New Studio design problem

jsshop · Post by **jsshop** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 12:59 am

Thanks in advance for all the help and great content in this site. I have gone over most of the history and I plan to build a studio much like the garage plans that have been discussed here. Only this is not a garage - it is the third, roof level floor of a new house we are buying. Therefore it has angled cathedral ceilings and a stairwell running up the middle.

There are currently only 2 windows, one on each end, but we plan to add at least one skylight to the side of the studio. We expect the studio to be on the left and the live room to be on the right. My thoughts were that instead of dealing with the complications created by the 4 foot stair well width that I would just have walls separating the two rooms and I would just loose that 4 foot space. We would want windows in this space so we can see between the studio and the live room. We will use a double floor, walls and ceiling but I have a lot of questions about how to use the space. for example, in the studio should I put a hard ceiling 8 feet up or build some sort of bass traps up there. I think I want to keep the open cathedral ceilings in the live room. Any ideas?

jsshop · Post by **jsshop** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:53 am

Just to clarify one thing - by studio on the left I mean controll room on the left.

Post by **John Sayers** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 9:47 am

so if you don't place any walls around the staircase you can visually see over it?? Could you put a vocal booth at the top of the stairs between the two rooms yet see over the staires into the live room??

cheers
john

jsshop · Post by **jsshop** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 11:48 pm

We can see over the stair opening - and I could add a vocal booth but I am not sure I really need it. We spend 70% of our time on music for film and tv, 20% on advertising and 10% on mixing artists other than us. While the publishing company part of our business represents a lot of artists, the are mostly self contained and we rarely have to record anyone other than us. There are really just three of us and for the most part only one or two usually work at the same time. We have not tracked live drums in 5 years or so now as we have gotten proficient at using samplers and I will be building an amp room in the basement. We leave the piano in our living room and have a remote setup to it. So for the live room it will mostly be acoustic instruments like guitar and cello, as well as vocals. I think I can easily have a somewhat live room and use gobos for when I want a deader sound.

Also, our work load is picking picking up and I want to leave open the option of using the live room as a second control room/studio/composition room so we can work on two projects at the same time.

I was thinking something like this but I am unsure about a few things. What should I do in the corners. Does it make sense to angle the walls as shown since it really would only mean an angled knee wall - although the knee wall could get taller as it angles in. Should I make the space making the knee walls into bass traps and if so how. Should I have the ceiling at the mix position slope up or just keep it a false ceiling and use different treatments above it.

Post by **John Sayers** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 12:17 pm

so what sort of monitoring do you have?? I assume you are using nearfields. IMO I'd turn the control room 90 degrees to the right so the window is on your left. With your console setup where the ceiling is low and the couch also you gain max standing height in the center of the room. You also gain a sloped ceiling above your console.

The area behind the couch and behind the console are could be openned up for traps?

cheers
john

jsshop · Post by **jsshop** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 11:27 pm

That certianly might be the easist way to do it. Yes I can use the space for bass traps. If I do turn it sideways should I leave the ceiling open? Perhaps a convex diffuser in the middle and and some hanging traps to the side?

Post by **John Sayers** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 9:17 am

I was thinking along this line :0

cheers
john

jsshop · Post by **jsshop** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 10:43 am

That looks great, thanks. I dont move in until September so I am sure I will have more questions. Thanks again for the great site!