TABLE OF CONTENTS If an audio space is used for only one purpose, it can be treated with some precision. Even though a multipurpose audio space carries with it some compromises, economics may dictate that a given space must serve more than one purpose. It is necessary to weigh the acoustical compromises against the ultimate sound quality of the product.
For this chapter it is desirable to cast aside the impression that acoustical treatment is an inflexible exercise and to consider means of introducing the element of adjustability.
As radio broadcasting developed in the 1920s, draperies on the wall and carpets on the floor were almost universally used to "deaden" studios. During this time there was remarkable progress in the science of acoustics. It became more and more apparent that the old radio studio treatment was quite unbalanced, absorbing middle- and high-frequency energy but providing little absorption at the lower frequencies. As proprietary acoustical materials became available, hard floors became common and drapes all but disappeared from studio walls.
A decade or two later the acoustical engineers, interested in adjusting the acoustical environment of the studio to the job to be done, turned with renewed interest to draperies. A good example of this early return to draperies was illustrated in the rebuilding of the old Studio 3A of the National Broadcasting Company of New York City in 1946. This studio was redesigned for optimum conditions for making records for home use and transcriptions for broadcast purposes. The acoustical criteria for...
