To construct or to reconstruct

Hi, This is my first post on this forum, though I've been frequently browsing the contents and it has been very educating. I've tried to follow the forum rules as accurately as possible. However, if I've overlooked anything I'll repost gladly. Cutting to the chase: THE ROOMS: I'm in the process of constructing my new studio and want to do it right this time around by following the most accurate dimensions possible for the rooms I have at present. The rooms I have available are withing the confines of my residential property as that is the safest way to construct a studio. I'm a bit paranoid about thefts in commercial areas so I'm having to make do with what I have. Forgive me for the sloppy diagrams as they were for my own reference originally and I'm new at using sketchup. I've avoided at labelling the adacent areas as ouputting at 700 px wide was already killing the resolution so I'll explain with the help of the following. The smaller room in the diagram is adjacent to the kitchen and the larger room is the Live Room with the access. I've purposely designed the larger room as the control room as reshuffling the arrangement would require me to tear down the two brick walls that separate the two rooms, which as a division are 21" wide and internally separated with an airgap of 10 1/2". Bricks are a standard 9"x4.5" approximately. I had initially started work based on my past experiences, keeping in mind the basic of the control room design, that monitors should be set up against the shorter wall of the room. I did not consult anyone here as in conversations architects and consultants do not have much experience with studio design, construction and materials. However, if absolutely necessary, the walls can be torn down for the ideal design in dimensions. Their is a recess as can be seen in the control room. Two, to be more accurate. The smaller one is the passage into the kitchen and purposely left their so as to allow access to anything required from their. The second was created in the process of designing the two door access to the kitchen which was originally there. Therefore it has become a by-product of designing the doorway access to the kitchen. Adjacent to the walls running on the south of the diagram is my neighbor. We are separated by an aggregate thickness of approximately 18" of brick wall leaves cemented and finished on both sides so I assume i don't require extra amounts of sound isolation to prevent sound transmission. Btw, I'm using a simple 3" thick closed cell foam for sound isolation (single layer on walls and ceilings) and then applying on top of that 65 kg/m3 rockwool of 2" thickness and lastly 2" thick 16 kg/m3 rigid fiberglass as acoustic treatment. These are the maximum densities available to me here in Pakistan. Under these circumstances, are my room ratios alright to work on further. The ones for the control room i was planning to modify through varying the thicknesses where required by maybe doubling the isolation surfaces. My main concern were the recesses, which will be used for storage purposes by building drawers and closets. Will that kill my room geometry or is it alright? They are to be properly acoustically treated as well. Please ignore the studs on the walls in the diagram. The Monitors (How Loud am i Playing): I bought a pair of tannoy reveal actives 5 years ago for near field usage as will be still the case in my present circumstances. I'm planning to upgrade to focal cms series in the future and on average run them at the 6th step of the knob out of 10. I assume that is pretty loud, where the max spl values are somewhere around 105dB-107dB for both of the monitors mentioned. Judging from the information provided above, is the sound isolation, thickness of walls, especially the ones adjacent to the neighbors, good enough? My studio doors will be airtight and lined with at least 4-5 inch closed cell foam padding. Overall, my main dilemma is, the room dimensions and the recess, which i feel prevents me from splaying the side walls, at least symmetrically. I do however plan to splay the front and rear walls, at least in the control room. As far as the basic room ratios is concerned I have viewed the post on room ratios and am not too clear on which one to use. I've tried my best to gauge my ratios according to some ratios i thought corresponded accordingly. 1.) With 10' ceiling: My ratio is = 1 : 1.108 : 1.383 which corresponds closest to Sepmeyer's first ratio = 1 : 1.14 : 1.39 2.) With 9' ceiling: My ratio is = 1 : 1.231 : 1.537 which corresponds closest to Sepmeyer's 3rd ratio = 1 : 1.28 : 1.54 or to Louden's 5th best ratio = 1 : 1.2 : 1.5 1.) With 8' ceiling: My ratio is = 1 : 1.385 : 1.729 which corresponds closest to Louden's best ratio = 1 : 1.4 : 1.9 Is my basic approach right? Note: I'm not using gypsum boards and instead employing cloth covers for all insulation. Is that advisable? I was doing so to avoid any reflections. The maximum thickness of gypsum board available here though is 3/4" or 5/8". I may however employ slot resonators as diffusing surfaces here and there. (I understand this point may be a little out of context but if it bears any relevance at all please advise accordingly. Thanks, Fawad

Hi there again. Did my post get missed as well? If there is something wrong with it we can discuss just as long as i know i'm not being ignored. :)

My apologies. I overlooked the location in my profile. Can i get an answer now or is there still something wrong?

Fawad, Your post was just fine, IMO. It just takes time for folks to review and decide to reply. :wink: Your monitoring levels may be a bit on the high side - probably averaging 85 to 90 decibels. You might get around STC63 - 67 and possibly more with that party wall. Testing should be done to determine exactly. - If you have problem neighbors, they'll really be a problem if they can hear you. :P Your choice of CR is good. You want the CR to be the best room because all your mix decisions are made here. These days the CR is used as a recording room as well and comfort is also an important factor. The 'closed cell foam for sound isolation' is a waste of time and money because it has no acoustic value. You are just fine doing all your acoustic treatment with the 65kg/m3 rock wool. Cheers, John