Hey guys,
I have posted sporadically here and there on this board. I had a thread about starting my project here: http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4034
I settled on a layout that (with a few adjustments) looks like this:
External image, not preserved — original: http://kobotindustries.com/studio/_images/studioplan6.jpg
I opted to not go for the angled wall that would divide the large space in half because after a bit of research, it seemed that it would be a better situation to treat the walls accoustically than to deal with the unpredictability of the angled wall (see F.A. Everest's master handbook of accoustics).
I am at about 90% complete right now; it's a functional space but lacking the paint and accoustic treatment to really be classified as complete. I had a band come in on the weekend, just to do a few tests and to get an idea if there were any minor changes before i commit to a few things.
The results of band tests were great! The mix room, even in the state it was in translates sound quite well. Moving around the room does not exhibit the peaks and nulls that my older mix rooms were so great for. It's a nice space indeed.
The live room, which at this point is still untreated other than an absorber over the drum position (as per Ethan's suggestion) but sounded pretty good.
The greatest thing about the space, is the soundproofing really worked!!! I've never had a space of my own where i could monitor drums strictly from my monitors! The amount of leakage between my mix and live rooms is incredibly minimal. when i mute my monitors, the drums and guitars are barely a whisper level, with the majority of that coming through the heat vent (which will be remedied in the next stage). Although you read about the majority of sound leakage coming from little gaps in the wall, vents, etc, it really doesn't strike you until you actually experience it!
I went outside of the house when the band was making noise and the amount of sound transmission to the outside world is pretty small. I didn't take a sound meter out there, but i'm willing to bet that compared to the ambient noise of the neighbourhood (about 6 blocks from a freeway) is louder than the noise when you're standing by the house. When you're on the sidewalk, you can hear it if you strain your ears. Although i'm not much for recording late, especially drums, i think that it could be done if i was in a pinch with no complaining neighbours.
Now for the lessons i've learned:
1-This wasn't expensive at all!!!
I decided that i wouldn't spare any costs so i could have a space that was accoustically soundproof, but also sounded great. The materials cost for the whole thing so far has been around $2000 and i estimate that after paint and final accoustic treatment i shouldn't break $3500. The biggest way i saved money was by doing it yourself. Find a friend who is a bit handy and a good conversationalist and enlist them. There is no problem that two people can't talk out and solve. Before this project, i never really did any framing, drywalling, wiring etc. but by the end, i'm confident and i've learned a ton. Well... maybe get some help with wiring...
2- Plan the hell out of it!!!
Read as much as you can. Find helpful people who have done this sort of thing before. Draw up plans, and tweak them as you go along to improve on the design. Don't change your plan to make compromises though. If you feel there's a roadblock and you need to change your plan, step back and make sure you make a decision that is for the good of the construction, not for the good of your wallet or the good of getting lazy. Also, as you're building, take a break and make sure you're on track with the plans.
3- make daily goals
Start each day thinking/discussing what would be a reasonable task to complete in the time you have that day. This way, you can stay focused and if problems arise, you can step back and get a grip on the situation and know what has to be done.
4- plan your trips to the lumberyard
When you're buying materials, figure out what you need and make a list before you leave the house. Try and buy a few extra of whatever you're buying because there's always gonna be a miscut 2x4 or a dropped piece of drywall and trust me, it's a pain in the ass when you can't finish a wall or something because you're a sheet short and the stores are closed. By planning it out, you also don't overbuy which saves you money. Trust me, the thought of returning 6 sheets of drywall outweighs having $60 in my pocket.
5- measure three times, cut once
i heard a version of this one from someone else, but i've made an improvement on it, with the 'three' times ;)
The one thing that is truly important is if you're not writing measurements down, don't let a time longer than 3 minutes elapse between measuring and cutting. All you need is 867-5309 to get played on the radio and all hell breaks loose. Also, don't shout out a measurement to the person helping you and expect them to remember it. Brains on sawdust just don't work that way.
6- be creative
Construction is a lot about numbers and measurements but there's an aspect of it that is pure creativity. When you're building in a pre-existing space, you're always gonna find little snags that don't have any solutions in a book or on the internet. How-to books and even your own plans are usually existing in a perfect world. Foundations are level, ceilings are perfectly straight only in theory. These facts can either drive you crazy, or you can flex your head and come up with amazing solutions. Nothing makes you feel more proud than when you're trying to figure out a problem that you can't find a solution for on the internet.
7- share your knowledge
A lot of this accoustic stuff didn't make a ton of sense on paper or on the screen. It wasn't until i actually started building that things really clicked. Get on these webboards and really read a lot and try and learn a bit and then when you get down to it, it should all make sense. Once you're done try and share some of what you learned.
There's more than a few cynical people on webboards and i think that sometimes it's really intimidating to post and ask questions.The cynics react poorly to people asking the questions they've seen repeatedly and so people just avoid asking questions. For every person who asks a dumb question there are ten people who are searching boards looking for answers and too afraid to ask when they can't find anything. To the cynics i ask, why bother? just ignore a stupid question or gently move them to the answer. Why are go on a webboard if you just want to be surly about things? Yeah, you're gonna have to see the same questions repeatedly, but hey, if you wanted to only answer something once, write a book, don't go on a webboard where new people always come along.
8- Enjoy yourself!
When you get a wall up, or finish a floor it's such a great feeling. Celebrate every accomplishment if you're doing it yourself. Take tons of pictures and be proud of a job well done. You're gonna have a space that you will know from the inside out and that feels great!
Ok, that's all i have right now. I have to get planning on my accoustic treatment. I hear egg cartons work really well... anyone got any experience with them? ;)