20x20 garage studio conversion layout needs help!

Hello all, I am definitly a newbie not only to the site but also to the studio. I'm a Metal guitar player who relizes those who can't play produce those that can. I'm also into videography and editing so I've always wanted my own studio and now things have come together to make it a reality. I've been all over the net looking for anything about design, layout and sound dampening and this is definitly the most informative site. I have read about seperation, soundproofing, wall construction ect.. but what seems to be the hardest part is the layout. I am no architect so please be kind. Ive enclosed a basic layout of how I think I can get the best use of my space for my needs. Could anyone please look this over and tell me if this will really work or if its just crap. Thanks

Following the directions here http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231 will get you up to speed on most of the knowledge/skills you need; Also, if you show which parts of your drawing already exist and what they are made of (and how they are made) that will also be needed. Your CR layout will need some help; right now, you'd get a lot of reflection back to the mix position off the glass, and if by "recessed" you mean "bay windows", then the sound at the mix position will REALLY be squirrely. That shape will concentrate and "focus" sound so should be either avoided entirely, or absorbed to death. For your video editing area, you say the CR will be sound proofed but you show open doors and half-walls between the CR and the edit area; will both be used by different people at the same time, or will this be a one-man show? Regardless, that seems a bit small to me; have you left room for at least 3 monitors, a couple of "guest" decks, plus all the gear you KNOW you'll have in there? Separate lighting controls with handy access from your chair? 5.1 surround capability, or isn't that an issue? The drum room is large enough, but you'll need to leave some room for acoustic treatments in there (more than other rooms) - check out some of John's designs, you'll see that he almost NEVER does a drum room without at least one slat absorber (generally tuned to around 300 hZ, which is the fundamental modal frequency of a kick drum shell) Also, if that room uses sliding doors you will want TWO of them in tandem unless you don't ever intend to track drums AND instruments/people in the live room to separate tracks simultaneously - a single door just can't kill enough sound for decent drum isolation. Both of these doors need to be SINGLE pane, or you will run into multi-leaf problems with isolation - some of the stuff in the FIRST LINK will explain this more. All in all, this is a MUCH better first attempt than I ever did; nothing to be ashamed of here. Leave that emotion to those who just sit on their ass and never go for it... Steve

Hey jagman, Looked at your design. I am a guitarist, recording engineer and I edit-produce video for my full time gig, so I understand your thinking. My thought is that your main concern should be the control room. That's where the magic's made...and if you're working with computer audio and video, I would suggest that the control room be for both. IMHO your plan is too fragmented and wastes space. I'd gas the toilet...use the one in the house - think along the lines of the 'garage studio' designs on the SAE site. Look at a larger CR where you now show the drum booth. Make a live room for drums and your guitar/bass rigs. The rest of the space can be for a small vocal booth and a lounge if needed. Again, just modify the garage plans, but it's best to follow designs that are proven. p.s.-if you really need a washroom, it would make sense to locate it near the water supply and you have to think about sewer drainage. HTH Al

Hey Al, jinx on a coke :lol: (both posted in the same minute) - I agree with most of what you added; also, plumbing noise - if the stuff isn't already there, and you NEED it to be, watch isolation of all pipes from framing, in addition to Al's warnings. Right now, it doesn't look as if anyone should flush the toilet if you're recording drums, for example. Also, soundproofing walls AND building guitar rigs into them isn't a reasonable expectation - you'll understand more after following the link I gave previously... Steve

(Steve, that is too funny. Great ideas BTW.) Lots to consider. I'll watch with interest to see how you make out. Audio, video and animation are my passions. FOr studio design, you're in good company in this forum. If you need any help on the video side, I'd be glad to help. cheers, Al