ATS Acoustics

[[Admin] danroth]

I would caution anyone against questioning the motives of other posters on this board - particularly when those posters are long-term users, are highly supportive of this ministry, and have a proven track record of both knowing what they're talking about and being helpful to kingdom ministry without financial reward!

[pdc]

Look man, there was not slam or a personal attack, just an observation. The first attack came from cmchamp, with a very broad generalization, attacking other sites. No specifics were given. It seems like his models and his input are not to be questioned. If I were to aggressively verbalize my thoughts, it would be at the moderators here for allowing a dangerously silly thread about phantom power, snake boxes and water to go one as long as it did.

I am not busting cmchamps chops. If he uses this to make a living, that is his deal. But there is much more accurate information than this site has to offer sometimes. That is the point. So why dis them? We here are not the only ones with opinions. Nobody, including me, has the market cornered on opinions, facts and experience. It doesn't matter to me who gets to help the most or who gets a sale. As long as the people get help. Even if the help comes from some other sites.

I was the only one to suggest consulting an engineer. ANYONE performing acoustical analysis long distance is just not a serious resource and their recommendations are suspect. If you call ANY of the majors doing REAL work in this market, you will not find one that will just do a model and spec long distance, sight unseen. For about 25 years I have been working for and with ministries. I have seen people get taken and waste loads of cash that should have gone for something worth while, like missions, or feeding people. Wasting money is absurd. When it comes to acoustics, you can EASILY waste loads of money.

Do you not notify people when deleting their posts?

[Gracetech]

Good discussion so far. Since i'm an acoustic freak and really enjoy "good bargins" when it comes to treatment let me post some links to save you some money on different absorption options. Corey tends to be more of a diffusion while i tend to lean more towards absorption. Corey has very good advice and don't let anything i say subtract from that. That said, my reason for being more of a absorption junkie is because of the levels(mostly rockish concerts) at which i operate i find it better to just get rid of the frequencies and give the room a almost tunnel feel that pulls you towards the stage. It provides an improved dynamic response to the room. All that said if i had a venue that was a recital hall i would go more diffusion with a mix of reflective surfaces. Then there is the special challenges of church auditoriums, in these i generally find myself doing a mix and match. I've gone into some churches and done diffusion/absorption and in more modern churches(contemporary/rock) i do more reflective/absorption. I generally apply reflective surfaces only back to the congregation while keeping any reflective surfaces to the stage to a absolute minimum. The beauty of the reflective surfaces to the congregation is that you can use them as LF sorbers.

Now for some linkies
http://www.acoustimac.com
http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com
I've also used ATS before and they are great to work with although they could probably use extra workers at times.

crt

[matthewah]

Gracetech, would you suggest ATS as someone to use for our gym then? We are planning on purchasing panels for the walls and the ceiling.

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by matthewah

Gracetech, would you suggest ATS as someone to use for our gym then? We are planning on purchasing panels for the walls and the ceiling.

I think we may have gone full circle! Going back it seems that the main point was whether the intent is simply to install some acoustical panels or if the intent is to 'fix the acoustics'. The latter requires a more detailed assessment than you will get from web sites and typically entails looking at specific criteria for the materials. Let's just say that ATS's statement that

In general, where you place the panels in the room is not critical. A visually pleasant appearance is often the guiding factor in placement. The most important thing is simply to get the total square footage of panels into the room somewhere. No matter where you place them, the panels will soak up the extra sound that is bouncing off every surface in the room.

is a bit misleading and that a proper acoustical solution may involve a number of different materials with specific acoustical properties and locations.

Another factor is the gymnasium application. If you hang typical acoustical wall panels in a gym you may well be replacing them quite soon, especially if they are located where they will be most effective, and impact resistant or even industrial materials are typically more appropriate for gym applications. As far as I can tell, ATS does not offer impact resistant or industrial acoustical wall panels. With ATS you also have to specifically order and pay extra for panels that are fire rated for use in public assembly spaces, so make sure to consider that as any panels used should be properly rated.

[Gracetech]

Originally Posted by matthewah

Gracetech, would you suggest ATS as someone to use for our gym then? We are planning on purchasing panels for the walls and the ceiling.

I have no reference to what skill level the acousticians at ATS are. I can however speak of the quality of their products which are on par with products 3 to 5 times the price. I handle all of my acoustic work myself but often buy premade products to save myself time. Maybe someone else has had experience using them for acoustical design.

crt