What Credentials Should An Acoustician Have

This is my question (thought) for the day. as most of you are aware I moved back to Southern California in July and have been involved since then in designing and building my new sound room inasmuch as there was no room to "add on" but rather to "build-in". My challenge was that this room was going to be smaller (I had no choice) than my last room and that it was my goal to treat the room in such a fashion that it would not be over powered by my X-2's as I was determined that I did not want to part with them. As a result I had many talks with the folks at Wilson Audio including John Giolas, Trent Workman, and through Debby Wilson her father and brother (Dave and Daryl) also gave opinions. They felt that with the aspherical propagation delay there was a better chance of sonic benefit with the X-2 than perhaps stepping down to the Alexia. Everyone however put the disclaimer that "of course I should consult with an acoustician.

That statement was indeed one that not only did I intend to pursue but have over the course of the past 6 months in a design and build out. What I found in my due diligence is that there seems to be no prerequisites or qualifications or tests to pass for one to call himself an acoustician. In exploring my options I found that there were those who started in a high fi store selling equipment, developed an interest in acoustics and became acousticians. Then there were those who are involved in the industry by making acoustic products for the room. Their solution was to always sell you their products and thus had a vested interest than those acousticians who merely take measurements and then make recommendations based on the results. Then there are those who come to your home and make a design decision which IMO seems cookie cutter because all of the rooms look the same without any diversity.

Needless to say I was in a bit of a quandary as I spent months looking for a perfect solution. Along the way I did in fact make a decision based on not only credentials but past testimonials of some very serious clients. I was almost a small fry in a very busy acoustic business.

I do intend to blog about the build out of my room as it is now 7-10 days from completion and I have many photos and thought along the way. I will mention the acoustician's name in that blog but suffice it to say the credentials were impeccable as this person has an interdepartmental PhD in mathematics, electrical engineering, and ocean physics - application was underwater acoustics - in order to create a phd in signal processing. All analyses are done by means of a very complex mathematical program written by the acoustician based not only on measurements but also from the acoustic properties of everything in the room. All room modes are instantly identified and treated with product(s) designed by the acoustician including the 11 Helmholtz resonators in the system, a floor treatment that converts the floor to one large bass trap as well as another invention whereby the drapes are lined with a product that looks like a piece of cotton but has absorptive effects identical to lining the walls with 2" of fiberglass.

Long and the short of it, I have been more than pleased to date and have began wondering what people look for when choosing an acoustician and wondering what if any credentials they should have that makes you decide in their favor. In my long quest I was amazed that mine actually has a PhD in acoustics, EE and mathematics and has written a mathematical formula for signal processing and room mapping.

Stay tuned (no pun intended)

It took me 5 months to decide on this individual Bruce and yes has an incredible ear for music

highly regarded ....hmmm.. Is that a B.Hr conferred by the University of General Things

All kidding aside I know of one very prominent acoustician who started as a salesman in a hi fi shop. So how does that credential him as an acoustician and without casting doubts or aspersions what are Bob's qualifications or background training. As I found in my due diligence most who call themselves acousticians have something else to sell you beyond their services with most having no background other than a general interest

The list of clients that used this acoustician is impressive


RESIDENTIAL
Roberts Residence, Martha's Vineyard
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Home projection movie theater - acoustic isolation and acoustic environment design
Whole house acoustic review, including room-to-room and floor-to-floor separation
Williams/Pura Residence, Manchester by the Sea, MA
Michael Graves design
New house acoustic room separation specification
Indoor pool and great room reverberation correction
Tuttle-Hummer Residence, Los Angeles, CA
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Dining room design, inclusive of hand painted wall paper to optimize the clarity of speech
Acoustic isolation of all plumbing noise
Cunniffe Residence, Greenwich, CT
Frank Greenwald Architect
Whole house overview
Acoustic design of second floor to prevent footsteps from intruding into the first floor
Acoustic design of generator room to enable a standby generator to be located in the basement without disturbing activity on the first floor
Ralph Lauren
Screening room acoustic design and isolation - Montauk, N.Y.
Media room acoustic design - Jamaica
Road noise reduction - Jamaica
Brinkley Residence, Bridgehampton, NY
New house acoustic specification, including floor, wall and HVAC design
Houston Residence, Greenwich, CT
Personal basketball practice room acoustic environment design and room-to-room acoustic isolation
Media room acoustic design
Sanders Residence, East Hampton, NY
Whole house acoustic design
Acoustically separate an indoor bowling alley from quiet rooms on the floor above
Custom design of an acoustic enclosure for movie projector
Gottesman Residence, East Hampton, NY
Acoustic design to prevent thermal scroll pump from transmitting airborne and structure borne noise from disturbing a dining room and massage room on the floor above
Zucker Residence, New York, NY
Steven Harris Architects
An acoustic floor was engineered to meet luxury rated floor requirements
Nuti Residence, East Hampton
Peter Cook Architect
Acoustic separation of home theater from surrounding rooms
Paradise Effect environment theater design
Gandolfini Residence, New York, NY
Review apartments for optimum acoustic environment rating
Design apartment acoustic separation system
Peter Jennings Residence, New York, NY
In-wall HVAC noise reduction
Denise Rich Residence, Southampton, NY
Frank Greenwald Architect
Whole house acoustic design with focus on acoustic isolation of room-to-room and floor-to-floor
Recording studio acoustic design- acoustically isolate the studio from surrounding rooms
580 Park Ave, New York, New York
Drummer’s practice room
Jason Papowitz
Design of opera practice rooms in New York City and Prague
Jonathan Sheffer, East Hampton, New York
Music library design to prohibit the sounds from being heard outside the building and meet East Hampton zoning requirements



