HVAC and ventilation

HVAC systems present a persistent challenge in studio construction: conditioning and ventilating isolated rooms without introducing airborne noise or compromising the isolation the walls were built to provide. Threads in this section cover the full range of approaches, from basic DIY questions about ducting, fans, and whether gas or water connections are needed, to detailed silencer box and baffle designs intended to quiet airflow through rectangular ductwork and joist cavities. Several builders discuss split-ductless and humidity-controlling air conditioners as alternatives to full ducted systems, along with heat- and energy-recovery ventilation for exchanging stale air with fresh air in sealed rooms. Smaller vocal booths and iso booths raise their own concerns, since limited space makes silencing airflow while preventing a stuffy "sweat box" feel especially difficult. A few threads also address ventilation code requirements, including how commercial building codes and UK regulations for air exchange apply to converted spaces. Together these discussions form a practical reference for anyone planning how to move air through a soundproofed studio without letting noise move with it.

Introduction drafted with AI assistance from forum posts.

1. Start hereHVAC - What to use? Is DIY an option? 114 replies, 2003–2018. Started by Mangled in Studio Construction. With sharward, knightfly and rod gervais.
2. Start hereHVAC silencer boxes & ducted design 44 replies, 2018–2022. Started by Gregwor in Studio Design. With gullfo, Paulus87 and Soundman2020.
3. Start hereHumidity controlling air conditioner and fresh air 51 replies, 2011–2019. Started by John Sayers in Studio Design. With Soundman2020, RJHollins and gullfo.
4. Start hereHVAC: Stale to fresh air (Links) (UPDATED) 7 replies, 2005–2015. Started by camistan in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020 and sharward.
5. HVAC - Split-Ductless w/ fresh air solution? 21 replies, 2009–2016. Started by realdoyle in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020, lilith_envy and xSpace.
6. Another HVAC/silencer question 13 replies, 2007. Started by studio_drums in Studio Construction. With BradJacob, rod gervais and gullfo.
7. Venting a vocal booth 3 replies, 2003. Started by SKI in Studio Construction. With John Sayers.
8. Ready to start construction...1st up to bat; HVAC 15 replies, 2005–2007. Started by camistan in Studio Construction. With sharward, Dan Fitzpatrick and AVare.
9. Quick n Dirty DIY HVAC Baffle 1 reply, 2007–2010. Started by drfrankencopter in Studio Construction.
10. air duct silencer 41 replies, 2007. Started by eruss in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, sharward and TomVan.
11. How to ventilate an underground garage/basement studio 96 replies, 2018–2019. Started by buttermuffin in Studio Design. With Gregwor, Soundman2020 and Waka.
12. soundproof ventalation 21 replies, 2006–2017. Started by cchord59 in Studio Design. With sharward, John Sayers and camistan.
13. Voice Booth Im building - HELP! Ventilation/Soundproofing 51 replies, 2007–2010. Started by PlatinumProd in Studio Construction. With xSpace, Ro and rod gervais.
14. Ventalation and code 30 replies, 2007. Started by eruss in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, sharward and Ro.
15. Please help with acoustic baffle box... 60 replies, 2019–2022. Started by atomicus in Studio Design. With Gregwor, Waka and gullfo.
16. Air Conditioning 23 replies, 2003–2005. Started by bolehnggak in Studio Construction. With John Sayers, len-morgan and knightfly.
17. Duct silencers in between the inner and outer leaf? 35 replies, 2016–2017. Started by Quint in Studio Design. With Soundman2020.
18. STC change from adding duct work? 15 replies, 2007. Started by TomM in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, camistan and sharward.
19. Starting A New Basement Mix Room 46 replies, 2018. Started by thedavidlim in Studio Design. With Soundman2020 and Gregwor.
20. Ducted heating and cooling... I have a real problem...!!! 16 replies, 2009. Started by Ratty_7 in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020, John Sayers and jbassino.
