Buildling a Community Music Studio

I am brand new to this forum and looking for some assistance in receiving constructive information about designing a music recording studio. I apologize but I am neither a musician or a sound engineer/technician. I work as a Director of Finance & Facilities for a library system which is building a new 36,000sq.ft. library with a designated amount of space to develop a "multi-media" room. That space has not been determined as to what it should include. I would like it to include a small music studio. I envision that the total media space will have at least three rooms (a live music room, a control room and a green screen room). The control room would need to be shared with others working on computers for such things as photography, movie/TV production/editing, animation, and 3D printing). My initial thoughts would be that the music studio is geared to budding recording artists rather than well established musicians that would benefit from more professional studios. As a library, this service would be for the benefit of the local community and therefore the studio would be available based on a cost recovery pricing model. We would be building this space from scratch on top of concrete floors (ceiling height of building will probably be 15-20'). We would however have to build a ceiling of some type to contain the sound. I am seeking advise as to what should be considered when designing the space, how to minimize/eliminate sound seepage, the size of space and whether iso rooms (1 or 2) would also be recommended, etc. While I have no budget yet, I would be interested in knowing more about an estimated cost to build, based on what would be spent for a studio that is probably like a high-end home studio. I look forward to hearing people's thoughts about what a smaller, well designed space should contain and look like.

Welcome to the forum, The questions you have asked are very likely to receive 'how long is a piece of string' as a response. The problem is that many variables affect the construction and cost of a studio. Please flesh out your post according to this sticky: viewtopic.php?t=3231 This will allow us to advise you more accurately. A commonly used estimate used on this forum is US$ 100 per square foot, which means you are looking at $60k+ for a small studio. I would suggest that you consult a local acoustician, making sure that they have experience in recording studios. Their fees are likely to be a small part of the budget, but will save you from making costly mistakes. If you are still keen on doing this yourself I would recommend this book as an introduction: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Recording- ... 143545717X Colm