RESTAURANTS
Cittanuova, East Hampton, NY
Restaurant renovation with Paradise Effect treatment to the ceiling
Restaurant Business
When Zagat surveyors were asked what irritates them most when dining out, noise came in second only to bad service. The poll confirms a disquieting trend: there’s a deafening din in many of the nation’s restaurants. See how SoundSense solves the problem in the April 20 issue of Restaurant Business
Mary Jane's, East Hampton, NY
Kitchen exhaust fan acoustic treatment to meet code requirement
Belle's East, Southampton, NY
Signature design to enhance live music while allowing audible conversation at tables
1770 House (2002 renovation), East Hampton, NY
Acoustic design and installation of room-to-room and floor-to-floor separation
Acoustic treatment of restaurant
East Hampton Point Restaurant- Deck, East Hampton, NY
Design of acoustic treatment to bring sounds from an outdoor band to within code requirements
Rowdy Hall, East Hampton, NY
Acoustic treatment to reduce bar level noise from intruding into dining area
Nick and Toni's, New York, NY
Restaurant acoustic redesign
Villa Paul, Hampton Bays, NY
Acoustic treatment to allow dining area to not be disturbed by chartered events in adjacent room as well as addressed intrusive noise from bar
Atlantica, Westhampton, NY
Acoustic design and installation of a wall with acoustic access door to separate a restaurant from a chartered hall with live bands (results noted in NY Times review of restaurant)


PLACES OF WORSHIP
Bnai Israel Temple, Oakdale, NY
Temple acoustic design
First Presbyterian, East Hampton, NY
Acoustic environment improvement and audio review
Friends Academy, Locust Valley, NY
Ceiling redesign to correct acoustic environment
Lamb's Chapel, Center Moriches, NY
Reverberation time correction and audio system review



SCHOOLS
Ross School, East Hampton, NY
Music building (recording studio, practice rooms, practice hall) acoustic design
Meditation room design
Southampton Middle School Music Room Redesign, Southampton, NY
Greenport High School, Greenport, NY
Auditorium acoustic upgrade specification
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
HVAC noise reduction to Astrophysics Department’s conference room
Web Collage, New York, NY
Video conferencing room acoustic design
Boston University, Boston, MA
President and Provost Office acoustic specification
Conference room acoustic specification
Turtle Bay Music School, New York, NY
Reverberation correction in practice room
Custom acoustic door specification to stop sound
Bridgehampton High School, Bridgehampton, NY
Design and build custom music/broadcast room
Shelter Island School, Shelter Island, NY
School cafeteria acoustic environment design to reduce the student noise during usage to within OSHA requirements
Midwestern University Cafeteria, Downer’s Grove, IL
Cafeteria noise reduction


GYMNASIUMS
Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Blue Bay Summer Camp, East Hampton, New York
Auditorium/gymnasium acoustic correction
The Ross School
Custom auditorium design to allow a correct acoustic environment, inclusive of glass walls, using signature slotted wood arched ceiling
Our Lady of the Hamptons, Southampton, New York
Auditorium/gymnasium acoustic correction
Southold Gymnasium
Reduction of gymnasium noise levels to fall within OSHA standards
Greenport High School, Greenport, NY
Gymnasium/activity room reverberation reduction



