Hi there!
First post, I've been lurking for a while, reading whatever I can and trying to taking it all in!
I'm probably in quite a unique situation, in that the building the studio will be in is not even built yet!
We're on a farm in the UK, and will be putting up a new steel framed building to replace one of the remaining original buildings put up after the war.
My brother and I are both musicians and run numerous bands. Currently we rehearse/record in our parents house, where we have a 'music room' which is a 3x3m room with a peaked ceiling so it sounds ok but it's not really a lot of use for recording. So anything serious recording wise is done 45miles up the road in a pro studio then mixed at a local studio owned by my guitar teacher.
However, my dad wants his house back, so when we put the new building up this Autumn, he's going to set aside some space at the back of the building for us to have a studio. Initially my thought was to build a single room control room/live room but after buying the Rod Gervais book and seeing the designs on here it seems entirely feasible to have at the very least a 2 or 3 room setup (control room, live room, drum booth and possibly an amp cabinet room/iso room if there is space). I figure the cubic feet measurement works out around 4500cu.ft, so its on the upper end of the medium room size according Rod Gervais.
Unfortunately at the moment most of the dimensions are best guesses because it's about 7 years since we bought the building (too busy doing everything else to put it up) and Dad can't remember exactly how big it is. We are almost certain that it is 23ft wide or 7m if you like though. It has also had the legs extended so that we can fit a tractor into the shed to use as a workshop. From what I recall when we dismantled it from it's previous location it was approx 8ft at the eaves so with extensions I guess it will be at least 10ft now. And then with the peaked room you are looking at 15ft-20ft at the highest point.
It is around 50ft-60ft long, dad reckons he'll be able to spare 15-20ft or so at the rear of the shed for us to use for the studio. Again this is only a guess until we get it unpacked from the stack it is in!
We also have a good deal of spare beams from some heavy duty warehouse racking available, which would enable us to make a 'Lean-to' along one side of the building which would extend that side out by approve 6-9ft depending on how much space we can spare in the yard.
As described the building is steel framed, the walls will no doubt be 9 or 12" concrete blocks (I assume 12" would be better) but in order to get a double leaf system we should able to have the outside sheathed with steel sheets to allow 2 layers of Gyproc on the outer wall and 2 on the inside (assuming that would not cause a 3rd leaf?). It's not essential for keeping sound in, as our nearest neighbours are about 800yards away at the nearest (and have never complained about our current rehearsal arrangements) but more to keep the noise of tractors and animals out of the studio! The floor will be reinforced concrete slab on a class one sub-base stone base onto clay. Approx 4-6" thick.
The beauty for this build is that we are more than capable of doing all the construction 'in house' to keep the cost down. My dad is great at blockwork, electrics and joinery (I plan to learn during the process). I have friends who are joiners by trade too so would help out quite cheaply I'm sure.
Budget wise I'm not 100% sure unfortunately. I'm more than happy to put £3000ish in myself but I'm not sure what my dad will accept. I'm not expecting to have to pay for any of the outer shell of the building unless what we require means changing the original plans. This will change as it goes.
I don't know if that money will be enough but if it gets the live room or control room done to start with and then finish the rest as we go along, then so be it.
I've attached a sketchup file which is a pretty close approximation of what the final building sizes should be. If this isn't accurate enough to do anything with then I'll do my best to get more accurate figures from my dad.I would also attach pictures but I'm sure a dilapidated old shed won't help all that much!
Gear wise.... what i've got at the moment wouldn't require soffit mounting, and there is barely any outboard. but my teacher that I mentioned previously is having to more premises and as yet hasn't found anything, so I'm going to offer him a deal with regards to our 'studio'. Ie he puts his gear in the studio and we share the takings in some way, as i've invested in the construction and he's got the gear. He's got a MOTU HD192 24channel system with some decent outboard pre's and a retro mackie analogue desk. We'd end up using my Mac Pro as he's still on a G5 though. His monitors would also not require soffit mounting.
Priorities for studio would be to have firstly a good control room and live room. Then depending on what space is left we'd work from there. We will be recording acoustic instruments, bands (live would be great), horns, jazz bands and local indie bands potentially.
In terms of spacial usage, of all the designs I've seen, the Oasis studios designs I have seen on here look amazing. Specifically the shapes of the rooms. Something along those lines would be very practical for our uses.
Thanks for reading if you got this far. Looking forward to hearing any suggestions!
Farm Yard Studios - design ideas
Originally posted at johnlsayers.com, topic 17754.
