What Are Room Modes? Finally A Simple Explanation

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John Heisz - Speakers and Audio Projects

John Heisz - Speakers and Audio Projects

2 жыл бұрын

Technically, you still have room modes in very small rooms, but they are high enough in frequency that standard absorption (acoustic panels or velocity traps) will effectively treat them. The lower in frequency the modes, the harder they are to treat. Most normal rooms will have room modes - resonances - that have a major impact of how things sound.
The best way to treat these low frequency modes is with a targeted approach, like Helmholtz absorbers or diaphragmatic (limp mass) absorbers, But those are difficult to build correctly (to hit the right frequency), take up a lot of space and need to be located correctly in the room.
The way I did my room was to add as much standard absorption as I could, plus I experimented with the wall panels to act as a broader-band diaphragmatic absorber.
My approach was to chip away at those resonances to try to bring it down to the point where it's no longer as much of a problem.
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Пікірлер: 111
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
OH NO! The room modes have gone to my head!! Technically, you still have room modes in very small rooms, but they are high enough in frequency that standard absorption (acoustic panels or velocity traps) will effectively treat them. The lower in frequency the modes, the harder they are to treat. Most normal rooms will have room modes - resonances - that are very difficult to treat. The best way to treat these low frequency modes is with a targeted approach, like Helmholtz absorbers or diaphragmatic (limp mass) absorbers, But those are difficult to build correctly (so they hit the right frequency), take up a lot of space and need to be located correctly in the room. The way I did my room was to add as much standard absorption as I could, plus I experimented with the wall panels to act as a broader-band diaphragmatic absorber. My approach was to chip away at those resonances to try to bring it down to the point where it's no longer as much of a problem.
@jackbaltus6738
@jackbaltus6738 2 жыл бұрын
Both woodworking and speaker design are my hobbies, so for me this is the place to be :) Thx!
@jake_a_g
@jake_a_g 2 жыл бұрын
Thumbnail 10/10. You're slowly pulling me into this audio stuff.
@vicf6509
@vicf6509 2 жыл бұрын
I enjoy the channel, the subject matter, and the electronic builds.
@billstoner5559
@billstoner5559 2 жыл бұрын
One of my hobbies is to watch KZfaq channels that interest me even though I have very little applicable use for the subject. That is to say, I enjoy all your channels. Even the griping one. 😉 you never disappoint. Thanks!
@frankcaserta812
@frankcaserta812 2 жыл бұрын
Great explanation. I enjoyed your woodworking videos, but this is even better, very interesting and more unique.
@robertspiewak1759
@robertspiewak1759 2 жыл бұрын
Good explanation of modes
@danhorton6182
@danhorton6182 2 жыл бұрын
I’ve been waiting for the audio stuff to come. I really hope you build some DIY designs, share crossovers, ect. Thanks John! Nice shirt!
@michaeltablet8577
@michaeltablet8577 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks very much! I am building a home recording studio and there are so many things a mixing room and listening room have in common.
@Tony-Tech
@Tony-Tech 2 жыл бұрын
Interesting subject for anybody into DIY hobbies, good videos, I'll stay subscribed.
@xenochaosxc
@xenochaosxc 2 жыл бұрын
Good explanations.
@paulhirst3548
@paulhirst3548 2 жыл бұрын
Really enjoying this John. It is inspiring me to get off my butt and finish my amp so that I can get back to the room treatment version 2.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
I don't think I asked before, how big is your room?
@paulhirst3548
@paulhirst3548 2 жыл бұрын
@@IBuildIt It goes from 9' 2" for 5' then opens up to 10'10". The room is 12' 10" long and 7' high. Three walls are drywall covering 1/2" rigid Styrofoam on top of brick. The other wall is 3/8" drywall on 2x4s with no insulation and a hallway on the other side. Floor is laminate covered 80% with a thin carpet. Low roof plus an almost square room makes room treatment a challenge.
@JohnnyUmphress
@JohnnyUmphress 2 жыл бұрын
Now it all becomes clear. I have spent a lot of money in the past on expensive sound systems that sounded so good in the store. But always some like crap when I set them up at home. Thanks.
@ryanpaul6256
@ryanpaul6256 2 жыл бұрын
Keep doing what you want to do!
