Finally, it's time to get started.......no, seriously!

Hi guys, well I've finally made the commitment to get started on building my project/home studio and need some input from the experts. Basic layout will be as per Johns' "plan 1" at the following link http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... highlight= I'll be taking final measurements in the next couple of days and the only variance at this stage (from the original design) is that the door between the CR and Sound Lock is closer to the back of the CR. The CR (garage at the moment) is obviously concrete slab but the SL and VB areas are laminated timber flooring...not unlike Scotts Studio http://johnlsayers.com/Studio/Pages/Scott_1.htm Can I work with this? eg, carpet the floor of the SL area? I can easily ditch the door designed between the CR and garage as I'll be the only one lugging gear in and the front door really isn't that far away. One of THE major constraints I have however is that there's a window in the VB area that is integral to the facade of the house so this is a non negotiable item that can't be changed/bricked over etc....see my original layout. Thanks in advance and I'll update with EXACT measurements shortly :D EDIT: I should add that what looks to be a brick outer wall across the front of the CR turned into a garage door by the time we finished building so this is also something that requires addressing. :?

i would angle the door into the vox booth and also the interior window within the vox booth.

Thanks for the response Glenn, What advantages would there be in angling the glass inside the vox booth? I thought I saw a post by someone (I'll try to find it) outlining that it really didn't make that much of a difference....unless I misunderstood what I was reading. "angle the door"? In which way?

the angle on the door inside the CR - reflections to the rear instead of the side. the window inside the vox booth - side ways angle to break up flutter echoes in the room.

gullfo wrote:

the angle on the door inside the CR - reflections to the rear instead of the side. the window inside the vox booth - side ways angle to break up flutter echoes in the room.

Ah ok, you mean the door between the CR and Sound Lock.

Ok, I'll start uploading pics to show the area to be utilised. Downloading sketchup right now so I'll add all the measurements to this thread hopefully this evening sometime. As far as budget goes I guess I'm hoping to spend about AU$12-15k....obviously I'll want to keep that pretty "in check" as the more I save, the more I'll have to spend on gear. Just to give you an idea of what I'm after - no, I don't care if I spend the next twelve months sitting on milk crates to mix....as long as the room sounds great and it's well isolated. Most of the work will be done by a friend and I but will need to look elsewhere for elec/hvac. You guys will have to treat me gently as I DID buy Rods' book but I may as well have been reading the Rosetta Stone!! I dug the pictures tho' and can figure out some of the basics from those :oops: My set up is mainly ITB....PC, Digi 002, PT LE 7.3, etc. Monitoring is via NS10M's and Senn HD280Pro's. I would like to be able to record "live amps - being a muso I use a Vox JMI AC30, Fender Bassman 100.....both of which can start to "growl" after the tubes have warmed up some. Not sure what else to add at this stage so please let me know if I've left anything out. Having just looked at the pics again, I need to add that my neighbours' bedroom is about 7 metres from where the wall between CR and garage will need to be built. Anyway here are the pics of the areas as they look "today". Hopefully the tags remain once uploaded and you can read what you're looking at. ALL input welcomed Thanks guys

ok, it's a rough sketchup but the measurements are pretty accurate.

Is that a Starsky and Hutch Pacer? :lol: :lol: :lol: Peace Tom

Hi Tom, it's a 1974 Gran Torino. Here's a link to the build.... http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/ ... ?start=all Looking forward to someone chiming in with some suggestions on the studio build :wink:

i'd probably make the vox booth also work as an amp booth so you can add more isolation there to keep costs down. i'd also check some of John's designs on the SAE site for ideas on configuring the CR and construction.

Hey Glenn, I have checked those out and they are a big help but I guess what I'm after is some guidance to really nail the layout before I spend money on having the plans drawn up. Do I need to have plans done by an architect? I'm really happy with Johns original layout for me and yes I think that the combined vox/amp room is a great idea so that's definitely a road I'd like to head down.

you could draw the plans up yourself but you should definitely have your plans reviewed by licensed architect and/or a structural engineer, and your local building officials. this will ensure compliance with building ordinances - which can prevent problems later with insurance companies, home resale, etc. as well as give you peace of mind from a safety perspective, when you start to build it.

:shock: :D Wow....that's great.

Hi guys, well here I am back again......hopefully not too much will get in the way this time and I'll be able to get this thing done. I've done a sketchup based on what you guys have suggested and could use some guidance. Right now I'm leaning more toward stud and track ( Rondo ) instead of timber as it means I can knock most of the walls up by myself. I have used metal before and I don't think I can saw timber correctly if my life depended on it!!! A couple of things I was unable to render in the sketchup were the angled ceiling sloping down toward the front of the CR - this is a must, not only for acoustic purposes but also there are guide rails attached to the existing garage ceiling for the tilting garage door. If need be, I CAN actually use the entire double garage area which would give me the option of a third ( drum/live ) room. At the moment though I'm more than happy with the two room design. You will notice that between the CR and Voc Booth/Sound Lock there is an additional leaf. This is an existing load bearing wall - my intention is to strip the gyprock off of both sides which should mean that I'm still only left with a two leaf set up. Something I ommitted from Gulfo's plan were the double doors. I couldn't understand why I would need them if the Soundlock was doing what it's supposed to. If there's something I'm not understanding please explain.... I'm still trying to get my head around sketchup so please go easy on my "architectural" abilities :oops: Here are the plans....see above for measurements....

