Home basement studio design help

Greetings all! I've exhausted the search function and have read a BUNCH of really helpful tips and pointers!! A truly great site! I have purchased and read the Rod Gervais book as well as the Jeff Cooper book! Very helpful!!! Overview... I'm looking to convert my space into a facility where I can record a typical bluegrass setup (4-5 acoustic instruments) and do some electric overdubs and such. After my last place, I really want a control room large enough so that folks aren't breathing nacho breath on me while we're tracking/listening/mixing/editing... I need my own bubble of personal space! I am a vocalist and guitar/mandolin player and would like to be able to do overdubs and record my own demos. I envision a vocal booth attached to the control, where I can wire in a video monitor and use a wireless mouse or whatever so that I can punch my own buttons.... OR just lay some tracks right in the control room. For the type of music and the way I like to record, I want 4-5 isolation booths PLUS my vocal booth. Because of the current layout with bathroom and stairs, I don't think I'll have line of sight with the pickers, but I'd like them to be able to see eachother. I would like to have a small live room where I can cut drums, but it's not a necessity... perhaps the lounge could double ....? Not sure. I HAVE to have a lounge so folks can go chat OUTSIDE of the control room. I am a VOCAL guy. So I want a rockin' vocal booth NOT a coat closet and I want to SEE the vocalists from the control room (perhaps a door from one to the other... I like to go talk face to face with them sometimes...) How loud... I live in the country (minutes from Nashville, but with deer and turkeys in the yard). I have a neighbor about 1000' from the house, but others are quite a bit farther. I'm on an acre of land with a deep ravine behind me. I play ACOUSTIC music with the occasional 'lectric guitar or drums. No marshall stacks here! I'm not too worried about sound leakage!!! The house is a brick ranch with a block basement. The NW wall (left in drawing) of the basement is completely underground and the SE wall (right in drawing) is completely exposed. The basement is currently sheetrock walls and ceilings with carpet on the floors, but I'm planning on ripping EVERYTHING out and starting over so it's done RIGHT. Our main entrance to the house will be shared as the main entrance to the studio. It's just my wife and I, and she's a singer too! 8) The dimensions are included in the drawings, but I forgot to write the ceiling height 8'6". I included the current layout and what I'm planning to do before the build starts (removing closets, changing the bathroom layout). Sorry that these are hand-drawn... I really stink with Sketchup. I tried several times and failed! Stickin' with analog! I was hoping to get out of it for around $10,000. I'm planning on doing this in stages, though. I would like to get my control room and vocal booth done ASAP and then add the other booths as time and money allow. I need to figure out my design figured out pretty soon so I can start researching the HVAC (none in the space currently) and get that installed. Questions... What would you do with this space? I have two layouts in mind already, but I'd like folks to start with a clean slate! I'm willing to lose the exterior door and windows in the top left portion of the drawing, if it'll help.... Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

here's one idea. could be in this design it would be better to flip the live and control rooms although entry into the live room from outside is tougher...

WOW! Cool! I really appreciate your time and efforts on this! I hadn't thought of making a small lounge like that... and your window underneath the stairwell is genius! Couple of thoughts I'd like to pick your brain with... I'd like to have 4-5 isolation booths rather than a large live room (I know, I know... not normal, but for the kind of stuff I'm doing I REALLY need the instruments to be as isolated as possible.) I was sort of thinking that they could be to the Right of the entrance in a L shape, which would leave a void for the lounge/live space....?? What do you think? Of course the lounge couldn't be used if I needed to record in the live space, but that'd be an ok sacrifice... The lounge will also be doubling as my tv/movie watchin' area... the wife's not having any tv's upstairs... yes, dear!... so I'll have to make it just a touch bigger... but I forgot to mention that in my original post (sorry!). I had also thought about getting the vocal booth a bit closer to the control, but maybe that's not a good idea. I LOVE the size of the one you drew... I don't know... so many choices!! I wonder about putting the vocal booth directly in front of where you've got my mix position?... I REALLY like where you put the control room. I had originally thought of putting it where you have the live/vox (facing the stairs) but realized that I'd probably do better in the back room. Actually, that's where the gear is sitting right now.... And... did you draw me a rack bay!!! My wife's going to LOVE that!! More gear!!!!! ha, ha, ha!!! (evil laughing!!!). Thanks again for your time, some really great ideas! It's neat for me to see what other folks would do with this space! -Mojo 8)

thanks. you could readily subdivide the live room into more isolation booths if needed as well as expand the lounge/mans-room :-) or use gobos between instruments so you have more flexibility. i thought about turning the CR on the side to view straight into the vox/live area and maybe have a booth on the side but my concern is that the musicians will not have visibility between the rooms without resorting to video or other trade offs. so my first guess was a more comfortable CR.... and of course you'll need much more gear than you currently have since you'll have a much bigger studio ;-)

