Long Post Alert! What to do with this space?

Hello all, I’m looking for advice re. potential studio designs for this space. Location :Lanark, Scotland, UK. Project Stage: Research Budget: £1000 Goals: A control room to help make mic placement decisions. The ability to expand and develop the studio over time as funds come in. I’m researching potential plans to convert to a recording studio this 668 sq. ft. attic space above a newsagent’s shop that my family owns. Rent will be cheap to non-existent (it's still in negotiation with the faither). The shop shuts in the evening when I am likely to be recording and we don’t have any neighbours that are nearby. I am unlikely to be recording thrash metal, my own band is a folky acoustic band and while we may use the occasional electric guitar it’s mainly acoustic instruments although I would like to have a drum kit in the studio. Although I’m still learning I would be hoping to take on clients pretty much straight from the beginning although I would be in the dirt cheap to free price range until I could prove myself. Lanark is a semi-rural town so I am unsure of the demand for a recording facility. On the plus side it is under 1 hour travelling time to both Glasgow and Edinburgh (Scotlands 2 major cities) so I think I could possibly tempt people out of town. All this means that I want to start small and grow as the business grows. Initially any charge to clients would not really be for the studio but more a basic fee for my time. Any money earned will be going back into further development. I have limited capital to begin with… around £1000 ready to invest in construction. I have enough recording gear to get started with basic equipment. The attic has wooden flooring throughout… the walls from the floor to the start of the pitched roof are stone and 5'10" feet high. The rear wall is all stone. The front wall where the entrance door is an internal wall but I think this may be stone as well it’s certainly quite thick… not plasterboard. On the other side of the entrance door is a hall/staircase that leads downstairs into the shop and a door to another section upstairs that is used as an office for the newsagent business. The office has toilet/kitchen facilities that the studio can use in the evening. The roof is a timber frame with slate on the outside. Moving from the door towards the backwall for the first approx 8 feet it’s got a low plasterboard ceiling. The ceiling height at this point is 8 feet. After that there is another approx 5 feet where instead of a conventional pitch it’s curved plaster (see the photos). Then there is a conventionally pitched section for around 16 feet. One side is plastered. The other side was once a large roof window that has been boarded up on the inside with wood. The roof has been patched on the outside. At the back of the space there is another roughly 5 feet where the roof is curved again. At it’s highest point the ceiling is 14 or 15 feet. It’s hard to give you exact measurements. Once I get a big ladder I’ll try to be more precise. All the junk that is lying around will be removed. The space was a photographer’s studio at one time and it has what was once a dark room in the corner. This could be removed to open up the space if need be. There are metal beams in the centre of the room that support lights. I wondered if I could use these to have overhead mic “stands” so that the floor was kept clear. Would this be better? No vibrations from the floor. Just a thought… probably since I already have several ordinary mic stands it makes sense to just use them. My first inexperienced thoughts are that it would be easiest and cheapest to just use the bit with the low ceiling for a control room and the bit with the high ceiling for a single large live room. I would knock up some gobos to isolate instruments and tame the room reverb. Questions: What are the downsides to having a control room in this position? Is it an ok temporary cheap solution until I have thousands of pounds/dollars for a complete fit out? Is the roof shape a benefit or a problem? Is there a better cheap starter solution? P.S. If anyone wants to do fancy designs for this space that I couldn't afford then feel free maybe one day I'll have the money to build it. I kinda like the idea of a large control room in the middle under the pitched part of the room with lots of isolated rooms around the control position. If you are still reading thanks very much... I hope I have given enough information. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. This is probably the bit that you tell me I don't have enough money!! :D

Aloha and welcome to the forum, Alistair :D Here’s a couple of thoughts: How big a group do you foresee needing to record all at once? How much isolation do you need? Weight considerations – Can the flooring support additional construction?

What are the downsides to having a control room in this position?

Seems to me a shame to have all that space and not have a bigger control room. I would consider a bigger control room if possible. That said, here’s a link for a control room similar in size to the one you’ve laid out, but it’s a tight fit: http://www.johnlsayers.com/Studio/Mainpage/MP-Mark.htm I did have a couple of questions regarding the area in red. What’s behind this wall/s? See pic - Detail 2 If you are able to knock it out, could you extend your control room like this? See pic - Detail 3 Which would give you more room for this...See pic - Detail 5

Is it an ok temporary cheap solution until I have thousands of pounds/dollars for a complete fit out?

Only you can answer that. :wink:

There are metal beams in the centre of the room that support lights. I wondered if I could use these to have overhead mic “stands” so that the floor was kept clear. Would this be better? No vibrations from the floor. Just a thought… probably since I already have several ordinary mic stands it makes sense to just use them.

