New book on www.amazon.com
ISBN: 9798447674649
ACOUSTICAL DESIGN OF BROADCASTING AND RECORDING STUDIOS
Requirements, Recommendations, Architectural guidelines
Author: Blažo Guzina
Cover pictures source: www.BlazoGuzina.yolasite.com
Top left - ''Grey'' Control Room, MD Audio Wizard, Belgrade, Serbia
Top right - Studio ''Odbij'', Novi Sad, Serbia
Bottom left - Control Room, Radio Dedal, Leštane, Serbia
Bottom right - Control Room, Studio ''Barba'', Belgrade, Serbia
Contents
Part II
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
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PREFACE
Studio acoustics design begins with the appropriate determination of geometric shape and dimensions. Correct ratio between the length, width and height of a room helps to avoid unwanted noise phenomena from the start and saves the costs of potential additional refurbishments with possible unfavorable effects.
The same applies to noise reduction, where an elaborate layout of the studio premises can easily prove more effective than costly subsequent investments in complex sound insulation measures involving massive structures and heavy, expensive doors.
The introductory Chapter 1 as well as Chapters 2 to 8 deal with the rules of internal acoustical treatment of recording and broadcasting studios, in the radio, television and cinema industry. Basic physics and phenomena such as reverberation, influence of acoustical space, permissible noise levels, monitoring loudspeakers arrangement and psychoacoustics were explained from the standpoint of the operator/listener in the control room or the performer in the studio.
In the second part, five chapters are devoted to recommendations for the acoustical design of radio and television studio premises, based on the original Technical recommendations published by the former Jugoslovenska radio televizija, JRT (Yugoslav Radio Television). At the time, an experts working group lead by late Milorad Marjanović was established with a mandate to write and publish the two volumes of the Technical recommendations, and – being an acoustics engineer at Radio Belgrade – I was privileged to be chosen by Marjanović to work on the draft manuscript as his assistant.
Furthermore I was impressed by the attitude of the working group which insisted in delivering probably a kind of almost the most stringent requirements in the world with respect to the sound insulation of studio facilities. We were fully aware that a new, exciting era of digital radio and television was waiting around the corner.
In due time, I gave a presentation of my paper ’’Sound insulation in radio and television studio premises’’, at the 80th Audio Engineering Society Convention, preprint 2340 (8 pages), in Montreux, Switzerland. Following the 20 minutes presentation, during 10 minutes discussion in front of 800+ acoustics engineers, professors and audio professionals, certain German engineer asked me in a rather rude manner: how came that Yugoslav Radio Television had provided such a stringent requirements for the sound insulation. When I replied that we have simply anticipated not only the requirements of the future digital and TV broadcasting, but rather the emerging digitization of the recording and production process at the studio production side, I was greeted with a huge applause.
Years later, while preparing the content of the chapters that follow I have done my best to adapt, revitalise and rewrite those JRT Technical recommendations and to bring them a new fresh look in the exciting times of omni-present digital sound production and broadcasting, with radio, television, film and internet in mind.
In the appendices in Chapter 14, a brief comparative analysis and commentary on the similar technical requirements of the British Broadcasting Corporation as well as European Broadcasting Union are presented.
Unlike various national and international guidelines and recommendations where the user is expected to derive the technical data from diagrams and formulae, in the recommendations presented here, one only needs to read the extracted and detailed data, ready to be applied without further effort, in a user-friendly approach for different types of studios, depending on their size and the content of the recorded/broadcast programme.
For the purpose of film studios, due to the great extent of similarity, the requirements for television recording and postproduction studios as well as for radio drama studios may be applied.
Closing Chapter 15 contains drawings with cross sections of sound insulation constructions and interior walls, floor and ceiling treatment, double and quadruple glazed studio observation windows, insulation floating floors against impact noise, the lightweight ''box within a box'' structure, various constructions of studio absorbers and cable ducts.
Belgrade, March 2022 Blažo Guzina
INTRODUCTION
Studio acoustics as a part of architectural acoustics can be defined as the study of the generation, propagation and transmission of sound in rooms and buildings in general.
Correct application of studio acoustics principles can significantly improve the quality of recorded and broadcast sound.
Some sounds are desirable and should be emphasized, such as the speakers' voice in the talks programme, or the music in a concert hall. Other sounds are highly unwanted, such as noise or excessive reverberant sound in a room, and should be reduced or avoided.
Although it is known how important a role studio acoustics play in radio, television, film, the internet and audio in general, the acoustical design of studio premises will often inevitably be a matter of compromise, due to high investment costs.
Therefore, in this book not only technical but also economical aspects of studio acoustics - in particular the requirements for sound insulation in sound recording studios, radio and television centres - have been taken into account in relation to relevant technical recommendations and architectural guidelines.
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16. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. L. Cremer, H. Muller, T. Schultz, Principles and Applications of Room Acoustics, Applied Science Publishers LTD, London & New York, 1982;
2. L.L. Beranek, Acoustics, American Institute of Physics, Inc., New York, 1988;
3. K.B. Ginn, Application of B&K Equipment to Architectural Acoustics, Bruel & Kjaer, Naerum, 1978;
4. K.A. Rose, Guide to Acoustic Practice, BBC Engineering Department, London, 1980;
5. L.L. Beranek, Noise and vibration control, McGraw-Hill, 1971;
6. H. Olson, Modern Sound Reproduction, D. van Nostrand Company, New York, 1972;
7. H. Kuttruff, Room Acoustics, Applied Science Publishers LTD, London, 1973;
8. A. Nisbett, The Technique of the Sound Studio, Focal Press Ltd, London, 1983;
9. J.J. Matras, Acoustique et Electroacoustique, Editions Eyrolles, Paris, 1965;
10. H.M. Tremaine, Audio Cyclopaedia, H.W. Sams and Co., Indianapolis, 1978;
11. Stanley R. Alten, Audio in media, Wadsworth/Thomson Higher learning, 2008;
12. V.S. Mankovsky, Acoustics of Studios and Auditoria, Focal Press, London & New York, 1971;
13. H. Olson, Acoustical Engineering, D. van Nostrand Company, New York, 1957;
14. EBU Tech. 3276 - Listening conditions for the assessment of sound programme material: Monophonic and two-channel stereophonic, 2nd edition, May 1998;
15. B. Guzina, Audio tehnika u radiju i televiziji (Audio Techniques in Radio and Television), Svetlost teatar, Beograd, 2004.
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