I thought I'd totally hack up your perfectly good drawing!!! Here's a sketch of the latest version I had in mind... what do you think? Would It work? The live room would double as the lounge (red spray), but it's a weird shape...? The pickers should be able to see each other through the booths... maybe? Would this layout totally mess up my control room proportions? Any thoughts on treatment designs? Thanks again for your ideas! I appreciate your time! :D

any other suggestions...? :D

mojo1 wrote:

any other suggestions...? :D

One. Leave the drawing to Glenn ;) What is that, crayons?

Yup, I know! I can't run those stupid programs!! That.... and I'd rather pick, sing, write, and record, than learn how to design studios! Thanks to y'all for doing that!!! Be well! p.s.... anyone have any other ideas about what to do with the space... there are so many options!!!! I need to get it figured out soon so I can start running the HVAC and get my control room built!!!! 8)

You can pick, sing and write all you like. No one is stopping you from doing that. I just want to play the drums BUT........ Sometimes we have to do all this other stuff. Believe me, if you teach yourself how to work those 'stupid' programs, your character and personalty you develop will make you a much better picker, singer and especially writer. Please believe me. All the best

You're right, I suppose, but between learning audio software, keeping the computer running, oh... and making a living... I've got plenty to occupy my time (I don't remember what "free" time was, do any of you???). I just don't get that program! Makes me feel kind of silly, really! I went to college a while ago and I got fairly rounded there (downright rotund!). I'm a fairly driven, focused individual who has enough experience to know when I need to ask for help rather then stumble the road alone. I'm there with this. I could sketch it out on paper, but for some reason the sketch-up program has got me stupid. I know it's supposed to be an easy program... for some reason, not for me. I'm sort-of OK with that, as the program will only serve as a way for us to communicate about this studio design project... but pencil and paper did the trick. The hang up is that I only have so many thoughts in my little, tiny brain. That's why I love this site. Folks sharing ideas and helping each other out. I wouldn't have thought to layout the studio the way that Gulffo did! I love it! I would like to see what other folks might have in mind with the same space, if they have time to check it out! Thank you all for viewing this design thread. I appreciate all of your helpful comments! Graciously, -Mojo

Anybody... any other ideas?

sorry for the delay... busy @ work... i think the booths just need to have visual communications (windows/doors w/ glass) to enable the players to see each other. as far as CR/vox - i'd make the vox a bit bigger since one of your prime requirements was a good vox booth. you might need to set up video between live room and CR/vox to facilitate communications between the 2 sets of rooms.

Yup, you're right! Maybe I could keep your vocal booth design and just add my iso booths around it... Also, I was wondering what sort of acoustical concerns are there in having a rectangular control? What kind of treatment am I going to need in that space... slat resonators, clouds, etc.? And... what would you put inside the vocal booth? Wood on a few sides that could be covered up, or just 703 and dead? Thanks again!

the control room could remain rectangular with treatments flat on the walls and ceilings, or you can build angled treatment "walls" with slats, porous absorption etc.. you could leave the vox booth as-is and add the extra booths. i would treat the vox booth for mids using slats and overhead absorption with the option to hang additional absorbers to adjust it. in the room designated for bass or drums, i'd make panel traps on the walls and absorption overhead w/ same option for additional absorbers like vox room.

Hey Glen! Thanks again! How would YOU layout the isobooths (assuming that you wanted some like I do...)? How big would I need for a drum room (if I had room enough to have one)? The plan is ever-evolving! Looking forward to locking something into place soon, though! Thanks for your constructive tips!(pun intended)

Just wondering if anyone had any other lay-out ideas? Thanks!