Scared of Ventilation

Hi all, I have been building my first "real" studio over the past month and was stuck on some ventilation issues. The original plan was for a dead vent like on this link (second example) http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/blog/archives/71 I was originally told to make the entry point on the outer wall in one place and have the ducting weave around inside the walls and then pop through a completely different place in the inner wall, however the diagram linked above depicts otherwise. The build progressed too quickly and walls sealed in one studio to test the design and make sure things were working which they are. Now I am simply horrified to cut into our perfectly sealed walls that seem to attenuate things very nicely by about 70-90 dBs depending on frequency content. We basically closed off one small live room to test out our design which works quite well, now we must perform wall surgery to implement some fresh air vents and exhausts vents. The other two studio's I am building (control room and mix stage for film) have not yet been completed and the walls are still open so I am trying to lock down the ventilation design before moving forwards. Which I am trying to do over the weekend as the build should continue next week. Another suggested option has been to simply cut a rectangle to fit one of those dual "in and out" fans and make removable section of the wall that would act as a soundproof cover to close the whole up while its not in use and blast it between takes. I would of course prefer something less involving and obvious however I am open to any suggestions. My priorities are as follows: speed, air circulation efficiency, costs (labour is myself and friends which has been going very well so far) I thank you for your advice. This is and will be a ongoing project as any studio build I'm sure is, however the more I can lock down during the early building phases the better while at the same time I need to get up and running as revenues are non existent until walls are completed and rooms can be equipped. I have many more questions but will reserve them for a different thread. Thank you again and happy new year! :yahoo:

does the studio sit in a space where you already cool/heat the space? if so, you might be able to just create an air exchange (so people can survive) and use a split unit heat pump to manage the cooling or heating on a room by room basis. if you have to go outside for air, you might need to look into a EVR unit to reduce temperature and moisture swings. one option is to build a baffle box to silence to supply and return penetrations and then use a duct to an inline fan to pull and push the air out/in of the room. the supply side could be passive (no fan) as an option. some of this depends on how much space you have available and how large the rooms are in terms of how well this could work. the plans on Ted's site (your link) are both viable options: a soffit in the room to encase the supply and returns or the exterior baffle box. you should also work with your local building officials and professional HVAC people to ensure things are built to code to avoid potential lapses in insurance coverage as well as safety for your customers.

Thanks! Yes the three studios are adjacent to a large lounge and kitchen / reception area that is independently heated and air conditioned thus the reason for going with the dead vents. Can you explain the "air exchange" idea? Is it more simple than the dead vent? I thought thats basically what I was talking about, maybe I can get away with less? I am more concerned with poking large wholes in the wall only to build a vent that barely works. but gotta try right?

the air exchange means you are exchanging air with another space which is ventilated or the outside air. cooling is not going to remove the CO2 or bring in oxygen. using baffle boxes helps to preserve the isolation and can be used to change the flow rate and noise from the ducting and fan units. read the HVAC stickie on this site.