Key posts: Help with Planning & Building of my Recording Studio

Substantial posts by Studio45, who started the thread, and by the forum’s most active contributors. 112 of 145 posts are listed.

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Studio45, 3 February 2016Hi all, My name is Francis and I'm from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I'm new to this forum so please bare with me with all the newbie questions. I build our custom home 5…
Studio45, 3 February 2016As mentioned in my first post, I've attached some pics of the room....as you can see not that much has been done. The room was sealed off with Enermax Acoustical…
Soundman2020, 29 February 2016???? Not sure I understand that! The vapor barrier always goes up against the WARMER leaf, never on the colder leaf. You live in Canada. It gets pretty cold there: your…
Studio45, 1 March 2016Hey thanks for taking the time to reply Soundman! Much appreciated! To clarify a few things... The enermax panels installed were indeed installed on the warm side and…
Soundman2020, 3 March 2016Ahhh.. OK that's fine then. I though I was seeing the outer-leaf framing in those pics, not the inner-leaf framing. So your plan is just to put drywall directly on the…
Studio45, 7 March 2016I've installed two layers 1x3" strapping @ 16" OC over the enermax (1 vertically and 1 horizontally) as I will be installing 3/4" wood paneling vertically to cover all…
Studio45, 18 March 2016Hi All! As promised here's a draft of the floor plan for my studio build. Please note a few things that need to be corrected: 1) The Entrance Partition describes the…
Studio45, 30 March 2016Hi all, here's an updated version of my plan that has the corrections mentioned in the original post. I've also included the staircase and two storage areas. I've…
Studio45, 5 April 2016a few updates... The rough duct work has been installed and the air-handler is in place. Next will be to frame a few walls to hide the duct work and insulate as best…
Studio45, 7 June 2017Well it sure has been a while since I have posted any updates and/or progress on this studio build but better late than never I guess. Main reason why there hasn’t been…
Studio45, 7 June 2017Wow! You are on point today! haha First thanks for the really quick reply!! For the top edge of my walls, I was thinking of using iso-sill a rubber isolation strip along…
Soundman2020, 7 June 2017I'm aware of the product, and I do sometimes recommend it for isolating walls, but only when used as it is intended to be used: Under the sole plat, with the weight of…
Studio45, 7 June 2017I did contact the manufacturer a while back and they had suggested I use this product for both the top and bottom plates, but fair enough, the way I'm thinking of using…
Studio45, 9 June 2017Alright! So I have contacted the manufacturer and after explaining to them what I was trying to do, they have advised me to go with this isolation bracket for what I am…
Studio45, 10 June 2017Yes!! There's quite a few of them...so it was hard to figure out what would be best for me. Actually the type you just mentioned is what I was looking at initially...but…
Studio45, 13 June 2017Alright! Sounds like my cousin won't be able to help me out with the construction plans so I've decided to start using Sketchup so that I can best explain what I'm…
Soundman2020, 14 June 2017Great! :thu: And before you even get to consider your options, you first need to measure how loud you are, how quiet you need to be, and how much isolation you need. All…
Studio45, 26 June 2017Once again Stuart, I'm very appreciative of your feedback. I'm going to make sure I follow the right path in doing things. Ok! I will attempt at taking my own…
Soundman2020, 26 June 2017Cool! That's good news. :thu: Right. That's all correct, and realistic. When you do measure, make sure that you use a good quality hand-held sound level meter, and set…
Studio45, 28 June 2017Yeah i guess I was expecting that...it only makes sense. I see 40dB as a decent number for what I'm trying to achieve. There won't always be loud drum playing. It's…
Soundman2020, 28 June 2017:thu: :) Architects actually do get a bit of theoretical acoustics during their studies... maybe a dozen hours or so! ( :roll: 8) ) ... and most of that is on…
Studio45, 6 July 2017haha That's pretty much what I was thinking! If I have any gold coins left after my build I'll make sure to send some over. :P Ok, I wasn't understanding all this…

