Floating floor over basement concrete. (Artifact Recording)

Pavers?? :?

I'd use Knightfly's method, but go a step further. After you've stacked your concrete blocks, build a plywood frame around the block, leaving 4 inches around the whole thing. Then fill the whole mess with concrete up to a smooth, level top. You can build the top part of your soffit box around that, and be done. Fill the rest of the cavity outside the box with whatever insulation you have extra.This would let you change speakers in the future if you wanted to at least. There's a good chance I'm crazy too.

That option may be too much of a load on my floor. I didn't plan on that kind of weight. Not to mention, I probably would have done that front wall and flooring differently if I had known this prior to construction. It's one of those after thoughts... :o BTW...I bit the bullet last night. I bought the flooring for the control room. It was on sale for 20% off. So I went ahead and got their HD card, and got an additional 10% off first purchase. Yippie!! I'm getting so close. All I need now is the glass for the CR-LR, the 2 windows to the outside, and windows for the CR-Iso and the Big Bay Window in the Iso room. Some trim, more 703, and fabric. Oh...and the HVAC. The materials to make the broadband diffuser, lights, materials for the equipment rack(s), and a few other odds and ends, and THAT'S IT! Only need about another $3k. Then it'll be time to start working on the tracking room side! :D :D :D :D

Also, just out of curiosity (and necessity), the framing for the front soffit wall is 2x6's. I would have to secure a shelf or box for the monitors to bring them out to the front edge of the "baffle extension". I see this as being a tricky part. As most of the weight will then float unbalanced from the stand. Do I need to cut out the bottom section of the wall frame and move the speaker support closer to the wall, or ??? (might be tricky) :? Also, if I do use blocks, do I use the solid one's (which are smaller) or the hollow one's (typical block you use for foundations, etc)?

If your floor framing isn't really sturdy under that location, the block stacks would probably not be a good idea; my original idea, when filled with sand (after mortaring the outsides of the stacks) would weigh nearly 1000 pounds each. In order to use those, you would need to cut holes in your floated floor large enough to build the stands on concrete, then stuff around the stacks with insulation, and set the stacks as close to the front as possible so your speakers are supported as close to their front edge as you can get. Another option along that line would be to offset just the top row of blocks forward - Pavers are just flat, solid concrete blocks; used normally to do small patio sections bedded in sand, etc - the dim's are there, it's just solid concrete. The other blocks would be standard hollow wall blocks, buttered with anything that would stick to 'em after they're stacked. The "Pavers" would just give a solid top. Again, though, these stacks would want filled with sand, and weight would be nearly 1000 pounds each. The "pavers" could be oriented long dimension to the front/back, and then offset as far forward as possible for speaker support. All that is moot if you don't want to (or can't) cut holes in the floor at this point. Such being the case, have you looked at this lately? http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=718 HTH... Steve

I'm familiar w/ Dave's studio. In fact, I will probably be down there in a couple weeks to help w/ wiring up his studio. (but I want to finish this before I go) The existing floor...I can't make any mods. Conduits run under those locations. It's a BIG CAN'T DO. Hence the comment of design before construction... Now...given the scenario, give me a realistic approach. I may be able to do block, but no sand. I have lot's of the "pavers" here at work, but it's way to much weight, so I'd have to use the hollow blocks. Or give me a wooden approach if possible. Thanks.

Hello gents and forgive me buttin in here, but since this is exactly what I must deal with I thought I'd ask Steve a question in this regard. Steve, barefoots picture shows the inner framework "supporting" the shelf that the monitor cabinet rests on. Towards the end of the thread, barefoot says "the inner AND outer frames are decoupled from "floor to ceiling". But I see no detail showing exactly how this is accomplished, which would structurally "decouple" the monitor from the rest of the control room Maybe I am missing something, which is NOT unusual for me. At 60, my attention to detail is waning. Ha! Anyway, IF these frames ARE rigidly fastened to the existing structures, would not the shelf need to be decoupled from the monitor cabinet via some kind of neoprene or vibration isolation mounts? Maybe Risc clip/hat channel type scenario or even motor mount type vibration pads? Just thought I'd post this here as it might answer both Aarons question and mine. Thanks. fitZ

Bada Bing, Bada Boom Boom... Well I decided to bring my monitors down to the control room last night and fire them up. It's amazing how awful an untreated room sounds!!! Everything from phase cancellations, to flutters, to boomy corners. And the worst part, (keep in mind the sub is directly on the floor) the floor sure vibrates w/ them low freqs. And the isolation to upstairs (at the moment), boomy too. :( So I need some good solutions for this now existing structure to isolate these monitors from the floor to reduce or elliminate structure born madness. As I mentioned in previous posts, I wish I had known more about the front wall design, but that's life. So, how do we resolve? I can't cut the floor, as there are conduits running directly below the speaker locations. I don't know if it would be possible to drill a few holes and dodge the conduits, drill into the basement concrete floor and stick some rebar down and then try and build a solid stand above the floated floor made of concrete or block or what?????????? BTW...HOT DIGGIDY DOG!!! WE BROKE 20K HITS ON THIS THREAD TODAY!!!!

