Troubled by Studio Build

[r0ck1r0ck2]

sorry for the long post, but i'm going nuts.

so here i am..
(see crap drawing.)
[please note: all measurements are after the proposed walls/floors are built.]

any help laying out the control room would be greatly appreciated.

as of right now no walls except for the exteriors are standing..(horizontal black lines)

there is, as noted on the drawing, an asshole in the space next to mine that has 2 of the most aweful air compressors around.

i plan on bitching to the landlord when the lease gets renewed in october about these.

maybe get the bastard to raise the evil one off the ground on some sort of rubber/shock absorber..

i plan on building up the wall between his place and mine using dense rockwool and 2 sheets of MDF..caulked and all that.

could i just put the mdf right on the existing wall or should i use beams and rockwall in between?

the place is in an industrial neighborhood..as such there are many trucks and idiots who think they are racecar drivers..construction...the whole lot..
it's ugly

so i'm going to have to do some serious isolation from that noise as well..

again..2 sheets of MDF (6mm or so)
and maybe some drywall..
lots and lots of Rockwool

i've managed to dumpster some really heavy ass doors so i'm not all that worried about them..of course i will be putting in some super duty frames to keep things airtight.

the floor.. well how would i go about that..

i would like to raise it by 20 or so cents
2 layers of MDF
lots of Rockwool
and maybe these Neoprene Blocks for the Frame to rest on..

would the floor frame need to be made of wood?
or could i use aluminum studs..

wood is quite a bit more expensive in europe than it is in the great northwestern u.s.

that is why nearly everything in spain is made from stupid mdf or brick.

sorry for the rant and thanks for the help!

[Jack Pettit]

Get a book on studio construction.
I'm not trying to be a wise guy it just sounds like you need some in depth help.

[ajcamlet]

kill the guy next door, lease his space- sublet it to someone you know.

i'm half joking. about the killing that is.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

lovely..

i need more encouragement to murder this dork..

half kidding..

any suggestions for a studio construction book?

thanks for the suggestions lads

[Kris]

Acoustics 101 from the Auralex site is great. I'm no expert but you'd probably do best by floating your floors and building another wall that doesn't make any contact with the existing wall...

Acoustics 101...Practical guidelines for acoustic construction: building a sound studio, listening room, home theater room, and any other sound control room project.

[Reptil]

I got this and it's a real world practical how-to book, rather than a textbook.
Jeff Cooper, Building a recording studio ISBN 0-916899-00-4

[Byrne]

Originally Posted by Reptil

I got this and it's a real world practical how-to book, rather than a textbook.
Jeff Cooper, Building a recording studio ISBN 0-916899-00-4

Definitely a good text. It was our standard reference in my acoustics class and still makes my brain hurt in good ways when I look at it.

[joeq]

F Alton Everest's Master Handbook of Acoustics is a good book

I think you are on the right track putting your hallway up as an insulator between you and the compressors. But low frequency noise is going to travel through the frame of building no matter what your walls do.

Decoupling and mass are your only hopes. Room within a room.

Is the guy an 'asshole' for any other reason than because he requires air compressors to do HIS work? Can he be reasoned with? flies/honey/vinegar etc. etc. Maybe instead of fighting with him you could bribe him.

Or is the vibe already poisoned? How much does the landlord actually give a crap about your problems with this guy's compressors?

Paying to insulate, elevate or even relocate his compressors could be significantly cheaper than trying to build a wall that would block the sound. Even if you have to pay more than just his 'costs'. Buy him a newer, quieter compressor?

You did not specify how far along you are in construction or how locked-in you are to your current situation, but it is my firm belief that excessive local noise is the most intractable problem in any studio build and that finding a different place almost always ends up being the preferable solution.

I hate to be a downer, but I speak from bitter experience and the close observation of the bitter experience of others.

You may recoil in horror at the thought of starting over somewhere else, but if your alternative is 3 or 4 years of misery and unsatisfactory recordings and THEN starting over somewhere else anyway, NOW which do you prefer?

[Stick]

Here's a ridiculous amount of information. 90% of the knowledge I used to build mine came from there.

The Recording Studio Design Forum

And here's the book that came out just after I finished, though Rod is one of the very knowledgeable contributors to the site above.

Rod Gervais' book, Home Recording Studio: Build It like the Pros

Good luck! You'll love it when it's done... but it's not an easy process.

[T_R_S]

Hire an experienced professional. They will save you time and money.
They will know lots of shortcuts a cool simple things to help you out.
If you planning a studio that you are going to be in for 25+ years do it right the first time. Renovating an existing facility is expense and time consuming.
If your mixing a record your not going to go a library and pick up a book and become an expert overnight.
Building a studio is far more complex than any project you will ever record.

[orksnork]

check out the forum on johnlsayers.com

if you can actual get them to help you, they're quite a good resource.
i'd give you more help...but Terminator 2 just came on.