Amish Electric Chair Studios - Athens, Ohio

[Brenton]

Yeah I'll nominate you. (not that that means anything)

Now, how about a November update?

[amishsixstringe]

Sure thingssss. The construction company I work(ed) for ran out of work and laid off all of its laborers, so it has been slow. If you guys know of any any small projects (recording or otherwise), or employment in SE Ohio, please do let me know...

I have 3 simple photos for you.

I finally finished this stupid retaining wall and driveway with a drain in it. There is still more concrete to put down, but that's it for the year outside.



I decided to raise the floor up a couple inches and tile it with marble in the air lock/machine room.



Framing is about half done for the big room. You can see the inverted truss system that is used for the ceiling joyce. It also uses a 'strongback T beam'. Without the truss, the load bearing walls would push outward. I didn't like the idea of putting buttresses inside the room, so the beams will actually pull the walls together, the more weight that is put on the joyce. There are also going to be decoupling isolation springs to take about 500 pounds off of the ceiling framing and transfer it to the roof.



I have also put exterior lights up, and have been wiring star grounded electrical recepticals in the big room. HVAC mufflers and recessed lighting boxes are being made for the big room, too.

The control room is pretty much halted until the big room is done. I am trying to get all the dirty, dusty stuff out of the way, before resuming with finish work.

Love you all,

Neil

[Brenton]

Ahh, thats better thanks.

Looks good, sorry to hear about your job, hope that gets sorted quickly.

[bee]

I'm impressed...that QRD diffusor looks great!

[kickdrummer58]

Love this build.

[amishsixstringe]

Here are some older phone pictures I thought I would share:

Here is what the driveway drain system looks like before crushed stone and concrete go in. The 4" pipe underneath has a "T" every 3 feet that ties into the trough drain. As a test, I filled 30-5 gallon buckets with water and dumped them all at the same time. It should simulate close to 2" of rainfall in a few seconds. The drain took every bit of it in about 20 seconds. My dumb irrigation problem is finally over.

Also, the 2x6 braces were put in to keep pushback on the retaining wall, while the driveway was excavated. The bottom course of blocks became exposed, losing all of it's 'toe'. So, that's what those bad boys are.



Here is the panel for inside the control room. I have no labels of any sort yet. I made the panel from 16g steel. I no longer work at a CNC shop, so I am looking for some sort of creative, but not ugly labeling method. Does anyone know a good place that makes decals?



Thanks dudes.

Neil

[heyman]

Neil.. great stuff.. All the best to you and don't give up.. You are almost there..!

[amishsixstringe]

For those of you who are watching this build, you can also follow it on facebook. I usually give daily updates there and then just sum up a bunch of time on here. Just come by and 'like' the page if you have the time. Thanks dudes.

Amish Electric Chair Studios | Facebook

Neil

[muziekschuur]

Neill. Two thumbs up.

[nms]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

I used the interenet as a resource for learning all of these trades. I learned to lay blocks on youtube and various masonry forums.

Neil... you are the superhero of DIY'ers! Holy shiza... this build has been epic!
Total coverage.. I feel like I was there to see it all go down hahaha.

A huge bow to you for your undertaking and self reliance!

[zijon]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

Here is the panel for inside the control room. I have no labels of any sort yet. I made the panel from 16g steel. I no longer work at a CNC shop, so I am looking for some sort of creative, but not ugly labeling method. Does anyone know a good place that makes decals?


Thanks dudes.

Neil

Hey!
I am researching the same thing right now. I talked to a guy who works in a print shop and he said he could print my lables, drill and cut markers and everything on brushed aluminum. for a few dollars per panel. sounds promising. I'll keep you updated if i pull through with it.

[amishsixstringe]

Originally Posted by zijon

Hey!
I am researching the same thing right now. I talked to a guy who works in a print shop and he said he could print my lables, drill and cut markers and everything on brushed aluminum. for a few dollars per panel. sounds promising. I'll keep you updated if i pull through with it.

Cool man, keep me posted. I may actually end up remaking the panel I have done. I don't like it. It is flexible, and when I plug an XLR cable in it just moves a bit, which bothers me. I mayyyyyy be working in a machine shop again soon, so if that happens I am going to just CNC all the panels out of billet aluminum and have them anodized and engrave them on the CNC too.

P.S. Thanks to all the people that came here and followed me over to my facebook page. Here is that address again: Amish Electric Chair Studios | Facebook


Neil

[aidanod22]

Neil, this build is amazing - i have been a reader / observer on here for a while but i signed up just so i could follow this amazing thread!

i hope the studio is sounding awesome - 1 question though (forgive me if its a dumb one) it looks like the ceilings in all 3 rooms are a lot lower than the main structures celling, any reason (apart from isolation?) you built the structure so high?

Thanks. good luck with the rest of the build!

[amishsixstringe]

That's not a dumb question. Thanks for asking. The live room goes almost all the way up to the bottom chord of the roof trusses. The Control room has a 10' ceiling that makes for even modal distribution in that room. This also is where all of the HVAC stuff goes. It is suspended from the roof trusses above the control room. The air lock and ISO are 8' ceilings, just because I really have no need for them to be higher and drywall is 8' long from the factory.