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Studio45, 1 August 2017Just wanted to post a status update. I've been pretty busy these past few weeks so the studio planning had been put aside for a bit. I'm just getting back into it now…
Soundman2020, 1 August 2017:thu: But it also means you are doing it right. If it were going fast, then you'd almost certainly be doing it WRONG! Take your time, and do it completely, and in…
Studio45, 1 August 2017I'll admit I was quite shocked at all this information I found about building a studio. I figured a few walls a bit more drywall and we're good! haha Anyways, yes I've…
Soundman2020, 1 August 2017Yep! It's an eye-opener, isn't it? It gets your attention, for sure. If only sound would behave the way we expect it too, intuitively, instead of the way it really…
Studio45, 2 August 2017I think the window thickness might okay/decent as is. I noticed it's not a double pane window with an air gap. It seems to be just two windows with a glaze/film in the…
Studio45, 11 August 2017Alright, I've got yet again another question relating to floor isolation. I'm still waiting to hear back from my architect/engineer with the right numbers so in the…
Studio45, 18 August 2017Alright, so it's obvious I knew this was coming but it's been confirmed that my current structure/floor cannot support a floating concrete slab. That being said, I know…
Studio45, 21 August 2017Yeah that's for sure but I'm okay with it. The main reason why I'm not proceeding with a floated slab is simply because I feel as it would be a lot of money invested for…
Studio45, 25 October 2017Hey all, just wanted to write a quick little update on my planning. Things have been really really slow with this project but the good part is that at least I'm moving…
Studio45, 23 November 2017Alrighty! I've finally gotten around to updating my construction plans for the studio. I know it's going to need some adjustments but this will give everyone a better…
Studio45, 29 November 2017Since this is all new construction I'm also curious to know what you guys think of using 16" OC stud spacing for both wall and ceiling framing. I've read that using 16"…
Studio45, 5 December 2017I've been reading more and more on studio designs and recommended room dimensions for studios and I'm not sure how to separate the space I have. This is still the…
Studio45, 27 December 2017After doing some more reading on CR design I found that a decent Control Room should have a min of 200sq/ft. Is that correct? Regardless this information sort of forced…
Soundman2020, 27 December 2017Well, yes, that's correct. ... Sort of. Yes, the best specs for "critical listening rooms" do specify 200 ft2 as the "minimum", but that does not mean that if you only…
Studio45, 29 December 2017As always thanks for your prompt response Stuart! Hope you had a great xmas!! This is good news for sure because I was starting to have doubts. I certainly want to try…
Soundman2020, 2 January 2018Ooops! Room mode calculators are not applicable here, except for the length axial mode, and perhaps slightly for the width. Length yes, width... not so much. Only to a…
Studio45, 2 January 2018Ok! Understood! Ok! Ok that's too bad but I guess I expected that. lol Oh! Ok..this changes things a bit haha. This is great feedback! Curious to know based on your…
Soundman2020, 2 January 2018Usually it is, indeed, better to have the speakers facing the long way down the room, to have as much distance as possible between the front and back walls. But in your…
Studio45, 3 January 2018Right, of course, I had forgotten about the fact that the speakers need to be angled towards to the listening position and in my case flipping the layout as you…
Studio45, 3 January 2018Long story short, I had previously started framing walls but after having a few replies from Stuart, I realized I really wasn't doing things right so I took a big step…

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Studio45, 4 January 2018Alright alright back to the fun stuff haha Ok so I've studied Stuarts answers a little more and made a few decisions on the design and well I have more questions of…
Soundman2020, 4 January 2018Getting back to your room design... :) The engineer in me says that your framing on that rear wall is going to be complicated, and is going to take some careful…
