Steven Klein SCR recently completed an application-specific AudioProduction Room for Honda Research & Development Center, based inTorrance, Calif. The new facility comprises a soundproofed area wherethe interior environment of a typical automobile can be simulated usingmaterial recorded inside various vehicles, plus a companion controlroom. The facility will test a range of audio systems intended for usewithin Honda automotive products.
“The project included consulting, design and installation ofacoustic treatments to ensure outstanding sonic clarity and isolation,”Klein said. “We handled installation of a modular isolation booth, inwhich the R&D Center can perform voice recording inside a simulatedautomobile environment, plus installation of the Honda-specifiedequipment package.”
“The new Audio Production Room will serve a number of purposes,”said Ed Castaldi, senior project engineer at Honda R&D Center.”Firstly, we need to examine how a noisy environment affects the way inwhich drivers and passengers interact with voice-controlled systems.Secondly, we want to test voice-recognition and response systems byrecording voices within noisy environments. And, finally, we want toevaluate the audio quality and playback properties of in-carsystems.
“The entire design and construction project—start tofinish—took less than a month,” Castaldi continued. “We decidedto convert an existing storage space into a self-contained facility,including an 8-foot-square acoustic isolation cubicle; essentially, aroom within a room.” The isolation room contains a 5.1-channelloudspeaker array linked to playback systems and a mixing consolelocated in an adjacent control room area.
In terms of the acoustic installation, Steven Klein SCR placed extrainsulation above the grid tiles to provide additional isolation, while1-inch absorption fabric panels were installed as wall treatments.”Because we were involved as consultants for the equipment, werecommended the use of Hayes Spatial One monitors,” Klein said.”Spatial One monitors provide excellent imaging for both stereo and 5.1mixing. Their performance proved astounding in this environment.”
More information can be found at www.soundcontrolroom.com.
