John Sayers’ Recording Studio Design ForumAn archive of johnlsayers.com, 2003–2022

Key posts: *Treatment stage* Fen Cabin Studio - Build Diary. UK

Substantial posts by Waka, who started the thread, and by the forum’s most active contributors. 105 of 199 posts are listed.

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  • Waka, 6 October 2017Hi all, After getting almost all my design together with lots of help from the forums, (Design thread here: http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21057…
  • Waka, 17 October 2017Hardcore filled and compacted, sand blinding added. 1000ga Waterproof membrane fitted. Under concrete floor insulation added. Image not preserved: ready for concrete.jpg…
  • Waka, 26 November 2017Hi Stuart, Sorry I didn't see your reply! The double sole plate is for practical construction reasons. Bolt the sole plate in place first all the way round, then build…
  • Soundman2020, 27 November 2017LIke I said, there's nothing wrong with doing it that way, except that it uses more materials than necessary. Many exterior walls are built the way you describe, but…
  • Waka, 11 January 2018Hi all been slowly progressing with the build. Have realised though that after fitting the cripple studs for the lintel above the exterior door I don't have enough width…
  • Waka, 14 February 2018After checking door measurements again I didn't have enough useable width with double seals etc. So I bit the bullet, cut out part of the wall and rebuilt it and fitted…
  • Waka, 25 February 2018Ok, I got a day without rain, snow and frost coinciding with a Sunday afternoon so I got the exterior door fitted! Woop woop! (pics to follow). It swings open about 10…
  • Waka, 17 March 2018Ok so updates. I was right about the door, it was just the wind coming through the soffit voids, on a windless day the door doesn't swing out or in at all. I've…
  • Waka, 27 March 2018Ok so I've fitted my extraction fan and intake duct in the roof void ready to connect up to my silencers. The intake filter can be replaced and fan accessed for…
  • Waka, 10 April 2018More silencer pics. Image not preserved: holes cut.jpg Image not preserved: adding duct lining.jpg Image not preserved: lined.jpg Image not preserved: lid…
  • Waka, 25 April 2018Ok so with the silencers ready, I got an extra pair of hands to help and we fixed them to the ceiling. Ducts fitted from the silencers to their respective exit points. I…
  • Waka, 31 May 2018Hi sorry for not replying. Outer leaf is OSB and 1 layer plasterboard between the studs then cladding to face it. Inner leaf is OSB and 1 layer of plasterboard. I've…
  • Waka, 15 June 2018Hi Greg, Veen a crazy month as I'm changing jobs, so I've had hardly any time this month to do anything. I decided that I wasn't happy to rely on caulking just inside…
  • Waka, 15 June 2018Hi Stuart, Yeah I understand the middle leaf is the best to add mass to in these situations, but as my requirements aren't large I'm not too worried. I didn't add the…

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  • Waka, 22 June 2018Hi Guys, Not much progress at the moment due to lack of build time, but here's a pic of the outside after caulking, refitting of breather membrane and battening ready…
  • Waka, 22 June 2018Yep. I've done some research and this type of bee only lives in colonies of up to 100 bees and can't survive the winter. So they will die off naturally soon enough…
  • Waka, 25 June 2018Is still in progress. I've had a few busy months as I'm changing jobs so have been interviewing/doing overtime etc. The progress has been slow and involved work that is…
  • Waka, 6 July 2018Ok, so exterior sealing finished and battens fixed for cladding. Now I've turned my attention back inside. I've caulked all of the ceiling OSB3 layer and I'm just…
  • Waka, 13 July 2018There are two silencers for each airway. 2 for inlet, 2 for extract. My ceiling/roof design is 3 leaf as it allowed roof ventilation and was simpler to get building…
  • Waka, 13 July 2018Ok so I've finished plasterboard layer 1 on my middle leaf (outer sealed leaf) and have started caulking it. I'm covering my silencers with a layer of plasterboard too…
  • Waka, 29 July 2018Did some more studio today. All sealed and ready for the next layer. Image not preserved: middle leaf layer 2 done.jpg Image not preserved: middle leaf layer 2_2.jpg…
  • Waka, 15 October 2018Hi John it's going slowly. I've had a busy September/October. The plasterboard mass layer is finished between the studs. It's taking huge amounts of time to caulk around…
  • Waka, 15 October 2018Yep your cladding on the outside won't be sealed, so it won't provide much isolation at all (how much isolation do you need?). You can't just put a layer of osb…
  • Waka, 17 October 2018Some more pics. Finally got back to studio construction. Finished caulking the large lower sections. I've got to caulk around the top bits, and the sole plates, then I'm…
  • Waka, 19 October 2018Ha! It's getting tedious now. My only solace, is that I don't have to caulk nearly as much on my inner leaf walls, just caulk the OSB layer and then plaster/dry line the…
  • Waka, 13 November 2018After two busy weeks at work, I've done some more studio. I've started putting my cheap fluffy insulation in the outer leaf. I used standard Isover Spacesaver loft roll.…
  • Soundman2020, 13 November 2018You shouldn't compress insulation! It won't harm the insulation itself, but it can damage your isolation, for two reasons: 1) It changes the acoustic properties of the…

