Experienced Studio Builders: What would you recommend?

Hello! This is my first time to post on the studio design forum (though I've greatly benefitted from your posts). I'm preparing to build out a recording studio in the U.S. from a 2-car garage that was previously converted into a living room. I also plan to knock out a wall and take over the dining room as well. Since this is my first opportunity to actually build out a studio, I'd really like to solicit any design ideas I can get from those with more experience. I'd love to do this right. The room currently has wood floors, drywall walls, and a drywall ceiling at about 8'4" that we can knock out and raise or vault within another 5 feet or so. The studio will primarily be used to individually record instruments from a typical band arrangement (guitars, drums, vox, etc.), but I'd still like to have the tracking room large enough for small band rehearsals. If possible, I'd really love to accommodate a control room as well. (Perhaps a modest control room and one live room?) I'd also love to have enough isolation that any noise wouldn't be an irritation throughout the rest of the house. Would anyone be willing to give me suggestions on a possible layout within the space available? Is it feasible to have a control room and live room in this space or would it be more beneficial to use one big room? I included a link to the diagram of the space below. (The dimension for the far left wall is 33', for some reason it didn't show up when I exported the picture.) Thanks so much!! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9F_Eq ... RqUTBfUUU/

Hi Kelcy. Please read the forum rules for posting (click here). You seem to be missing a couple of things! :)

The room currently has wood floors,

What type of wood floor? Is it laminate or some such that is laid directly on the original concrete slab? Or is it raised above that, leaving a cavity between the floor and the slab?

I'd also love to have enough isolation that any noise wouldn't be an irritation throughout the rest of the house.

Decibels. You need to measure them. So you can come up with a number that answers the question "How much isolation do you need?". In other words, you need to take two basic measurements: #1: How loud your band is in a typical session, and #2: how quiet you need to be to "not be an irritation throughout the rest of the house", and also to meet your local noise regulations. You then subtract the "quiet" number from the "loud" number, and the answer is how much isolation you need, in decibels. Based on that, you can then select the type of construction and materials that will get you that amount of isolation.

Is it feasible to have a control room and live room in this space or would it be more beneficial to use one big room?

What size is the available space?

I included a link ...

Right, but that's one of the things mentioned in the forum rules, that you need to fix... :) - Stuart -

Soundman, thanks for your reply and your willingness to point me toward areas I should improve in my post.

Soundman2020 wrote:

What type of wood floor? Is it laminate or some such that is laid directly on the original concrete slab? Or is it raised above that, leaving a cavity between the floor and the slab?

I currently have a laminate wood floor laid directly onto the concrete slab. I'm perfectly happy to tear this out and replace it with a better material if necessary.

Soundman2020 wrote:

Decibels. You need to measure them.

So sorry. I would love to aim for at least 50 dB of reduction. I don't expect the band to be playing beyond 100dB so a reduction of 50 dB seems reasonable. Even so, 60 dB would be ideal if it was doable without over-complicating the design necessities.

Soundman2020 wrote:

What size is the available space?

I'm including a sketchup I did of the space. This was my first attempt at using the program, but I really hope I can work past the learning curve. :) The ceiling is 8'4" right now, but there's approximately 5' of attic space above the ceiling that we could lift into. I also noted the approximate location of a fuse box used by the house. There is currently no central HVAC supplied to the room-just a ductless mini split AC unit that we plan to replace. (This could be replaced with a similar unit and moved to a better location, or we could rethink the AC entirely.) The studio will primarily be used to individually record instruments from a typical band arrangement (elec/aco guitars, drum sets, vox, etc.), but I'd still prefer to have the tracking room large enough to accommodate a small band rehearsal (perhaps 4-5 musicians). If it's possible, I'd really love a dedicated control room as well. (Perhaps a modest control room and one live room?) As for the budget: The person funding the project has just told me "We'll do whatever needs to be done." Still, I think he'd have some sticker shock if we're moving much beyond $10,000. My questions are: 1. Is it feasible to have a control room and live room in this space, or would it be more beneficial to use one big room? 2. Would anyone be willing to offer suggestions on a possible layout within the space available? Thanks so much!!!

