Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

TOP AUDIO QUALITY WITH NEW ACOUSTICS High quality sound has been achieved in the Palm Springs Theatre, Hialeah, Fla., by the use of Geocoustic unit absorbers arranged in an attractive pattern on the auditorium walls. Use of "patch" technique allows hard surfaces to help reinforce sound for maximum clarity. The absorbers are ISVz-inch-square blocks of glass foam. This view of the back wall shows the only ceiling treatment. Three rows of unit absorbers were used next to the rear wall. The units are of open-celled foamed glass and are unaffected by moisture. Both the units and the walls are painted an Arabian gold color. Less-expensive hard plaster ceiling was used and the walls are of concrete block. The Geocoustic absorbers were simply installed with adhesive and only one mechanical fastener each. A NEW AND SIMPLIFIED method Of acoustical treatment for motion picture theatres was incorporated in the 1,200-seat Palm Springs Theatre recently opened in Hialeah, Fla., by Wometco Enterprises, Inc. The normal practice of installing an expensive acoustic tile ceiling and also covering the walls with absorption material was bypassed. Instead, Architect A. Herbert Mathes of Miami designed a highly functional building using a standard plaster ceiling throughout. The walls are painted concrete block. An acoustic environment that yields controlled reverberation and clarity of the original sound was achieved by the use of individual Geocoustic® unit absorbers on the side and rear walls. AN ATTRACTIVE PATTERN Arranged in an attractive pattern, the total of 2,045 units are distributed for the most effective acoustic performance. There are 696 units on the rear wall. Three rows, totaling 167 units, are installed on the ceiling immediately next to the rear wall. The balance of 1,182 units is split between the two side walls, with the farthest forward bay having only 96 units set in spreaddiamond patterns. According to Wometco vice-president, Harvey Fleischman, “Scientific tests, employing a test reel loaned by RCA Laboratories, were conducted after installation of the Geocoustic units and these tests showed almost 100 per cent perfect sound control was achieved with the Geocoustic absorbers. There was undistorted sound throughout all audience portions of the theatre even with the house not filled to capacity.” ® A regstered trademark of the Pittsburgh Corning Corp. The test reel referred to is designed to bring out the worst acoustic qualities of any theatre in which it is played. Produced for RCA by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it contains numerous sharp reports and explosive sounds of both high and low frequency, as well as a full range of intermediates, both vocal and musical. Geocoustic unit absorbers, a product of the Pittsburgh Corning Corp., are 13 V2 inch-square blocks of two-inch-thick glass foam. The millions of tiny glass cells are interconnected. Over 1,600 precision-cut holes of predetermined depth lead from both front and rear surfaces. Built-in projections at the back of each unit hold it away from the wall, allowing the back to function as an absorbing surface and also create the effect of a resonant chamber. Continued on following page 1 : s t ; i 1 1 1 J M it 1 j, 5. 1 ; | 1 1 | j y # J 4 J it § . | 1 i ;■ { || j The Palm Springs auditorium has monochromatic decor in tones of gold. There is no carpeting, but a rubberized tile in the aisles. Air conditioning is in six individual units, each of ten-ton capacity, so that it one goes out, the whole theatre is not affected. BOXOFFICE :: October 21, 1963 13