Slaughter House Cinemas (Project Thread)

[bpape]

Well, closest KNOWN to you is

SPI
5301 Industrial Way
Fleetside Commerce Center
Benicia, California 94510-1026
707-745-4922
707-745-4987 FAX
800-359-3555

That'd likely be cheaper than shipping from anywhere else if you have to order it. I know they have what you're looking for though. Should be able to get 4 and 8lb. Should also be able to get 2" and 4" thickness in the mineral wool. I'm sure they run trucks to LA all the time.

I'm sure there are other places in the LA area that have it too - just a matter of finding them and what they'll charge you.

Bryan

[carls64]

Uhmm, I am in Bethalto, IL about 20 miles north east of St Louis MO.

[carls64]

More pictures!

Didn't realize I was that far behind! I have been busy! This has not taken very long considering most of the work has been done by one guy working about 5 hours a day.

[salvasol]

bpape wrote:

... I'm sure there are other places in the LA area that have it too - just a matter of finding them and what they'll charge you.

Bryan

Bryan ... Carls64 lives in Bethalto, IL

[bpape]

Doh!

Sorry about that. Looked at the wrong thing. Try:

Brauer Supply Co.
4260 Forest Park Ave
Saint Louis, MO 63108
(314) 534-7150

Ask for Liz in insulation. Tell her I sent you. She'll know what you're looking for.

Bryan

[carls64]

Looks like I can get it from them! It comes in the 4" 3 sheets 24x48 and 2" 6 sheets 24x48.

Now you think a 1' square cut diagonal will be a big enough triangle/wedge to put in the front corners? I can make two columns to the ceiling with 3 sheets with a 1'x2' piece left ;-)

The 2" section I can use to make wall treatments? What kind of inexpensive cloth to cover, burlap maybe?

I do not have any type of analyzer program, but I do have the calibration tool/mic that comes with my new Yamaha receiver.

I own a MacBook Pro laptop if there is anything I can use with that.

Thanks so much for your help?

[bpape]

You can do the corners at 12x12x17" if you need to. Normally, we use 17x17x24" or 24x24x34" triangles The bigger they are, the more surface area and also the deeper into the bass they'll reach effectively. 99% of the people use the 17x17x24". You'll get 8 triangles of that size out of a 2'x4' sheet - or - 32" of vertical height per piece - 96" per 3 pc bundle.

2" will be fine for wall and reflection point duties. Burlap will work. If you want something a little less coarse, you can also use Muslin. Cheap at JoAnn Fabrics. You can also dye it with RIT dye to whatever color you want.

Bryan

[carls64]

bpape wrote:

You'll get 8 triangles of that size out of a 2'x4' sheet - or - 32" of vertical height per piece - 96" per 3 pc bundle.

Do you need to go all the way up to the ceiling with them?

I think I will build a frame outset from the wall to conceal the subs and left and right channel speakers and cover that with fabric?

[bpape]

Preferably yes.

As for the covering, that's your call - just an aesthetic thing. If you do, keep the frame as minimal as possible and you'll have to use something like Guilford of Maine FR701-2100 fabric that's acoustically transparent if you're putting speakers behind it.

Bryan

[carls64]

I went home at lunch today and the painting is done and WOW its dark in there

Now I have to start connecting the electrical and installing the screen and projector and audio video equipment.

I will post more picture tonight.

[salvasol]

bpape wrote:

... you'll have to use something like Guilford of Maine FR701-2100 fabric that's acoustically transparent if you're putting speakers behind it.

Bryan

What about speaker cloth??? ... Do you think is a good idea for him to remove the speaker grills???

[bpape]

Grille cloth is in theory, designed to be transparent - or - the speakers SHOULD be designed to work with the grilles on. That said, many aren't and the grille frames can cause diffraction issues. I personally always remove my grilles when I listen.

Bryan

[carls64]

Well the painting is done, or at least I thought it was until I looked more closely at the job, looks like it is going to need another coat ****!

