ACOUSTICS A4628 FALL 2017

Columbus Circle: high reflection of sound, poor sound isolation causes poor reception of announcements and over saturation of trains noise pollution. 

Basically non-existent sound isolation at the basement/lobby of the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

This recording was taken on a 7 train from Manhattan to Queens. The sound quality improves as it descends further underground. And then once again dissipates as it goes above ground.  

Sound Isolation panels at 500S on GSAPP.

this foam panel board came in a package i received a few days ago to keep the contents secure.  it’s a soft, high-density black foam with an undulating mountain valley surface that reminded me a lot of certain acoustic panels.  used it in my apartment in front of certain doors while playing music + my roommate and I noticed slight softening from other rooms when it was dropped in place.  might try and bring to class later today!

After the construction of 3333 Broadway, they added a natural gas pipe through the building. Only with just a hole through the floor, the pipe carries sound very well from above and below. Noise from other apartments comes as a muffled sound. When someone bangs on the pipe, that sound is very clear.

300 Avery has a carpeted wall on the outside that muffles the sound coming from within. 

Disclaimer: I wish I could personally demonstrate the acoustic changes but this is my personal experience from driving roadster years ago and I no longer have access to the vehicle.

The condition recorded here on a stationary 2 train before and after the doors close. While the train itself is noisy, the doors muffle a lot of sound from the tracks after they are shut.

On a visit to Grace Farms, I recorded the interior sounds of the five pavilions. I was impressed by the thoroughness of the project, which obeys the architectural concept all the way to its construction details and the sound ambiance. 

The noise was recorded in a room of 3rd floor of 435 west 119th. The noise came from a street nearby and the vibration can be felt by feet stepping on the floor. The sound might transfer from the ground to the foundation of the building and towards each floor slab.

The carpeted stair and floor in Avery Library effectively absorbs the walking sound and creates quiet ambiance.

I live in a 5-story walk-up in Harlem built in 1901. Almost every morning I wake up to the sound of a little kid running across their apartment. An example of poor sound isolation. 

Mark Wigley's class on Thu Avery 114. The sound effect is good with warm reverb, generally speaking. However, the door seems not well sealed and the metal door itself seems transmit the sound outside easier than other materials. Thus when you sit at the side near Avery 200 you can always hear people talking as a background noise which disrupts the lecture inside Avery 114 a lot.

I’m on a studio trip to Marfa, Texas... I became curious about the noise control in airplanes. There must be a lot of work going through its construction in order to control the noise inside the plan from aerodynamic noise, engine/mechanical noise, systems noise. I wonder if there are stress/others health effects from long plane flights.

My bedroom is a 2.7m*2.7m*2.5m volume with good small room sound vibe in it. There is a single window on the wall towards the atrium of the building. However, due to the AC on the window, I can’t record any instrumental or vocal clip with the AC on. The noise brings both trouble and beauty. On the one hand, I have to undertake high temperature when I want to record something in the summer, on the other hand, the noise together with the sound I play in an amplifier best depicts a typical scene that many amateur musicians in Manhattan are having a hard time with.