21. HVAC for Seattle Studio Build 32 replies, 2016. Started by silky smoove in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020.
22. Are these worth it? Do they "REALLY" do the job? 3 replies, 2007. Started by camistan in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, sharward and Luftweg.
23. Ventilation plenum questions 20 replies, 2008. Started by TomM in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, sharward and gullfo.
24. Where to place duct between leaves; inevitable third-leaf 17 replies, 2006. Started by Luftweg in Studio Construction. With knightfly, sharward and Dan Fitzpatrick.
25. Trying to make the DIY "Cheapo" AC system work 28 replies, 2007. Started by philper in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, sharward and knightfly.
26. 'room within a room' connection tween room via duct silencer 16 replies, 2011. Started by Pure L in Studio Construction. With John Sayers and xSpace.
27. Baffling my Ururu Sarara mono split 19 replies, 2016–2018. Started by saemola in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020.
28. Portable A/C unit for studio? HVAC question... 21 replies, 2007. Started by studio_drums in Studio Construction. With sharward and rod gervais.
29. Help on HVAC 9 replies, 2005. Started by tmix in Studio Construction. With sharward and rod gervais.
30. Roof condensation problem! 23 replies, 2010. Started by larrytheo in Studio Construction. With xSpace, rod gervais and Soundman2020.
31. HVAC metal Duct sound isolation wrap and Flex duct 8 replies, 2014. Started by jkurtz in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020.
32. Air conditioning advice 24 replies, 2006–2007. Started by stevegalante in Studio Construction. With sharward, Ro and len-morgan.
33. DIY HVAC For Control Room 33 replies, 2005. Started by mtl777 in Studio Construction. With sharward, Dan Fitzpatrick and knightfly.
34. Newbie needs some help with HVAC issues! 10 replies, 2005. Started by camistan in Studio Construction. With sharward and knightfly.
35. How would you seal the flue of this gas burning stove? 22 replies, 2010. Started by Mo H in Studio Construction. With xSpace, Soundman2020 and TomVan.
36. HVAC and air changes per hour 10 replies, 2005–2006. Started by max in Studio Construction. With sharward and knightfly.
37. HVAC Design for Vents with Motorized Damper 16 replies, 2012. Started by SoundBoy in Studio Design. With Soundman2020, BriHar and gullfo.
38. Question on air exchange for garage studio 15 replies, 2013–2015. Started by solarpc1 in Studio Design. With Soundman2020.
39. Finally! A Mini-Split with Fresh Air!!! 5 replies, 2007. Started by studio_drums in Studio Construction. With sharward, John Sayers and rod gervais.
40. Ventilation for a home studio, UK 15 replies, 2018. Started by nuromantix in Studio Construction. With Soundman2020, Waka and Gregwor.
41. HVAC baffle box location 14 replies, 2014–2020. Started by DasProductions in Studio Construction. With Gregwor, andy_eade and Soundman2020.
42. Drum studio and several rehearsal rooms on the same floor. 17 replies, 2021. Started by Phonic_Norway in Studio Construction. With gullfo, DanDan and Paulus87.
43. Window Air Conditioner venting to adjacent garage ? 14 replies, 2005. Started by maestro7879 in Studio Construction. With cadesignr, knightfly and sharward.
44. Mini Split HVAC integrated onto whisper clip floating wall? 7 replies, 2019. Started by scotta in Studio Construction. With John Sayers.
45. Ductwork, soffits, registers, stc... 15 replies, 2009. Started by biggator in Studio Construction. With bassman, Soundman2020 and xSpace.
46. Silencing HVAC Returns 20 replies, 2011. Started by blue_thunder in Studio Construction. With gullfo, xSpace and lilith_envy.
47. Help with a basic Ventilation Setup 16 replies, 2008. Started by Matt Whritenour in Studio Construction. With rod gervais, gullfo and Ro.
48. isolation construction for HVAC "holes" in the wal 15 replies, 2006. Started by DirkB in Studio Construction. With knightfly, Eric_Desart and sharward.
49. HVAC: 15cfm/person, OR renewal 12 times per hour? Rod? 17 replies, 2009. Started by TheFrenchVoice in Studio Construction. With jbassino, Ro and rod gervais.