A little story…
The CoolTrap was conceived by an architect helping to design a mobile audio truck for a very large audio company. This large, diverse company makes top-of-the-line professional audio gear including mixing consoles, monitor speakers, recording devices, and PA systems. They also make fine pianos, drum kits, and even motorcycles. As one would expect from such a successful company, they insisted on the best appearance and sound quality in their mobile pro audio demo truck.
The designer knew that the demo rooms would be used by several people simultaneously, so the “sweet spot” would have to be huge in order for everyone to experience the audio gear at its finest. Additionally, the hard, rigid walls used in the construction of the truck were mostly parallel and untreated – a recipe for comb filtering, flutter echo, and general sonic chaos. The next limitation was the particular appearance of the treatment: it had to fit within the existing decor that the architect and marketing experts had established. Finally, as is so often the case when people call ASC for custom solutions, 400 square feet of a brand new product were needed in three weeks.
Standard sound absorbing panels were out, since they were not diffusive enough to provide a large enough “sweet spot.” TubeTraps were out because of truck size restraints and excessive weight. Studio poly-diffusers were not practical because of limited wall space, but they gave us an idea to work with.
After some brainstorming between the on-site Architect and ASC engineers, project managers, and production crew, a visual design was submitted by the Architect which had been approved by the client. This slick little device was basically a narrow studio poly, cut short with beveled ends. As we fumbled and scrambled through prototypes, we arrived at the proper combination of materials and adhesives to bring the vision to life. A CoolTrap test unit was submitted, and everyone loved it!
ASC went to work building jigs and fixtures, and completed one pallet worth of units at a time, and shipped them out to be installed in the truck.
The CoolTrap fits into many applications. But here is a very unusual one. A customer had an old fashioned deep coffer ceiling. This deep millwork acts to hold the sound right where it is being made, loudly overhead. Adding a sound panel to the flat coffered ceiling surface overhead would make the area below way too quiet, and stand out in high contrast to the reflective rest of the ceiling. They wanted something smoother and yet significantly reduce the overhead loudness.
