Russ Berger of RBDG

Russ Berger of RBDG is one of the leading media facility designers in the world. Russ has developed many of the most commonly applied design/build practices for professional audio and residential audio spaces. If you are unfamiliar with Russ Berger, it is worth your time to browse www.RBDG.com. Russ has a great “heart” for audio and excellence.

Question answers:

I guess I would have to answer 5-Crucial to each question you pose. There isn't an area that could I would consider unimportant.

Best

Russ

Here are Russ’s comments:

I am of the firm opinion that electronic measures cannot correct the majority of acoustical problems or address the challenges we face in the design of small room acoustics. We cannot electronically “fix” the results of inappropriate room dimensions, a lack of appropriate volume for the listening space, inadequate distance from source and boundaries, room mode anomalies, resonances related to room volume, poor source and listener placement, HVAC (Heating Ventilating & Air Conditioning) noise, inadequate sound transmission loss, acoustically driven mechanical buzzes and panel resonances, poor finish choices, inappropriate spectral decay time, etc…the list goes on.

That being said, there are many things that modern electronic techniques can do to make a good system sound even better, when the room's acoustical issues have first been properly addressed. We have been involved with electronic architecture from its very beginnings, incorporating it into our design work where appropriate. However, one must be careful to avoid the pitfalls of misguided and sometimes unscrupulous salespeople who would have you apply expensive electronic Band-Aids and perfume, trading one set of problems for another, only to mask an acoustical problem that should rightly be corrected via non-electronic means.

So, in planning an accurate and enjoyable listening and viewing environment there isn't one single area in the design process that is unimportant. Every material is an acoustical material and, for better or worse, the room and speakers act together as a system. The thing to remember in applying solutions is to keep a balanced approach (beware that “when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem may begin to look like a nail”), manage the process (success is found in getting the details right), and above all listen (don’t be confused by what your are “supposed” to hear, trust your own ears).

Most of our clients are interested in the results, in achieving a reliable experience, not so much in understanding the actual process of designing, documenting, and constructing a theater. However, some clients really enjoy having a look under the hood. The avid audio/theater-phile is usually very engaged with the latest equipment and accessories, but significantly less so with regard to the acoustics, architecture, and interior design of these critical listening/viewing environments.

When we have the opportunity to work with a hobbyist that wants to get his hands dirty and be engaged in the design process, we love that, but to provide this educational service it usually costs a bit more and the process takes a little longer...like the old joke about design fees: it costs more if you watch and double that if you help. For those clients who express interest, we give them open sesame into our design protocol and include and immerse them in the process.

The wisdom and depth of understanding acquired through a lifetime's career experience of designing theaters, screening rooms, record studios, and broadcast facilities cannot be adequately communicated through an article filled with simplistic “cookbook” solutions on the subject. The best way to learn about these things is to hire someone who knows what they are doing and work through the design process with them. While I love sharing what I know and frequently lecture at universities and professional organizations around the world, I’m oftentimes pained to share in 10 minutes what took me 10 years of research and experimentation to uncover.

Acoustical design is part art and part science. It’s an applied science that deals with personal perception. So, if you don’t otherwise mind rebuilding your room a few times, then have fun experimenting, reinventing the wheel, and slogging through myth, in search of acoustical truths.