Indiana Home Studio Build

24 pages of a [b]"Sheer Experience"[/b] having always had the luxury of working in ready built Pro Studios and now building my own [i]"Private Control Room"[/i] for Sound Design & 5.1 Surround Stems & Mixes these pages and the warmth of the whole community is just fantastic. I have learnt so very much gleaning the pages of this forum for the past 2 weeks and I thank all of you for your Wisdom, Experience, willingness for DIY and serious challenges. I am just so very Impressed with John's Site and the calibre of people whom as a group & community work in harmony pulling it all together. Their is hope left in the world, and I am indeed so inspired by all of you, the Studios and build process inclusive of the learnt techniques are amazing. I live in Australia and I'm stoked to have found this site, My thanks to all & Double Helix (Great Work!)javascript:emoticon(':D') ADDA[size=12][/size]

Here is the rest of the drum cloud build. I can tell you, it has been a lot of work for 3 "ceiling-mounted bass traps"!!! More than I expected, to be honest, and it took the better part of two weekends to complete. First, the boxes were stuffed with 3 inches of rigid fiberglass: Next up, 12 eye hooks were driven into the ceiling joists that were spaced 16" on center. I skipped a joist, so these hooks are spaced 32" apart. Standard carabiner clips were added to the eye hooks to attach to the cloud. Next up, Pierce's friend Brent (whom you might remember from the window installation) helps to drill and install matching eye hooks on a pair of 2X4's that are to be attached to the back of the cloud boxes. Here, our new puppy, Tosh (after reggae singer Peter Tosh) lends Brent a hand. Next, the 2X4 braces are attached to the back of the cloud boxes. Based on a recommendation from forum member Gulfo, I used a single brace across all the boxes to ensure that they were all level and square with each other. (Great suggestion by the way, thanks Glenn!) This basically turned the 3 boxes into a single unit. Here, you can see how I laid out the lights to get a feel for the positioning. These particular lights can be surface-mounted or recessed, I opted to go with the recessed mounting as you will see in a minute. 12 holes drilled into the boxes to house the lights. What a pain these holes are to drill!!! Here are the light cans installed, ready to be wired from the back. And, a test to make sure that all 12 lights work! Success!!! Next up was to hang the beast!!! A bit of a pain, and it took several people to hold the thing in place while I attached all the carabiner hooks to the eye hooks. I am not a fan of seeing the hooks, so I decided to create a small frame of fabric to act as a skirt to hide the eye screws and carabiner clips. First up the frame: Covered with fabric: Before, and after adding the skirt: I then wired the cloud into the existing light fixture, hiding the wire with some basic conduit. And finally, finished!!! Remember the vision here in the design? Turned out pretty close after all! We also did a bunch of small detail work, like install all the HVAC vent covers, hang the banister on the stairs, etc. I was actually able to make a final to-do list with all of the remaining tasks, which is a good sign! The main things left to do are to finish the corner traps, build some bass traps for the walls, and do the floorboard trim work. Then the rest are minor detail things. Getting closer, and closer....

James, that's just AWESOME! And yeah, that extra trim (skirt) is worth the trouble!

Ro wrote:

James, that's just AWESOME! And yeah, that extra trim (skirt) is worth the trouble!

Thanks Ro! The skirt was actually not that difficult to make, it was just the idea that set me back for a day or so! I was going crazy trying to think of a way to hide the hooks. In my CR, I used some small corrugated tubing, but that did not look as nice as I had hoped, and the cloud was much bigger and that method would not have worked. Once I came up with the idea for the skirt, the implementation was easy.

Nice one James - It looks awesome mate! :D Just a minor thought, (and you'll love this now you've hung the ba$^&£d). Is there any merit in dropping the height of the back of the cloud, as far as possible, without intruding on those wall mounted monitors? Maybe to create another angle which might give you better functionalilty/visual 'digness'? :roll: Just a thought mate, nothing more. :wink: Regards as always, Lou. 8)

Lou wrote:

Nice one James - It looks awesome mate! :D Just a minor thought, (and you'll love this now you've hung the ba$^&£d). Is there any merit in dropping the height of the back of the cloud, as far as possible, without intruding on those wall mounted monitors? Maybe to create another angle which might give you better functionalilty/visual 'digness'?

