Building a vaulted ceiling into an existing studio

Hello all, First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who contributes here and makes this forum the excellent resource that it is. I really appreciate it! A little info about me: I run a small but very busy commercial studio on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. I have been operating out my current location for approximately 5 years. The studio is built in a 1200 square ft post and beam wooden building that was formerly an industrial woodworking shop. The building itself has posed many challenges, some of which we have have been resolved, many of which still haunt me....hence my desire to improve things and my presence here. When we first opened I was short on time, money and knowledge. Unfortunately I acted in a short sighted nature and rushed to get in and get up and running to generate cash flow. We gutted the interior completely and built the existing floor plan (which I will attach drawings of). If you have are curious about any details of my studio, check out my website at http://woodshoprecording.com I am now (after 5 years of hard work) ready to make some improvements in a few specific areas. I will try to keep my posts focused to specific problems rather than bouncing from subject to subject. My goal is to expand the flat ceiling of my live room from its' current height of 9 ft 9 inches to a vaulted ceiling with a peak of approximately 18 ft . I would like the room to be optimized for acoustic drums as well as a 7ft acoustic grand piano. I have professional builders ready to provide me with a quote, but I would like to finalize the design (dimensions and angles) first. I will then have plenty of questions in regards to materials etc... but first I am unsure of how the angles of this new ceiling will affect the acoustics of the room, so here is my current idea, let me know what you think: My budget is undetermined. I'm willing to spend whatever I need to within reason to get the job done. Off the top of my head I'm thinking 10-$20,000 CDN, but that isn't written in stone.... My location is on a 5 acre property in a rural area with no immediate neighbors. My isolation requirements are mostly tied to my metal roof and making sure that rain noise is not audible in the tracking room. Room to room seperation is reasonably good except for sub-transfer through the existing floor....but that is another subject. I'd prefer to keep this thread on the ceiling expansion. The current studio floor plan: The Building's Current Front View: My proposed Ceiling expansion, which would be for the tracking room only. All other ceilings would stay the same throughout the building. In other words, the vertical expansion would follow the tracking room wall shown in the studio floor plan. : My question: -Is my proposed ceiling expansion the best use of the existing building? -Is there another approach that would be more effective? Your thoughts and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to acoustics but I can't help but think your room would sound better, more open with a higher ceiling. Hey, but what do I know.

I posted this thread in the design forum because it seemed the most appropriate....would it be better suited to the construction forum? Just wondering....

Zac - I don't see any problems in what you intend and yes - the higher ceiling and greater volume will make the room sound better - provided you treat it correctly. cheers john

Thanks for the reply John, I'm looking forward to the extended height for sure. I'm wondering if the single angle with the paralell top is OK or if it would be better to do something like this:

Yes that would help cheers john

It Would be easier to do this

I agree with Doni. If it were a loft, I would feel differently, but given that it's just "space in the air," I'd vote for "easier." It will still look great! 8)

Just my construction knowledge shining through Kieth. With the room already having a roof on it doing that ridge in your idea zac would be a really cramped working space.

I can totally appreciate easier....but what about from an acoustics point of view? How much would the loss of air volume in the room negatively affect things like reverb time etc? Also will the lack of any L+R symettry in the ceiling have a negative affect on things like stereo drum overheads? I'm hoping to cover the ceiling with wood for a nice lively room sound (and great looks of course). Will lowering it as per your suggestion make that concept less viablel? Here is a basic Idea of the materials to be used in the ceiling (framing not dispayed). the gyprock underneath the wood ceiling is for added density and an airtight seal to keep rain noise on the metal roof from being audible in the tracking room. Am I on the right track? Thanks for all your advice,