One room studio sketch

Hi, it´s been a while since my las post. I´m writing from Lima, Peru. I want you to now that I´ve spent some hours trying to figure out how to work with sketchup. Finally I got something closer to what I want for my homestudio. I need some help and got two questions: 1. If you look the drawing you´ll see something that represents a concrete joist (near to bass trap) behind the studio desk. I´ll have 4 little corners that might be treated. What should I do with them?. Maybe I should use drywall or mdf and raise a false wall covering the joist. 2. I´m planning to use http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4581 acoustic panels. I like superchunks but you can´t find 4" 703 panels around here. Just 2" and it will make them cost double. There´s a chance that I could afford them, but I would like to know if 2" 703 panels are just fine, I´ll have to use 6 panels for a 24" cut superchunk, and it´s expensive you know... :( Please let me know what you think Thanks Alfonso

the corner absorber should work and if you find you still need more treatment you can add to it over time as your budget allows. I like the idea of the false wall behind the console to even out the space. you could take it further and route slats into it and make it a slot resonator wall and line the back with cloth and some regular insulation.

Thanks for your comments Glenn. Do you think that the false wall should be done first??. I mean is this a priority??. Due to my budget I was planning to build the bass traps for the five corners, install a carpet for the floor and the do a false ceiling with acoustic tiles. Thanks Alfonso

i think you have it right. the false wall can be done after the other work.

I´ve been doing numbers to calculate how much it will cost to have my room with a very basic treatment. Due to a restricted availability of 4" 703 panels in my country, I´m forced to use half measure (only 2" panels). It means that if I want 5 superchunks I have to buy double of 703 panels. Is there any chance to reduce my costs??, what if I build just a corner trap not as shown in my picture??. Maybe another way to cut the panels could help me. Let me know what you think

maybe you have access to other insulation similar to the 703 that will be less expensive? check here http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm if not, build a trap across the corners can work. plywood routed or 1x lumber and regular insulation. John has plans for corner absorbers on http://www.johnlsayers.com/HR/index1.htm.

Right! Maybe something like mineral wool is cheaper in your area. It is half the price of compressed fiberglass (in Texas anyway) and in a fixed installation like yours it would work well. On a second note .... once you start looking at building the false wall it may be able to be used for an equipment room for mounting power amps and computers to keep them quiet. Obviously the downside would be you would want to ventilate it someway for the heat build up and a door or panel for accessing stuff .

Thnx TMix that´s exactly what I´m looking now. I was afraid that being for industrial use it won´t work or it was too much. I found this kind of material here. The panels are of 1 x 0.60 and 4" thick. Tasman is the brand, it costs half the price compared to compressed fiberglass. :) This are the traps I´ll do. http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4581 They look very simple to me, I´m not quite good with tools but I think I can do them. Thanks for your suggestions! Alfonso

Alfonso from the Relapse board?

Hi, I´m getting ready with all materials needed to build bass traps and drop ceiling. Doing some calculations I found a problem with measures. The fiberglass panels I found here are 1mts x 0.60 cms, the ceiling height is 2.40 mts. Do I have to install a lower drop ceiling in order to meet the panels??, so they can cover all the corner. Or leaving almost 0.25 cmts without absorption should be fine??. Hope you can give me your comments. Thanks Alfonso

Alfonso, Although it is better to cover the complete corner up to the ceiling it will still work well to leave some space either end or push it up to the ceiling. Are you going to put any panels on your ceiling? If you think you are going to some day you may want to space the corner absorber accordingly. I built a bunch of the panels like you are doing and spaced the corner ones down just enough to let the ceiling panels touch them. I suspended the ceiling panels by chains though because I had some extra height where I could afford to space them about 6 inches away from the ceiling. You might be able to do a search here for my build pictures (tmix studio diary... I think) or you can see a little at my web site: www.tmixstudio.com Tom

I don´t think I´ll do. It looks a little bit complicated for a guy who´s not good with tools. It will be a great achievement to build the traps. Please don´t ask me to hang them!! :lol:

There´s something I didn´t tell you. I´ll be recording a local band on july. I make a deal with them so I could set the room with the basics for decent recording, I won´t make any money with this deal but I´ll have my homestudio ready to go. As you may see in the picture posted, what I consider as basic is carpeted floor, drop ceiling and corner traps. I know that there are a lot of things that has to be done, but I have to start anyway. Besides walls the door is one of the weakest points of my room. It is hollow and I didn´t consider it into my budget, so it will remain as it is. A contractor told me that neoprene could be used to seal the doorframe. I think it is worthless if the door doesn´t have enough mass. Do you have any low cost solution to improve my door??. Thanks Alfonso

