New studio design in England

Heres a quick rough plan that I was thinking. This way, everyone can access the toilet, but still keep the practice room and studios seperate. Also, you get to use the whole width of the space, meaning you can increase the size of the CR. Just my 2p 8) OZ

Hello Ozzy, I am based in Bristol, South West, and hope to get the basic build completed by the end of the year; a very tight schedule, given there is a lot of work to do! Thanks for your thoughts; This is another combination to think about. There is a bit of a head height issue on the one side of the building, so I was trying to use that space for access etc, see a previous pic. Looks a little difficult to get equipment into the live studio, and there is a walkway through the CR, which means if the band take a break they all walk across the engineer; although your idea should give a larger CR. But your design works better with the slope of the ceiling. Here's a thought, I worked for the BBC for a number of years in my younger days - all the CR's I worked in, were rectangular!! Not easy, this game is it! Louis.

yes, the CR is going to be tight pretty much nowever you build it... it may be you need to use producer "chairs" instead of a producer "couch" :-) the main concern should be the ceiling symmetry from the mix position. if the ceiling isn't symmetrical and/or the density of it varies - you're like to get different frequency response on the left and right. the longer CR would be nice but I think it makes the ceiling construction more critical than if it were facing as before. nothing wrong with a properly treated rectangular control room. many times the CR is designed from a room mode perspective based on a rectangle and the angled walls are added as the treatments. other designs the angled walls are the treatments as well - just that accurate calculations are harder. final touches should be based on measurements made after the primary construction and throughout the treating process.

Hi Glenn, This is a tough one, as alters whole layout of studio. I have actually chauked the all outlines on the floor of both 10_plan and new11. Although it doesn't look remarkable on the drawings, the difference in apparent size of CR really is astonishing. For all the expense I am about to go to, even if the acoustics are superior, 10_plan will be cramped at best. But new11 is, for breathing space, much (much) better. It makes a big difference. I'm going to have to go with new11 design; it's a commercial decision (not a techical one). There are various options on the ceiling. I could make it symmetrical, although there would be a /\ shape over the engineers head, possibly with a cloud to alter its shape. Alternatively, I could create a /-\ shape, so that there is a flat region in the middle, again possibly with another cloud. My gut feeling is that there will be a combination that will provide for a reasonable compromise somehow. Going back a couple of posts, to your comment on the double outer skin brick walls acting as a possible 'third' leaf. Both outer brick leafs are heavy engineering bricks, so not sure if this is still a potential problem lurking for me. Options if I get into trouble in this area are (1) install cavity wall insulation to 'connect' the two outer skins together, or (2) using the inner wall as the inner leaf of my room, i.e. connecting blockwork to this wall. Either way, there is a (lot) of mass here. Is the middle leaf 'drum' effect likely to be a problem if all leafs are themselves heavy mass? Many thanks, Louis.

its likely the brick walls will be fine. the effect may very well be none or very minimal. if the outer space isn't sealed it will be even less likely. as far as turning the CR, go with heavier materials to get the symmetry correct then add the clouds as needed to reduce reflections.

Glenn + all, Thanks for your replies. Although it's only been a couple of months, since I first posted, it feels like longer. The main thing is that I've had lots to think about, and I now feel that I have finally come to a layout that will suit the shape I have, and give me a few options for the future. I think your first comment about swopping the CR and studio spaces was spot on. I'm just about ready to consider real costing up and construction now. I've ordered some new timbers that will replace the lintels on the far end (these are big, over 7 metres long, 3 x 11 inch!) and new steel galv sheeting to overlay the whole roof (damp spots will not stand a chance on this baby!), which will also provide a bit more thermal insulation. It gets cold in there. New plans submitted to building control, planning passed. The new access front door goes in soon. Still a bit of work to do to get the basic building into shape, but it looks like I've made a start for real, which is a bit scary. Will post some pix in construction soon .. Louis