the ardastra complex - construction phase

hey everyone, I wanted to start off by saying thanks! to all the people who impart their knowledge and expertise throughout this forum. My original post was in the design forum and sat there for two weeks, got viewed 80+ times and unfortunately no one replied. So I've moved over to the construction forum hoping for some guidance on this build. I’m planning on doing the demo next weekend (September 12th/13th) and starting construction soon afterwards. After months of research I feel like my design is a good start, but there is always room for improvement so all comments/criticisms are welcome. Overview: I live in a townhouse with (elderly) neighbors on both sides. The basement is finished; framed with 2x4’s, insulated (pink stuff), drywall’d, and carpeted. Side note: the drywall and carpet will be removed in the build area, while the existing 2x4’s will be ‘beefed up’ and used as the 2nd wall. The main space that I have to work with is {26’ 2 ½”}L x {12’ 10”}W x {7’ 11 ¼”}H with additional room for separate amplifier isolation booth(s) down the road. At this point, my biggest concern is flanking paths to the neighbors. I’m not sure about the concrete slab being connected to the neighbors’ but the houses aren’t on the same level, which leads me to believe they’re not connected…but that’s only an assumption. There are also concrete blocks (not sure if they’re solid or hollow-core) behind the framing. Besides flanking, the other main obstacle in this space is a beam (highlighted in yellow) {1’ 6”}W x {1’ 1 ¼”}H that cuts through the room and runs parallel to the {12’ 10”} wall. Please see ‘basement floor plan +studio location.jpg’ for a detailed layout. Goals: My primary goal is to create an environment in which live/digital instruments can be tracked and somewhat high-quality recordings can be produced. I know a lot of the audio quality comes from the available tools and how they’re utilized, so I would like my rooms to create a solid foundation in which I can build upon. My recording rig currently consists of a Mac Pro running Logic 7 (live tracking) and Logic Studio 8 (midi production) loaded with plug-ins. I also have a Presonus 16-channel interface, a few tube pres, some midi controllers/keyboards, a nice collection of microphones/cables/stands, and a homemade 6-channel headphone amplifier. I’ll be recording rock/hip hop/jazz/etc., so the drums (100+dB) are the main concern in terms of isolation/soundproofing, and I’m definitely realistic about that never being 100% possible (at least in my case), but the ability to play evening/late night is key. So any suggestions/improvements along the way would be greatly appreciated. Budget: I have a $3,000- $4,000 max. budget (not including additional gear), but after reading numerous posts I’ve set aside an additional $1,000-$2,000 for the ‘in case $hit happens fund’. I hope that I’ve provided all the necessary information, but if there is anything I left out please let me know and I will update my post. I downloaded Sketchup and after spending a couple weeks messing around with it I came up with a rough layout for both the control room and tracking room (sans ceiling). Please see ‘framing concept v.1.jpg’.

Ceiling: After removing the existing drywall and insulation, I’m going to ‘beef up’ the bottom of the floor above and add insulation to create the outer leaf. The ceiling/floor joists are 12” deep, so I was thinking about putting 4” of ‘pink stuff’ up there and then using the remaining space for the 2x8’s 16” OC creating the inner leaf’s ceiling. Then, I’ll add some rockwool and two layers of gypsum with green glue. *Does anyone have experience with 2x8’s running a 14’ 10” (or greater) span with two layers of gypsum? I’ve been using the various calculators and stuff floating around this forum and keep getting mixed results...any help would be greatly appreciated. *Should I use green glue when ‘beefing up’ the bottom of the floor above? *Can the insulation in the outer leaf be the pink fluffy stuff or should I go with rockwool? *For the inner leaf, should I use two layers of ½” …or a layer or ½” and a layer or 5/8” in order to create some more mass. Tracking room: {14’ 10”}L x {12’ 6”}W x {7’ 11 ¼”}H I’m striving for a warm sounding room, not too bright but also not too dead. I started out with generic rectangular rooms in order to utilize as much of the available floor space as possible. Then, I modified it with various DIY acoustic treatments. Superchunks in the corners (floor-to-ceiling), some sort of broadband absorption on the {14’ 10”} walls, and either diffusion or absorption on the {12’ 6”} wall (behind the drums). Please see ‘tracking room +acoustic treatment.jpg’

*Would you recommend a sand-filled floor to minimize flanking through the neighbors foundations? *In regard to the broadband absorption on the {14' 10"} walls, regular helmholtz? sawtooth? cloth-covered 703? *Would it be better to have diffusion on the wall behind the drums or just some broadband absorption? *Please advise me on any other issues I may have overlooked with respect to the tracking room. Control room: {9’ 10 ½”}L x {12’ 6”}W x {7’ 11 ¼”}H I’m looking for a comfortable mix/control room with soffit mounted monitors (yamaha HS80M’s), some broadband absorption, a couple superchunks in the back corners, and maybe some kind of kit or DIY diffusion on the back wall. Please see ‘control room +acoustic treatment.jpg’. *my initial treatment is just a starting point so if anyone has suggestions or modifications that would make this room sound better I’m all ears. Window: I was thinking about using ½” laminated glass, tilted slightly. *Could I use 2x8’s, with some upside down A-frame support, for the window framing which will close that gap to only 10”? Thanks in advance for any help, Matt