Thanks for the kind words Lou. Hmmmm... that is an interesting thought, and would probably not be too difficult to do Anyone else have any comments on the effectiveness of such a move?

Dude - I know I'm not anyone else, and it will be interesting to hear what the others think, but it also occured to me that by dropping the back of the cloud by about 8" to 10" or so, you'd also obscure the view of the white trunking on the wall between the two monitors. :idea: I'm not trying to talk you into this honest.......................but, :wink: :wink: Either way it looks the bizz! :wink: Regards, Lou. 8)

Lou wrote:

by dropping the back of the cloud by about 8" to 10" or so, you'd also obscure the view of the white trunking on the wall between the two monitors. :idea:

That trunking is going to be stained to better match the wood wall eventually. (It is on the to-do list.) Also, there is a crown molding piece that is going to go along the top of that wall, and the hope is that they trunking will blend in fairly well with the crown molding, especially once it is stained. Does anyone see any acoustic benefits?

OMG!!! What an awesome job James!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Is that the coolest cloud ever or what ?? 8) I have 2 questions: 1) All the lights in the cloud go on and off at the same time or you can light them separetly ? Is it a "regular" switch or did you put a dimmer ? 2) This is been on my mind for a while now.... I see that you used rigid fiberglass here so it's fairly easy to keep it in place (without the need of glue or anything)... But how do you keep your insulation (the pink fluffy stuff) on your walls (inside the studs) without taking risk of it "falling down" long after your drywall is in place ? I know you can "jam it in there" really hard but is that going to hold on in place for years ? Did you put anithing to help the insulation stay in place ? Thanks in advance!!! :wink: Best regards.

ale_recording wrote:

OMG!!! What an awesome job James!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Is that the coolest cloud ever or what ?? 8)

Thanks!

ale_recording wrote:

1) All the lights in the cloud go on and off at the same time or you can light them separetly ? Is it a "regular" switch or did you put a dimmer ?

I have 6 lights on one circuit, and the other 6 from another circuit. They are on a dimmer, which is cool, but I am waiting to see if there is any interference. If there is, I will remover the dimmer.

ale_recording wrote:

2) This is been on my mind for a while now.... I see that you used rigid fiberglass here so it's fairly easy to keep it in place (without the need of glue or anything)... But how do you keep your insulation (the pink fluffy stuff) on your walls (inside the studs) without taking risk of it "falling down" long after your drywall is in place ? I know you can "jam it in there" really hard but is that going to hold on in place for years ? Did you put anithing to help the insulation stay in place?

The pink fluffy stuff between the wall studs was stapled in place. Take care!!!

James wrote:

Also, there is a crown molding piece that is going to go along the top of that wall, and the hope is that they trunking will blend in fairly well with the crown molding, especially once it is stained.

Great idea - I wasn't being critical my friend, you know that's not in my nature.........unless of course, it's me I'm criticising! :wink: :wink: Come on the acoustic gurus - Tell the man what he needs to know, we've been in chat-room mode for over 40 mins now! AND I'm cooking dinner whilst Sarah has her hair done, AND looking after her Girls. :wink: :wink: Married life - I love it! (This time.) :wink: Regards mate, Lou. 8)

Lou wrote:

I wasn't being critical my friend, you know that's not in my nature.........unless of course, it's me I'm criticising!

Of course I knew that! You are a true gentleman, (with a hint of scoundrel thrown in for good measure!) and there is very little you can say that offends me. Your opinion is important to me, and when you speak, I do listen! Like your great advice on getting rid of the sconces *AFTER* I completed the work! Haha! Bastard! ;) ;)

Lou wrote:

Married life - I love it! (This time.) :wink:

Haha! Classic! That is great! Sarah is a true gift. Keep her around for a while, that one. I am happy for ya old man. You deserve it! Treat her like a queen, and she'll be your knave (-ette) for life.

Man...James...the wow effect is just...well, wow! This is really a well designed and looking piece of work. Speaking of a "piece of work" how is Lou? :) (I see you Lou...) What I was wanting to bring up...remember all the pain staking detail and exasperating work with sheetrock? Trying to have the least amount of contact between the walls and floors and ceilings? Remember that, if you are not already doing so, when you install crown or base in this marvelous room(s). You could build a bridge from one to the other with something as simple as that. Just a thought.. It really does look nice, Brien

xSpace wrote:

Remember that, if you are not already doing so, when you install crown or base in this marvelous room(s). You could build a bridge from one to the other with something as simple as that.

