How To Use The Razorblade
The Razorblade is a high performance diffuser designed for professional studios and more demanding audio listening environments.
The full size 24" x 48" design with full 8" deep wells makes the Razorblade particularly effective at diffusing directional frequencies above 400Hz. The Razorblade’s sequence has been optimized so that multiple units can be mounted side by side in a modular fashion. This enables the designer to set the desired number of diffusers in an array that will span the desired wall surface area. Once in place, problems such as modal distortion, flutter echo and standing waves are significantly reduced.
Fig. A
For a diffuser to work at lower frequencies, it must be heavy and rigid. This of course leads to questions such as placement and mounting. Good news is that we designed the Razorblade so that mounting is both easy and quick: Following the same approach one would take when mounting a series of kitchen cabinets, the Razorblade is designed to ride on top of a ‘base rail’ to carry its weight. Placement on the wall is generally 36" to 48" off the floor to allow for both sitting and standing positions.
Placement in the room is generally behind the listening position at an optimal distance. The general rule of thumb is to position the diffuser two ~ three times the lowest wavelength behind the listening position (further is better). Since the Razorblade is designed to work down to 400Hz, this ends up being about between six and eight feet away or 2 ~ 2.5 meters (Fig. A).
The Razorblade array should spans the width of the listening area. So if your console is 6 feet wide (2 meters), one would usually cluster three Razorblades together. Of course a wider array will provide a wider diffuse area. For rooms with larger work areas, to save costs, some designers will combine products like the FullTrap as a means to treat the rear wall using a product that has a similar profile and dimensions.
Basic Installation Procedure:
- 1. Set the height of the Razorblade by sitting in the listening position and measuring your ear height. The Razorblade should be positioned in such a way that it is balanced between the ear height and ceiling height or slightly higher.
- 2. Run a base line using a pencil mark. Cut a 3” thick rail (3/4” x 3”) and screw it to the wall and make sure the rail is properly secured to the internal wall studs.
- 3. Prepare the top anchor points. Drill two holes through the back into the outer wells. These have been cleverly designed to reach all the way to the back, thus enabling them to be used with wall anchors. We recommend 1/4" toggle bolts.
- 4. Rest the Razorblade on the support rail, mark the anchor positions and attach the Razorblade to the wall. Because the weight will be resting on the support rail, the top two anchors need only to hold the Razorblade in place.
Typical Studio Control Room
Razorblades are ideally suited to be positioned at a distance between six to eight feet behind the listening space. (2 ~ 2.5 meters) These normally span the width of the work area whereby if your workstation or console is 6 feet wide (1.8 meters), then three Razorblades would be employed. Placement in the critical sweet-spot helps eliminate trouble some first order reflections while retaining a sense of air and space in the room.
Wide Wall Spaces
In rooms that have a very wide wall space behind the listening position, adding FullTraps to the array can both reduce costs while providing added bass absorption. This is particularly important for improving the acoustics at the sweet-spot or primary listing position. The FullTraps are the same size as the Razorblades 24” x 48” (61cm x 122cm). This makes lining them up together in an array simple and attractive. It is best to cluster the Razorblades together as this will provide even diffusion.
Flush In-Wall Mounting
Building a control room or studio? You can flush mount your Razorblade array as easily as installing a window. Flush mounting does not affect the diffusion performance of the Razorblade but can enhance the aesthetics of your room design if you are willing to do the framing. If your control room or studio is already finished, you can build a false wall to flush mount the array. This could also be an excellent opportunity to add acoustic isolation between rooms or incorporate a large built-in bass trap.
Audiophile Listening Space
Probably the most demanding listeners of all are audiophiles. Adding Razorblades to this type of listening space eliminates troublesome reflections while retaining a sense of air and space. This is particularly important when listening to jazz or classical ensembles that have been recording in an acoustically vibrant space as these recordings benefit from natural room ambiance. Placement is usually behind the listening position however some enjoy breaking up sound energy at the source end of the room.
Primacoustic is a division of Radial Engineering Ltd. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.