AUDITORIUMS, CONCERT HALLS, HOME THEATERS

Home Theater Acoustic Separation or Isolation from surrounding rooms:
Tarnapol Residence, Bridgehampton, NY
Rabin Residence, Water Mill, NY
Rafael Residence, Glen Head, NY
Hochberger Residence, Nassau County
Berty Residence, Sagaponack, NY
Budow Residence, East Hampton, NY
Hirsch Residence, Water Mill, NY
Goldstein Residence, Brookville, NY
Nuti Residence, East Hampton, NY
Paradise Effect environment theater design
Acoustic separation of home theater from surrounding rooms
Roberts Residence - Robert Stern designed home, Martha's Vineyard
Home projection movie theater - acoustic isolation and acoustic environment design
Media and Beyond, 47 Mercer St., New York, New York
Acoustical consultant to audio consultant, architect, and contractor to music hall
Deer Park High School, Deer Park, NY
Auditorium renovation design, using a combination of wood and fabric panels
Boston University, Boston, MA
Concert hall/ballroom acoustic design
Ross School, East Hampton, NY
Auditorium acoustic design
Music building (recording studio, practice rooms, practice hall) acoustic design


OUTDOOR NOISE
Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, Michigan
Acoustic Design and Sound Wave Propagation Analysis for Gingerman Race Track (elimination of track noise to nearby residence) See http://www.gingermanraceway.com/ .
Wilbur Ross, Southampton, NY
Road noise acoustic fence design
Oak Tree Farm Dairy Inc., East Northport, NY
Outdoor truck refrigeration-zoning compliance
Phoenix Medical Imaging
MRI machine noise acoustic noise reduction
MRI rooftop chiller acoustic enclosure design
Lipton Residence, East Hampton, NY
Acoustic privacy design
Freidrich Residence, Southampton, NY
Zoning board presentation for approval of a tennis court location
The acoustic design was required for the building permit in order to guarantee that the neighbors would not be bothered by the sounds
Diversified Technology/Verizon
Classify HVAC installation of new building to verify that the new unit is within code
Willow Wood Shooting Range
Acoustic treatment of outdoor gun shooting range to bring noise from guns to within noise code ordinance
Steve Abramson, Water Mill, NY
Residential design to address both structure borne and airborne railroad train noise from intruding into the home
Floral Glass, Hauppauge, NY
Manufacturing machinery noise reduction



INDUSTRIAL
Caputo Bakery, Brooklyn, NY
Noise reduction design of bakery machine noise
Gershow Recycling Plant, Long Island, NY
Design an outdoor acoustic barrier system to reduce acoustic impact of Event noise
Comtech, PST, Farmingdale, NY
Acoustically correct environmental testing chamber with viewing station
Dunkin' Donuts
Rooftop condenser and industrial exhaust fan noise reduction to meet code requirements
Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Groton, Connecticut
Roof condenser noise elimination
Verizon, East Hampton, NY
Design of acoustic treatment of an outdoor generator in order to keep the noise at the nearest boundary line to within background levels
Presentation of design for zoning board and community approval
Loral Microwave - Narda
Alarm calibration machine noise reduction per OSHA requirements
DiCarlo Distributors, Holtsville, NY
Acoustic design of refrigerator car transportation system as well as refrigerator truck compressor noise reduction
American Casting Company
Machinery enclosure design to reduce noise from punch press machines to remain within OSHA requirements