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  • Waka, 21 November 2018Outerleaf wall insulation finished today. Just need to staple my netting on to make sure it's secure. Then it's time to hoover and caulk the sole plate base. Wood for…
  • Waka, 7 December 2018Update: Finished the inner leaf framing. Fixed ceiling joists in place. Fitted ventilation diffusers. I left one ceiling joist loose so I can lift the two inner leaf…
  • Waka, 14 December 2018Today I made one of my inner leaf silencer boxes. These are alot bigger than the outer leaf ones. I needed them to be less than 210mm external height, and have the exit…
  • Waka, 15 December 2018Thanks for your thoughts Stuart! Now that you mention it, I can see that happening. I'm afraid I've already fixed the lid, overlaid it with another 9mm mdf and had my…
  • Waka, 16 December 2018I've been thinking about the possibility of decoupling the silencer. I'll get some adhesive backed neoprene sponge rubber. I can get it in a roll of 10m x 12mm x 10mm. I…
  • Paulus87, 20 December 2018Hi Dan, It's looking brilliant so far, I'm enjoying reading your thread. I'm in the UK too and I've got the frame up, cladded and the roof felted. I'm building my inner…
  • Waka, 20 December 2018Hi Paul, nice to see another UK studio builder! I'm struggling to visualise what you have at the moment. You say you have a frame up, roofed and cladded, but mention…
  • Paulus87, 21 December 2018Thanks for the reply, yes that’s similar to the board I’ve been looking at. It’s a toss up between about 5kg/m2 more of mass and lots more work vs less work and slightly…
  • Waka, 21 December 2018So if I understand you right, currently you have a frame installed with OSB3 on the outside (you've called this cladding in your post?) and roof joists on top, that are…
  • Waka, 21 December 2018Ah cool, I can't believe I've never noticed your thread! Yep the cement board can be installed over your OSB3 fine. Make sure you screw straight through the OSB into…

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  • Paulus87, 21 December 2018The vapour barrier may or may not be desirable acoustically speaking, but if that is the case I am planning to cover the vapour barrier in Dacron. I may even find the…
  • Waka, 21 December 2018Greg's probably right as you are doing inside out. The vapour barrier is used to prevent warm room air getting to the structure and condensing. The sealed cavity wants…
  • Soundman2020, 21 December 2018You seem to be misunderstanding the purpose of the vapor barrier. It is a very important part of a wall, in climates where it is needed, and wall construction methods…
  • Waka, 22 December 2018To be honest Paul I struggled with this problem with my wall design. Because vapour in the UK is almost always controlled by ventilating the external skin and blocking…
  • Paulus87, 22 December 2018So I have actually been doing a lot of research on ventilation, vapour control and vapour retarders recently and there really is no clear straight forward answer - at…
  • Soundman2020, 22 December 2018That would, indeed, be the correct way to proceed, but it would not go over the OSB; It would go over the drywall. If you do use it, then it goes in the wall CAVITY. Not…
  • Paulus87, 22 December 2018Hey Stuart, I think our lines have got crossed somewhere along the way! Sorry about that. Also sorry to Dan for hijacking this thread, it should be about your build not…
  • Waka, 28 December 2018I changed my mind on resilient clips to attach the silencer boxes to the joists as they are annoyingly hard to get hold of singularly. And I'm not paying £50 for 8…
  • Waka, 28 December 2018Hi guys, In the new year I should be getting the electrician in. I'll be doing all the "monkey work" :lol: and he'll be connecting everything up and signing off on it.…
  • Soundman2020, 28 December 2018Use conduit: don't leave the wiring loose in the cavity. Two pieces of conduit, one for each side, but with a gap in between: line them up to aim at each other, then…
  • Soundman2020, 28 December 2018Looks like that might work, but check with your electrician. Personally, I prefer the rigid PVC type, that I then heat with a blowtorch (gently!), with a bending spring…
  • Waka, 3 January 2019Had the electrician come to visit today for the quote, which he expects to get to me early next week (after he gets his info back from the A/C installers). The plan is…
  • Soundman2020, 3 January 2019Exactly. Good call. If you are going underground without metal conduit, then armored cable is, indeed, the way to go. :thu: And light fittings? And switches? And…
  • Waka, 5 January 2019Yep all light switches etc will be within the trunking surface mounted. I've started attaching my polythene vapour membrane now. Ceiling is done. It was a nightmare…
  • Waka, 7 January 2019As far as I'm aware it's standard installation practice in the UK. Attach the vapour barrier to the studs, then place the plasterboard over the top and screw into the…
  • Soundman2020, 7 January 2019Exactly: But that's not what you are doing! Image not preserved: ceiling polythene.jpg Unless you plan to make attach drywall that goes up the sides of your joists,…