@acreguy3156
@acreguy3156 Жыл бұрын
Great explanation, John! I hit that Subscribe button so hard, I put a hole in my monitor 🤣. Your explanations are so simple. Many thanks.
@tylerd.9457
@tylerd.9457 2 жыл бұрын
I think this subject is fascinating.
@act.13.41
@act.13.41 2 жыл бұрын
This one did show up on my homepage. Just to let you know.
@omnichords
@omnichords 2 жыл бұрын
If I could I'd subscribe twice. Loving this channel revamp John
@toddshields8501
@toddshields8501 2 жыл бұрын
Hey John, While searching for content for a presentation I’m creating for my boss, the owner of a nightclub, I stumbled across your video. I most certainly appreciate your dedication to exploring the physics of sound, because the physics are quite complex, and difficult to understand, let alone explain. The resonance (or resonant frequency) of an object deals with the mass of the object (for example, a wall, or a car trunk lid). Every object on earth has a natural resonant frequency, which is defined as the frequency at which a specific object naturally vibrates. The more mass an object has, the lower its resonant frequency. A car trunk lid will vibrate (and sound terrible to others outside the vehicle) when a subwoofer produces a tone at the trunk lid’s resonant frequency. Adding mass (such as DynaMat) to that object will lower its resonant frequency, making it more difficult to for a subwoofer to make it vibrate. Room Modes, on the other hand, are created primarily by the omnidirectional tendencies of low frequencies and their longer wavelengths. When a subwoofer emits a frequency, it will bounce off of every surface in a room, with walls being the biggest concern. Let’s take a 63Hz bass note, where the full length of the wave is 17.94 feet. If that single wave is emitted from a subwoofer that is placed 4.48 feet (one quarter of that wavelength ) from any surface, it will bounce off and combine with the primary emitted wave and create a cancellation effect. This is due to the reflected wave being inverted. Different frequencies and wavelengths are bouncing off of every surface of the room, causing many frequencies to reflect and combine with the primary wave, thus producing multiple areas of cancelation). The use of sound deadening material may help reduce some reflections, but only minimally. Most importantly, room modes are created directly from reflections, and are not associated with the resonant frequency of any object,
@markpalmer3071
@markpalmer3071 2 жыл бұрын
Loving this stuff... my demonstration amp died last week, I'm going to replace it with a Yamaha to see how they perform.
@eduardom800
@eduardom800 2 жыл бұрын
ok, nice, on my way to learn about how to measure the room modes of my living room.
@KipdoesStuff
@KipdoesStuff 2 жыл бұрын
You must be very good at explaining things because I understood every word. I couldn't repeat it back to you with any clarity but I get it, lol.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Kip. I liked your safe woodworking video yesterday. You might recognize the water bottle I used in this video and how safely I blew into it :)
@ashnur
@ashnur 2 жыл бұрын
Lol, why would I unsub, this stuff is even more interesting than the old stuff. And I want to make sound systems, so you just basically making the content that I needed :D
@TheKallipugos
@TheKallipugos 2 жыл бұрын
Enjoy this channel! Nice shirt! 😁
@TimothyHall13
@TimothyHall13 2 жыл бұрын
Acoustics not really my thing. Please be sure to let us know on the main channel if you change this up some time in the future.
@wingnutbert9685
@wingnutbert9685 2 жыл бұрын
I enjoy your vid's. Might not be into audio as a hobby, but interesting none the less. One thing I find with audio DIY stuff is the middle ground can get lost and, I assume, put people like me off. So much of it gets into the minutia down to paint thickness on your walls that it's undigestable and too deep for Joe Average that just wants to make some improvements to their TV room to get the best sound, without pissing off the spouse with hanging giant foam panels and moving the furniture around. Be nice if there was more of this info out there. You'd be the man for the job as you have a talent for explaining things.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
So true. A lot of hairsplitting in any technical topic that attracts that type of person, and all the bickering over marginal differences and phantom effects drowns out most of the good info.
@dronbana
@dronbana 6 ай бұрын
Like for the shirt. Appreciation for the content 🙏🏼
@JimDockrellWatertone
@JimDockrellWatertone 2 жыл бұрын
Oddly enough, I understood a lot of that. Modes and node. Thankfully I perused John Sayer's studio design channel when I was doing some studio recording for some folks years ago. I at least have the 10,000 foot overview.
@TuffMovies
@TuffMovies 2 жыл бұрын
is it like the first video in years where you are sitting down and not standing? :D
@Rene_Christensen
@Rene_Christensen 3 ай бұрын
Technically, modes are different than resonances. Modes are abstract solutions to an equation that has no forcing term, so no sources. Resonances are what you see in a frequency response at some point in space, when you have sources. So resonances are typically a consequence of the modes, but not the same thing.
@craigg8314
@craigg8314 2 жыл бұрын
OMG amazingly informative videos! What is the software you're using to measure frequencies? I'm getting ready to build a studio, would be very helpful, inspired by what you have done!
@DustyFixes
@DustyFixes 2 жыл бұрын
Talking about harmonics got my brain turning. What would the harmonics be in a room where the resonant harmonics could continue to build? Say 40Hz, 80Hz, 120Hz?
@brock2306
@brock2306 2 жыл бұрын
I know you’ve probably talked about it in the past but I simply can’t remember did you go to school for this or is this just your passion that you continually learn about? Anyway very interesting even if not woodworking.
@UndeadSpaceMonkey1
@UndeadSpaceMonkey1 2 жыл бұрын
I don't woodwork and I can barely hook up a set of simple speakers. Unsubscribe? Never! All your channels are awesome and I watch each and every video from beginning to end. Thumbnails could use a little more open mouth though. Never change John
@UberAlphaSirus
@UberAlphaSirus 2 жыл бұрын
Have you looked into upholstering the walls. The harmonics apply all the way up the scale. I used to do loads of fabric walls just for looks for rich posh customers. But I did do one place for sound. Rich fella had a 40x20m basement. Had a full lucas arts av setup. That room was an echo chamber before we cotton bumped the walls and put some heavy dense slub silk on the walls. It was almost anecoic after that. The air nailers and air compressor sounded like mouse farts putting the last width up.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Thin treatment (2" thick panels, carpet, etc.) is only effective for higher frequencies. To have any significant effect on low frequencies, the treatment needs to be thick and there needs to be lots of it. Too much high frequency absorption will make a room sound too dead, which isn't good either.
@UberAlphaSirus
@UberAlphaSirus 2 жыл бұрын
@@IBuildIt i know that batman. But the powers of 2 work all the way up. You not gonna leave the ply walls bare are you? Dead is almost as good as headphones. Gotta say though. What sounds good to you is what it's about. I have chased some rabbits down holes with sound and never been happy because I want it to sound good to everyone and not so much me. BTW, made that linkwitz filter for my 15" subs few years back. Thanks for learning me to that. Have to redo it now as my cuz gave me a pair of kefs. So remaking the subs. BUT. It's your listening room, you can move the chair and speakers so the nodes are neutral where your bum sits.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Yes, Robin, the harmonics go all the way up, but they diminish in strength as they do. Also if you can get rid of the fundamental, the harmonics go with it. So you concentrate on killing as much of those fundamentals (37Hz, 40Hz, 74Hz) as you can, and it reduces the harmonics along with it. Those fundamentals are the root of the problem.
@UberAlphaSirus
@UberAlphaSirus 2 жыл бұрын
@@IBuildIt you know best batman, it is your cave. Looking forward to the next episode. It's 22:35 over in London, what does your chronometer have on the dial? The other posh people had upholstered walls for the master bedrooms and real dinning rooms for inviting posh mates around with a hired chef. Makes for a good atomosphere, probably.
@nicholaslepp1502
@nicholaslepp1502 6 ай бұрын
I have a serious question, anyone can answer. Does the "Leaky Wall" technique change room modes? ...If the room is the same but the low frequencies are able to escape? ...Like a wall with holes drilles like pegboard which is full of fiberglass?
@cliveclapham6451
@cliveclapham6451 2 жыл бұрын
Best way to make it sound better get equipment with volume level eleven 😉
@gvanvoor
@gvanvoor 2 жыл бұрын
Is there a formula to calculate the room mode frequencies or can they only be determined by measuring?
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
There are online calculators, like this one: amcoustics.com/tools/amroc You measure the dimensions of the room with a measuring tape and input those into the calculator. It shows where all of the modes are and the harmonics.
