After a bit of advice in another post and reading "Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros" I'm left with quite a few questions I can't seem to find the answer for either in the book or the forums. Hopefully, someone in the community can answer my questions. I feel like an idiot for not being able to figure this out on my own.
1. The book basically says concrete slab is about as good as it gets and that's what I'll be working with. However, it doesn't really talk about what to do with it. I was left with the impression that I should have bare concrete for the floor and nothing else. Am I suppose to put tile over the concrete, carpet, or just paint it?
2. How much spacing is needed between adjacent studio walls to create the air cavity? I saw two references to 1" but it was not in reference to the studio walls themselves.
3. What type of insulation should be used inside of the studio walls? I've seen mention of mineral wool which he mostly talks about using to fill cracks; there was one mention of R13 in a diagram; and a passing comment about something called rock wool.
5. In a double wall construction where is the drywall mounted? I ask because the book talks a lot about "decoupling" the drywall. And in the double wall section it says decoupling the drywall from each other which leaves me wondering exactly how the drywall is supposed to be mounted.
6. How much spacing is needed between the frames of a double wall construction; 1 inch?
7. I recall reading something about how the drywall isn't supposed to touch and the corners should just be sealed with caulking. Can anyone tell me if I read that correctly or if I'm completely off base?
8. I keep seeing in other resources online that a box within a box is the best way to design a studio. But I don't see anything in the book or in this forum talking about building a box within a box. Can someone explain that better?
Thanks!
Need clarification
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 17476.
Hi. Please read the forum rules for posting (click here). You seem to be missing a couple of things! :)
Plain old bare concrete is a great acoustic surface. You can, indeed, leave it just like that if you want. No covering needed, unless it is in bad shape, or you just don't like the look of bare concrete! You could stain it, paint it, polish it or teat it in other ways, if concrete is your thing. Or you could lay laminate flooring, real wood flooring, ceramic tiles, linoleum, or other similar things that still give you a nice hard, reflective surface. Just be careful to lay those on the concrete WITHOUT any type of framing or other technique that would leave an air gap between the concrete and the flooring. Of course, all of the above assumes correct treatment for the rest of the room.1. The book basically says concrete slab is about as good as it gets and that's what I'll be working with. However, it doesn't really talk about what to do with it. I was left with the impression that I should have bare concrete for the floor and nothing else. Am I suppose to put tile over the concrete, carpet, or just paint it?
How much isolation do you need? The depth of the cavity depends on what frequencies you need to isolate, and how much isolation (in decibels) you need. 1" is NOT the depth of the cavity, but rather the space between the two stud frames. The total depth of the cavity with a 1" gap would be about 4-1/2" if you are building one leaf inside out, or about 8" if you build both leaves normally. In other words, the cavity depth is measured between the two leaves that face each other, inside the wall. This cavity is also sometimes referred to as the "air gap", and is still considered to be filled with air even when it is also filled with insulation, since insulation is mostly air anyway... So when you read about a 6" air gap with 4" of insulation, it means that there is 6" total distance between the two leaves, and 4" of that is occupied with air-filled insulation, leaving another 2" of plain old air.2. How much spacing is needed between adjacent studio walls to create the air cavity? I saw two references to 1" but it was not in reference to the studio walls themselves.
Mineral wool is the generic name for one type of insulation, Rockwool is one specific brand name of mineral wool. You can also use ordinary pink fluffy fiberglass, or also semi-rigid fiberglass panels, such as OC-703. If you use mineral wool, look for stuff with a density of about 50 kg/m3. If you use fiberglass, then the density should be around 30 kg/m3. As far as I recall, Rod clearly mentions the correct use of insulation in his book.3. What type of insulation should be used inside of the studio walls? I've seen mention of mineral wool which he mostly talks about using to fill cracks; there was one mention of R13 in a diagram; and a passing comment about something called rock wool.
If you are doing double-stud construction, the drywall is attached to the studs in the normal way, with drywall nails or screws. If you are doing single-stud construction then most likely the drywall on ONE side of the studs would be mounted on either resilient channel or on hat channel that is in turn mounted on some type of resilient clip. The "decoupling" Rod refers to is the fact that in a double stud wall, the drywall on one leaf is totally decoupled from the drywall on the other leaf, since they are mounted on two different, independent stud frames! They would only be coupled if they were mounted on opposite sides of the same SINGLE stud frame (without using any other method of decoupling), which is the way normal house walls are built.5. In a double wall construction where is the drywall mounted? I ask because the book talks a lot about "decoupling" the drywall. And in the double wall section it says decoupling the drywall from each other which leaves me wondering exactly how the drywall is supposed to be mounted.
You already asked that, above! Already answered! :)6. How much spacing is needed between the frames of a double wall construction; 1 inch?
It's a good idea to leave a small gap around all the edges, yes. Push backer rod into the gap, then seal it with caulk or acoustic sealant. That applies to all edges that meet other surfaces, such as where the wall meets the floor, ceiling, and other walls.7. I recall reading something about how the drywall isn't supposed to touch and the corners should just be sealed with caulking. Can anyone tell me if I read that correctly or if I'm completely off base?
Everything on this forum is about building "box within a box" studios!!!! That's the only way to get decent isolation at a reasonable price. Also called "room-in-a-room" construction, and "MSM" construction, and "MAM" construction, and "fully decoupled, two-leaf construction" and many other things. And that's exactly what Rod promotes throughout his entire book, from cover to cover. And it's also exactly what you seem to have been describing above. But please check those forum rules! - Stuart -8. I keep seeing in other resources online that a box within a box is the best way to design a studio. But I don't see anything in the book or in this forum talking about building a box within a box. Can someone explain that better?