Studio45, 4 January 2018Right!!! I think I see where you're going with this. I currently just have the wall in front of the duct but doing it the way you explain it I would be able to put the…
Soundman2020, 4 January 2018Oops! Looks like I wrote at the same time you did! So here's the additional stuff: :thu: Symmetry is critical: You must be centered, and the room must be symmetrical…
Studio45, 4 January 2018Ok understood!! I need to be centered when in the listening position. I wasn't thinking about having my desk in front of the door/window but I think this would work. I…
Soundman2020, 4 January 2018It's one of those many myths about studios and acoustics.... Forget the famous "equilateral triangle" thing... another myth. Well, partly correct, but not completely....…
Studio45, 5 January 2018Hey Stuart! So I did a bit of work on my plan last night and came across a few things where I need your help. Ok I get that there's a bit of play on those numbers but…
Soundman2020, 5 January 2018solution: Use sliding glass doors, such as the ones I showed in the images above, from the studio in Australia. They do not need any space at all to swing into. It's…
Studio45, 6 January 2018UPDATED with PICS You're right! I could do that and will def consider, but I suppose I need specialized sliding glass doors that would cost thousands of dollars? haha .…
Stadank0, 6 January 2018some pics referencing what Stuart was talking about with objects and openings.. In every case whether a ceiling module of box opening, I would build a perimeter of…
Studio45, 8 January 2018Wow! That's awesome work man! Makes me want to build something haha. Those silencers are HUGE!! I assume you built a huge supply and then have 2 outputs in one box? I…
Stadank0, 8 January 2018Yeah, the boxes are not decoupled, save the caulking which is acoustic grade...they work great so it doesn't seem to be an issue. The boxes themselves are resting on iso…
Studio45, 8 January 2018Yeah it's a big space with 9' ceilings. We need it for a spare bedroom, full bathroom, home theatre room, mechanical room and workout room. I plan to build a big…
Studio45, 11 January 2018Ok Stuart here's the latest. I'm not a big fan of sliding glass doors but if in the end it's the only option I have I will accept it. But I think I've got something that…
Gregwor, 12 January 2018Great work on the planning stage! Where will your AHU live? Can you build some soffit/front/side walls in sketchup just so we can see how they will fit? Build a…
Studio45, 15 January 2018Thanks Greg! It's a great learning experience so I don't mind taking more time and paying a bit more attention to details. I will admit that I'm very eager to start…
Studio45, 26 January 2018Hey everyone, I was able to get a few additional details done on my plan. Mostly visualize my HVAC system and figure out sizing and silencer boxes. I've added the 2 x…

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Studio45, 11 December 2018Hi everyone! :) Can't believe it's already been close to a year since I’ve last posted about my build but good thing is I’m back at it! I’ve had to put the studio on…
Soundman2020, 12 December 2018Probably not. I think you'll find that the house system was designed as a unit, with the pieces integrated together to work hand-in-hand. There's probably a controller…
Studio45, 14 December 2018Ok that's unfortunate for sure as I was not expecting to install a dedicated HRV just for the studio :( . I totally understand the reason behind having one for sure but…
Studio45, 21 December 2018Good day to all! I hope everyone is ready for Xmas :) (man time flies when you’re planning for a studio haha) In order to properly describe my HVAC design I thought it…
Gregwor, 1 January 2019Yes. I use an ASHRAE iPhone app called ASHRAE DFDB. It was pretty cheap and it will tell you your velocities and loss coefficients for your branches/fittings/etc. Like a…
Studio45, 3 January 2019Happy New Year everyone!! Hope you all had some downtime with your loved ones this holiday season. If you're a bit like me you couldn't help yourself and spent some time…
Soundman2020, 4 January 2019I'd be really interested to see how you accomplished that. Please post a diagram. I'd be especially interested in how you managed to decouple one single silencer from…
Studio45, 4 January 2019Hey Stuart! Thanks for the response! Let me start off by saying I apologize for the lack of drawing examples....I'm spending too much time on details that don't matter…
