John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Any suggestions on where I can get the isolation brackets? I'd like to get the real deal as opposed to wrapping a bolt with neoprene.

call up Mason Industries http://www.mason-industries.com/masonind/home/index.cfm or Kinetics Noise http://www.kineticsnoise.com/ for quotes.

I'm Back!

Yeah I know, it's been a long time away. I have been taking care of some financial issues but I an back and ready to continue building. Glenn, I apologize for being so quiet lately but I an stoaked to build your design! I still have to fram the vocal booth and was wondering If I can just frame that specific room as not connecting it to the ceiling and using plywoord to help stabalize the walls?

I am trying to cut my costs and would love to have the vocal booth up even before I complete the control room just so I can get business then use those funds to complete the studio.

What are your thoughts?

good to see you back.

"using plywoord to help stabalize the walls? "

OSB would be the better bet, that is what I have used, since it is has a higher shearing ability read: load versus lateral movement versus decoupling.

Hey All!

I will be finishing framing this week! I have Glenn's sketchup file and Finally have the finaces to build. I will have to build under my air duct. I'm guessing a soffit? I was wondering what the best route would be? Should I dry wall both sides in that area "Top and Bottom"? I just dont want sound to excape into the vent and be amplified throughout the house because I didn't frame it correctly. I know that I will have to move the pipe up a bit. The Unfortunate thing is that I can't get a smaller air duct because it's the size that my furnace needs to circulate through the house so I need to frame underneath it. I just want to make sure its secure and won't fall.

We put 2 walls in the vocal booth up last night! Now I only have two more walls to go. We are going to build around the duct as best we can because I can't cut the duct down. It will make for a low door frame.

I will continue to keep you all posted.

I will have to build under my air duct. I'm guessing a soffit?

Yup. If you can't move or re-size the duct, then a soffit is the best solution. Wrap the duct with insulation, and build the soffit such that the new framing and drywall does not touch the duct at all.

- Stuart -

Thanks Stuart! Do you any recommendation for the insulation. Would I just use normal grade insulation? Or is there a dust insulation out there?

Thanks Stuart! Do you any recommendation for the insulation. Would I just use normal grade insulation? Or is there a dust insulation out there?

I've seen suggestions to use proper duct liner for this type of application, but plain old ordinary fiberglass or mineral wool should work just fine too, if you can't get duct liner. All it really does is damp resonance in the cavity.

- Stuart -

Ok thanks a ton! I will make sure to get duct liner.

Duct liner isn't very thick: you might want to do both. Duct liner directly on the duct, and ordinary pink fluffy fiberglass filling the rest of the cavity.

- Stuart -

Ok will do. I appreciate the help!

Ok while building my walls I realized a huge mistake... detail. I have skipped out on detail just to get the job finished. I forgot to neoprene under some of my walls!...

So Now I have to lift the walls and neoprene under them. I also have to neoprene where I have anchored the walls to my concrete basement walls. Currently they are direct contact and I know that this will cause sound issues in the future...

I also did not anchor the walls to the floor using screws.... I used nails. I will take the nails out and replace with screwes so that the walls can be secure.

I will fix all of these mistakes and take pictures. I want to be as detail oriented as possible so this means me asking a ton of newbie annoying questions! Thanks guys!!!!

I forgot to neoprene under some of my walls!...

Not a big deal, depending on what your intention was: If the rubber was just meant as a seal, due to an uneven floor, then you can pump in caulking compound in several steps, a little at a time, to build up the seal. If the rubber was meant as decoupling, to "float" your walls, then it wouldn't have been very effective anyway, since the anchor bolts will flank right through the rubber, creating hard mechanical bridges and bypassing the rubber. It would only work to decouple and float if you also used isolation collars for the anchor bolts, and in addition did the necessary calculations to ensure that the final loading on the rubber (total mass resting on the rubber, divided by the area supporting it, kg/m2) will cause the correct amount of deflection in the rubber. If you didn't do the math, or don't get the loading correct, then it wouldn't have floated anyway.

So Now I have to lift the walls and neoprene under them.

Not necessarily: You'd only need to do that for one of the above two reasons: improving the seal on an uneven floor, or floating your walls. Which one are you aiming for?

Currently they are direct contact and I know that this will cause sound issues in the future...

Not necessarily: How much isolation do you need, in decibels? What is your design goal?

I also did not anchor the walls to the floor using screws.... I used nails. I will take the nails out and replace with screwes so that the walls can be secure.

Bolts. Personally, I'd use proper wall anchor bolts, not nails or screws. But maybe I'm a bit over-board with that, since I live in a major earthquake zone. However, the defining factor here is your local building code: What does it say? Does it allow nails or screws, and if so what type / length? If you don't use the correct type of anchor, it will not pass inspection, so it's best to make sure you do it right! It would be sad to redo it now, then have to redo it again when the inspector comes to visit!

I want to be as detail oriented as possible so this means me asking a ton of newbie annoying questions! Thanks guys!!!!

That's cool! As they say: the only stupid question is the one you DIDN'T ask.


- Stuart -