I currently have a laminate wood floor laid directly onto the concrete slab. I'm perfectly happy to tear this out and replace it with a better material if necessary.

Don't do that! Laminate on concrete is perfect! The problematic floor is the other type: with an air cavity underneath, since that can potentially by a resonant system that messes with your room acoustics. But what you have is excellent. No need to change that.

I don't expect the band to be playing beyond 100dB

What type of band? Most rock bands get up to 115 or more. The drums alone can hit 115, played reasonably hard.

a reduction of 50 dB seems reasonable. Even so, 60 dB would be ideal if it was doable without over-complicating the design necessities.

50 to 60 is a good goal for a home studio. 50 is doable with reasonable care and a good budget. 60 is quite a bit harder, but still attainable if your budget is high.

There is currently no central HVAC supplied to the room-just a ductless mini split AC unit that we plan to replace. (This could be replaced with a similar unit and moved to a better location, or we could rethink the AC entirely.)

Mini-splits are fine, and quite common in home studios. They do a good job of cooling and controlling humidity, if they are sized right for the room, occupancy and general heat and humidity load. However, they don't do ventilation, which is the other part of HVAC, so you still need ducts, fans and silencer boxes for that, in addition to your mini-split.

The studio will primarily be used to individually record instruments from a typical band arrangement (elec/aco guitars, drum sets, vox, etc.), but I'd still prefer to have the tracking room large enough to accommodate a small band rehearsal (perhaps 4-5 musicians). If it's possible, I'd really love a dedicated control room as well. (Perhaps a modest control room and one live room?)

You can probably do that: you seem to have enough space, if you design carefully.

As for the budget: The person funding the project has just told me "We'll do whatever needs to be done." Still, I think he'd have some sticker shock if we're moving much beyond $10,000.

The best way to estimate the true cost of building a home studio is to call around some local contractors in your area, and ask for their flat rate per square foot for finishing an unfinished basement as a TV room or home theater. They will give you a rate that includes materials and labor for doing that at a basic level, so add 20% or so to their number, multiply by the number of square feet you have for your studio, and that will give a good idea of the total cost, realistically.

1. Is it feasible to have a control room and live room in this space, or would it be more beneficial to use one big room?

It is feasible, yes, with a space that size. But your budget probably doesn't allow that. You might find you are limited to doing just one room for now, and doing the other one later as more funds become available. that leaves you with the dilemma: which one to do now, and which one to leave for later?

2. Would anyone be willing to offer suggestions on a possible layout within the space available?

For a space with that shape and size, I think I'd probably first take a look at doing a "corner control room" in one of the corners on the left wall (19'4" wall, marked as brick), and making all the rest into a large live room. If a corner control room won't fit well, then I'd go with a rectangular control room up that same wall. There are many examples of both types of studio here on the forum, so take a look around and find something similar to your situation, then see if you can adapt it. - Stuart -

Thanks again for taking your time to relay your experience to me. Here's a mockup of a potential layout for the room with the corner control room. With the odd angles it created in the rest of the room, I thought it may be beneficial to build in an iso booth & storage room (where the fuse box would be). I realize the walls I mocked up aren't scaled perfectly, but is this type of layout on the right track? With previously only having a mini split, what option do you see to control HVAC once the rooms are divided up? Thanks again!

Here's a mockup of a potential layout for the room with the corner control room. ... is this type of layout on the right track?

That looks like a good possibility.

With previously only having a mini split, what option do you see to control HVAC once the rooms are divided up?

You could do one mini-split per room, plus individual ducts for the ventilation for each room, or you could go with the more sophisticated fully ducted system, using one single AHU for the entire studio feeding into a plenum, then splitting that off into the individual rooms. Total cost is probably similar. - Stuart -

There is currently no central HVAC supplied to the room-just a ductless mini split AC unit that we plan to replace. (This could be replaced with a similar unit and moved to a better location, or we could rethink the AC entirely.)

Mini-split AC unit would be great for your studio as explained by Stuart. Now, if you have ventilation problem, then you can go with geothermal ac units as it maintains a steady ambient room temperature, thus providing extra comfort. Moreover, it's energy efficient, thus saving lot of money. Though, you should consult with your HVAC contractors or browse this site for more better suggestions.