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  • Soundman2020, 8 January 2019So the inner-leaf is NOT being built inside out? Which is what you said a while back? So if the walls are not being built inside-out, then the walls are OK, but no…
  • Waka, 8 January 2019The ceiling is the only inside out surface in my design. The walls are conventional. Hmm... I hadn't considered that sealing the ceiling modules would be affected by…
  • Waka, 23 January 2019I got some help today and managed to fit the rest of the OSB sheets on the walls. I've done 75% of the space between the joists. So after I've finished that, I've got to…
  • Waka, 25 January 2019Hi Stuart, I was aware of that. I am considering the best method of achieving this. I assume they can just add a couple of 90° bends to the pipe work right? I've not…
  • Soundman2020, 25 January 2019You can't bend the HVAC pipes very much, only very gentle curves. If you try to bend it too tight, it will kink. One way to do it is to have a gentle curve across nearly…
  • Waka, 25 January 2019Thanks Stuart, I'm not doing the work myself, but I'm going to be there to let him know what's acceptable to maintain sound isolation and reseal the vapour barrier and…
  • Waka, 25 January 2019Question about locking my external door. I need to lock the studio (for obvious reasons) and I'm thinking of the best way to do that whilst also meeting safety…
  • Soundman2020, 25 January 2019Sort of, but it needs a bit more than that. Yes, caulk around the outside of the conduit on both sides of the drywall, but then when the wires are in placed, push a…
  • Waka, 15 February 2019Hey guys, I've got some more pics for you! I've put in the cables etc. for the electrician, and caulked the outside of the conduits but not around the wires yet incase…
  • Waka, 20 February 2019The holes are all caulked and dry now, the OSB is secured and the bottom gap is caulked and drying. The cool thing is, the leveling compound will provide additional mass…
  • Waka, 9 April 2019Sorry for the delay in posting updates guys. I've made some progress. The ceiling modules are all finished. Most of them are installed. I've plasterboarded all of the…
  • Waka, 10 April 2019Cut the module for the ceiling ventilation outlet. Without the fan on its got a really nice draft coming through the hole. A nice blast of air as I cut the membrane over…
  • Waka, 26 April 2019Some progress was made on my ceiling. I've fitted all of the plasterboard strips and caulked half of it. Caulking takes a ton of time. You wouldn't expect how much! I've…
  • Waka, 3 May 2019Thanks Greg! It'll be great to see. I'm a little uneasy about the transmission loss though as I didn't have the exact right thickness of wall insulation and didn't want…
  • Waka, 4 May 2019As promised, some pictures. I've got to caulk some more of the ceiling modules and around the top of the walls. I've painted the walls white as a base, and will decide…

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  • Waka, 17 May 2019I managed to get hold of my electrician (after 3 weeks of him not responding to my texts /calls). He's really busy at the moment and isn't sure when he can fit me in. So…
  • Waka, 18 May 2019Started fitting the dado trunking! Behind treatment I've switched to standard cable trunking (5th of the price). I'm going to be using shielded cat6 data cables and…
  • Waka, 20 May 2019Cables run to most of the sockets. I have to get the exact dimensions of my speaker baffles before I fit the front wall trunking and sockets though, so I've just put in…
  • Waka, 20 May 2019Hi Paul, Thanks for the interest! Yep I'll be using a standard residential consumer unit, but I'll be leaving the connecting up to the electrician who comes to certify…
  • Waka, 21 May 2019You would introduce the potential for ground loops yes. You might get away with it, but it's much better to add another few socket boxes with separate earths, especially…
  • Waka, 21 May 2019Hi Paul, I hadn't heard of it until now, but seems to make sense. I read about it in John H Brandt's paper:…
  • Waka, 31 May 2019Another Friday studio day. I've almost completely finished the ceiling now. I've just got 2 more rows to complete. The ceiling modules look great, it's almost a shame to…
  • Waka, 24 June 2019My friend came over and helped me fit my permanent exterior door. We got a lot done and the door hanged (hung??) , but weren't able to finish fitting the ply beefing up…
  • Soundman2020, 1 July 2019Looking good! :thu: Hung. Unless perhaps you were imposing the death penalty on that door, for some grave crime that it committed, in which case "hanged" would be…
  • Waka, 1 July 2019Hi Stuart thanks for the reply. Hung it is then! :lol: So the 15mm glass isn't laminated. I did the calcs and found that standard toughened at 15mm would be better than…
  • Waka, 10 July 2019Sorry for the long delay! I love it. Its a shame it will be covered up with treatments lol. Updates for you guys: Finally got a new electrician to come and certify my…
  • Waka, 15 July 2019Big news guys. Electrician has been and certified all of my wiring today and it's all passed :mrgreen: I have lighting, sockets and ventilation all working. Ventilation…