Gregwor, 4 January 2019Francis, So you already bought your AHU? If so, you should have figured out your design and then bought the AHU that matches those design specs. 190+250 sq ft with what…
Studio45, 4 January 2019Wow! Thanks Greg! I will review all this information over the weekend (since we don't have a hockey team to watch anymore :( ) with a few drinks in the hopes of making…
Gregwor, 5 January 2019In order for it to do it's job properly, you need to install DUCT LINER inside of your rectangular duct. Of course, you should place insulation around the outside as…
Soundman2020, 5 January 2019... and therein lies the problem! HAVC should never be oversized or undersized too much, for several reasons. As you have already discovered! :) HVAC should be sized…
Studio45, 6 January 2019Hi Greg & Stuart! I've had a chance to review all this great information and I'm very happy overall because I wasn't totally off track....just confused with certain…
Soundman2020, 7 January 2019You need 300. You have 560... :) Do the math. There's another option here: Just live with the higher flow rate! The "6 changes per hour" thing is the recommended rate,…
Studio45, 7 January 2019:mrgreen: but it's only 160 CFM haha. That is certainly an option, but I will leave it as a last resort. I think I could make everything work knowing I can dump some air…
Studio45, 8 January 2019I made a bit of progress on drawing out my silencer box. Here's a quick picture that shows the sketchup model. Image not preserved: S45-SILENCER.png Inlet is a 10" round…
Studio45, 8 January 2019I went based on a few pictures I saw on here so chances are they are probably your design :) Im wondering if there’s a preference in terms of orientation when inside the…
Studio45, 8 January 2019Good day everyone! Here's a bit more details on ducts and silencers. I need your advice on something. Looks like I won't be able to orient the silencers like I…
Gregwor, 8 January 2019Yes, this is a big deal. You should ideally have your supply and returns as far away from one another as possible. One at each end of the room. That way, all of the air…
Studio45, 9 January 2019That's what I thought, I knew it was too good to be true haha. Right and I will do my best to make that happen. Unfortunately though, both rooms are not that big and if…

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Studio45, 9 January 2019OK!! I think I've finally found something that works. The boxes don't have as many sudden changes in direction as the previous ones I had drafted but I believe these…
Studio45, 10 January 2019I think so as well. After having measured everything this design was the best I could do width wise. Even length wise I had to shrink them down from the second design…
Studio45, 10 January 2019Thanks Stuart! I'm glad you think these will work! I'm sorry, I'm not sure i get what you mean by this. Are you saying the far end corners at entry point should have…
Studio45, 11 January 2019Thanks man! I'm getting better and better with sketchup so it's not all wasted time haha. I'm really glad things are starting to line up. Next steps for me is to redo…
Studio45, 12 January 2019In case I did understand what was being recommended, I drafted yet a few other examples of the silencer box I plan to use. The last one on the right is the one posted…
Gregwor, 12 January 2019The baffle dividers themselves can be 1/2" MDF, but if you had an entry and exit right next to one another like my design: Image not preserved: Weird Silencer.jpg Then…
Studio45, 12 January 2019Ok! I see what you're saying! Thanks man! So I'll use the middle design then :) So I just realized something, most of the time when there's talk of any lumber and…
Studio45, 12 January 2019I have a quick question about my duct design, I'm fairly sure I know the answer to this but I'll risk asking it anyways because I want to be sure 100%. Here's a quick…
Gregwor, 12 January 2019Here in Alberta, the thickest MDF I can find is 3/4" as well. I bought a bunch of 1/2" sheets that I will glue together. Assuming your inner leaf is two layers of 5/8"…
Studio45, 12 January 2019Excellent! Much appreciated Greg Thanks! I'll go looking for either 1/4" MDF or end up buying a bunch of 1/2". I'll see what I can do. Sure thing man! I had a hard time…
