Studio Build - Need Help!

[swp]

Hi guys,

We've just managed to get hold of an industrial unit and are planning to use part of it for a studio. I've attached a rough drawing with some rough measurements of what we're planning at the moment and need some advice on what's the best place to start.

The Live room will also double up as a rehearsal room for mine and a few other bands so the rooms really needs to be around the size they are at the moment.

I have a few questions I need to find the answers to but also any other advice as to how's best to treat the rooms etc would be great!

1. As we're going to be building the rooms inside of the unit itself we can have it as tall as we like, what would be the best height to have for the rooms?

2. The rooms need to be soundproofed as best as possible as far as noise from the inside of the rooms getting out. I assume the best way to do this is to put sound insulation inside of the walls & ceiling but what type of insulation and what density is best for this? (I am based in the UK so have used Rockwool as an alternative to 703 for some bass traps I made in the past), also how thick/how many layers should the insulation be?

3. I like the idea of having a window to see from the control room to the live room but is this asking for trouble? If it is going to make the rooms sound horrible I'll give it a miss but if possible I'd love to do it. I also hear you need to have 2 panels of different thickness so they don't resonate at the same frequency and then rattle, is this true?

4. Once the rooms are up what would you recommend treatment wise to get them sounding as flat as possible? I'm happy to build my own bass traps but what areas should I be looking at as a starting point?

Thanks in advance for any help and sorry if any of the questions are a bit noobish!

Cheers,
Steve

[dbluefield]

John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum • Index page

Read the Welcome at the top of John's site -- post a plan -- be patient - -help will come.

This is a huge project on any budget -- take your time to plan it right. "Soundproofing"
for example requires 2 leaves (not three), Inside out walls, suspended ceilings, air tight. That means getting air in (for breathing), electrical runs, double windows...the list goes on and on. The acoustics in the studio is as important its ability to be "soundproof." 2 different issues. Ceilings should be as high as you can make them. Non parallel walls where able, diffusers, absorption panels, poly cylindrical diffusers in corners, bass traps on walls, dissimilar wall mass to keep down drumming transmission......the possibilities and potential are endless....the plan and budget need to be realistic..7 P's apply here.... Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

2 Books I like:

Project Studios by Philip Newell

Building a Recording Studio by Jeff Cooper

Best of Luck,

Mack

[jhbrandt]

Originally Posted by swp

1. As we're going to be building the rooms inside of the unit itself we can have it as tall as we like, what would be the best height to have for the rooms?

As high as possible. Up to 5 meters for the Tracking room paying close attention to the other dimensions so that you do not have any common dimensions - same applies to the CR. 3.35 meters high interior finish for the Control Room.

Originally Posted by swp

2. The rooms need to be soundproofed as best as possible as far as noise from the inside of the rooms getting out. I assume the best way to do this is to put sound insulation inside of the walls & ceiling but what type of insulation and what density is best for this? (I am based in the UK so have used Rockwool as an alternative to 703 for some bass traps I made in the past), also how thick/how many layers should the insulation be?

Insulation will not sound-proof. You will most likely need to build a room-in-a-room for both rooms.

Originally Posted by swp

3. I like the idea of having a window to see from the control room to the live room but is this asking for trouble? If it is going to make the rooms sound horrible I'll give it a miss but if possible I'd love to do it. I also hear you need to have 2 panels of different thickness so they don't resonate at the same frequency and then rattle, is this true?

Yes. I highly recommend that you buy Rod Gervais' book, Home Studio - Build it like the Pros'. - you can get mine too.

Originally Posted by swp

4. Once the rooms are up what would you recommend treatment wise to get them sounding as flat as possible? I'm happy to build my own bass traps but what areas should I be looking at as a starting point?

Plenty of trapping to start. As Forest Gump said, "... that's a whole 'nuther country..."

Steve,
You may notice, on the Sayers forum, all the room models they show are full of angles and other 'cool' looking stuff. John does not use any modal calculations for his designs and has been very fortunate to create some very good rooms. However, I would caution - "Don't try this at home!" J.L. Sayers is very talented and intuitive and really knows his stuff, please don't get me wrong, but be very careful copying something, as it may very well not work for you (probability is high that it won't). I currently have one client that started out with a cube and angled everything (just like those on Sayer's forum) & I am now given the depressing task of 'fixing' it for him.

Please check out my publications page and download anything you find useful to help you. Room Mode Calculator & First Reflection Calc are recommended.

Cheers,
John

[swp]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for the help. I went away and bought Rod Gervais' book which has gone a long way to answering most of my questions so thanks a lot! Just a quick question that I'm unsure of at the moment, he explains what you need to build walls, and the whole 2-leaf wall thing very well so I know I need to aim for drywall - drywall - insulation - air gap - insulation - drywall - drywall but he doesn't say how you keep the insulation stuck to the walls when only one side of it has drywall attached. Would you just use an adhesive to hold it in place because he says fluffy insulation is better than rigid so if it's not stuck wouldn't it all just end up collapsing into the air gap? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just want to make sure I have it all sorted in my head before I start doing anything.

[jhbrandt]

Once the framing is up, you simply hammer-tack the frk (paper) that is attached to the R-13 or R-19 to the wood frame. That is hold it in place and give you a nice vapor barrier as well.

I would recommend that you hire a framing carpenter to help you get the framing right. - Inside and outside corners for putting up gypsum board get tricky to those unfamiliar with the process.

Cheers,
John

[swp]

Is that with the insulation facing in towards the air gap, so the frame would need to be thick enough to house both lots of insulation and maintain the air gap? Or would you have the insulation against the drywall, and if so how would you then attach the drywall on top of the insulation?

Also do you know of a UK alternative to the r-13 or r-19 type insulation?

Cheers,
Steve

[jhbrandt]

Steve,

Try the Knauf Frame Therm roll. These are designed to friction fit between the studs. You may or may not need a vapor barrier, depending what you are using it for...

Cheers,
John