The Science Behind The Radiator
- Breaking up sound energy with the Radiator
- Using the Radiator as a cloud
- Using the Radiator as a transition portal
The Radiator is a multi-purpose acoustic device that can be used to break up and scatter sound waves like a diffuser. It can be mounted on walls, used as a ceiling cloud, or in a drop ceiling as a transition portal to give one a sense of greater space in a small room. It can even be used in front of glass to diffuse problematic reflections.
Breaking up sound energy with the Radiator
The Radiator is not a diffuser in the true sense of the word. Devices like the Primacoustic Razorblade are true quadratic residue diffusers (QRDs) that employ a series mathematically calculated wells based on prime numbers that will break up sound energy in such a way to ensure that all frequencies are equally distributed over time and space to provide both spatial and temporal diffusion.
When used as a 'diffuser', the Radiator's 64 cubicles break up sound energy as it hits the hard wood boundaries and scatters it around the room as it reflects back in multiple directions. This gives smaller rooms a sense of space and air.
A major disadvantage to small rooms is that they can quickly become energized with low frequencies and if pushed, the room capacity is easily excited beyond function. A great acoustic 'trick' is to employ the plenum or space above the T-Bar ceiling as an 'escape hatch' to allow energy in the room to dissipate. The Radiator makes a wonderful transition portal while also providing some benefit in the form of diffusion.
There is a train of thought in studio design that prefers the source end of the room to be 'live' as opposed to being overly deadened with acoustic panels. The idea is that if there are no regular boundaries, resonant frequencies and primary reflections will not exist. This can apply to wall surface and ceiling treatment. When panels are suspended from the ceiling, it is called a cloud.
For the most part, diffusion is applied to directional frequencies. Sound tends to beam like a flashlight. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency and the more it will beam in a given direction. At 3" deep with 8 3" wide wells, one can predict an effective range from 565Hz to 2260Hz using quarter wavelength calculations, right in the 'meat' of where sound tends to beam and still carry plenty of energy. The Radiator provides a very cost effective means of eliminating primary reflections be deflecting directional frequencies from their trajectory.
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