George Patton, said (roughly) "a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed next week". We agree. These planning tips can help you avoid "lurking" problems so you can execute sooner rather than later.

It was all going smoothly. You measured twice and drew up a good plan. You were confident enough to order an acoustical tuning system and clear the room for installation. Then, unexpectedly, “things” started to unravel...curtains, window(s), a light switch, a thermostat, the ceiling height was slightly different. Then more: a door width wasn’t considered; the fireplace heat brought new concerns and consideration to planned placement; artwork placement made that 2nd row of 2D diffusers impossible; a friend who was initially on board told you the plan, and the way you’re living your life, needed a change. Let’s take these things one at a time to bring some sanity to the situation.

1. Relax. There is a workaround. You will solve the problem. It’s not game over. You have resources. You’re not alone. Breathe... Once calm, take a long, hard look at the specific problem. Survey the surrounding components and furnishings. Consider the seating position(s). Take inventory of the available components and mounting options. Now take the rest of the day off. Grab your spouse. Go see a movie in a public theater with recliners that stick to your butt to remind yourself of the original motivation for the project. Have a nice dinner. Drink a bottle of wine and take an Uber home. You are a percolator. Percolate. Let the answer come to you.

2. After you think you have a plan, call in your friend or spouse and explain to them, out loud, how you are planning to adjust the placement of acoustical components. Have them repeat the plan back to you. Ask for their opinion of the plan. Show them how you thought through the plan both for placement and acoustical considerations. If it doesn’t translate out loud, adjust, compensate.  

Find where the plan missed the mark and start there. Remember, you may have to go back several steps to make things right. Don’t worry, you have patch putty and touch up paint, don’t you? Otherwise, be ready to (joyfully) repaint the entire wall - which, if nothing else, will remind you how significant the improvements will be and the lengths to which you are willing to go.

3. Order different or additional materials, or consider modifying the mounting system. You might find the ½ size Decosorber Natur 0.5 panels to be the perfect solution when used as singles or in a small or large array. You can special order 24”x24” absorber panels instead of the 24"x48” versions. Can you cut panels to fit? Almost always a bad idea. Call us first before you make that potential mistake. If you read this article after you have butchered a panel, relax. We have more. If you need wall clearance, consider using spacers for the magnetic mounting system under the washers that mount on the wall. These could be simple nylon spacers and longer screws from your local hardware store. If they will show, consider painting them black after roughing up the finish so the paint sticks.

4. You did mark the layout with blue painter's tape first, right? We don’t want to say, “We told you so,” but this exercise may have prevented the log jam in the first place. Here are some tips to do things the right way the first time. Buy a 24” level with measuring markings in both metric and inches. Most acoustical components are 24” square or close to it.  Get one of those wide carpenter's pencils and a box knife to keep it sharp.  

Make sure you have a 1” or wider 25’ measuring tape. Buy a good one for a change. Blue painter's tape should be ¾” or 1” wide. Don’t use regular masking tape. Completely outline the shape with painter's tape. This will help you visualize the outcome. Make little marks where the tape will go – no need to make lines the whole length of the tape path. If you make a mistake, there is way less to erase. Measure and mark your tape path ¼” shorter on all sides - top, bottom, left and right. This way the 24" square will actually be a 23-1/2 “ square and won’t show as you fine tune and square up your panel application. No blue edges showing. Read this twice.

5. Consider a radical approach.  Hire a carpenter to move the door, remove part of the wall, or blow out that bar with the dusty red velvet grill the previous owners built into the room. Hire an electrical contractor to move a light switch or thermostat. Move the front of the room to a different wall. Build a riser or raise the screen. Reverse your layout plan. Be bold. Show those around you that you’re a big picture thinker. You might just solve other problems in the process. Have the electrical contractor run a dedicated 20 A circuit for your electronics.  Install one of those fancy Nest thermostats. Move and enlarge a noisy air exhaust duct or enlarge an air return to quiet the room down. Install a new energy efficient window or door seal kit. Run the whole plan by those that matter. Have courage and follow through.

6. Hire a pro. We offer various services, for a fee, to design a professional acoustical placement plan for your room using the same tools and expertise we use on $1M screening rooms! We need your room measurements, eight pictures of your room taken in a specific way, an equipment list, and a few days depending on the current workload. This way you can be sure you made the right system purchase decision, have the correct application plan, and enjoy a professional outcome. As you might guess, we have other fee-based services that can take this whole thing to the next level. We can recommend specific components and solutions to take your room and system and bottom-line enjoyment to world-class status!  

7. Hire a contractor. Ask around for a referral and be specific about what was good and bad about the person.

Enjoy yourself, and thanks for inviting us into your music and home theater room!

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