Studio45, 17 January 2019Hey guys, I'm working some more on my sketchup model and I'm considering maybe doing inside-out walls and ceilings since I think I could make it work but I wanted to…
Gregwor, 18 January 2019For ceilings you pretty much always want it to be insulation and you can add devices to liven up the room if need be. Plus, acoustically speaking, inside out ceilings…
Soundman2020, 18 January 2019It saves you space because most of your treatment can then go in between the studs / joists, rather than being hung on the drywall. Considering that acoustic devices can…
Studio45, 28 January 2019Hi all, Things have been a bit slow the last couple of weeks due to a combination of me getting sick and having to deal with condensation issue in the studio. I went to…
Soundman2020, 29 January 2019If possible, yes. But don't forget that the place where the resonant frequency is higher, is the place the defines your limit on isolation. Why is the vapor barrier on…
Studio45, 29 January 2019Ok noted! When you refer to "the place" do you mean either the outer or inner leaf? because I fairly confident that the density of my inner leaf will likely be higher…
Gregwor, 30 January 2019Stuart is referring to the area of your room in general where your resonant frequency is the highest. As an example, say you have four walls and a ceiling and your walls…
Soundman2020, 31 January 2019Neither! As Greg noted, this is not about your inner-leaf or your outer-leaf, but rather about your MSM SYSTEM! The two leaves do not just act alone: they also act…
Studio45, 31 January 2019Thanks for the replies guys! Thanks Greg! This all makes sense now. Thanks Stuart! I'll make sure to do the math as you said! Once I run the numbers for the ceiling,…
Studio45, 31 January 2019Doh!! I posted too quickly...I wrote my last post before I saw Stuart's response. Sorry about the confusion...here's my response to Stuart's post. I apologize for not…

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Gregwor, 1 February 2019I think we use the term leaf kind of loosely around here. I personally use the term to refer to the wall assembly as a whole. The way I see it, the "leaf" consists of…
Studio45, 2 February 2019Thanks for the quick response Greg! Thanks! I've calculated everything and I guess I'm somewhat happy with the results...sort of. Assuming that I'm only using the OSB as…
Studio45, 5 February 2019Hey guys, Can someone help me out with the type of insulation I need to use. I know for the outer walls the insulation required is for the added R value but what should…
Gregwor, 6 February 2019In your MSM cavity, you want an insulation that will dampen the resonant frequency of the cavity. This is usually a nice low frequency. So, you basically want insulation…
Studio45, 6 February 2019Thanks for the info Greg, this is perfect! Looks like I'll be going with Rockwool R22 or R24 Comfortbatt. I looked at the specs and the density of the comfortbatt…
Studio45, 4 June 2020Wow! Over a year since I last posted any progress of my build. I've said it a few times already on this forum but I'll say it again, Time sure does fly! Well first off,…
Studio45, 4 June 2020Deconstruction and Part 1 of 3 of Strengthening Floor Joists This was lots of fun! :horse: :horse: After working out the framing details for the studio, I was faced with…
Studio45, 5 June 2020Hey Frank! Good to hear from you dude! Hope you're going well and that you're enjoying your studio :) Sorry, I'm not sure why the pics aren't showing up...they are…
Stadank0, 5 June 2020Hey Francis. I was about to tell you that I can see them now, but then they stopped working again. I think linking to your google drive instead of uploading them is…
Studio45, 5 June 2020Thanks for the advice! I will do my next posts by uploading the pics instead to be safe. Yeah, I know you've done crazy amounts of work do date and I can relate to some…
Studio45, 6 June 2020Custom Bracing and Strut Support System for HVAC Silencer Boxes Here's you see how I was able to build some brackets with 2x6 and 3/4" OSB. Everything is glued with PL…
Studio45, 11 June 2020Here are a few extra pictures that show the insulation installed all around the first silencer box. External image, not preserved — original:…
Studio45, 1 February 2022Hey everyone, sorry for not being very active in posting my progress. I promise to comeback soon and post a status update with tons of pics. I'll try and do it this…