Help Please

We are moving our studio from our bedroom into a building that is 16'x20' behind our house. It has concrete floors and drywall on the walls. Ceiling is about 8 ft high (maybe 9 ft). Can anyone suggest a way to set it up with a control room/mixing area? Should we separate it into 2 rooms or would that make one room too small? I was thinking about building a vocal booth and then making the rest just an open area. What should I put on the floor? Carpet? We have a budget of about $2500 - 4000.00. Any suggestions? (We also use live drums for bands). Thanks so much. Eva

Aloha and welcome to the forum, Congrats on your studio build! There are a several things to consider before we can start laying out some designs. If I may: • Any chance you could please:

Edit your profile to include your location. This is very important, because this is a worldwide resource, and as such, material costs and availability vary widely. For example, masonry is cheaper than gypsum in some parts of the globe, whereas it's the exact opposite in other regions.

This will really come in handy two or three posts down the road. It's also part of the forum guidelines. Thanks! :wink: For more info, check out both of these links - http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7572 http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231 • How much isolation do you require? (External sounds – aircraft/traffic/trains/playground - disturbing your recordings/internal sounds – music/tracking/mixing - disturbing the neighbors?) • What is your work flow like? Do you record the band all at once or each instrument one by one? In Rod Gervais’ book “Build it Like the Pros,” http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5670 he points out both L.W.Sepmeyer’s & M.M. Louden’s formulas most widely used in professional studios worldwide. He also notes that the orders listed are (top to bottom) the first to third best ratios in both cases. L.W. Sepmeyer Height Width Length 1.00 1.14 1.39 8’ x 9’1” x 11’1” 1.00 1.28 1.54 1.00 1.60 2.33 M.M. Louden Height Width Length 1.00 1.40 1.90 8’ x 11’2” x 15’2” 1.00 1.30 1.90 1.00 1.50 2.10 Eric Desart on Louden’s Ratios 1.00, 1.35, 1.85 8’ x 10’8” x 14’8” • Can anyone suggest a way to set it up with a control room/mixing area? If you were to divide the room up, and due to the size of the space available, here is one idea based on L.W. Sepmeyer’s ratio of 1.00 1.14 1.39 or 8’ x 9’1” x 11’1” as a starting point. Depending on how many people you have in the studio with you, this might be a bit snug. • Should we separate it into 2 rooms or would that make one room too small? If you’re planning on doing live drums, an iso booth would definitely help with critical mic choice and placement. • I was thinking about building a vocal booth and then making the rest just an open area. That is one approach. Another might be a control room & live room. • What should I put on the floor? Carpet? I would suggest hardwood/laminate flooring or a polished/painted concrete, as it is much easier to maintain. Carpeting looks and feels nice, but tends to absorb the high freqs leaving the mids and lows. If the room is too “live” sounding, a few strategically placed clouds overhead will help with floor/ceiling reflections. • We have a budget of about $2500 - 4000.00. Not sure of where you are and what materials go for in your area. Hope this helps to get things started, Aloha 8)

Oh Wow! Thank you so much. Staining the concrete would be very easy for us to do. My husband has done that many times. I have updated my profile. We live in a very quiet neighborhood, so noise is not a problem. Most of the time I would actually be recording one instrument at a time. The plans look great. (By-the-way, I am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana). I am assuming we would need a central unit for a/c purposes. I will read the links you gave me. Thank you so much for your suggestions and the plans. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. God Bless, Eva :)

Aloha,

I am assuming we would need a central unit for a/c purposes.

If the weather in your area is anything like it is out here (Hawaii), a central a/c unit would definitely be a good idea. It may put you over budget, but done correctly, its definitely worth the investment. Rod Gervais (Construction forum) would be good person to ask. You may also want to pick up his book: Home Recording Studio: Build it Like the Pros (Paperback) by Rod Gervais http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5670 as it answers a lot of question regarding the building process. Keith Sharward (Construction forum) has done quite a bit of research on split units, so he might be a good one to ask for more info on those types of units. Here are a few more links that may be helpful: SAE Institute Reference Material Center – John Sayers http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html Be sure to click on the “acoustics”, “absorbers”, and “construction” tabs at left, and then tabs that show up at the top. Reference Area – Useful Links – Steve Knightfly http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2125 Aloha 8)