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  • Waka, 22 November 2019Hi guys, Bit of an update for you! Been doing some external work for the studio, scraping and laying hard standing for the house drive way and paths all around to the…
  • Waka, 22 November 2019Hi Greg thanks for the encouragement! I checked again at 10pm. Ambient had reduced to 57-57.5dBC. This time I pushed it till it was fluctuating between 110-115dBC,…
  • Waka, 22 November 2019Running the door design through the MSM calculator shows that I'm probably close to what I would expect. There is a theoretical maximum isolation of 54dB at 45Hz, but…
  • Waka, 23 November 2019Ok guys, so I performed some more tests this evening. I preformed the test using A-weighting instead, for perceived isolation. 100-102dBA was the furthest I could push…
  • Waka, 30 November 2019Hi guys, I'm just waiting for my measurement mic to arrive from Germany, as I got a good deal on Thomann for a Sonarworks XREF 20. I originally purchased a Behringer…
  • Waka, 6 December 2019Hi all, I come bearing gifts in the form of pure, unadulterated empty room REW data! https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlQDzTq2dTgSzxrg1myKSTeANrg3?e=7hNJfM I emptied the room. Set up…
  • Waka, 7 December 2019Here's the initial setup: I intend to build a custom mixing desk on wheels that I can push in between my speaker baffles, when not mixing. That will be useful when…
  • Waka, 16 December 2019Hi guys, I started on my speaker baffles. I decided to utilise the space below the speaker shelf as a corner deep slot/slat resonator. I'm using a design similar to…
  • Waka, 21 December 2019I have some progress for you. I went to a local fabric shop and they had a good deal on thick breathable black fabric. The roll was 1.8m and each metre was £5; good…
  • Waka, 10 January 2020Updates for you all: I've been slowly doing some more in the studio. I've now finished the speaker baffle (soffit) framing on both sides and and the baffle "wing" on the…
  • Paulus87, 10 January 2020It's looking really nice Dan, did you already upload a sketch of your ray tracing with this soffit design? I am debating between a total hard flush, total soft flush…
  • Waka, 14 January 2020I think I uploaded the raytrace on my design thread a while ago. I didn't change any of the angles since then. Ray tracing showed that any sound pasding under the baffle…

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  • Waka, 17 January 2020I actually did this a bit wrong. John's method of allowing a couple on mm all around so it can slide in and out (but with that air pressure holding it in) it's the best…
  • Waka, 25 February 2020Hi guys, sorry for the long delay. I have some progress to report, but have been busy with life, so I haven't done much in the studio. I'm close to finishing the speaker…
  • Waka, 9 April 2020Hi guys, sorry for not being around of late! I've got some more pictures to share. I've done more work since these pictures were taken, but I've not taken more recent…
  • Paulus87, 9 April 2020Looking good Dan, I think you should veneer the ply, it's actually really quite easy and very satisfying. It's difficult to get wrong in my opinion because it's…
  • Waka, 4 May 2020Hi guys, I can get back to studio progress next week. I've got a delivery with some more materials booked for Monday. Deliveries are still difficult to come by, but the…
  • Waka, 22 July 2020Hi all I've made some progress amazingly! :lol: What has changed: I've finished the flush mounted speakers and baffle wings (I haven't applied any finishes etc). I've…
  • Waka, 22 July 2020Front wall, slat resonators and speaker baffles: Image not preserved: 20200722_175507_copy_1200x675.jpg Ceiling absorption: Image not preserved:…
  • Waka, 24 July 2020This evening I got to work trying to balance the speakers. Firstly I re-calibrated REW and my speaker levels etc. I found that I had misread an instruction and had my…
  • Waka, 5 August 2020Hi all. Updates for you! I've finished the first stage of the rear wall treatments! Image not preserved: Rear wall hangers.jpg (You may notice that one hanger has…
  • Paulus87, 6 August 2020Hey Dan, It's looking great, well done. I also used a similar core for my ceiling hangers, and can relate to them breaking - my first attempt was to try and hang a 8' x…
  • Waka, 6 August 2020It's definitely delicate stuff! Yes, I would brace them too if hanging horizontally. I had the exact same thought, I had to measure it to make sure. The ceiling joist is…
  • Waka, 9 August 2020Hi all, updates are here! REW measurements after rear wall hangers/superchunks: Low-end Frequency Response: Image not preserved: After hangers 26Hz - 340Hz SPL.png I'm…
  • Waka, 19 April 2021Hi all, just checking in to let you know I'm still alive! :lol: I went into hermit mode over the last year with the studio during the pandemic, so the studio is almost…