The ceiling in the big room is over 13' in the center. This was something I did somewhat as an afterthought. I did lose some volume by vaulting the ceiling, but I honestly did it mostly because it looks cool. It solves some flutter echo issues too, even though those are pretty easily handled by absorbers/diffusion. I Want to maintain a sort of live room, so the vaulted ceiling allows for less diffusion and absorption up there.

Thanks for watching.

Neil

[erikdrink]

Keep on!

[aidanod22]

Great - that makes sense, and thanks for answering so quickly!

I look forward to the next set of photos.

Thanks.

[amishsixstringe]

I'm glad I could clear that up.

I did get a new job. A big boy job for once. Things should pick up at the studio a bit now. It's been super cold out there. I have 2 space heaters running, but it's a big building. I am almost ready for the heat pump installation, so that should make life a bit more comfy.

I'm hoping things start to happen a little quicker now. We will see.

Neil

[heyman]

Neil, if you need some work done, I work at at a school out here on the east Coast and we have a machine shop. They have some guys that do work on the side.. Let me know if you need some contacts.

All the best.

[amishsixstringe]

Hey, thanks for offer. I am a machinist. I always have been. I just started working as a machinist again today for the first time in 4 years, though. Feels great.

Neil

[themaidsroom]

Neil.
So inspiring to see this thread for the first
time today.
May all of the positive forces of the universe continue
to bless you.

What a great space.

Thank You

be well

- Jack

[exploded]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

Hey, thanks for offer. I am a machinist. I always have been. I just started working as a machinist again today for the first time in 4 years, though. Feels great.

Neil

Hey man - I've been following this thread forever (I subscribed back when you first put it up), but this is the first time that I've chimed in, I think. That's awesome you got the job!!! Congrats!!!

[Jesser]

Have you considered a Kickstarter to raise some building funds? I for one would pay $40 for a cool Amish Electric Chair T-Shirt, and I would imagine at least 100 other people would.

[7thbass]

I am surrounded by lazy people who have no sense of urgency. Incapable of providing for themselves. This thread is a testament to the kind of self-sufficiency that was the hallmark of former generations.

Big fan. Best of luck.

[Grindlefinch]

Originally Posted by 7thbass

. This thread is a testament to the kind of self-sufficiency that was the hallmark of former generations.

Big fan. Best of luck.

Ditto for me too. I have been following this for ages. The part where you made molds to create cinderblocks was heartbreakingly inspiring. I wish you all the best. To see such drive, focus and passion is a rarity these days. You keep us other diligent workers out here honest. Continued success my friend.

[amishsixstringe]

Hey dudes. I got a little work done over the holidays. I got to spend a lot of time with family and loved ones, which I am grateful for, but it's finally back to work! Here's a shot of some framing in my 'big room'. Almost all of the ceiling joists are in, as well as the massive beams that run inside of the roof in order to hold the vaulted ceiling from pushing out the walls. It's a sort of buttress.



And a sort of shot at the ceiling.



I like this cool darkish one too:



Framing is coming to completion soon. Should FINALLY have HVAC in the next month or two as well. Good Bye kerosene heaters.

[gearz]

Is there still enough money being spent on recording in the industry to warrant building such an expensive studio?

[kickdrummer58]

Originally Posted by gearz

Is there still enough money being spent on recording in the industry to warrant building such an expensive studio?

Regardless, if you are passionate, talented, and have the money to do so why wouldn't you? I'm not making a lot of money but I'm reinvesting ever payout back into my studio. Im having fun and have also had some really cool things happen in the process. If you don't try you will never know.

[DirkB]

If you think about it for a minute, recording music less from a business perspective (trying to earn money from recording) and more from a passionate perspective (putting your heart and soul and any money you might earn from it into your studio) makes perfect sense to me.

Actually, that's exactly what I am doing too.

Anyways, back to a very cool build project.

Best of luck,
Dirk

[gearz]

Actually my question was out of curiosity because the reasons you state...are exactly why I'm doing it. I just love recording. I don't care about making money at it. I mean...I might make some by helping people with small projects...but really this is for myself and my own stuff.

I showed my wife some of what you guys are doing and I said, "Ha!...You think I'm spending money...look at what these guys are doing."

Shen then realized that my little studio dreams are actually reasonable compared to my budget.

[gravyface]

Originally Posted by gearz

Actually my question was out of curiosity because the reasons you state...are exactly why I'm doing it. I just love recording. I don't care about making money at it. I mean...I might make some by helping people with small projects...but really this is for myself and my own stuff.

I showed my wife some of what you guys are doing and I said, "Ha!...You think I'm spending money...look at what these guys are doing."

Shen then realized that my little studio dreams are actually reasonable compared to my budget.

In the exact same boat. Right now, I have my home office ("control room") and 1/4 of the unfinished basement where we rehearse/record ("tracking room"). Next up are modular treatments so that when I do actually put up some walls, it can be reused. Next on the list is a cloud over the drums, early reflection wall treatments in control room and some portable gobos for the tracking area.