Acoustic Clip
Destiny Olatunji
Resilient IB-1 Sound Isolation Clips perform two main functions. First, because they are spaced in rows 24" apart (generally), the drywall is attached with far fewer contact areas. Second, clips and hat track are resilient. They allow the wall to flex, and this increases sound isolation as well as lowering the troublesome primary low-frequency resonance point.
This IB-1 Soundproofing Clip performs similarly to other clips, but the low cost leaves more room to invest in extra mass (drywall) and damping (Green Glue). The resulting system is far superior to using clips and drywall alone.
The IB-1 Clip can be used with wood or steel wall studs. These clips are particularly useful on open ceilings where there are neighbors overhead. Significant relief from neighbor noise can be obtained when we first start with clips to decouple the ceiling drywall.
RETURN POLICY:
60 Days on all Returns All returned unused items are subject to warehouse and 20% re-stock fees. No Returns on Open/Partial Cases, Pails, Single Tubes, Outlet Putty Pads
The Soundproofing Company presents these products and construction concepts with the understanding that local Building Codes vary. It is the responsibility of the installer to ensure product is properly installed, and that these concepts meet local Building Code. The Soundproofing Company is not liable for mis-installation or non-compliance with local code.
Noisy floors are a significant and growing issue as more people are opting for hard surface flooring. This creates distinct soundproofing challenges. We offer solutions tailored to your commercial or residential needs.
Impact noise coming through a ceiling is one of the worst soundproofing problems. A footfall imparts a violent level of energy into the ceiling. We offer ceiling solutions to quiet even the most problematic footfall noise.
Shared interior walls don't offer much in the way of sound isolation. There are good approaches and bad, and you only want to do this once. Our lab-certified wall solutions will help ensure you get it right the first time.
I've been happily using my Rode NT3 for years to mic my acoustic archtop guitars. Being the bandleader, I can demand such a specific solution. Recently I was noticing that even when using the low-profile mic stand I bought specifically for it, it was ruing almost every picture of me playing on that I happened to see on Facebook. Sort of a vain observation, but I never noticed how visually distracting it was.
If it were just that, I'd live with it, because the sound quality is wonderful. But, on most of traveling gigs for the last couple months, and even some at home, I've found it to be difficult to get any stage volume out of it without it feeding back. It doesn't matter how good the guitar sounded if I can't hear even the slightest bit of it. Plus, even when I was getting some monitor, my acoustic guitar solos always seemed to get buried, even when I leaned in the mic.
Now, I should say the best sounding amplified acoustic archtop I've heard was when I saw the Sweet Hollywiians at Boulevard Music in Culver City, CA. Takashi Nakayama (who you've seen before on the blog) was using a DPA 4099 clip on mic, clipped onto the tailpiece pointed down at the top of the guitar. He told me he had it plugged into a mic pre before an AER amp, which provided a DI out to the house. Unfortunately, I've never had the $500+ to drop on the DPA.
With that inspiration, I ended up trying something different at a recent gig. The sound guy mentioned he had a "clip on" mic for one of the horn players who was particularly delinquent about playing "on mic." I'm against clip on mic's for horn players, because usually my guys need to be able to "work the mic" a bit to help with balance and shading. Despite using amplification, we do try to keep the acoustic character as much as possible - though with certain rooms and certain sound guys, it's impossible. All that aside, I figured I might try the clip on mic for my guitar instead.
The sound guy had an Audio-Technica PRO-35, which comes with it's own windscreen, gooseneck and clamp. It doesn't have a power pack inline, so you have to give it phantom power. We played three nights, with three of my different bands. The first night with my Grand Slam Sextet, I didn't use the mic, because I ended up playing my ES-150 electrically all night (which given that the band is clarinet-vibraphone-electric guitar as the leads, i was ok with, despite my hate for electric rhythm guitar). The next night was with the Campus Five, and I alternated between my Eastman 805 for rhythm and the ES-150 for leads and riffs. It was astounding how much acoustic volume I was able to get, and how clear and articulate the Eastman sounded. Because I wasn't slamming the guitar harder to get volume, I was able to play more relaxed and clean, and the tone dramatically improves when you're not throttling the guitar. It was some of the best playing I'd done on acoustic, and it was very satisfying to be heard for once.
