I've finally got my studio to a point where I'm very happy with it. That doesn't mean I'm not going to make changes, though!
My biggest problem is this: my studio is directly below my bedroom: my desk is RIGHT BELOW the head of my bed. My wife goes to bed earlier than I do and I like to stay up late working on my music. I'm pretty much forced to use headphones which I HATE to do. I'm getting ear fatigue, and nothing ends up sounding right when I play it back later. I'd like to soundproof the ceiling in some way.
Does anyone know how I might go about it? If I could get the ceiling sound-proofed, I could mix and record as late as I wanted using my Truths instead of my headphones. I'm not looking at cranking a guitar amp (woo-hoo to the Pod XT!), just want to be able to track and mix at a usuable volume...
I'm even thinking of building a 'room within the room', but I'd prefer not to get that drastic if I don't have to.
Before you get too carried away with construction, you first need to quantify the problem. For one thing, there's a pretty good chance you will need more than just a ceiling improvement - flanking noise is very common in most houses, it's caused by continuous framing between rooms, and quite a few other things that aren't usually considered when building a house (especially if you're not the one that's going to live in it, or don't understand sound control)
Probably the easiest way to do this - I'm going to assume that you have a console, or at least some way to see the relative level of a microphone.
first, take one of your more sensitive mics and place it on your wife's pillow (upstairs, of course) - run as many mic cables extended as necessary to connect the mic to your console downstairs. Close all doors, put a CD on and crank your system to 85-90 dB SPL (if you don't already HAVE a Radio Shack SPL meter, get one - your ears won't tell you how loud you're mixing, so this will help you keep your mixes consistent later)
OK, now turn up the gain on your "pillow mic" til you get 0 dB on your meter, if possible (You may need to use two channels of your mixer for this, mic into one, then insert out into mic of the second, and measure the second one (be sure NOT to buss these channels ANYWHERE, or you'll get feedback) -
Now, once you've gotten a zero dB reading at the pillow with your speakers cranking out 90 dB, go upstairs and listen - involve your wife and a cell phone here, makes it easier.
Leave your wife upstairs, go back downstairs, and (with her on the phone) start turning down your CD playback slowly, until your wife either can't hear it or could sleep thru it.
Re-check the SPL coming out your speakers (from the same location you first measured it) if it's now at 65 dB instead of 90, then you need at least 25 dB MORE isolation.
Depending on your floorplan and door construction, some of this may be fixable with better doors/sealing.
Try this test before you start ripping things out or buying materials - you can't fix ANYTHING until you've quantified it... Steve
Soooo, when a Musician dies, do they hear the white noise at the end of the tunnel??!? Hmmmm...
Thanks Steve - this is great info! I'm not sure it's doable in my case though, I'll have to see. It's a rather large house, and the stairway is in the opposite corner of the house. I'm guessing I'd need a few hundred feet of cable. Then again, I have a friend that owns a music store; he might have everything I need. I'm all for understanding the complete problem before tearing into anything. I'd really hate to spend some cash and time and not solve the problem...
Ask your friend if you can "demo" a good, true diversity WIRELESS mic - unless your house has copper screen between the walls, it should work fine - the good news is the long air path to the bedroom shouldn't be your major leakage problem for the test.
The BAD news is, it may also mean that your problem really IS flanking, and an isolated room might be in the works.
But first you need to make those tests, and a few more. Post back when you're ready, and we'll figure out how to go about it... Steve
Soooo, when a Musician dies, do they hear the white noise at the end of the tunnel??!? Hmmmm...
Looks like I'm in luck. He's got a wireless mic he'll let me demo for a day. I'm going to try and get it tomorrow and do this on Sunday (he's closed on Sunday).
I'm optimistic about the walls. One wall is cement block, while another is framed (the back wall of a walkout ranch). This would probably be the problem wall, as it is the wall the headboard of the bed is next to, and the wall my desk is sitting up close to. The 3rd wall in my studio isn't shared with the bedroom above, because the bedroom is wider. The 4th wall is on the opposite end of the room, and again I don't believe that is shared with the wall above it because the bedroom is longer.
Cool - besides the test I outlined earlier (minus all the cables) you can also get an idea of which wall(s) or ceiling is the worst offender - while you have the mic on your wife's pillow, and run through your console so you can watch levels, take something firm but not destructive (like a rubber hammer, or a regular hammer used GENTLY) and move around your studio, tapping on walls every foot or so - watch your level meter on the console - speakers OFF, wireless mic being the ONLY input, and levels cranked as necessary to see changes; you should be able to tap your way around the room (including ceiling) and find out which surfaces are the loudest upstairs.
That test and the earlier one should help figure out where changes are needed - take notes on EVERY detail you think might have ANY relevance whatever, and let us know your findings.
If you don't already have one of the Radio Shack Analog SPL meters, you should GET one (about $45) before the tests - set it up on Fast, C weighting. Not only will this let you know (from the first test I suggested) how much isolation you need to add, it will also be an invaluable tool for getting consistent mixes later.
I'll be gone all day Sunday, but I'll try to check this thread by about 7pm pacific time - so, if you have problems/questions, I might be able to help before you have to return the wireless mic.
I don't think I forgot anything, but if you have any more questions before Sunday feel free to post back... Steve
Soooo, when a Musician dies, do they hear the white noise at the end of the tunnel??!? Hmmmm...
That's all fantastic advice, thanks! I didn't pick it up yesterday (Saturday). This was a hunting weekend (no luck there) and I've been wiped out. I need to get to radio shack to buy a meter before I borrow the mic. I should be able to make it happen this week.
I really appreciate the advice - it sounds like I'll have a MUCH better picture of what I'm facing after I do this...
knightfly wrote:Cool, I'm glad you didn't try to "cripple" through it without the SLM - not practical at all... Steve
I almost did! I write programming books, and it irritates me when I get emails from people wanting me to solve a problem when they don't want to follow instructions.
Good choice - a few months ago, I helped a guy in Austin with an outdoor practice room he wanted to build - limited budget, etc - he first kept trying to sidestep suggestions with,"couldn't I just" type things - I kept explaining why not, etc - he finally gave in and stuck to the plan. Didn't hear from him for a couple weeks, then a post - "thank you thank you thank you - drummer playing in the room, couldn't hear him from 10 feet away..."
As sensitive as our ears ARE, and as much as we (sometimes) can remember, it's impossible for ANYONE to do an A/B test of two sounds that are anywhere close to each other if there is more than about 3 seconds between the tests. Instrumentation (in this case, the SLM and the metering on your console) is the ONLY way to quantify what's happening.
Thanks for understanding this, I too get frustrated when people ask for help and then want to ignore it... Steve
Soooo, when a Musician dies, do they hear the white noise at the end of the tunnel??!? Hmmmm...
I write programming books, and it irritates me when I get emails from people wanting me to solve a problem when they don't want to follow instructions.