vibrations recording studio build

It’s cold here and the ground is already covered with about 2’ of snow here in northern Maine, USA but it feels like spring is coming fast because I still have many questions before I break ground! Could anyone help by clearing up some specific questions that have come up between the contractor and I. We’re trying to save valuable building time by having materials, plans and alternate plans as ready as possible. (Most of the materials often need to be ordered months ahead and good subcontractors have to travel hundreds of miles and need to be booked soon. They can’t get onto the ground until June in a good year, rains settle down by July and the first frost is usually the 3rd week in August, making for a short window of good building weather.) So here goes: 1. We plan to build independent slabs to avoid flanking and increase sound isolation. I’m on a hilltop and that means ledge, likely only separated from some independent slabs by some leveling sand, 2” of Styrofoam and the vapor barrier. -Will the ledge defeat the sound isolation or actually help by being a sort of sound absorber of the low frequencies? 2. We want to form up the 5-6” slabs with 2 thicknesses of 2” Styrofoam and pour all 4 slabs at once because the slab guys are traveling 150 miles each way to do the job. I don’t want to have to do multiple pours, greatly increasing the cost here by putting the crew up for the night and paying for 2 days time! - So my question is, would it be unwise to leave the styro in place or should I plan to remove it once the slabs are cured a bit, (chop or burn them out???) 3. I plan to bring in my AC High Voltage wiring from above and then provide separate 4” plastic pipe chases below the slabs for Low Voltage and Line Level cables. -Will it be acceptable to bridge the gaps between slabs with flexible rubber connecting collars? Will this cause isolation or worse, weird sound anomalies? (I intend to stuff the open ends with rock wool.) 4. I think I would prefer to utilize metal Stage Pockets/Floor Boxes for the LV runs rather than punch more holes to later plug in the walls. Besides it could shorten the cables needed to mics etc. from the chase ends. I worry about the pockets being dirt collectors yet perhaps a small maintenance problem with greater gains. I’ve even considered constructing short podiums by the walls to accommodate the emerging chase with connector plates as another alternative to going through the room walls; or perhaps even coming up with the chases through the “inside-out” wall floor plates. -Any cautions or thoughts?? 5. Lastly (for now of course) I want to try and build single “super doors” that Rod describes in his book for many of my doors (good winter projects!) -But, if I were to use double entry or sliding glass door units between my drum and live rooms,(1 set per wall) do they need to have a degree difference (6-12 degrees that is?) or will parallel with 5-6” between work? -If non-parallel is needed, what should be the minimum angle used? - I’m trying to save valuable floor space without compromising my whole system on the door details. Below is the latest version of my floor plans, or I should say YOUR floor plans John! The more I learn and work with your ideas and other’s, the luckier I feel to have your help! Thanks again for your fabulous forum (which I read over and over and over and over…..) and generous support to us newbies and the rest!

you might bounce this concrete slab question off Rod in the construction forum.

Thanks I will. Could you tell me an easy way to do this :oops: . Do I PM, email, or clip and paste the whole message and just note at the top that this is a question to Rod? Another point is that I had also sent this to John earlier and we were going to wait until my return from vaca to connect as his schedule is wacked and I'm away. I don't want to bend noses or violate any protocol but if I can collect info for now and get further conversation with him later, it will help me greatly. This forum is vital to me and I greatly value everyone's help and suggestions. I don't imagine that anyone minds based upon reading other postings and seeing how generous and egoless you all seem (as much as any of us passionate musicians can be that is :lol: ). But ya never know because communicating this way is pretty tricky business for an old fart like me (57) who still struggles with technology. :lol: ciao, jp

if John's on it then you have one of the best people you can get. that said, it cannot hurt to copy the top posting into a new thread in construction. Rod is an active contributor here and often helps answer complex construction questions.

Thanks Glenn. Will do.jp