Steve's new Recording Studio from the start

[SiliconAudioLab]

Why is the forklift driver's face blanked out? Is he gonna be on the next "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" album?

Studio's startin' to shape up.

[shady656]

America's Most Wanted Heavy Machinery Operators....Wed nights on Fox....

[marcin]

great work!
by the way is it big difference to use aluminium wall frames instead of wood frames?

[stevep]

SiliconAudioLab Why is the forklift driver's face blanked out? Is he gonna be on the next "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" album?

shady656 America's Most Wanted Heavy Machinery Operators....Wed nights on Fox....

SHE..... Cant sing....... needs some $$ so she is doing some side jobs.

[stevep]

New years day ! 2006

I hope at this time next year I will look back at 2006 and be able to say that all this work and investment has been worth it as i have sold everything I have,,, home, boats, trucks, and everything else I could to invest into this studio.
Following Gods direction to build a music ministry / Christian recording studio and production co.

I received the last load of drywall and 16 ft 2x4s last week and have the rear wall of the control room framed and started the drywall last night.

This wall is a double wall and is set 10 '' apart with 13" of insulation slightly compressed to dampen the drywall , there will be 3 layers of drywall on the inside and 2 layers on the outside of all the control room walls.

The sound lock is connecting the control room to the break room and office area and will have double doors.

I will start on the front control room wall this week

This build is taking me so long and is wearing me down... I cant wait to be done with this.

Also is the added stress of the console financing and all the other gear that i need to purchase

If any one knows of a SSL 4056 G or 4072 G for a good deal please let me know

I am stepping out in faith praying that God will provide work when i open the doors for recording.

Happy new year !!

steve

[stevep]

The last of the drywall...... I hope .....

[stevep]

the last ???????????

[stevep]

my friend the forklift

[stevep]

control room rear wall

[stevep]

Outside of the sound lock

[stevep]

Controll room side of the sound lock

[stevep]

rear control room wall

[SiliconAudioLab]

Cool - halucination bubbles in the pics.

That's a sign of good luck ghosts!

[stevep]

Sheetrock started

[shangoe]

steve, will your recordingroom be build floating? do you have some schemes that you can show to us?


great project, thinking of building my own room , but dont know if i can afford the costs. how much approximately will the material cost insulation, sheetrock wood...


thx!

[stevep]

shangoe steve, will your recordingroom be build floating?

The rooms are isolated by (cut) seprate concrete slabs
I decided not to raise the control room floor like my last room to avoid the steps between the rooms.

great project, thinking of building my own room , but dont know if i can afford the costs. how much approximately will the material cost insulation, sheetrock wood...

This studio is approximately 2000 sq. ft. and will require enough insulation , drywall, and lumber to build two 2000 SQ. ft. homes !
Just an estimate.... but so far I have used over 4000 sq. ft of 6 3/4' fiberglass insulation, 150 2x4x16s 120 2x6x8s 150 2x4x8s and around 400 sheets of 5/8" drywall ! plus all the acoustical caulk, mud+tape, screws, nails, joist hangers, ect........ And i haven’t even installed the 8 doors, control room window, (2 sheets of glass one 1/2" laminated and one 1/4" sheet) , the isolation booths (with windows), HVAC system separate for each room, electrical wiring, lighting, all the audio wiring will most likely be around 3000 ft of 3 pair wire.
And then the acoustical treatment and wood flooring..... what did i forget...?
Wow i am getting tired just thinking about this

I am not sure how much material costs are in your part of the world.
Just a guess but a pro recording studio might cost two times as much as a house of the same size.

You may be able to build a small home studio for very little $ if you don’t need to much sound proofing.

steve

[twjolly]

Hi Steve,

Nice work ! It's looking very good !

Just wondering, are you in Orange County California or in Florida?
I'm in OC, CA.

Regards,

TWJ

[djui5]

could be Orange county NY too..

[heyman]

Yes - Orange County, New York is the first place I go to see Palm Trees...

[stevep]

CA.... Temp. 78 degrees in Jan. no need for fire wood !

steve

[dbbubba]

Are you following any plans from an actual studio design or are you figuring it out all by yourself?

The reason that I ask is that I see mostly parallel walls so far.

Also, it appears that you sheetrocked the cieling and then bulit the second walls.
It appears that the headers are nailed to the cieling.
Any noise transmitted to the outer wall will easily travel up the wall into the cieling and then into the second wall.