Thanks Brien! You guys are making me blush!!! :oops: Your comments regarding the flanking are well taken, and I appreciate the reminder. I have been trying to keep a gap between the floor and the base boards and with corner traps in the corners, it has kept me from having to join the base boards in the corners. The only wall that will have a crown molding will be the wooden wall at the back of the live room, and I will hopefully remember to leave a gap between the molding and the ceiling.

Not much to update. I have been busy with other projects, including some long-overdue yard work that my wife has been on me about for a while. It needed to get done! This past weekend I had actually had a recording session in, so nothing got done construction-wise then either. Today however, I did build some basic stands for some of my old bass traps that I am now converting into movable gobos. Not too exciting, I know, but I thought I would post the pics anyway! It starts with a pair of 30" long 1" diameter black pipe. I attached a flange to each end, and then spray painted them black. Next up, I took a pair of round project board that were 16" in diameter, and stained any polyurethaned them. And finished! I put some plastic sliders on the bottom so that they don't scratch my wood floor. They are actually pretty stable considering the small platform for the floor. We will see if they cause problems due to a lack of stability down the road. If so, I will create some other base for them, but for now, they appear to be working.

wow!! Nice one James!

I know it has been a while since I have updated this thread, sorry, but I have been pretty busy, and I wanted to make sure that I had something to post! The good news is that we have been recording quite a bit as of late, but the bad news is that all of the small finishing touches to the place keep getting pushed off further and further! Here are a few picture updates to show you that I have not been totally sitting on my hind end! Here are a few shots from the session that is in progress at the moment: Here is a shot I love of my son Pierce (the handsome one on the left with the "crap-eating grin"!) with his buddy and bass player Blain. A bit blurry, but great all the same! In the studio itself, I have been busy building a few more bass traps and tuning the room. Also, I finally finished all the floorboards, although the nail holes still need to be filled, and I have a couple of 1/4 round trim pieces that need to be installed. They are actually cut and sitting in my garage waiting for staining and a few coats of polyurethane. Hopefully, they will be done by the end of today. Here you can see a few pics of the main room with the floor boards in place, and a few more traps. These traps are 4" thick, and are spaced 2.5" off of the wall. Been hanging up some of the guitars, so far I have 4 spots, but plan at least 2 more. This is a shot of my son's awesome 1966 Guild Starfire IV that he recently picked up. What a beautiful-sounding guitar! It has been in the shop with a luthier now for the last 2 weeks getting a complete overhaul, including replacing those pickups with a Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup in the neck position, and a JB in the bridge position, new tuning pegs, etc. Here are a couple of more guitars: I still have one more corner trap to build next to the left of the ugly couch, but that one is going to be a bit trickier as I will need to clear the cold air return for the HVAC system. I am actually designing a combination table/corner trap support that I will document on here within a week or two. My biggest concern has been to tune the acoustics in the control room. Due to the small size of the room, it has been a real challenge. I have been spending a lot of time shooting the room with Room EQ Wizard (REW) and my reference mic, moving speakers around, building more traps, checking different placements and thicknesses, etc. I think I FINALLY have it licked!!! After these last additions/changes, the readings looked pretty amazing! It has been a long, challenging exercise however, and I am so glad that it is finally over. The room really does sound pretty amazing now! After some checking, and holding up some bass traps by hand around the room while running REW, I realized that I needed some more trapping on the front wall behind my monitors. Up until now, I have only had a couple of thin (2") panels to control the first order reflections. Lots of testing revealed that this was a real weak spot in my room, so I decided to make some 8" thick traps for the front wall, replacing those wimpy 2" panels. The new 8" panels are spaced 3" off of the wall, PLUS, I decided I needed to cut some openings in the sides of the panels to maximize the absorption coming in at all angles. It was an adventure! Let me put it this way: "Friends should not let friends operate jig saws!!!" Wow! I am sooooo lame with a jig saw, I can't believe it!!! The holes I cut have no relationship with the patterns I drew whatsoever! After a cut or two, I just gave up, and went freestyle anyway. After all, they holes are going to be covered with fabric so you won't be able to see my crooked cuts any way. The purpose was to increase the exposed area, not to win a beauty contest! I also increased the size of one of the traps significantly. It is 30" X 48". The other trap had to stay smaller (30" X 24") because of the XLR mic panels that are mounted on the wall on that side of the control room. Here are the frames during assembly: And then hanging on the wall: Here you can see that the flash from the camera exposes the side holes, but in real life, you cannot see the cutouts. Next up, I put a couple of 4" panels behind my desk at the wall/floor junction. I also ended up stuffing a few old Auralex LENRD foam corner traps behind them for good measure (I was going to throw them away anyway, so I figured, what the heck?) Just so you all don't think we don't have any fun around Helix Recording Studios, here is one final picture! Here is my buddy Jim showing me his assets! Not exactly my cuppa tea, but hey, at my age, you take what you can get!!! There are still a few more things to do... nail holes (although I did get them filled in the air lock and control room!), one more corner trap, a few trim pieces here and there, a few more things in the iso room (pictures to come, I promise!), and we are basically done. I am planning on getting someone in with a real camera to take a few REAL pictures that I can post on my web site, and I also plan a video walk-through. I will post all of that stuff once it is available. The good news is that we have been recording quite a bit, and also that I have finally got my control room acoustics under control. Thanks again to everyone for their advice and encouragement. My next post (2 weeks or so!) should be the final "STUDIO COMPLETE" post!

