Studio Layout

[bfrink71]

I have been lurking and reading a lot on this Forum and really appreciate all of the information offered by the members. I am posting for help on how to layout my studio space. I have read all of the Forum rules and made an attempt to comply with them (please let me know if I missed anything). An over the garage addition on my home in Michigan is in the works. I've attached a .pdf with the dimensions. The "Studio" area will have a cathedral ceiling as indicated in the drawing. Wall height at the sides will be approximately 8 feet high and approximately 14 feet at the center. I understand that the room shape and size is far from ideal, but it is what I have to work with (and a HUGH improvement over the spare bedroom I have been using for years).

I am looking for advice and input regarding how to layout this space. I have several layout ideas, but am looking for a fresh perspective. Once I decide where I am going to put everything, I can then start on a room treatment plan. I plan to use the room for various recording projects. I don't have any issues with sound leaking to neighbors or the rest of the home. I do NOT want a separate control room and live room. While I plan to record live drums, I have no problem working with headphones and the majority of the time it will just be me alone in the studio. I play various instruments and like to record my own band and demos for friends. I DO want to incorporate the following into the space:

-Recording Desk (desk will be approximately 96" x 42"). I will be building it and have made some plans similar to this desk: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DSRSv2

-5 piece drum kit (84" x 72") - my son plays drums and the studio will also need to be his practice area. I am planning to have the kit sit on a riser that I can slide in the room. This way I could leave it in a corner for rehearsing and then push it out in the a better position for tracking.

-Vocal/isolation booth (approximately 48" x 60"): Big enough to stand in and sing while playing a guitar.

-I would also like to have couch if possible (approximately 84" x 36".

Thanks in advance for any advice / tips that can be offered.

-Bryan

[Soundman2020]

Hi Bryan, and Welcome!

I don't have any issues with sound leaking to neighbors or the rest of the home.

You want to play live acoustic drums in there, and your family and neighbors are fine with that? Acoustic drums put out around 115 dB. A typical house wall / floor / ceiling will attenuate that by maybe 30-soemthing dB, leaving it as around 85 dB outside your room. If that was an office or other workplace out there, then people in it would be required to wear ear plugs, in order to comply with OSHA and NIOSH regulations... that's how loud it will be. Are you SURE your neighbors and family are OK with that?

And what about sound coming the other way? You say you want to record in there: what about wind, rain, hail, thunder, aircraft flying over, helicopters, traffic driving by, dogs barking, phones ringing, TV and radio playing, people talking, people walking around the house, doors opening and closing, toilets flushing, water running, vacuum cleaner, etc... There's about a million and forty seven things that can make enough noise to trash your recordings when they get into your mics.... Are you saying that you are OK with that?

I do NOT want a separate control room and live room ... I have no problem working with headphones

If you are going to track, mix and master on headphones, then why do you need a control room at all? The purpose of a control room is to provide the neutral, flat, carefully tuned acoustic response that is needed in a critical listening room in order to track, mix and master successfully using high quality studio monitors. If you won't be doing that, and have figured out how to track, mix and master on headphones alone (which is a pretty meat accomplishment in itself!), then you don't need any form of control room, and can simply use the entire space as your tracking room / live room / rehearsal room.

I DO want to incorporate the following into the space: I will be building it and have made some plans similar to this desk:

That would be fine if you only ever plan to listen and mix on headphones, yes. But not if you might ever feel the need to add some proper studio monitors to your room, and use those. Desks with large things sticking up are a really bad idea for control room acoustics. I never have figured out why people would ever design such a thing in the first place! They make no sense at all for good studios.

I am planning to have the kit sit on a riser that I can slide in the room.

I'm not sure if you are aware of how much friction there is between a fully loaded drum riser and the floor it sits on, but I think you'd find it pretty hard to push around.... You might want to think about some type of wheels that you can attach temporarily in some way, in order to move it, then take off again once it gets to the new position. You can't leave them on, of course.

Your main question is about layout in that room, but layout is only really critical for a control room, and you don't need a control room. Since it will be only a tracking / rehearsal / live room, you can pretty much lay it out any way you want.


- Stuart -

[bfrink71]

I guess I did a pretty poor job of explaining what I am doing and what I am looking for. Let me try again.

-Sound leakage: I am aware of the sound levels I will be dealing and have taken steps with the construction to provide the amount of isolation that I will need between my home and my neighbors as well as from the rest of the home. By not having any "issues", I simply meant to say that I am no looking for advice as to these issues.

-Control Room: I do want to create an area where I can track, mix and master. I just don't want to divide this room into two separate spaces. I guess I should have said that I am looking for a control room that I can also track live drums in. While I will record live drums on occasion (which will require me to monitor through headphones), the majority of the time I will be tracking vocals, guitars, keyboards, etc from the isolation booth or mixing/mastering. As such, I DO want to create a critical listening space which I know will require symmetry and fair amount of room treatment. As for the drum riser - it will be on retractable casters so it is easy to move.

I have two different ideas as to how to set up the room, but I am looking for advice from those far wiser than myself. I have quickly sketched out my two ideas and attached them. I am working on a Sketchup model, but I am learning how to use the software as I go.... For now this gets the general idea across. For Plan B, I would building a wall as indicated to provide symmetry. I am not completely adverse to addition partitions to the room, but someday I will need to sell this home and the less I have to deconstruct, the better.

Let me know if I am still being unclear. I appreciate your response and have enjoyed reading your posts over the past few months. Thanks again for taking the time.

[Soundman2020]

I have two different ideas as to how to set up the room, but I am looking for advice from those far wiser than myself. I have quickly sketched out my two ideas and attached them.

I would go with Plan "A" for sure. Much more spacious CR, better symmetry, better acoustics, better options for treatment.


- Stuart -