COMMERCIAL
Truelove and Maclean, Inc, Waterbury, Connecticut
Conference room plenum noise elimination
City Sprint, New York, New York
Open office redesign including: workspace acoustic separation and acoustic environment design
Hickey-Freeman/Robert A.M. Stern Architects, 666 5th Ave, New York, NY
Specification of ideal reverberation time and design criteria for main lobby HVAC ductwork acoustic specifications HVAC vibration elimination Room to room design for acoustic privacy
Hitachi
MRI room acoustic environment correction design
Maidstone Country Club, East Hampton, New York
Ballroom reverberation acoustic design/specification Ballroom acoustic separation from lower facility
Bliss World, New York, NY
Acoustic design correction for walls, doors, and HVAC system to allow the client to control the acoustic serenity of treatment rooms
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
Surgery training broadcast room and auditorium design
Madison Library Children's Reading Room, Madison, Conn.
Acoustic environment correction/design for optimum reading retention for children
Jewish Heritage Museum, New York, New York
Video recording room acoustic separation and acoustic design correction
Polish American Club, Pt. Jefferson, New York
Main hall reverberation problem correction
NO Recording Studio, East Hampton, New York
Recording studio design
Painters, Brookhaven, New York
Reduction of noise (live bands and dj) leaving building to meet code Acoustic treatment of band area to enhance sound
Kindermusic, East Hampton, New York
Practice room acoustic isolation Music Room Acoustic Environment Specification
Southampton Animal Shelter
Animal shelter noise reduction
Saugatuck Rowing Club, Saugatuck, New York
Blueprint review, including room acoustic separation and acoustic material specification
Town of Smithtown
Noise evaluation of a proposed power plant
Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Groton, Connecticut
Office acoustic environment specification Workstation acoustic design
Norwegian Cruise Line
Acoustically separate the Captain's Bedroom from the dance lounge located above
Elf Aquitaine, New York, New York
Acoustic wall design for elimination of boiler room noise to an adjacent office
Blondie’s
Acoustic separation of music from the bar to the residence above
Curves, Southold, NY
Separate exercise studio from adjacent legal offices
Correction of high reverberation time in exercise area
Bayer Pharmaceutical, West Haven, Connecticut
Conference room acoustic corrections
HVAC noise and elevator room noise elimination
Electrical room noise elimination
Office acoustic separation design
Private jet noise reduction
IBM-Korea/HOK
Low frequency decoupling/ building-to-building and room-to-room office-to-office acoustic separation
Blueprint acoustic review
Dorot, Inc., New York, NY
Open office Paradise Effect renovation for speech privacy and improved office productivity
Amdocs, Stamford, CT
Acoustic separation and learning environment optimization for training rooms
Englewood Field Club, Englewood, NJ
Ice Skating Room reverberation time reduction
Pinay Flooring
Wall and room design to isolate machinery noise from entering adjacent business spaces
Bedford Golf and Tennis, Bedford, NY
Acoustic reverberation and noise reduction to dining room
Epiphany Theater Company, New York, NY
Acoustic Separation of practice rooms
Bottle Factory Theater
Theater design
East Hampton Point Cottage, East Hampton, NY
Acoustic design of adjacent cottage rooms in order to prevent guests in one room from hearing the sounds from adjacent rooms
Windmill Village senior citizen housing meeting room, East Hampton, NY
Public area acoustic design correction and installation for the hearing impaired
Classroom, Inc.
Reduction of HVAC noise intrusion into office space
Classy Canine, Southampton, NY
Acoustic design to reduce the noise from dogs barking



RECORDING STUDIOS
The Jewish Heritage Museum
New York, New York
Acoustically corrected a small recording room, outside noise from the adjacent conference room would no longer intrude into their recordings and also corrected the reverberation time within the room.
Jason Papowitz
http://www.hans-spengler.com/papowitz.html
Practice room design in New York City. Designed to prevent the noise from being heard by any adjacent rooms/apartments in Prague. Corrected the reverberation time of the room.
Mitchell Kriegman of Shadow Productions
http://www.wainscottstudios.com/slideshow/studiopics.html
Recording studio design now for his new PBS series. This project included the design-built consultation of the filming studio, the office space and the conference room and the voice over room
Denise Rich
Southampton, New York
Design-built for her recording studio in Southampton, New York. This included the isolation of the room and the reverberation design.
Laredo Recording studio
333 Hudson Street in NYC.
The architect was Bartlett, Amoruso, Recce Architects.
Ms. Nelson or NO Recording
East Hampton, New York
Upgraded her original recording studio for her studio in the Hamptons
World Cottage
Bridgehampton, New York
Solve HVAC acoustic intrusion problems
Ross School
East Hampton, New York
Designed the practice rooms, practice stage design, and the recording booths
Lenox Hill Hospital
The design was for the recording studio that would take recording of surgery or presentations and prepare in a format for further teaching
Bridgehampton High School
Bridgehampton, New York
Recording studio designed to be movable and attachable to an existing HVAC without negative effect to the recording quality
Epiphany Studio
New York, New York
Evaluation and solution set for room to room separation

Believe it or not the canned solutions that were offered to me were the most inexpensive part of the whole project

microstrip said:

Looking for a great thread!
BTW, I just googled randomly a few of the references of your acoustician and found one real estate value over $40M ...

Click to expand...

as I said I am a small fry in this company

trust me Bruce. Everything is under control. There is absolutely no need.

through a friend of mine here in California who is in the industry. He has recently formed a California company with my acoustician to do room treatments here in California. So yes Bruce a lot of this is noise pollution but did the name Ralph Lauren come across as perhaps a high end room

I'll try to get you an invitation Bruce