You are spending A LOT of money and I hate to point out a flaw, but...

The double wall construction only works when the wall is COMPLETELY isolated from ANY structure except itself, the four walls of the room and a second cieling.
HERE'S THE KICKER...
The second ceiling has to be attatched to the four walls which are touching nothing.
These five surfaces cannot touch any outer structure ecept for the floted (sawn) concrete floors.
In other words, you build a building inside the building and it doesn't touch ANY part of the building.

I ued to own (now a friend owns) a studio that was built with the same plans used for Devonshire in L.A.
The guy I got the room from built Devonshire with the (Robb?) brothers.
He had the plans and bullt the room I had in Dallas back in 1975.
The plans are similar to another Holywood room from the early '60s or '50s.
I forget what room it is, but I believe that Bill Putnam had some input.

The studio, control room and iso rooms were free standing structures and only touched each other through pieces of felt surrounding the window frames between the rooms.
The only leakage was through the doubled layered glass itself.
There was almost ZERO leakage coming into or out of the studio itself.

You actually, spent enough money to do it this way, but...

You'll be isolated to a degree, but it could have been REALLY isolated!
You didn't need to sheet rock the ceiling that you did actually.

Also, when framing the walls the studs should be offset.
This causes the resonance of the sheetrock pieces to feed into a stiffer wall section straight on.
When the studs are on even centers the sections of sheetrock transmit sound like a drum's two heads.
You CAN use metal studs and with off set studs the there isn't much need for double sheetrock either.

I have built sa few of these places myself.
I've seen mistakes made OVER and OVER.

Next time get some plans.
Either that or research it a bit more first.

If I see the pic wrong then I apologize.
But I really wish you luck.
Other than the parallel walls it'll be fairly isolated.
Too bad it won't be competely isolated.

Danny Brown

[stevep]

Other than the parallel walls it'll be fairly isolated.
Too bad it won't be competely isolated.
Danny Brown

Hi Danny, Thanks for your interest, and suggestions.
everything you say is correct

one quick note... there wont be any parallel surfaces after i build
the Front wall, iso booths, diffusers, traps and acoustic treatment.

I just went with the theory of mass air mass


Im not in a very noisy area and my outside walls are 8" concrete with 12" airspace filled with insulation and then a stud wall with 2 layers of 5/8" drywall on the inside.

The control room double walls are 12" airspace 3 layers of 5/8 drywall on the inside and 2 on the outside.... that should be enough isolation, like you said the window and doors are the weak link.

I debated on the ceiling but the glue-lams to span the 24ft.X60ft room would cost way to much.... The ceiling is 2 layers 5/8 rock and 14" airspace filled with insulation and then the roof which is real thick and very dense ....

The headers are attached to the ceiling and there will be some TL... but the drywall does not touch, there is a 1/4" gap filled with acoustical caulk around every wall.

should be at least around 65 db. of isolation

Thanks again,


steve

[Rep]

It is really fun to see a full build out from scratch....

Don't be weary in well doing...

[stevep]

Well this might not be very exciting but at least its progress……..

I started framing the front control room wall and filled in the space where the big roll-up door was.

[stevep]

I used 6”of drywall !…. and siding on the outside
Each layer was caulked and glued…

There will be a wall built 12” inside of this wall and it will get filed with insulation and 3 layers of 5/8” drywall

[stevep]

I will build a sound-lock for the small door… (36”door) this will be used for the bands to haul there equipment in . Instead of having to come through the control room.

Also that door will get Beefed up and sealed

[stevep]

This wall will be a 12” double wall
The inside wall will be angled.

[stevep]

The rear control room wall with all the layers of drywall finished on both sides.

Its starting to get quiet in here….





steve

[Durv]

please dont flame me for asking this.
I was wonderring how studios wire up things?
wall mount...through wall....then to patchbay?
do you use conduit? what if you have to replace cable due to "issues"? do you tear out the drywall/framing? or are things somewhat "accessable" with panels or something?

i'm also building a studio later this year...its for my own use basically.
((it wont be a pro studio)) But my "live room" has to be the addition here at the house, the control room will be my basement!! wonderring how to bring the wiring in there, yet protect it from the elements!


Steve, your studio is sick man. totally makes me drool....even the forklift driver! hahaha!
peace
Durv