@_NatBailey_
@_NatBailey_ 2 жыл бұрын
in meters: "(Speed of sound / dimension) / 2" gives you the fundamental frequency. So the height mode for a 2,4m high room is 343/2,4/2= 71Hz (Fundamental). 1st harmonic is double this (142Hz), 2nd harmonic triple (213 Hz). Tangencial modes are harder to calculate, easier to use an online mode calculator, as John recommended
@vladimirHarkonenn
@vladimirHarkonenn 2 жыл бұрын
personally i'm still here ^_^. i assume you have not treat the sound track of the video and listening with headphone, your voice sound pretty clear and crisp. i can't wait to hear how music sound (even if the response via youtube is not like been there.
@bubblehead5394
@bubblehead5394 2 жыл бұрын
Subscribed :)
@macedindu829
@macedindu829 2 жыл бұрын
I'd love to see a venn diagram of this sort of acoustics stuff, and then the woodworking stuff. I have a sneaking suspicioun that there's quite a lot of overlap, and it's not just me (you can throw in a couple dozen other technical subjects, which is kind of my point here). I think there's a "type" that gets into all and sundry topics related to building and how things work. ETA: same type appreciates the shirt, I bet. ;)
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Definitely some overlap, but I've found since starting to do this online publishing thing that the majority have a fairly narrow focus.
@morganandreason
@morganandreason 2 жыл бұрын
You can also make sure not to excite room modes in the first place, by using multiple subs placed so that they cancel out reflections.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
That's harder than a lot of people think and not anywhere near as effective as properly treating the room.
@morganandreason
@morganandreason 2 жыл бұрын
By "also", I meant "in addition to adding absorption". It is not as hard as you think to suppress room modes by 6+dB (particularly useful for eliminating dips) using a multi-sub approach, and while treating the room is an absolute must, you will generally only achieve truly articulate bass by suppressing room modes by multiple means. There are good guides for beginners about how to use a multi-channel digital crossover and free software for acoustic measurements to time-align and adjust such multi-sub systems.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
@@morganandreason My answer was more for the certainty with which you said "make sure not to excite room modes". My understanding is that the method isn't as effective as it was hoped it would be.
@FOH3663
@FOH3663 2 жыл бұрын
@@IBuildIt Selective Mode Cancelation... Toole put out a white paper on it. Technically it differs from a typical multi sub approach. Regardless, it's but one tool to combat acoustic distortions of the room.
@yoyofargo
@yoyofargo 2 жыл бұрын
i can't tell if im watching an acoustic fields or tech ingredients video right now
@jimthesoundman8641
@jimthesoundman8641 2 жыл бұрын
I always called them "standing waves"
@FOH3663
@FOH3663 2 жыл бұрын
Exactly, all the same; modes, resonances, standing waves, modal resonances... all essentially the same.
@warrenmusic
@warrenmusic 2 жыл бұрын
Hey John, are you familiar with the research/work of John Brandt? He’s consulted on a lot of studios, from DIY to pro. I have read his articles, and my lack of engineering/physics background means I’m only really understanding 10% of what I’m reading but I bet you either would understand it more or arrive independently at the same conclusions about modes.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Very familiar with his work and have watched all of his videos here on KZfaq.
@dannycancino3614
@dannycancino3614 2 жыл бұрын
That shirt!
@jamesoneil9757
@jamesoneil9757 Жыл бұрын
They’ll have to pry my iPad from my cold dead hands to get me to unsubscribe.
@cliveclapham6451
@cliveclapham6451 2 жыл бұрын
So you spectrum analyzed the room and put the traps where you could fit them 🎯🤣😎
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
The measurements were done to see how effective the treatment was.
@cliveclapham6451
@cliveclapham6451 2 жыл бұрын
@@IBuildIt that exactly what l thought John. 👍
@edwardwilson990
@edwardwilson990 2 жыл бұрын
Much like my first sexual experience, I didn't know much about it but I liked it, (your video) I'm referring to.
@darthrubik8384
@darthrubik8384 2 жыл бұрын
were you the villain in Black Widow?
