VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Jason Huggins]

Ok, so I have been "sick" 6 times in the last 4 months. This is highly irregular for me. So, I started talking to a doc friend of mine, and he said that it looked like my sinuses were over reacting to some sort of stimuli. He asked if anything had changed in the last few months. I thought, and realized that I started VO full time 3 months ago, so I was down in my room all the time. My room was filled with mineral wool insulation. I remembered having an irritated throat for a week after I vacuumed in that room just a couple months ago. BINGO he exclaimed. So then my wife starts getting scared that I'm gonna get cancer (and I'm totally sick of being stuffed u, so she tells me I have to figure out something else to use. Well, I've wanted to have the denim instead of rockwool, so the conversion began.

I pulled all the panels out, removed the rockwool, thoroughly vacuumed, mopped, wiped and otherwise scrubbed every bit of rockwool out of every part of the room. Then, I put recycled denim (3.5") into the panels where the mineral wool had been. Same bass traps, in the same configuration, (triangles stacked in the corners cut to have a 24" face). I then rebuilt the studio EXACTLY the same as it was before, but just with a different medium for absorption. When I say exactly, I mean completely exact. You could see a before and after picture, and the only difference you'd notice is that everything isn't dusty.

Here is a before and after audio clip. I'll let you be the judge before I comment on the sound.

http://soundcloud.com/inthishope/rockwool-to-denim-conversion

The first recording was this morning before I started working, and the second recording is this afternoon, when I got everything put back.

[Kim Fuller]

Our studio window plugs were open at the end (just insulation on plywood, and we had used...glass wool, I think - the pink stuff.

Ulf was spending a lot of time out there and has had a lot of sinus issues with fatigue - could have been the insulation - could have been allergies to something else. BUT - he replaced the insulation with recycled denim (I pushed for it, having read about it here) and he's been feeling much better. It's only been a week, so time will tell, but - so far, so good.

[georgethetech]

Sorry to hear about this! The particles that escape into the air can be nasty, but at least Roxul has a very low amount of nasty formaldehyde. Recycled denim is definitely the way to go, though! And it sounded even BETTER, a bit dryer and more present (assuming mic placement identical).
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[Jason Huggins]

While I can't say the mic placement was completely identicle (I had to pull the entire studio apart, then put it back together, the stand was sitting in the same place on the carpet (there was marks) and I always put the mic in the same spot.

I was pretty excited to see that (to my ear) the new material performs just as well (if not a bit better) than the rockwool. It is also much cheaper, lighter, easier to work with, non-toxic, and easily stapled.

PLUS, I now have the pants worn by potentially thousands of people around the country (or maybe world, depending on where it was made) hanging on my walls, and the "commercial soul" of CK, DKNY, Lee, Levi, Arizona, and countless other jean manufacturers. I hope it makes me a better VO...at least it'll make me a healthier one.

[Jeffrey Kafer]

Can you use the denim in panels, a la the ATS Acoustics type that hang from the wall?
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

[markt]

Jason, what brand of the RD did you go with, and where did you get it?

Mark
_________________
"Dammit Jim, I'm a voice actor, not an audio engineer!"
Leonard McCoy

[Jason Huggins]

You can put it in panels. I don't know about specific panels though. I layed it in and stapled the edges to the panel to keep it in place.

Ultra touch brand R-13. I double layered it in my 4" ( 2'x4') frames. $50 a bundle of 8 batts at Lowes right down the street from my house. I used 4 bundles total. 13 - 4" panels plus corner bass traps of triangles stacked on top of each other.

Without the traps there was a killer bass resonance, and the traps took care of it.

Here is a pic of the trap. You can see the stuffed panels to the left and right.

[NorthEndVoice]

[todd ellis]

jason - love the sound - at LEAST as good!

jeff - i made some panels chronicled here and the denim is GREAT to work with.

i used this stuff - you can get it all over home depot, lowes, etc.
_________________
"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Jason Huggins]

I found a fabric supplier that has outlet fabric at $6/yard. And it the same kind of fabric from Guilford that is $20/yard.

http://cfsoutlet.sampletechnologies.com/Finishes/SampleRoom.jsp?lid=3244

I plan to recover those at some point...some point when I just have extra cash for aesthetics.

[Monk]

My space has Roxul60, and so far no dust, no sniffles and I've spend days, weeks, and hours in there.

so far so good.
_________________
Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...

www.monksvoice.com

[Jason Huggins]

I'm not necessarily saying it's bad for everyone...just that my nose and lungs sure had an issue with it. I also had it covered with very porous fabric. It could be that I just didn't use fabric that could sufficiently hold in the fibers. I used Rockwool Brand...not Roxul. It was Delta 8 model sheets. Don't know what the difference is, but there is a possibility that they aren't the same.

[heyguido]

Most definitely not the same.

Denim>Roxul>>Rockwool.... IMHO.

Good choice.... And good job, Jason.
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Zach Meissner]

Thanks for sharing the links, super helpful when looking for what to buy..

Jason, i know this particular problem appears to be the material, its great that you've isolated the cause. For all those other times it isnt something like this ,I'll chime in here and share something that has helped me a ton when i'm stuffed up or afflicted by allergies or any other nasal issue. A Neti pot.

Im not sure if anyone else here uses one, but it does wonders for my allergies and post nasal drip. And perhaps it would work for times such as Jason been dealing with, environmental issues, until the root cause is found.

Just my 2 cents for what helps with nasal issues.

Jason, glad you're feeling better
_________________
Pax vobiscum

ZachMeissner.com

[heyguido]

Zach.... A quick search of the archives will show you just how many of us have a neti.... And how many of us, like you, swear by them.

To paraphrase the education lobby....

Breathing is fundamental.
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"