New Studio Build, Hello!

Both layers of 5/8's drywall with Green Glue hung, taping blocking and sanding and point up happening this weekend.

Hey Allen - sounds like you're making great progress, although as I always used to say to Sharward on my last build - if there's no pictures - it didn't happen :wink: Keep up the great work!

How did you make out with the neoprene type for the duct venting?

Not sure about the neoprene, I ordered what I linked and wrapped it around the gap twice, stapled, glued, and sealed it to the vent. It was quarter inch neoprene so I have a half inch in total around the gap. Hopefully it will work as it should. Hey Andy, I will try to put some pictures up this weekend, I literally just finished taping, I am going to try and get the blocking done tomorrow and maybe sand and paint, depends on how early of a start I get. It's getting pretty exciting, I haven't had made studio set in about a year now with having the house built and all the moving, can't wait to rock out! Allen

It happened!

NICE! Great job so far! Thanks for keep posting pictures, gets me motivated to work harder because lately I'm getting a bit lazy..... What is your decision regarding the outlets, wiremold? I decided to use external wiremold outlet boxes with the 12 gauge wire coming in from behind the wall for each box, clamp connector to the box, that way it will only be a small hole at each box that i use the acoustic sealant to seal. For the ceiling I will make boxes to fit 4 inch electrical boxes and will use led recessed lighting: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-E ... /203596700

I have one outlet on a dedicated circuit that is just hanging in the front corner of the room, you can't see it in the pic because its right behind the shop vac. I am going to take the outlet off put the romex in a junction box and run the rest of my outlets surface mounted with conduit off of that. For the lights I bought two track lighting fixtures, for the ceiling lights I cut those boxes in but built 2x6 enclosures around them and acoustically sealed them. I also put a 2 gang box in the ceiling right before it angles down that I will put some outlets that are on a dimmer to control the LED pucks that I am going to mount in the cloud. These are the lights that I bought. http://www.lowes.com/pd_366093-1390-GU9 ... Id=3531560 http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?par ... &cId=PDIO1 http://www.lowes.com/pd_406061-1390-AC1 ... AGPSPN=pla Allen

For the lights I bought two track lighting fixtures, for the ceiling lights I cut those boxes in but built 2x6 enclosures around them and acoustically sealed them

It's not just about sealing, although that is very important too: It is also about replacing the lost mass behind the electrical box. When you cut a hole through your drywall, you are removing something that has a surface density of roughly 24 kg/m2 (assuming 2 layers of 16mm drywall), so you need to build an enclosure behind the electrical box that has the same surface density, and THEN seal it. The thin plastic or metal of an electrical box has practically no mass to it, so you need to make up for that "missing mass" with the enclosure. You can do that with drywall, plywood, MDF, OSB, natural wood, putty pads, or whatever. It doesn't matter how you build up the mass again, as long as it is there. And sealed. - Stuart -

Ya, I built the boxes out of 2x6's and then sealed them... Plenty of mass... Thanks Stuart, Allen

2 coats of paint and conduit up! Going to get the plugs installed and lights hung this week and call for a final inspection, then on to the soffits and a Ampendectomy for the AX8's.... Allen

Hi all, Its been a while since I posted but I have been making lots of progress. I passed all my inspections and got my final! I built my soffits, hangers, front wall absorbtion and laid the floor! next up, build the doors and shooting the room, "which basically sounds like an echo chamber right now". I picked up some stain/finishing samples to test on some birch, which is what the finished soffit layer will be made of. I will also be installing the base for the flooring this week. I have the fabric for my acoustic treatment on order. My initial treatment plan is to put super chunks in the back corners, floor to ceiling, one moveable "by the door" and the other fixed and hang a non backed cloud on the angled part of the ceiling and another on the flat part of the ceiling behind me, possible some wall panels as well, "which I'm pretty sure the REW tests will call for".

:yahoo: I might be mistaken, but that place is starting to look like a control room! :) And it's starting to look pretty good. One question: How thick is the front baffle on your soffits?

I passed all my inspections and got my final!

Congratulations on that! A major milestone.

and shooting the room, "which basically sounds like an echo chamber right now".

REW test! Maybe you could post the actual MDAT file here (or post a link to it), so that we can take a look at it for you, and provide the usual bunch of disheartening but constructive comments? 8) - Stuart -

Hi Stuart! Thanks, it's been a lot of work but when I started putting the floor down I was like, holy moly this is actually looking like my design! (Due in small part to you and the other studio builders here on this forum) I actually got inspired again to write music again! What you see on soffits is 3/4" MDF there will be another 3/4" piece of laminated Birch on top of that. Trying to decide on the stain right now. I will most definitely post the REW files when I shoot the room. Should I shoot it with absolutely nothing in the room including treatment first and post that? Looking forward to some disheartening comments! :D Allen

What you see on soffits is 3/4" MDF there will be another 3/4" piece of laminated Birch on top of that.