Guys, how do I include a clickable sketchup file? My file size is too big for this thread.

Still no responses :( Well, I'll continue to tweak away at it and hopefully someone will chime in soon. I've been playing with my sketchup and discovered that after I add the soffit speakers angled at 60degrees that my mix position is equal to where the angled walls meet the side walls. The length of those walls will now need to be changed. I also think now that he reason that Gulfo added double doors to the interior of the soundlock is so that when people are entering the soundlock any external noise does not react on the single doors to the CR and VB....is that correct? Another quick question. The rear wall of the CR is made up of two leafs - the existing brick wall and the CR rear wall. Will I need to build a hard up against that brick wall and use insulation in it thereby adding to the mass of THAT leaf?

I also think now that he reason that Gulfo added double doors to the interior of the soundlock is so that when people are entering the soundlock any external noise does not react on the single doors to the CR and VB....is that correct?

You should have a door for each leaf. Reason one would be for isolation purposes and two if you dont have two doors you would most likely want a super door and make sure your two leaves are not coupled. Much more work in my mind. Using frabic and insulation between the two will be the proper way to install. Same as a window install. Couldn't find a door pic !!

Another quick question. The rear wall of the CR is made up of two leafs - the existing brick wall and the CR rear wall. Will I need to build a hard up against that brick wall and use insulation in it thereby adding to the mass of THAT leaf?

Your brick wall should have insulation of some sort attached to it. A simple way without having to build a false wall against the brick ( if I understand you correctly) would be to use bat hooks. Hope this helped Peace Tom

Hi guys, well it's certainly been a while and though I haven't posted I have been following your builds and lives and know you're all well. :) I have started on my studio and built sporadically. I'll post some pics and explanations of what I've done so far ( hopefully I'll get a chance to put them up later tonight ). The reason for me returning after so long a time away is that although confident that I can keep going along the way I am, it's great to tap into the wealth of info and brainpower here. I know what I'm chasing as far as isolation, etc...I guess it'd just be nice to have some input along the way. Funny thing, EVERYTIME I pick up a tool to do something it seems there is either compromise or a tweak of the plans neccesary. The reason for me not interacting for such a long time is that I just didn't want to deal with people. I know that sounds lame but my world turned upside down and is now hopefully back on track. I lost my Gran ( aged 75 ) after a year long battle with cancer, I then found out that I have FOUR siblings all younger than myself back in Cape Town, I then went to Cape Town hoping to meet them ( but that was not to be ), and just 7 weeks ago I lost my Dad ( aged 59 years ) to cancer also. I'm not looking for sympathy here, just wanted you guys to know what's kept me quiet.

This group of shots shows how the plans were modified...firstly because once I taped out the original plans on the floor I realised that the space was just too small ( cars can be parked on the driveway right ) and secondly, as I stripped the existing gyprock from the walls I found that the wall between the existing garage & study were in fact load bearing.

Neverending tweaks....

They loaded in reverse order :( EDIT: I should note that these pics are of the "framing" only and also the reason there isn't any insulation against the existing brick walls is because I was really the only one looking at the plans and couldn't be bothered to spend the time in sketchup adding those details.

Here's the space after gyprock removed and tidied up. The load bearing wall is now obvious.

Double layer of 10mm gyrprock on attached to steel frame to create a new wall that will permanently seal one of my garage doors. I know that usually this would create a third leaf but as this will back onto the soundlock which is decoupled I thought that it shouldn't give me any grief. Of course it was taped, set and once fixed in position caulked on all sides. Villaboard was used to seal the sides hard against the brickwork....and then caulked also.

Temporary door was installed between entrance/hallway of house and what will become the voc/drum booth. This had to be moved again but only after I got all the info required as relates that load bearing wall. The back side of the existing gyprock you see in this pic is the internal wall of the house and was beefed up by cutting sheets of gyprock to fit snugly between the timber studs....and caulked of course.

After consultation re my load bearing wall it was advised that the best solution would be a hardwood lintel above the section I wanted to "open up" and plywood to the existing timber frame that wasn't going to be touched...gggggrrrrr aaarrrghhhh **^&*)*&%*&&_#%$!!!! Apparently the reason is that because it's a domestic dwelling blah blah blah that I could not run a hardwood beam the entire length of the wall in question...structural integrity, resale, council, etc I opted to do as I was told thinking that I'd have to just deal with the ramifications of now having a third leaf exactly where I didn't want one. Justifying the compromise also is I guess me thinking that in all liklihood I'd spend maybe 2-3 days a month maximum tracking drums....and as much as I wanted to throw a hammer at someone I also figured that Abbey Road Studios are far from perfect but Revolver still sounds great to me! Besides, I'm just as likely to track drums in the CR anyway ( I like to switch things around sometimes...most of the time! ). Anyway...pic includes framing of doorway and window between rear of CR and Booth. Garage door on far right of pic will soon be removed and walled up.