with a space of just vinyl flooring so i thought hard oak would be even better. any comments on this?
thanx,
jal

 

[Ethan Winer]

Re: wood floor spot treatment question.

Jal,

> ive seen people with a space of just vinyl flooring so i thought hard oak would be even better. <

Not better, just more expensive. I mean, it's not like a fine old violin where the wood resonates. You really just want a reflective surface to get a nice sense of ambience into the mikes. So vinyl, wood, cement - whatever - they all sound more or less the same.

--Ethan

 

[jal]

so do u think that an 8x8 area of wood or vinyl would sound the same, and do think that itll even help in a 20x20 room?
tia,
jal

 

[Ethan Winer]

jal,

> do u think that an 8x8 area of wood or vinyl would sound the same, and do think that itll even help in a 20x20 room? <

Yes, they'll sound the same. And yes, it probably is worth doing. I have a fabulous recording room - large, angled walls and ceiling, and hardwood floors. The reflective floors are a big part of what makes it such a good room. But I have real wood only because it looks good, not because it sounds better than less expensive materials.

--Ethan

 

[jonothon]

i respectfully have a different opinion. A room with wood floors and walls will sound quite different than a room with concrete floors and walls.

 

[DeadPoet]

large, angled walls and ceiling, and hardwood floors

vs.

A room with wood floors and walls

jonothon, Ethan was talking about floor only, you're talking about floor AND walls, that's a big difference.

I'll prefer wood over concrete, but only for looks- how it looks for me and to clients!


Herwig

 

[jonothon]

I've almost finished building my new studio, but I had an interesting experience in my old studio space.

My first studio was an add-on to my house. I poured a concrete slab for a studio room. With carpeting, the room was very boomy and unpleasant sounding. I put in Parquet floor, and even without a carpet the room was instantly more controlled and pleasant sounding. I couldn't tell you the technical aspect of why, but I just don't believe that concrete and wood sound the same.

 

[John Sayers]

I poured a concrete slab for a studio room. With carpeting, the room was very boomy and unpleasant sounding. I put in Parquet floor, and even without a carpet the room was instantly more controlled and pleasant sounding.

That's because the carpet was absorbing only the highs so the room was boomy - when you lifted the carpet and put in a reflective surface like Parquet the highs returned and the room sounded more balanced.

cheers
john

 

[jal]

You guys realise im only talking about puting an 8x8 area in my 20x20 room just for drums, dont ya? Thats why i was asking if it would even matter, because im only doing an 8x8 area. If i could start over id make it all wood but thats probably not gonna happen. Thanx for all the replies. -jal

 

[Ethan Winer]

jonothon,

> A room with wood floors and walls will sound quite different than a room with concrete floors and walls. <

Absolutely. But the original question asked about putting a wood covering over carpet that's already on a solid floor. In that case the extra expense of wood versus hard / reflective vinyl will make no difference in the sound.

> I couldn't tell you the technical aspect of why, but I just don't believe that concrete and wood sound the same. <

If you can't explain Why, you need to reassess your conviction! But I'll gladly help you out: The reason concrete walls sound different than wood or sheetrock is because the concrete is inflexible and so reflects lower frequencies more than less dense walls. A sheetrock or wood wall on studs will flex a little at the lower frequencies, and so offers a small amount of bass trapping.

--Ethan

 

[jonothon]

wait a second. So the only reason we see all this nice wood in studio walls is cosmetic?

Hard to believe.

and the fact is, my room sounded completely different regardless of carpeting. Carpeted concrete, carpeted parquet, a world of difference. Please tell me why.

 

[Ethan Winer]

Jonothon,

> So the only reason we see all this nice wood in studio walls is cosmetic? <

Please read my posts again more carefully.

A wood wall that is free standing will flex differently and thus sound different than a sheetrock wall, which in turn is different than a cement wall. Neither you nor I can say whether real wood in a fancy studio sounds better than sheetrock without listening and comparing the two. But all of that is irrelevant in the current context of which hard material should be placed on a concrete floor. Since the concrete is rigid, the final surface matters very little assuming a similar hardness.

--Ethan