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Example of an Acoustical Design Flow Chart

What is called 'studio' includes various types such as a recording studio, video editing studio, sound editing studio, television studio and radio studio.
A TV station has various rooms for sound as a 'full-course dinner' of studio equipments. Using a TV station as an example, we will use this flow chart to explain how an acoustical design is processed.

An example of a TV station acoustical design flowchart

List of rooms to examine the acoustic performance (Example)

  1. TV Studio
  2. Sub control room, main control room, etc.
  3. Announcer booth
  4. MA (Multi audio) room, dubbing studio
  5. Editing room
  6. Others (preview room, rehearsal room, fine art room, etc.)
Photo of a Studio set

Acoustic Design (1)

  1. Planning of The Location of Rooms
    Ensuring the area for the number of rooms you need, planning for a smooth passage, planning for an efficient way to let a line through between each room.
    Avoiding the positions that may be a cause of problems (increased cost) on planning of noise reduction.
  2. Planning of Noise Reduction
    1. Finding out the room to be analyzed and looking at the transmission path.
      Establishing the target value (noise criterion curves) for the indoor noise
    2. Establishing the magnitude of generated sound source per a route the noise spreads <collection of known sound sources or measurement of unknown sound sources>
      Establishing the target value (noise criterion curves) for the indoor noise
      1. External noise
        Rail transportation noise, motor vehicle noise, aircraft noise (including helicopter), noises on the street (emergency vehicles, campaign vehicles, cars for election speech)
      2. Indoor noise
        The recording sound in studio, playback monitor sound, electrical equipment noise, air conditioning system equipment noise
        The amount of noise reduction required (airborne sound)
    3. Selecting the specification of soundproofing door (doors/windows/shutters)
      Harmonize usability and the amount of noise reduction required. Photo of sub control room
    4. Planning of vibration reduction and a remedy of floor impact sound insulation (structure bone sound)
      1. External vibration
        Rail transportation vibration, motor vehicle vibration
      2. Indoor vibration
        Vibration from building up large instruments/dismantling, vibration of recording, walking/trotting sound
        The amount of vibration reduction required (structure bone sound)

      5. • Investigation of the body structure/size
      • The choice of adopting a floating construction or a fixed construction, selection of glade for a "perfect floating construction" , choosing a isolation rubber for vibration
      • The choice of adopting wet construction or dry construction.
      • Rough estimate of the required thickness of the sound isolation construction (+ thickness of interior finishes) → confirming the usable measure of the room

  3. Sound Field Plan
    1. Analyzing the shape/size of the room (using a computer simulation)
      1. The reflection sound properties in a TV studio (countermeasure for flutter echo)
      2. The booming in a small room (countermeasure for absorbing low frequency sound)
    2. Making a concept of sound field as a goal
      Layout of sound absorption, reflection and diffusion plane
      Establishing a reverberation time (the average sound absorption coefficient in a room) <collection of known data or measurement of unknown data>
      Designing a sound field for playback monitor sound (fabricating a mock-up and Listening test)

      • Selecting and layouting interior finishing materials
      • Required thickness of interior finishes (+ the thickness of sound isolation construction) → confirming the usable measure of the room
      • Analyzing the shape of a cyclorama

  4. Planning of Electromagnetic Shield
    Selection of the grade of the electromagnetic shield, selecting the materials for the electromagnetic shield, investigating the construction method.
    1. External electric waves
      Broadcasting electric wave, a truck CB radio, cellular phone
    2. Electric wave in a building
      Interference of incoming broadcast crosstalk, cellular phone

Acoustic Design (2)

  1. Air Conditioning System Design
    1. Checking the duct route and system
    2. Muffling plan for air-conditioning system noise
    3. Investigating crosstalk between rooms and noise leak from the duct route
    4. Vibration isolation plan for machineries
    5. Investigation by pierce welding department (sound insulation reinforcement)
  2. Electrical Equipment Plan
    1. Lighting plan of the studio
    2. Investigation by pierce welding department (sound insulation reinforcement)
    3. Investigating the need of electromagnetic shield in electric room and modulated light room
  3. Noise and vibration reduction of other equipments and machineries
    Elevator, escalator, gondola, turntable, waste disposing facilities, etc.
  4. Putting the acoustic specification into effect
    1. Investigating materials and actual way of construction
    2. Investigating construction way to cope with both sound insulation characteristic and shield characteristic
  5. Checking a working drawing

Checking the Construction Stage

  1. Acoustical check for constructinga studio staircase
    • Detail and condition of vibration separation for floating construction
    • Condition of construction for sound proofing structure
    • Condition of construction for facilities
    • Condition of construction for absorption interior
    • Contact between aoustic and electromagnetic shield construction
  2. Checking the acoustic performance during the construction (intermediate time acoustic measurement)
    • Room acoustic measurement and Listening test
    • Noise level measurement
    • Sound insulation characteristic measurement
    • Floor impact sound pressure level measurement
    • Electromagnetic shield maesurement (field strength level maesurement)

Inspection on completion of works

  1. Acoustic measurement on completion of works (Confirming if the goal which was set at the acoustic designing stage has been achieved.)
    • Noise level measurement
    • Sound insulation characteristic measurement
    • Reverberation time measurement
    • Impulse response measurement
    • Measurement of transmission characteristics
    • Floor impact sound pressure level measurement
    • Electromagnetic shield maesurement (field strength level maesurement)
  2. Sound tuning
    Tuning sound field of the playback monitor in a sub control room, MA room and editing room.

Completion of construction/ Delivery

  1. Reporting
  2. Confirming the circumstances of using after delivery (opening)

Putting the data in order to use for designing in the future

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