Considering the follow info, you may have to reconsider using them in that way, especially when you consider the acoustic treatments that should be up there.

Is the roof shape a benefit or a problem?

Here’s a post and excerpt that discusses a situation that’s similar in shape as yours: http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4809

(a) Quonset huts are nearly parabolic, which makes them hard to soundproof very easily and (b) if you don't care about that, they also tend to FOCUS sound to one point in the room (or one line through the room) neither of which makes things easy for getting balanced recordings. If you don't care much about the soundproofing part, you might be able to build a different-shaped inner shell that gets you away from the focusing effect... Steve

Is there a better cheap starter solution?

Other than building a decent sized control room, you could probably get a lot of mileage out of some strategically placed bass traps, absorbers, and gobos. Perhaps even a drum riser if/when that happens. Hope this helps. Aloha 8)

Hi Kendale Thanks for taking the time to reply. The wall that you highlighted in Detail 2 is actually on the floor below. I should have been more clear in my first post... sorry. We actually have planning permission to convert this space into a residential flat. The architects drawings show walls built on this floor so I think the floor is suitable for wall construction. However it looks like the cost of flat conversion will be too expensive and that the resulting property value would not cover the costs. So it has become available to me for my studio. My main reason for drawing the control room where I did was because of the ceilings. I thought if could keep the control room where the low ceiling was it would be cheaper and also I thought that perhaps the curved ceiling would be desireable and didn't want to to ruin that. However, what you are saying about the sound being focused on one space makes sense... I guess it's like a satellite dish... So that changes things... The curved ceilings can go. I have investigated the space further.... basically all the curved ceilings and low ceilings can be stripped away to leave a 33'11" by 20'9" rectangle with a pitched roof with a maximum height of 14'. The side walls are 6'. Is the shape of the pitched roof any use? There is a lot of space up there and it would be a shame not use it? I would like to be able to record 4 or 5 piece bands. Would it be possibe to create a design were I start with a control room and one larger live space however leave the possibility to add booths/ drum room etc at a later date when more money comes in. There is no issue with letting sound out. I have no neighbours nearby cos it is a commercial area rather than residential. Also it will mostly be acoustic music that will be being recorded. My main concern is not with keeping sound in but with creating good acoustics to record in. I had hoped that the high ceilings and pitched roof would have helped facilitate this. I liked your larger control room design... but is it not possible to also fit a booth or something in this space somehow? i guess eventually I would like a decent sized control room, a good sized main live room and 2 or 3 booths. I guess that'll do for now... I could go on for ages with questions... but I'm trying to read around this forum as much as I can... theres so much information to absorb my wee head is about to explode!

Is the space too small to go with a corner control room design? I can almost even have a door into the studio this way! Could the angles be tweaked to allow for the entry door? Could i start with just a corner control room + maybe a vocal booth and expand later? I could even shunt it forward and not need to change the dimensions. i could use the other bit as an entrance hall/place to keep the kettle. If I could do this... what would I do with my ceilings?

Aloha, Here's another idea to consider. This was done by John. Aloha 8)

Thanks Kendale..... I had originally thought that I could have a large main studio room... but am I thinking about this the wrong way? Should I be going for a larger control room and several smaller isolation rooms. If I'm not going to get a large studio room then what about going across the room rather than longways?

Aloha Alistair,

I had originally thought that I could have a large main studio room... but am I thinking about this the wrong way? Should I be going for a larger control room and several smaller isolation rooms.

Depends on how you like to work and the kind of work you do. My space is about 20' long x 12' wide x 8'-10' high, before acoustic treatments. After which I am finding that it's comfortable enough for one person, cozy for two, and definitely needs a lounge/hangout area for more than three. Also, if you are planning to track 4 or 5 players at once, having a decent sized live room helps. It can also double as your iso/vocal booth as well. Ideally, in addition to a decent sized live room, having at least one iso booth would be nice, but not always possible for some of us with limited space.

If I'm not going to get a large studio room then what about going across the room rather than longways?

One point to remember is the cross section of your room. By orienting your room sideways (or longways as you call it) would give you a room with a 6' front and rear wall starting point according to your diagram. By positioning your room lengthwise and centering it as much as possible, you would be able to gain quite a bit for your ceiling height. Also, if you were to remove the curved portions of the existing structure as you mentioned, you would have close to a 14' deep x 20' wide x 10'-12' live room, which is large enough for a 5 piece band, and a 19' deep x 16' wide x 10'-12' high control room. Hope this helps, Aloha 8)