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Guide to acoustic practice
Applied Acoustics 33 ( 1991 ) 79-80
Book Review
Guide to Acoustic Practice (Second Edition). By Keith Rose, BBC Architectural and Civil Engineering Department, 1990. 145 pp Spiral Bound A4 format. ISBN 0 563 36059 8. This is the second edition of the BBC's Guide to Acoustic Practice which was first published in 1980. The original book was an invaluable reference to all those involved in studio design and construction and I have no doubt that the second edition will ~lso become the standard guide to the BBC way of doing things. The new edition is updated and a considerable amount of new text has been added which reflects the additional 10 years of experience in studio design. The book is now reorganised into three main logical sections: Noise (which includes mechanical and electrical services), Sound Insulation and R o o m Acoustics. A fourth section contains guidelines for control room layouts which again contains new material while the fifth section concerns the acoustic effect of studio furniture and is largely unchanged. The book is a practical text and is written for anyone involved with studio design or construction, not just for acoustic specialists. There are no formulae but many useful practical guidelines and points to watch. The phrase 'remember sound will find its way through the slightest hole' occurs several times and this and other practical warnings are perhaps obvious to acoustic consultants. On the other hand there is, more or less, a method statement for installing a concrete floating floor and numerous architectural details (admittedly little changed from the original edition). These should be very useful to those from a more theoretical background. 79
Applied Acoustics 33 (1991)----O 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in Great Britain
80
Book review
There are also details of criteria and tolerances. A pullout page at the back of the book gives sound insulation criteria for around 400 different room pairs. These criteria are very high and it is known that the BBC cannot always meet their criteria for cost or structural reasons. This is tacitly admitted in the text when they admit 5 dB less can be tolerated at the risk of occasional significant disruption. If the design tolerances are applied to these reduced criteria then the sound insulation at some frequencies could be 10dB below the ideal criterion. As mentioned above the architectural details are little changed. Roofing felt membrane absorbers are out as well as sloping glass as the middle pane in a triple glazing detail. But little else has changed. This leads me to suspect that while the practical experience has been increased, there has been little new development in the way of new designs. I was disappointed not to find an official BBC verdict on new and perhaps faddish developments which include Live-end Dead-end (LEDE) control rooms and quadratic residue diffusers (QRD). Perhaps the BBC has not made up its mind. However. I believe that QRDs have already been used in one of their pop music studios which was designed by an external consultant. I would have appreciated a BBC pronouncement on their use and effectiveness. Another small criticism is on the lack of references. Only the original guide, two B & K handbooks and the BBC's Sound Insulation Data Book are listed, but there are many passages in the text where they begin "After extensive studies...'. Some of these studies would presumably have been published, but they have not been referenced. Furthermore when the author discusses subjective room acoustic parameters he refers to a publication EBU R22-1985(E). But no details are given and I am still left wondering about this mysterious European document. Despite these minor quibbles the book was interesting reading and is I think an essential text clearly for all those in studio design or construction. Furthermore it should be read by anyone working in building acoustics as its wealth of practical experience and learning could be applied to many non-studio projects. The book costs £30 inc. p & p surface mail or £35 inc. p & p airmail and is available from: John Winfield, Business Manager, BBC, Architectural and Civil Engineering Department, R o o m 510HWH, Broadcasting House, London W l A 1AA, UK Jeff G. Charles
Book Review
Guide to Acoustic Practice (Second Edition). By Keith Rose, BBC Architectural and Civil Engineering Department, 1990. 145 pp Spiral Bound A4 format. ISBN 0 563 36059 8. This is the second edition of the BBC's Guide to Acoustic Practice which was first published in 1980. The original book was an invaluable reference to all those involved in studio design and construction and I have no doubt that the second edition will ~lso become the standard guide to the BBC way of doing things. The new edition is updated and a considerable amount of new text has been added which reflects the additional 10 years of experience in studio design. The book is now reorganised into three main logical sections: Noise (which includes mechanical and electrical services), Sound Insulation and R o o m Acoustics. A fourth section contains guidelines for control room layouts which again contains new material while the fifth section concerns the acoustic effect of studio furniture and is largely unchanged. The book is a practical text and is written for anyone involved with studio design or construction, not just for acoustic specialists. There are no formulae but many useful practical guidelines and points to watch. The phrase 'remember sound will find its way through the slightest hole' occurs several times and this and other practical warnings are perhaps obvious to acoustic consultants. On the other hand there is, more or less, a method statement for installing a concrete floating floor and numerous architectural details (admittedly little changed from the original edition). These should be very useful to those from a more theoretical background. 79
Applied Acoustics 33 (1991)----O 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in Great Britain
80
Book review
There are also details of criteria and tolerances. A pullout page at the back of the book gives sound insulation criteria for around 400 different room pairs. These criteria are very high and it is known that the BBC cannot always meet their criteria for cost or structural reasons. This is tacitly admitted in the text when they admit 5 dB less can be tolerated at the risk of occasional significant disruption. If the design tolerances are applied to these reduced criteria then the sound insulation at some frequencies could be 10dB below the ideal criterion. As mentioned above the architectural details are little changed. Roofing felt membrane absorbers are out as well as sloping glass as the middle pane in a triple glazing detail. But little else has changed. This leads me to suspect that while the practical experience has been increased, there has been little new development in the way of new designs. I was disappointed not to find an official BBC verdict on new and perhaps faddish developments which include Live-end Dead-end (LEDE) control rooms and quadratic residue diffusers (QRD). Perhaps the BBC has not made up its mind. However. I believe that QRDs have already been used in one of their pop music studios which was designed by an external consultant. I would have appreciated a BBC pronouncement on their use and effectiveness. Another small criticism is on the lack of references. Only the original guide, two B & K handbooks and the BBC's Sound Insulation Data Book are listed, but there are many passages in the text where they begin "After extensive studies...'. Some of these studies would presumably have been published, but they have not been referenced. Furthermore when the author discusses subjective room acoustic parameters he refers to a publication EBU R22-1985(E). But no details are given and I am still left wondering about this mysterious European document. Despite these minor quibbles the book was interesting reading and is I think an essential text clearly for all those in studio design or construction. Furthermore it should be read by anyone working in building acoustics as its wealth of practical experience and learning could be applied to many non-studio projects. The book costs £30 inc. p & p surface mail or £35 inc. p & p airmail and is available from: John Winfield, Business Manager, BBC, Architectural and Civil Engineering Department, R o o m 510HWH, Broadcasting House, London W l A 1AA, UK Jeff G. Charles