If your joists in the soffit area are 24" centers, maybe best would be to laminate the entire soffit floor with 1-1/8 ply - then tar paper and hollow 8x8x16 blocks, NOT filled, stuffed with rockwool and capped with the pavers OFFSET to the front a couple inches, floor plates in front of the speaker location cut out if necessary - you want as much mass as you can get in the stands, isolation ABOVE them and below the speakers, and enough weight on the speakers (or small enough isolators) to get 10-20% compression. If you want, call me tonight after 10pm your time - I need to be in bed by 10pm my time, 4:30 comes early... Steve (Or, if you can wait a few more days I hope to get some illustrations for both you and Spock)

Hey Steve. I was going to call last night but I got busy. I had a friend over, and we finished the 2nd layer of drywall on the ceiling. SO, this means that I have finished hanging all the drywall for the Control Room. Yippie! :D I can wait for diagrams. I may also call over the weekend. I've gotta run, I've been slammed here @ work all freakin week!

maybe best would be to laminate the entire soffit floor with 1-1/8 ply

1. The "soffit" floor is all the same as the CR floor. 2. I can't find that large of plywood. No one here stocks it. It can be custom ordered, but it's like $65-$70 a sheet. (last years pricing)

I've seen RC mentioned for hanging hangers. What does that stand for? I take it it's not Roach Clips. :P Seriously though, what is it?

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=598 (From the first link, first page of that link, of the REFERENCE section, part of the "required reading") :wink:

Ok, I read this. http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_rc8/RC_Page.PDF Was a little less confused, or confused in a new way. I was thinking these things went along the studs or something. http://www.jm.com/insulation/faqs/996.htm Then, I saw this picture and it answered all my questions. :) I guess I'm a visual learner.

"RC" stands for Resilient Channel. Hey Steve... I just weighed some of that block. The large hollow blocks weigh 27 lbs. and the smaller solid blocks weigh 29 lbs. each. So I should be OK. I'm going to try one of these stands today and see how it works out. Enjoy the weekend. :D

Cool, plenty of room for sand fill without problems then; any luck finding any of that "surface bond mix" locally? As to the weekend, the DDDJ is getting in the way of that :cry: - yesterday the entire plant seemed to be on it's "negative bio-rhythm" swing, ran my ass off for 12 solid hours... Steve

OK, I've got the first stand mortared and filled w/ sand. Just need to put on the top flat brick. Only 4 more stacks to go :roll:

Here's the latest... The right speaker stand has been built, the conduits for the left soffit have been run and electrical wire pulled and terminated. Had to add a little concrete to the left stand, since the right one was a little taller (an inch) due to using solid bricks at the bottom (minor design flaw). I hope to have the center one done this weekend, and finish the conduits. Then assemble and hang bass hangers in the front wall, and then cover up the front wall. :D Latest guesstimate / calculations on building cost of the control room and iso room is approx. $35.00 per square foot. This is material cost only, not labor (which I'm doing).

Update for 3/21/05: The speaker stand for the center soffit is complete. Finished 3/4 of the electrical boxes on the front center section. Just need to finish one more electrical box, the 1 1/2" conduit run for the video cable run, and a stud. Then it's time to cut and assemble the hangers. I will be doing this sometime this week hopefully. My goal is to have plywood up on the front wall by this weekend. Then off to the rear soffits, and complete them. Time frame; I'm looking at installing the control room flooring in about 3 weeks. :D Next after that will be windows & doors. Then HVAC & acoustical treatment. It's getting close... I have more pix that I need to take down for developing. I'll try and do that sometime today or tomorrow. So check back soon for the latest update... Edited: 3/21/05 12:15pm CST Film is being developed right now. :D

OK, as promised, here we go...more pix... :D

And more...

The front soffit wall and just for giggles, I decided to see how terrible the room sounded w/ just drywall...

The left front speaker stand...

And the right...

And some conduits...