Alfonso I think you know already! You are right in thinking that the hollow core door even if sealed perfectly does not have enough mass to quiet any noise above anything more than the sound of your computer fan or something of similar volume. Eventually there are ways to build up the mass, but I will leave that to those who are more experienced at that. My opinion anyway. Tom

Tom, I found on Rod Gervais book that commercial tiles are useless for isolation. It makes sense because there is no enough mass on each tile in order to isolate something. Now what??. I´ve read your previous post when you told me about hanging panels on the ceiling. I´m looking for the best cost/benefit relation. Working with a contractor that could install those tiles and make this "commercial" suspended ceiling is expensive, and as far as I´m reading, worthless. I think I´ll go with panels, but I don´t know how much area I should cover, do I have to hang them all over the place??. How about distance between them??. Placing them in the corners and in the center of the room could give me good results??. I can´t find a diy ceiling isolation or treatment topic, do you know if there´s something available??. Alfonso

I think Tom was referring to absorber panels for acoustic treatment. proper isolation requires significant construction effort as documented in Rod's book.

Yesterday I started building my panels. I got 10 of them, thanks to my friend´s help he´s good with tools and show how to do it. It was a great experience!. I found some problems with measures and finally I ended up spending more money. I bought 9 1"x6"x13" pine tables, instead of 1"x8"x13" to meet my 4" rockwool panels, cutting those tables in the middle of course. Now I have a bigger frame by 2". Do you see any trouble with that??. Notice that when I place them in the corner the rockwool will be 2" far of it. On the other hand those frames I have stand very well and I can put one above the other so I can cover my corner up to 6.6". Later I could add 2" rockwool panels and I will have my frame filled. Another question I have is if the frame should be covered by fabric or may be keep exposed. If so, rockwool panels will have the fabric on. Thanks Alfonso

I would only cover one side of the panels with cloth so you can add the rockwool later as needed and also for asthestics. technically you can leave them uncovered by even if its nots going to give you cancer, who wants to breath in particles or look at it?

I don´t think that´s gonna happen :lol: The frame has a great look, so why don´t leave it exposed, wrap the rockwool panels with fabric and put them inside??. Photo doesn´t make them any justice (cellphone camera), they look better.

maybe cover the face with cloth and tie it in bacl so you can add more later? nice frames!

The acoustic ceiling is almost finished. I need 4 more tiles, contactor calculations were wrong, not a big deal, just go buy them and install. I´ve been thinking that isolation will be needed, but I´m not sure if what I´m able to do (I can´t build new walls, I got this spare room, take it or leave it) will be good enough to isolate my homestudio. My neighbors are my parents and sisters. Is a four floor building, my "studio" will be located at first floor. If you see my drawing my neighbors are located on my left (building main entrance) front wall my parents, back wall, parking space, right wall an empty house. My sisters are on the second and third floor. I live on the fourth. Rooms are far from sound source. With that in mind the only thing I can do is put drywall with steel frames at 0.61 cms around the place. I´ll be leaving a 2" gap and fill it with some insulation. Do you think it could help me in some way, or I´ll waste my money??. I´ll be playing drums, and bands will come to record, so isolation must be needed. What you think??. Thanks Alfonso

do a search here on tennis balls - someone has a simple design for an isolation platform. and maybe some heavy gobos and a window cover or two so when tracking drums it cuts down some of the sound. otherwise, isolation typically takes a lot of work to get it right and if you don't have options to significantly modify your space, you're best off trying to get the room sounding good and some other things to reduce some of the main paths where sound can escape un-impeded.

gullfo wrote:

do a search here on tennis balls - someone has a simple design for an isolation platform. and maybe some heavy gobos and a window cover or two so when tracking drums it cuts down some of the sound. otherwise, isolation typically takes a lot of work to get it right and if you don't have options to significantly modify your space, you're best off trying to get the room sounding good and some other things to reduce some of the main paths where sound can escape un-impeded.

Tom, that drum riser is amazing!!, it looks easy to build. Is ideal for me! :lol: About gobos, jwl model look great don´t you think??. Thanks for your support Alfonso

Another problem with my home studio. Something that never ends!!!. The room used to have a window that was replaced by a concrete wall. Due to humidity problems the place need a hole or something that allows air pass trough. The contractor did it and now I don´t know how to deal with it. Where air goes sound goes, so I got a problem there. On the other hand this is the only way people inside could breath fresh air. Do you have any idea what I could do with this hole, it looks like a little window, without glass of course. You can see it in the picture. As you may notice the bass trap panel that I will place over the corner will cover the hole. Hope you can give me some suggestions about what to do. Thanks A

you probably need some air ducting to provide a supply and return line - far enough apart to get air flow in the room - plus a silencer box built into each to keep sound from escaping - and something to move the air. maybe a ventilation fan in each to force the air through. Rod is the HVAC expert... the bas trap would have to be smaller to fit under the ducting.