The only problem came when I would swap guitars. Because I had no way to turn of the PRO-35, I risked pointing the mic right at the monitors when I put it down to grab my electric. I figured out what direction to orient the stand and which way to turn the guitar as to not point it right into feedback, Even then, I didn't succeed at that 100%.
The following night, with our 10-piece "pre-swing" band, the Rhythm Busters, I decided to only play my John LeVoi Petite Bouche selmer-style guitar. I've been trying to find ways to differentiate that band from my others, and changing guitars seemed like a good way to do that. At soundcheck, I was stoked because with the Pro 35 I could get enough stage and mains volume without feedback or bleed to "ride" over top of the band, like a clarinet player might do over a shout chorus, or more importantly like Django did in some recordings where he's the featured soloist backed by a big band (a version of "Moten Swing" comes to mind). Also, since Hilary was not this gig, I decided to substitute the melodies on guitar instead of skipping those songs. By then end of the night, I realized that playing Django-y lead guitar was giving the band a more signature sound, and I that can't think of anybody else doing a Django-led 30's Orchestra. Win-win.
When I got home from the weekend, I set at getting my own clip on mic. The PRO-35 is only around $150, but I noticed that it was decidedly on the lower end of Audio Technica's line. Checking out www.djangobooks.com, I noticed they only carried two higher-end AT's, the AT831B and the Pro 70. The AT831B has been used by some leading Gypsy players, through usually with a clip hanging on the soundhole. Neither mic came with a gooseneck, though both come with a power pack, so that you aren't dependent on the board for phantom power - of course, both can accept phantom as well.
I ended up picking up an AT831B on craigslist, and then the AT8418 Gooseneck (which looks identical to the one the comes on the Audio-Technica PRO-35) on amazon, for a total just about $20 more than a PRO-35. I was hoping that AT831B would have even better sound quality, but I was worried that something about the improved quality or response would make less useable (like more susceptible to feedback, etc). Trying it out at home, I was able to get significant volume out plugged directly into a JBL Eon powered PA speaker, and it didn't seem overly susceptible to feedback.
I finally used the new mic set up last Wednesday - WOW! What a great improvement over how I had been doing things. I was able to get a ton of volume out of the monitors and never had any problems with feedback. I played some of the best Reuss-style block-chord solos I've played live in a while, specifically because I could hear myself clearly, and could play without mashing my pick into the strings. What a difference! Further, the Rolls switch worked like a charm. It was very easy to mute the mic before switching to my electric.
A final step I may eventually take would be to add an XLR A/B Switch after the Rolls. That way I could alternate between two mixer channels, a softer one for rhythm, and a louder one for leads. Even when we have the luxury of a sound guy who could turn up a guitar solo on the fly, it often takes them a couple seconds to recognize that there is a guitar solo going on, and sometimes when the solo is only 8 bars, they miss it entirely. However, because it would be plugged into two channels of the mixer, I would have to make sure phantom power was disabled, because it could damage the mic to receive both channels worth of phantom power.
Also, the last gig we played with monitors, and boy, did I miss having my own monitor. I think I may have to step up and buy a smaller powered speaker, such as the Mackie SRM150 , or the larger Mackie SRM350v2 - because clearly, I need to bring more stuff to a gig....
Resilient Sound Clips are used to soundproof walls in ceilings by decoupling one side of the structure from the other. This allows each side to vibrate independently and drastically cut down on the sound transfer. Click here to read an in depth article explaining decoupling.
The best decoupling methods involve using resilient sound clips which are attached to ceiling/wall joists, Metal Furring Channels are then snapped into the channels and the drywall is fastened to the channels. This system is also called a "Floating Wall/Ceiling". More details can be found on the product pages of our clips. Gains of up to 20 STC point can be achieved by adding this system to a wall and ceiling.
Trademark Soundproofing sells the highest quality Resilient sound clips including: Whisper Clips, RSIC-1 clips and our TMS Silent clips at discounted prices. Click on one of the products below and please check out the Product Data, Installation Guide and more on the product pages.
A budget friendly High Quality Resilient Sound Clip. Made from fire resistent material, this clips meets the industries highest standards and can add from 15 to 20 STC points to your walls and ceilings. Also greatly increases the IIC ratings for floors and helps mitigate footstep and other impact sound. In stock and ready to ship within 1 business day! with an easy return policy.
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