What do you do for ventilation?

[Yoni]

I use the 2nd room in my apt. as a production studio mostly for my own purposes. When I record I close the door and have to shut off the air and fan. Needless to say with all the gear it can get pretty hot after a while. I don't care if I sweat my balls off because it's just me but I do record other people sometimes (mostly singer/songwriter) and they deal with it but I wish there was a way to make it more comfortable. Any suggestions?

[brian_delizza]

I am in the same situation. What I do is crank the AC down before I'm going to record and then just shut it off when I start.

Ghetto? Possibly.
Functional? Yes.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

for ventilation?

ak-47...

what do you use?

[Bat Head Sound]

a window

[r0ck1r0ck2]

but of course proper hvac is one of the major factors seperating pro studios and not so pro studios..

that's why all that smoke free studio crap is goofy...

a really serious studio would have the hvac for a cigar chomping dean martin..
and no ill effect for the equipment cause all the evil would be sucked out before it had a chance to touch a fader/knob..

i'm just saying...

[Yoni]

Originally Posted by brian_delizza

I am in the same situation. What I do is crank the AC down before I'm going to record and then just shut it off when I start.

Ghetto? Possibly.
Functional? Yes.

Yeah I do that too but after a while it starts to get hot again. I'll also turn the ceiling fan on when I can during short breaks and open the door but I thought maybe there was something out there that other people in my situation use that I'm not aware of. Like isn't there some kind of noiseless cooling system that's good for one room, not some massive central a/c or anything?

[lawrence_o]

Originally Posted by r0ck1r0ck2

for ventilation?

ak-47...

what do you use?

MEGA LOL!

[AdamJay]

i'm using a forced air system for HVAC. all electric, no gas. with the furnace unit in an isolated closet, and the AC on a concrete slab outside.

there is no metal in the duct work, and very few turns. so its pretty quiet.

[BrettPortzer]

There is such a thing as a silent AC system, good for one or two rooms.

They are split systems, and all the cooling components go outside, and then an ordinary length of copper pipe connects with a small wall unit inside your room.

It basically just silently pumps out 40 degree F air. You can get a system that has one outter unit and two inner units, to do two separate areas, with a remote control for each inner unit.

[brett]

[Jim Williams]

Around 12 noon the sea breeze kicks in so just opening a few windows does the trick, a nice 72 degree breeze wafts in.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[chetatkinsdiet]

I just purchased an AC unit for my new room yesterday. After much going back and forth between mini-splits and portables, I settled on the portable. The primary reason is that the mini-splits do not bring in fresh air. They simply cool what's in the room. My room has no windows and no ouside fresh air...at this point. So, that's what I was needing. The actual portable unit I'm getting is the Soleus MAC-12K. It's going to need two 4" holes cut through the wall to the outside, which I can probably work with. If I were to use the mini-split, I'd have to have cut something else for a vent. So, this one does it all. And I don't have to pay for installation, it heats, de-humidifies, etc. 12K BTU should keep my humble 400 square foot room cool...even in Texas.

Later,
m

[JGP]

I use a regular AC in a window of a room away from my studio. I got a duct company to make a coupler to fit the output vent of the AC on one end and 8" flex duct on the other. Then the flex duct winds 25' and comes out high on one of my studio walls. It is
practically silent and cools a 20' x 30' room. Another flex duct is used as a powered
( fan at the far end) return to pull air out of the studio. This I leave on 24/7 and use the AC on fan most days and on cooling when needed. The powered return actually draws air thru a cabinet I built to silence my 3 digi 192's-keeps it cool, and no fans
are in the studio.

[Chris Parsons]

we're way out in the forest so sometimes we just leave a door or window open.

[Snatchman]

Originally Posted by chetatkinsdiet

I just purchased an AC unit for my new room yesterday. After much going back and forth between mini-splits and portables, I settled on the portable. The primary reason is that the mini-splits do not bring in fresh air. They simply cool what's in the room. My room has no windows and no ouside fresh air...at this point. So, that's what I was needing. The actual portable unit I'm getting is the Soleus MAC-12K. It's going to need two 4" holes cut through the wall to the outside, which I can probably work with. If I were to use the mini-split, I'd have to have cut something else for a vent. So, this one does it all. And I don't have to pay for installation, it heats, de-humidifies, etc. 12K BTU should keep my humble 400 square foot room cool...even in Texas.

Later,
m

Hey chetatkins diet. do you have a link to this Soleus co.? I actually saw one of these units on Home Shopping, QVC, Shop At Home...... one of those... , and actually was interested..! Thanks......

[Diablo]

I'm going to get one of these for my home studio, since my house doesn't have
central air.

I'm just going to stick it in the rafters of the garage...

http://www.movincool.com/product_cm12.shtml

[StudioKing]

Originally Posted by BrettPortzer

There is such a thing as a silent AC system, good for one or two rooms.

They are split systems, and all the cooling components go outside, and then an ordinary length of copper pipe connects with a small wall unit inside your room.

It basically just silently pumps out 40 degree F air. You can get a system that has one outter unit and two inner units, to do two separate areas, with a remote control for each inner unit.

[brett]

These units run very quietly, we can record in the room with the AC on and pick up nothing.
The only thing is that we had to buy a unit that was about 4 times more powerful then we actually needed, this way the system can cool the room whilst just ticking over rather then working hard or using noisy high fan speeds.

[3rd world order]

ventilation, eh?

[Yoni]

Originally Posted by 3rd world order

ventilation, eh?

I've tried this kind before. It's misleading cuz it only gives you the illusion that it's cooler.

All these suggestions are good but not good for me since I rent and live on the 2nd floor. I was hoping there's some kind of quiet portable a/c box I can buy at Sharper Image or Home Depot that will just provide a little cooling for my 11' x 12' room.

[chetatkinsdiet]

I've shopped EVERYWHERE here locally and online and found the best prices on the Soleus units at www.qualitymatters.com

They do also sell mini-splits if you're looking for them.

later,
m

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Yoni

I'll also turn the ceiling fan on when I can

Two of the project studios I work in have ceiling fans in the control room, and in both places I've noticed an amusing phenomenon: doppler shift at the mix position when the fan is on! Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but it's like the whole tune is going through a Leslie speaker!

[Tone Laborer]

I had a good friend install my hvac in my house. The main noise was at the air intake so he cut a panel of rigid insulation and put it in at a diagonal in the air intake box. It quieted things quite a bit. Easy and cheap.

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Two of the project studios I work in have ceiling fans in the control room, and in both places I've noticed an amusing phenomenon: doppler shift at the mix position when the fan is on! Sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, but it's like the whole tune is going through a Leslie speaker!

Got one in my ceiling too. My favorite trick is to turn it on while someone else does a mix, then I turn it off and fix the mix myself. Magic!

I remember a thread once about how you guys stay warm in winter, now how to stay cool in summer. I'm glad I don't have to think about that here, I can save my power bills for the studio and the spa.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades