Earthshaking Studios in Atlanta, GA, USA

Hey everybody! I would first like to thank you all for what you do here. I have been lurking in this forum for a little over a year, and I have learned so much! I have a lot more to learn, and every visit to the forum yields more priceless information. So thanks! I currently work in a recording studio that is located in a musical instrument retail store. We are moving locations and we are knocking around designs for the studio. I've attached a few jpg's. The Sketchup file was too big to attach but I would be happy to email to anyone who wants to mess around with it. In our current location, there is practically no isolation between the store and the studio. It has been challenging, to say the least, but I am hoping with what I've learned from you fine folk, and with your comments on our space, we can come up with something practical and not cost prohibitive. Some notes: * None of the stuff in the back space where the studio will be is built out yet. It's a total blank canvas. * I am less concerned with the isolation between the rooms of the studio, as I am with the isolation of the studio from the rest of the space. I am reasonable about what we can expect with normal construction between the studio rooms, and I am fine with the amount of isolation there. Feel free to give me a hard time about two-leaf single frame walls in the studio though. :wink: If the quote comes back from our contractor and there is room in the budget, I plan on doing more two-leaf two-frame walls. * Likewise, I am not too concerned with the sound getting into the outside world. We are relatively far from the neighbors. * There is an apartment that shares a wall with the studio. I have laid it out so that it only shares a wall with the isolation room and closet to minimize the amount of noise that gets into that space. That is important, but I am open to any ideas about layout changes that would maintain good isolation from/to that space. * That weird 7' tall block in the hallway across from the studio is open shelving. Will store guitars, microphones, cables, etc. * The little room in the back of the studio is a closet for drum sets, mic stands, etc. Thanks in advance for the advice and your patience. Scott Trinh Atlanta, GA

Hi Scott, and welcome! :)

None of the stuff in the back space where the studio will be is built out yet. It's a total blank canvas.

OK, but I'm having trouble figuring what is the "studio" and the "back space" and the "retail store"! Maybe you can mark that more clearly on the images? I don't see anything shaped like a control room, so I'm not sure if your studio is just a rehearsal space, with no control room?

Feel free to give me a hard time about two-leaf single frame walls in the studio though.

You CAN do single frame walls and still get reasonable isolation, provided that you use RC or RSIC clips plus hat channel. OR another option might be staggered studs, which is a bit less cost than for separate frames. There are options. But it all depends on how much isolation you need, in terms of decibels. So it would be good if you could explain things in more detail, so we get a better idea of what you want to do. - Stuart -