The Film Daily (1930)

THE Sunday, December 28, 1930 DAILY EQUIPMENT e BOOTH Correction of Bad Acoustics Simplified by Set of Rules An easy cure for poor acoustics, by a simple system embracing curves and rules for determining need for <ound treatment in audience rooms, and readily understandable without complication by any owner of a the;iter_or auditorium, has been discussed in a practical manner by Paul E. Sabine, Ph.D., in a hand book published by the Acoustical Division of the Western Felt Works of Chicago. The cause and cure of poor acoustics as related by Dr. Sabine is as follows: "Soft, fibrous, porous materials, such as draperies, carpets, the upholstering of seats and the clothing of the audience absorb sound much more strongly than do hard non-porous materials. All absorbent materials in a room contribute to what is called its total absorbing power. Increasing the total absorbing power reduces the reverberation in a room. In some cases these natural factors are to keep reverberation from being excessive. In other cases, oart cularly in rooms in which no attention was paid to acoustics in de-ign, the absorption is too small and the reverberation is correspondingly great. Sometimes where the average audience is much smaller than the total seating capacity a theater may be ■atisfactory when all the seats are filled, and acoustically poor when only a small audience is present. "The remedy in such cases is to install a highly sound-absorbent material in sufficient quantity to bring the reverberat'on time down to what it should be. Precise determination .if the reverberation time of an existing room, and the treatment necessary for its correction, requires a detailed study of the plans." In the rules set forth in this booklet Dr. Sab ne has suggested a simplified procedure for determining whether acoustical treatment of the theater will help, and it is stated that in a large percentage of cases this will be bound to be sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes. With Jie rules, the theater man can determine for himself whether or not he should invest in acoustical treatment and, if so, how much and where it hould be applied. Roth Actodector Designed For Sound Equipment Use The Roth actodector, constructed so as to be especially suitable for use with sound equipment in maintaining projection arcs of uniform intensity and unvarying brilliance even during change over, is a product of Roth Brothers & Co. of Chicago. This actodector provides a dependable, safe and economical source of direct current power, which is supplied at the proper voltage required for the most satisfactory operation of projection arcs, particularly in sound and color installations, the company claims. It is made in both two-bearing and four-bearing types, various sizes from 20 to 400 ampere capacity, and standard voltages of 70, 75, 85 and 100 volts. THEATRE ALTERATIONS then phone IRWIN D. RATHSTONK Dttii»rr *md BmiUtr raojBcnoN booths 1)2 W. 42nd St. New York Cily Tel. Wiicooiin 0842-727 I "MOIIEKN MOTION PICTURES MEED Willi: SCREEN PRESENT ATION" The Peter Clark Screen Adjustor can be enlarged or contracted to fit any size film. It fulfills all the demands of the present motion picture and has anticipated the needs of the future. Equip now and be ready for better pictures and bigger profits. Further information upon request. "Stage Equipment with a Reputation" PETER CLARK INC. 540 West 30th Street New York, N. Y. ALTERATIONS Dallas — The Arcadia, operated by Publix, is now undergoing acoustical treatment. Louisville — The Opera house, managed by Hugh Geiselman, is being redecorated and installing new draperies. Seattle — The Coliseum is being remodeled. Osterville, Mass. — Extensive improvements are being made to the theater here now under new management. The old seating system is being replaced with modern theater seats, new talking picture machines are being installed and the building is being redecorated. Southbridge, Mass. — Southbridge Theater Operating Co. has leased the Phelps Theater Building and plans complete remodeling of the house and the installation of sound equipment at an estimated cost of $40,000. Burlington, la. — The Central States Theater Corp. is planning to rebuild the Rialto, of this city which was destroyed by fire. Preliminary plans call for the expenditure of about $75,000. Carbon Jaw of Unique Design A carbon holder known as the Gem, of unique design in that the arrangement of upper and lower jaws compels the contact on the carbon to be constant, thereby reducing pitting and arcing to a minimum, is being manufactured by the Fogelberg Engineering Co. of Chicago. New Convertible Lens Offered The Bifocal F2.0 Super-Lite, a new convertible projection lens is being marketed by the Projection Optics, Inc., of Rochester, N. Y. NO GENERAL ADOPTION YET FOR SPOOR BERGGREN IDEA After trial showings in connection with RKO's "Danger Lights" at the State-Lake, Chicago, and the Mayfair, New York, the Spoor-Berggren "natural vision" system is being temporarily held in abeyance. General adoption of the idea, which is along the lines of third dimension, is said to be too costly to warrant the changeover at this time. Named Ohio Distributors Cleveland — The Oliver Supply Co. has been named northern Ohio distributor for Fox sound equipment. ASBESTOS we have it BLUE SEAL ASBESTOS CORP. 264 Wyckoff St., near Nevins Brooklyn, New York Triangle 0290 Distributors for Johns-Manville Corp. Draperies Decoration! Magnascope Screcm 340 W. 4 In St. DECORATIVE PLANTS Trees, Flowers, Hanging Baskets, etc. for Orchestra Pits, Lobbies and Foyers Write for Catalogue No. 3 of Artificial Flowers, Plants, etc., MAILED FREE. FRANK NETSCHERT, Inc 61 BARCLAY ST., N. Y. Phone: Barclay 0166