That's cool! Just checkin'.... it's always good to have an extra pair of eyes looking over your shoulder while you build.... :)

Should I shoot it with absolutely nothing in the room including treatment first and post that?

Absolutely! That will be your "baseline" test, which will show the room in it's most ugly, disgusting, terrible, worst possible acoustic state, but it also clearly reveals all of the bad stuff that needs fixing with the treatment. That first test in the completed-but-empty room is essential for helping you make decisions on how to treat the room. One very important point, though: When you do that very first test, make several very careful measurements of the exact location of the tip of your measurement mic, so you can always get it back to that precise location in the room for all subsequent tests. So set up your mic at the mix position, exactly where the middle of your head will be while mixing, at ear height, pointing straight ahead and angled upwards at about 45°, and carefully measure that location. Do one REW test run like that with just the left speaker running, another test with just the right speaker, and a third test with both speakers. You might want to also do a couple of additional tests, with the mic moved over a couple of inches left and a couple of inches right, until it is in the locations where your EARS will be when mixing, and pointing at the speaker on that side. That's not essential, but it's another "nice to have" set of data that you might want to refer to later. Your testing should be done with REW calibrated correctly by using hand-held sound level meter, so that REW shows the same reading as the hand-held (you can't use an iPhone app for this: it really does have to be a good quality meter). Set the level of each individual speaker to 80 dB, and run the REW tests for the individual tests at that level. Then when you run the combined test with both speakers on, DO NOT CHANGE THE LEVELS! the total level will rise all by itself to either 83 dB or 86 dB, depending on what test you are running (83 for non-coherent or uncorrelated sound, 86 for coherent correlated). Always put your mic back in the exact same location, and run the tests at the exact same levels, for all subsequent readings. If you don't put the mic in the same position for later tests, then you cannot compare the tests. Each one will still be a valid test, but if they are taken at different points in the room then you can't compare them, and cannot use them to decide on treatment, since they are measuring a different set of acoustic responses. This is VERY important! There can be big differences in the sound field just a small distance away. So take a set of readings as above each time you install treatment or furniture, so you have a full record of the results after each devices goes in. That way you can clearly see what is working, what isn't, and what still needs to be done. And of course, post the MDAT file from REW here on the forum at each stage too, so we can help you analyze it! - Stuart -

Awesome, will do!

Built me a very HEAVY door that I hung myself... 125 lbs, 2 pieces of MDF laminated together with 2 pieces of 1/4" plywood, I used a 2x6 for the hinge side spine that I ripped a 2" wide by 3/4" deep notch out of. This way I could offset the MDF panels by 2"s and be able to screw one of the MDF panels directly into the 2x6 spine and then have the two MDF panel screwed to each other before being sandwiched by the 1/4 plywood on either side, this gives the door more stability than just having the 1/4 plywood holding everything together.

Nice! That DOES look pretty hefty. I guess you notice the difference in isolation! :) - Stuart -

I tell what I really noticed was how hot those track lights were once I had the door up, needless to say I ordered LED replacements last night!

Small update, got the monitors powered up yesterday gave them a listen, I am supposed to receive my SPL meter today so I will do my REW tests then but even just giving the A8X's a listen I must say they sound pretty damn amazing! I can hear so much more detail in songs that I have been listening to for years its nuts! I can't wait to hear the room after the treatment has been done. Oh, also I only have the inner door up in the studio but after firing up the system I cranked some tunes and you cannot hear anything on the upper two levels of my house coming from the studio! It looks like the 2am drum session dream just might be a reality! Allen

Yeah, those Adam's are pretty good, aren't they? I'm a fan... And that's great news about the isolation! Your drums will probably be about 10 to 20 dB louder than your speakers, but once you get that inner door on, that will make a difference too. Holding thumbs for 2 AM! :) - Stuart -

Ok, did my first REW test, will post the bad news tomorrow. :wink:

Here ya go! I did the first tests left, right and both. I also did another test with just both after having stacked up two bags of Roxul SS floor to ceiling to see how it would affect the room. Here's the mdat file link, https://umd.box.com/s/dg7fe8ifmiyqo062hgpw

Finished my back wall treatment and the room is really starting to look and sound nice, bass really tightened up! Definitely altered my REW readings too.

Any feedback on my readings???

Bump