Nice one James, it certainly does it for me dude................................your studio btw, not your buddy's assets! :wink: Good luck with it all my friend, a real credit to all our efforts. Kindest regards to you and yours, Lou. 8)

***It might work as some kind of mid freq absorber*** What is the absorption coeficity of 40years of beer? I've noticed a few panels coming up with holes along the edge. In fact I like when you can see them on the bare wood designs. Q-Is this helping the bass traping by adding more surface area?

Lou: Thanks man! Slowly, but surely...

lilith_envy wrote:

***It might work as some kind of mid freq absorber*** What is the absorption coeficity of 40years of beer?

Ha! Great question! I might need to investigate that further by drinking a few more beers and seeing how the response changes over time??? :mrgreen:

lilith_envy wrote:

I've noticed a few panels coming up with holes along the edge. In fact I like when you can see them on the bare wood designs. Q-Is this helping the bass traping by adding more surface area?

I like seeing them also, but I decided to cover them for 2 reasons: 1) I needed things to match the rest of the traps 2) I am horrible with a jigsaw!!! Pretty easy decision, eh? Haha! The answer to your question is "yes", as long as the traps are separated and the sides are exposed, then it will make a difference. In my case, I needed the extra trapping, but I was also concerned about waves hitting the traps from the sides, and wanted *some* trapping there rather than just 100% reflection.

The studio looks great James. Beautiful, beautiful work. It’s great to see it in action – how great that must feel! Nice guitar collection as well. You must not have posted your REW measurements and the process you went through in fine tuning your control room on the site, other than the occasional mentions you give it in this thread? I reckon I’ll be packing a lot of treatment in my little room soon as well. Wish I had your live room. I need to start trying to figure out REW soon. Thanks for the awesome diary…

Hey Bill: Thanks for your message. I have the REW information, but never did really get into a lot of detail on here. I will try to find the time to to save the REW plots and get them posted. The studio is not connected to the internet, so it is a bit of a pain.. save to a CD, etc.

I understand James. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing it somewhere. Don't go to a lot of trouble on my account. I've been concerned about how much of a job it will be to tune the room. I'm concerned that I will take measurements properly and actually understand what REW is telling me. A lot for me to learn there. Enjoy the studio. I'm looking forward to your further pictures and video!

Hi James - Just wanted to say................. how lovely to see you. :D :D :D BTW: Mics have arrived, and so has the cupboard................I think you'll 'dig it' Kindest regards as always, my friend, to you and yours. :wink: Lou. 8)

Hey Lou!!! Thanks for stopping by and visiting the "little people"!!! Ha! I am not sure if I want to see your mic collection and cupboard! I have a feeling that I am going to descend into a serious depression! If this chapter of your studio is anything like the others, I am sure it is going to be beyond belief!!! You are one of the last remaining true gentlemen, and I tip my hat to you my friend. Best as always, and I guess you can go ahead and make us feel even smaller by showing us your mic cupboard!!! ;) I already know what my reaction will be... :ahh: