The Hat Factory: Live Music Venue Acoustic Treatment

First-class live sound is essential in places like the Hat Factory in Richmond, Virginia. Acoustical Solutions installed acoustic panels that worked perfectly for sound reduction and sound absorption in the 22,000 sq. ft. music and event venue.

From bands and DJs to theme parties and private events, the Hat Factory in Richmond, Va. wears many…well, hats.

In a single week, patrons can attend a circus-themed dance party, ride a mechanical bull at a country party, see a nationally-touring music act, and attend a wedding.

The one underlying aspect running throughout everything that happens at the Hat Factory is good sound, and until Acoustical Solutions was contacted, good sound wasn’t the venue’s forte.

The Acoustical Solutions sales team, who have extensive experience in the live sound industry, explained the sound situation. We knew The Hat Factory had a fantastic PA system, but the room didn’t optimize the sound system. There were so many hard surfaces that the echo was really bad and concert-goers just couldn’t appreciate the music.

To combat those hard surfaces, we installed almost 40 AlphaSorb® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels on the walls, balcony faces, and ceiling in the 22,000 sq. ft. facility.

AlphaSorb® Acoustic Panels are used for sound reduction and reverberation control and come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

The acoustic panels’ other applications include houses of worship, teleconferencing and videoconferencing rooms, broadcast and recording studios, multi-purpose rooms, home theaters, and auditoriums.

As a result of the work Acoustical Solutions did with the Hat Factory, the Richmond venue now has excellent sound quality for all of its events. The room finally caught up with the sound system.

Rahn Drewen, the sound engineer at the Hat Factory, said, “I can say that the biggest difference we’ve noticed is the deadened echo. The room used to have a problem with sound bouncing all around.”

“This made it difficult to pinpoint who was playing what parts in a song,” he added. “Now it’s much easier to see what changes need to be made to make the song sound the way we want.”