But over all it looks good I think. Boy its dark in there with the lights down load the walls are or look black for sure!

I spent the evening putting in the recepticals, light switches and door knobs, HVAC vents.

Tomorrow I am going to clean up and maybe go get the carpet that will help for sure. If the walls don;t look any better tomorrow morning the contractor told me to call him and he will come back out and roll the walls again to cover up the light spots. I have to get another can of paint though.

Here are the photos from today:

http://www.itsallbutstraw.com/galler...g2_itemId=6297

[salvasol]

carls64 wrote:

Well the painting is done, or at least I thought it was until I looked more closely at the job, looks like it is going to need another coat ****! ...

Most of the time you need at least two coats ... specially with new walls or from light to dark colors

...I spent the evening putting in the recepticals, light switches and door knobs, HVAC vents.

Don't forget to paint them too ...

Here are the photos from today:

Everything looks nice

[carls64]

Carpet is in, its BLACK but its going to be fun keeping it clean! Now I need some baseboards I suppose, it looks funny without them

Progress so far has been mounting the projector, finishing the electrical outlets, doing something with the light switches, the box is recessed a little to far so I have to shim the mounts for the 3 switches so they look and work better.

I installed and cut my shelf's for the equipment rack (Thanks YW84U, I used your idea from HERE)

Found some $7 plug in LED lights to serve as walkway lighting until I build my Riser for the second row seating.

I hope to clean up the carpet a bit and set up the screen and get the surround speakers on the walls. I am using the THX guide so the rears will be 60 deg, and fronts will be 45 deg from center of the first row.

More pictures to come.

[carls64]

OH, also found some wall sconces, they are the white ceramic paintable ones from Home depot. I am debating on if I should paint them, if so what color. I mounted one just to see what it looked like before I painted them, they add a little contrast to the dark walls. The ones close to the front my become a distractions if I do not paint them. Not sure if I should paint them the same color as the wall or paint them black. Suggestions?

[salvasol]

carls64 wrote:

... Not sure if I should paint them the same color as the wall or paint them black. Suggestions?

Either color will be fine (I'm sure your seats will be black, Right???) ... if you don't want to paint them same color as the wall, try a little lighter (one or two shades) ... I'm sure they will look ... you can also paint the baseboard the same color as the sconces too

[smile711]

I share your enthusiasm and need to stay within a budget. 11 years ago we purchased a home and remodeled it, including extending an existing "family room/den" that was 15' x 20' w/ 8' ceilings. I knew a sound room designer (stages/studios) who was kind enough to make some suggestions:

1. Enlarge my room to help eliminate the risk of standing wave interference. I'd heard of it, and have forgotten most of the science behind it, but look it up, and make sure, at least, that you are AWARE if your HT room dimensions pose a problem in this area. As I recall, it pertains primarily to the lower frequency subwoofer sound; I vaguely remember him mentioning that I needed to be careful that the long vs. short walls not have a common denominator---e.g., 10' x 20', or 13' x 26', etc. But again, I'm not a sound engineer. I do know his advise ultimately saved me from making a huge mistake down the road, because my original measurements were headed down that road.


2. Don't cut corners on the rheostats/controllers used to dim your HT lighting. We ended up installing wall sconces on the side walls, using an electronic dimmer my wiring/installer said is good, and we're happy. I had 2 dimmers in another installation that caused TERRIBLE RF interference on the AM radio band in my house (we like listening to local news, weather, etc.), and also messed up the operation of one of my remotes, as I recall. That was back in 1994, and I didn't want to have those problems again. There are several good companies out there---just watch out for those kind of RF minefields.