Hi there "21stcenturykid", and Welcome! :)
Actually, that's a good thing! It gives you much better chances of getting it right, since you can design it properly from the start. Lucky you!I'm probably in quite a unique situation, in that the building the studio will be in is not even built yet!
with a 3m by 3m footprint, I'm not surprised: square rooms are not good, acoustically, due to the modal issues.we have a 'music room' which is a 3x3m room with a peaked ceiling so it sounds ok but it's not really a lot of use for recording.
depends on what you mean by "better". :) It will probably help with improving isolation (depending on other factors), but will also take 6 inches of the total available dimensions. So if size is more important than isolation, then 9" might be the "better" choice.the walls will no doubt be 9 or 12" concrete blocks (I assume 12" would be better)
Yes, if I understand you right, that would be a 3-leaf wall. The concrete block is leaf #1, the "2 layers of gyproc" on the one side of the studs is #2, and the other 2 layers on the other side of those studs is leaf #3.but in order to get a double leaf system we should able to have the outside sheathed with steel sheets to allow 2 layers of Gyproc on the outer wall and 2 on the inside (assuming that would not cause a 3rd leaf?).
It would be better to have accurate dimensions in all 3 directions.I've attached a sketchup file which is a pretty close approximation of what the final building sizes should be. If this isn't accurate enough to do anything with then I'll do my best to get more accurate figures from my dad.
Why not? It's hard to find speakers that cannot benefit from soffit mounting! True, some types can be soffit mounted, due to cabinet shape, or having side-facing or rear-facing ports, but pretty much any other speaker will benefit greatly from soffit mounting, simply because that eliminates or greatly reduces things like SBIR, comb filtering, wave cancellation, phasing issues, early reflections, and all those other nasty artifacts you get from speakers mounted on stands. What speakers do you have that you think would not benefit?Gear wise.... what i've got at the moment wouldn't require soffit mounting,
:thu: :wink: Ahh! Smart man. An 8-bus, hopefully? A man after my own heart! Some people say old Mackie gear is too noisy, but it sure us hard to beat for overall sound and features.and a retro mackie analogue desk.
It's not a matter of "requiring" soffit mounting or not: It's a matter of how much you are prepared to suffer from the artifacts and reduced sound quality by NOT soffit-mounting them! The benefits are numerous, and the drawbacks are ... ummm... welll... What ARE the drawbacks to soffit mounting??? Can't think of any... (except maybe that it's a little bit harder to build a soffit than a speaker stand).His monitors would also not require soffit mounting.
Which uses soffit mounting... :) Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing more details, as you move forward. Sounds like an interesting project! - Stuart -of all the designs I've seen, the Oasis studios designs I have seen on here look amazing.
if it won't make a huge difference then I'd rather have the space!Hi there "21stcenturykid", and Welcome! :)the walls will no doubt be 9 or 12" concrete blocks (I assume 12" would be better)depends on what you mean by "better". :) It will probably help with improving isolation (depending on other factors), but will also take 6 inches of the total available dimensions. So if size is more important than isolation, then 9" might be the "better" choice
but in order to get a double leaf system we should able to have the outside sheathed with steel sheets to allow 2 layers of Gyproc on the outer wall and 2 on the inside (assuming that would not cause a 3rd leaf?).
I know the wall is definitely a 2 leaf wall, its the one as described in the rod gervais book as such. I was referring to wether having an outer layer of tin/steel sheeting for a weatherproof finish would cause a 3rd leaf.Yes, if I understand you right, that would be a 3-leaf wall. The concrete block is leaf #1, the "2 layers of gyproc" on the one side of the studs is #2, and the other 2 layers on the other side of those studs is leaf #3.
I've attached a sketchup file which is a pretty close approximation of what the final building sizes should be. If this isn't accurate enough to do anything with then I'll do my best to get more accurate figures from my dad.
I'll do my best to get some more accurate numbers then.It would be better to have accurate dimensions in all 3 directions.
Gear wise.... what i've got at the moment wouldn't require soffit mounting,
mine have rear bass ports. Tannoy 5a Reveals. Assuming my teacher wants to get involved we could soffit mount his mackie monitors (not sure what model they are) and stand mount mine, to have to comparison monitors.Why not? It's hard to find speakers that cannot benefit from soffit mounting! True, some types can be soffit mounted, due to cabinet shape, or having side-facing or rear-facing ports, but pretty much any other speaker will benefit greatly from soffit mounting, simply because that eliminates or greatly reduces things like SBIR, comb filtering, wave cancellation, phasing issues, early reflections, and all those other nasty artifacts you get from speakers mounted on stands. What speakers do you have that you think would not benefit?
Thanks, I'll get more dimensions ASAP and then we can get some ideas happening!Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing more details, as you move forward. Sounds like an interesting project!