@NinJa-yg7kh
@NinJa-yg7kh 2 жыл бұрын
he is the new villain in the new batman.. the one where Colin Farel
@jimbucket2996
@jimbucket2996 2 жыл бұрын
It took me a second to figure out why you look more meat headed than usual in your thumbnail. Nice crop work. If you're in search of content ideas I think you're take on designing and making a musical instrument would definitely be interesting.
@jimthesoundman8641
@jimthesoundman8641 2 жыл бұрын
7:00 I think your theory to make things rattle to reduce the problem sounds in the room is a faulty theory. When those panels flex, I don't think they are absorbing the sound, they are simply breaking it up in to harmonics and sending it back into the room. By having wobbly walls, you might be making things worse instead of better. Low frequencies are absorbed by heavy mass (walls made of concrete blocks, for instance) and high frequencies are absorbed by things like egg crate foam, pink insulation, etc.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 2 жыл бұрын
Low frequencies are almost 100% reflected by heavy mass, actually. That's why a poured concrete or concrete block room is so boomy (think empty basement). That's why it make such a great soundproofing option. The measurements don't lie, Jim. The panels do work.
@_NatBailey_
@_NatBailey_ 2 жыл бұрын
This video doesn't go into velocity and pressure distribution, but room modes create distinct high-pressure zones. At walls and corners, you have higher pressure levels. Foam and Rockwool are velocity absorbers and only work when exposed to the velocity zone of a room mode. These vibrating panels are essentially transforming the potential energy from the pressure of the room mode into work. The resulting movement of the panel transforms that work into kinetic energy, that is then absorbed by the velocity absorber. Yes, resonating panels will be sending energy back into the room, but it will be at much lower energy, at a different frequency, and possibly out of phase to the room mode.
@kennethnielsen3864
@kennethnielsen3864 2 жыл бұрын
48th.
@jeffreyj.7508
@jeffreyj.7508 2 жыл бұрын
John; I’m a huge follower of your main channel and the Scrap Bin, but the audio-phile stuff isn’t my thing. I am unsubscribing to this channel, to limit how much the KZfaq algorithms screws you over. Good luck, mate :)
@michaeltablet8577
@michaeltablet8577 2 жыл бұрын
Where can I get a shirt like that? I have a friend with 2 teenage sons and his wife won't even let them mow grass. So sad. When I was their age I was cutting down trees and driving tractors. . Maybe I'll give him a shirt like that.
@daifeichu
@daifeichu 2 жыл бұрын
Get them to watch Coach Greg Adams here on KZfaq. Good channel devoted to helping men to understand and not make mistakes with women.
@michaeltablet8577
@michaeltablet8577 2 жыл бұрын
@@daifeichu thank you!
@EnUsUserScreenname
@EnUsUserScreenname 2 жыл бұрын
How is mowing grass manly? I spent many many hours mowing lawns and cutting wood and it certainly didnt feel very manly. It mainly felt boring with some exceptions.
@michaeltablet8577
@michaeltablet8577 2 жыл бұрын
@@EnUsUserScreenname Have you ever run a razor sharp Husqvarna through a a red oak? That'll do it for you?
@EnUsUserScreenname
@EnUsUserScreenname 2 жыл бұрын
@@michaeltablet8577 It was a Stihl, it was very fun, but I dont see how thats manly.
@dougprentice1363
@dougprentice1363 2 жыл бұрын
Ok, I'll do you a favor. Unsubscribing to this channel. Look forward to all of your other content. Including scrap bin.
@seigeengine
@seigeengine 2 жыл бұрын
Well you certainly found a way to make me unsubscribe, but it wasn't by asking or by making content I don't want to watch.
@gimmigimmigimmi
@gimmigimmigimmi 8 ай бұрын
I was going to watch the video but then I’ve noticed your tshirt
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 8 ай бұрын
...and had a good cry, instead. Am I right?
@gimmigimmigimmi
@gimmigimmigimmi 8 ай бұрын
@@IBuildIt For better videos, I would suggest you try breathing with your nose as you speak, but I doubt you can. That's weird though, I thought you were a certified real man with superior genetics. But hey, thanks for fighting for your useless ideals, you're really making the world a better place by wearing a t-shirt.
@IBuildIt
@IBuildIt 8 ай бұрын
So that would be a "yes" on the good cry, then?
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