I am primarily a music lover, and the accuracy and placement of instruments (I'm a vocalist) are important---and of course, good Surround Sound is too! IF you can save up a bit more and purchase an A/V receiver with a "calibration/equalization" feature, it might help out. Especially if you have some issues with reflective or absorptive surfaces playing with your sound. I found that this room calibration got us "close" to what I liked hearing (my ultimate instrument), with just a little tweaking here and there. My previous A/V rec'r did NOT have this room calibration feature, and I spent HOURS trying to balance out things like drapes on one side, hard walls on the other, etc., etc. Sounds like you are thinking ahead in this area, and that is really smart. Like I said, read up on some of the receivers with this calibration feature. Some on this forum will no doubt take issue with these "auto calibration" systems, but for my HT, a significant improvement in dialog from the center channel was one of the benefits.

I couldn't help but notice a lot of time spent in discussing size of screen, position of seating (I totally agree with the Sound Designer, btw), and so on. Here is some advice my wife gave me going into OUR project. We spent a total of $12, and the investment really paid off. What was here secret suggestion?

She's a seamstress, so we went to a store and bought a California King sheet, (white), and a 2" diam. dowel used for closet hangers that was about 8' long, and an shorter 3/4"-1" diam. dowel. We tacked our sheet onto the large dowel, placed the smaller dowel into a "pocket" she sewed at the bottom (slipped the dowel in from the end---keeps the sheet nice and tight), and Voila! We had an inexpensive "trial" screen" we ended up using for several months. It was still in place for Superbowl, and not ONE buddy (or gal) complained about our "el cheapo" screen! Meanwhile, we made several adjustments in the size by rolling it up, raising it higher up the wall, and so on. Finally, we bought a wonderful DaLite screen that we are still using, and really like. Try it---it might relieve some of your "builder's stress." Been there, done that... And it also helped defer the cost of the "real" screen so we could save up for that. Yes, we had some cost over-runs.

I wish you well on this project!

PS: I really like your choice of projectors. One of the great all around projector values, too.

[carls64]

Thanks for all the input! But I already have the screen. I finished assembling it last night and it up. I set up all the speakers and wall plates for the wires. I also started assembling the media rack (DIY) and hope to get the projector mounted and start adjusting video and sound. My goal was to watch a movie or two by the weekend but got tied up doing other things and didn't get everything I wanted completed. So its back at it tonight!

I also need to make a couple stands for the front and center speakers, I found a nive tutorial on building them inexpensively with 3" PVC sand and some threaded rods ;-) Oh BOY another project.

I believe we are going to end up buying some HT seating instead of using just the old couch down there, but at this time we can't justify spending $1500 for 3 seats so we are still looking and may end up buing on the cheap and getting something better later on. If we get something else I am going to have to get to work on the riser so we can seat more than 3-4 people.

Still have to post the rest of the photos I have taken, will try to do that tonight.

[carls64]

We also have descided to call it the "Slaughter House Cinemas"

[bpape]

If you're going to use PVC, I'd strongly recommend filling them either with sand or lead shot. Otherwise, they'll resonate like crazy and not provide a strong, rigid bass for the speakers.

Bryan

[salvasol]

bpape wrote:

If you're going to use PVC, I'd strongly recommend filling them either with sand or lead shot. Otherwise, they'll resonate like crazy and not provide a strong, rigid bass for the speakers.

Bryan

I think you missed something ...

... I also need to make a couple stands for the front and center speakers, I found a nive tutorial on building them inexpensively with 3" PVC sand and some threaded rods ;-) ...

[bpape]

Man - I gotta slow down. Been so busy that I'm reading too quickly.

My apologies.

Bryan

[salvasol]

bpape wrote:

Man - I gotta slow down. Been so busy that I'm reading too quickly.

My apologies.

Bryan

No apologies need it ...

Just slow down ... relax ... don't work to hard

But in the other hand, you need to pay bills, mortgage, bills, upgrade HT, bills ...

[carls64]

bpape wrote:

If you're going to use PVC, I'd strongly recommend filling them either with sand or lead shot. Otherwise, they'll resonate like crazy and not provide a strong, rigid bass for the speakers.

Bryan

That is the idea! Thanks!