A Quick checkup on my learning

Hi. This is my first post, but I have spent countless hours reading and learning a TON of stuff from this forum, and links to articles outside the forum. It has been an invaluable resource for me. I am the main sound operator at my church and we will be building a studio in 2007. The space provided (not 100% sure on the square footage yet) has brick walls and a cement floor (that will have carpet on it when finished). Making sound is not an issue, but we are about 100 feet to main rail lines that go through town and the trains are pretty loud. Here are a few of my first questions: From what I have learned, I think we will want to float the floor to help the acoustics as well as deaden any "floor sounds" - correct? I was just reading that it may not be necessary to float the floor and just use rubber under all the base plates to isolate between walls and floor. Which way would be better for good recordings? For the outside walls it should be like this: brick, insulation, air space, studs and insulation, wallboard. Is that the correct way to isolate the room?? Also, am I correct in assuming that the most important room to isolate from outside noises is the control room or would you want the studio isolated as well? As I am sure ANYONE can tell - I am completely new to this arena and have a LOT to learn. :) We are wanting to build this studio properly so any professional tips would be greatly appreciated. Kevin

From what I have learned, I think we will want to float the floor to help the acoustics as well as deaden any "floor sounds" - correct? I was just reading that it may not be necessary to float the floor and just use rubber under all the base plates to isolate between walls and floor. Which way would be better for good recordings?

Most likely (99%) you do not want to float the floor with a wooden deck. Wooden deck with void below filled with sand is better, isolated slab also better and floated concrete slab the best BUT the existing slab usually meets most isolation goals. Do a search on this forum for floating floor and basically forget what the SAE site says. Which would be better for good recordings.... what ever keeps the train noise out... In order to figure out what you need to build, you are going to have to measure how much sound you want to keep out/in. In the stickies/reference Steve (Knightfly) goes over buying a radio shack dB meter. With that you can get an estimate STC and TL goal.

For the outside walls it should be like this: brick, insulation, air space, studs and insulation, wallboard. Is that the correct way to isolate the room??

YES, don't forget the ceiling should be a similar decoupled construction.

Also, am I correct in assuming that the most important room to isolate from outside noises is the control room or would you want the studio isolated as well?

That's arguable and decision to be made by users with different goals, BUT in your case sounds like the LR (live room) should be more important as you don't want the train to bleed into a recording. However a lot of tracks can also be recorded in the TR (tracking room). Most I think treat each room equally... Personally I am building a single room studio BUT if I had two rooms I would treat equally.

professional tips would be greatly appreciated.

Buy Rod's book in the stickies. Study. Take time to plan. Forget everything you think you know about "sound proofing" and acoustics. Do no listen to most contractors. If you hire some you will have to watch everything they do because they are not used to this type of construction and no offence (borrowing Steve's Line) most can be CON tractors. This is my experience. If a contractor tells you the way you're planning to build is weird/crazy, tell him to have a nice day. Get a permit, which forces you to plan everything out. Then study again, read installation instructions for everything even if you think you know what you are doing/have done it OR watched someone else do it before. Things always change and God knows we are not perfect. Marc