I just ordered his book. Thanks! Eva

Aloha, Here are a couple of ideas based on Eric Desart's study on Louden's Rations. The benefits here are a larger control room in which to work in. :wink: Aloha 8)

You have what appears to be a bass trap there in the right back corner of the control room. That is where the door is to enter the building. I'm not exactly sure what materials are used to make those traps, but I don't know that it will work with the door there. I'm sure when I get the book it will tell me more about that. Again, thank you so much. I showed my husband the plans last nite, and he was very impressed. We havent decided which direction we're going to go (vocal booth or just a single live room), but I will look more into it. Is it necessary to see the live room? Should I put a window somewhere? Thanks! Eva

Aloha,

You have what appears to be a bass trap there in the right back corner of the control room. That is where the door is to enter the building.

The renderings are to give you an idea of what's possible, and can be tailored to fit your building/needs. Any chance you could post a floor plan (hand drawn/Sketchup/CAD - whatever you have available) with the locations of doors/windows and as accurate measurements as possible, and we can then make the necessary revisions.

We haven't decided which direction we're going to go (vocal booth or just a single live room), but I will look more into it.

Depending on your work flow and preference of your vocal sound, you could easily record the vocals in the live room in lieu of a dedicated vocal booth.

Is it necessary to see the live room? Should I put a window somewhere?

I think most of us would prefer to be able to have visual contact with those in the live room/vocal booth. Aloha 8)

The Yellow is the window. The red is the door. Sorry. I'm not an expert in this design thing, so it was the best I could do in paint. The window is 2 ft. wide by 3 feet high. The door is a standard door (7 ft. by 4 ft.). It opens to the inside. Other than that the rendering is perfect. It is even set on the lot that way.

you could build the doorway into the back wall of the CR in that position, and add a wall on the window side (if needed) to add isolation or maybe you just need something over the window to meet your needs.

Aloha,

you could build the doorway into the back wall of the CR in that position

I agree, Glenn. :D Eva, although your door is indicated slightly over to the right (as you pointed out) it shouldn't be too much of an issue to reposition it to the center of the back wall of the control room and perhaps have it open outwards (saves valuable floor space). Also, note the addition of the control room window. :wink: Aloha 8)

Aloha, Live room treatments. :wink: Aloha 8)

Thanks! Looks great! I'm sure the hubby can make those adjustments. Do you have any suggestions as to the particular type of material to use for treatment, etc. or will that be in the book that I ordered? The hubby has decided to sell the atv so that we can immediately get started with the project. I am VERY excited. I will post pics as it progresses. I think we have decided to go with 2 portable a/c units instead of central (much cheaper). Our a/c guy said that's the best way to go. Central can be expensive. Would you think track lighting would be the best? Where would you put it? Thanks again for all your help. Eva

just keep in mind that ventilation is critical... most portable a/c units don't do air exchange so re-consider proper hvac. check Sharward's thread for a detailed discussion on a/c...

So do you suggest a one ton a/c central unit? Eva

Sizing air conditioning units is a science. In my case I went with the smallest (3/4 ton, 9000 BTU) because my room is so small (about 120 square feet). Don't oversize and don't undersize -- it has to be "Goldilocks just right." Rod's book covers this subject -- I, too, recommend you get his book. I've posted a number of times about portable A/C units. Do a search for "soleus" (one particular inexpensive made-in-China brand name). One thread you'll find is HVAC - What to use? Is DIY an option? -- probably one of the most informative, detailing my back-and-forth with the manufacturer about the prospect of extending the hoses that come with the unit. (Hint: don't. :-() In the end the manufacturer recommended that I not use one. I decided to purchase and install a ductless mini-split air conditioner (detailed on my thread, ad infinitum). Learn about mechanical fresh air ventilation, which will probably be required in your case. I must say that your budget is pretty small -- my total investment for A/C and mechanical fresh air will probably amount to $4K. :evil: You maybe able to do a "chiller room" using a window air conditioner and some fans in an adjacent space -- detailed in Rod's book -- but you'll waste some square footage in the process. Sorry, very short on time. Hope this made sense. --Keith :mrgreen: