Recording Studio in Chapel

[hywyn]

Hello!
I'm new here, - I rushed out an emergency request for advice on ventilation already, but this is my first 'considered' post!....I've been busily reading threads here, enough to ennoble to convert a local chapel into a recording studio.

The chapel has already been refurbished and to a high standard, with underfloor heating, solid wooden floors in the live room, a big glass atrium. Its new use as a studio has been approved by the local council (who will be our new landlords).

There is an upstairs and the ceiling will need to be sealed, somehow before it can be used,...but that will have to wait for another day, until we can afford it! Meanwhile upstairs will be out-of-bounds during recording sessions.

I attach a plan, that will show the larger 'live room' (previously coffee shop seating area) and the smaller 'monitoring room'. The toilets in the 'live room' will eventually be removed and isolation booths created in their place.

Any suggestions on how to approach the treatment for the monitoring room and positioning of listening position (there will be a 48 channel Calrec with 18 channel Trident sidecar) will be very welcome. How large the ceiling cloud should be, considering the dimensions of the room would also be good to know.

We have received eye-watering quotes for two sets of double-doors with an airlock (to separate the glass Atrium (not shown on the far right) from the 'live room', and so we will therefore be studying previous threads with regards to DIY doors, - the opening is significant 174cm wide x 212cm high so a carpenter will be needed.

Thanks and regards,
Steve Hywyn

[hywyn]

Some pictures that may add some detail.....

[Soundman2020]

Hello! I'm new here, -

Hi again, Steve! And welcome again!

solid wooden floors in the live room,

No air cavities underneath the wood? 100% certain?

There is an upstairs and the ceiling will need to be sealed, somehow before it can be used,...but that will have to wait for another day, until we can afford it! Meanwhile upstairs will be out-of-bounds during recording sessions.

If you are going to isolate the room properly, then now is the time to deal with that. I'm sure you will not want to be tearing down that ceiling in order to isolate correctly AFTER you have already completed the room down below! Even if you won't be using that upstairs room yet, you should still isolate that ceiling now, while you can.

...and the smaller 'monitoring room'

By "monitoring room", do you mean a control room? You mention a console in the next paragraph, which makes me suspect that you are talking about a full control room, not just a listening room?

Any suggestions on how to approach the treatment for the monitoring room and positioning of listening position

From what I can figure out on those photos and the drawing, you seem to have large windows in the wall between the two rooms. It therefore makes sense to have the console facing those windows, and replace that frosted glass with two panes of proper transparent acoustic glass (one pane on each side of the wall) so you have a clear line of sight between control room and live room. Then proceed as per the advice I gave you on your other thread for the treatment of that control room.

We have received eye-watering quotes for two sets of double-doors with an airlock (to separate the glass Atrium (not shown on the far right) from the 'live room', and so we will therefore be studying previous threads with regards to DIY doors, - the opening is significant 174cm wide x 212cm high so a carpenter will be needed.

For that size opening, I would go with a sliding glass doors. They won't be cheap either, but should still be less expensive than what you were considering, and will have the added benefit of giving you good isolation. It is really, really hard to get good isolation with double doors, since there is no central jamb in the middle for the doors to close against: they have to close against each other, so getting a good seal is tough to do. Sliding glass doors are a lot better in that respect.


- Stuart -

[hywyn]

HI!

solid wooden floors in the live room,No air cavities underneath the wood? 100% certain?

No, I'm not certain. There is some deep resonance if I jump about, but there is no way that is ever going to get fixed, so if anyone can suggest any methods for decoupling....

If you are going to isolate the room properly, then now is the time to deal with that. I'm sure you will not want to be tearing down that ceiling in order to isolate correctly AFTER you have already completed the room down below! Even if you won't be using that upstairs room yet, you should still isolate that ceiling now, while you can.

I wish I could afford it, - we will simply have to tailor activities on both floors to accommodate the studio. We are a Social Enterprise and there will be funding available for this, but we have to get in there and make a start until the funds are there.

By "monitoring room", do you mean a control room? You mention a console in the next paragraph, which makes me suspect that you are talking about a full control room, not just a listening room?

Yes, indeed it is.

From what I can figure out on those photos and the drawing, you seem to have large windows in the wall between the two rooms. It therefore makes sense to have the console facing those windows, and replace that frosted glass with two panes of proper transparent acoustic glass (one pane on each side of the wall) so you have a clear line of sight between control room and live room. Then proceed as per the advice I gave you on your other thread for the treatment of that control room.

I agree, that will be the best way forward. I will refer to treatment on the other thread also (if that isn't too confusing). If the console faces in that direction, I'm concerned that the side-walls are different in construction. One side has plasterboard with insulation while the other has no insulation behind the plasterboard and is set apart from the wall, -this is because the wall backs up on to earth and behind the plasterboard, there is a membrane to prevent damp entering the room. The shelving that runs along that wall (and along the wall behind the listening position) contains a channel for carrying moisture, caught behind the membrane to the outside. So plenty of scope for boxes and walls to resonate on one side!! Any ideas how best to mitigate this problem will be very welcome!

For that size opening, I would go with a sliding glass doors. They won't be cheap either, but should still be less expensive than what you were considering, and will have the added benefit of giving you good isolation. It is really, really hard to get good isolation with double doors, since there is no central jamb in the middle for the doors to close against: they have to close against each other, so getting a good seal is tough to do. Sliding glass doors are a lot better in that respect.

Good idea, - I just bought an IAC Acoustics steel door off ebay and will create a false wall with breeze blocks so it can be installed. If any further attenuation is needed I will add sliding doors and create an airlock.

Thanks for the ideas so far Stuart!...the help is appreciated

Steve