John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hi,

I have nearly completed a recording studio and need some help with acoustic management specific to my 2 rooms.

The control room size is 9 feet 8 inches wide x 15 feet long. With a sloping ceiling from 8 to10 feet tall. The recording room size is 12 feet long x 8 feet wide. With a sloping ceiling from 9.5 feet to 11 feet high. Both floors are concrete slab foundation and will soon be completely carpeted. Both ceilings are completely covered with acoustic tile. Currently the outer most layer of the walls are made of drywall, and are completely reflective. Before the carpet is installed, if possible, I would like to put the appropriate amount of acoustic tiles on the walls and doors in both rooms. I'm planning on installing two1 foot wide columns of acoustic tile that meet in each corner of both rooms where bass traps will eventually be placed. I need to carpet and use the acoustic tiles in both rooms because it's all been paid for and I don't have the money to buy anything else.

For the control room I'm trying to achieve an accurate sound representation so my recordings and mixes will sound the same on other sound systems such as car stereos, boom boxes, stereo and home theatre systems etc.

I'm trying to get the recording room's acoustics to work for acoustic and electric instruments. I will be using portable angled sound baffles for speech and vocal tracks.

For the rest of the walls and door reflective surface areas would an alternating checker board pattern of 1 foot square acoustic tile give each room a natural accurate sound for both recording and mixing?

Appreciate all feedback

Richard - spend some time checking out these constructions - and then try to apply similar designs to your own rooms

http://johnlsayers.com/Studio/index.htm

Why are you carpeting the rooms?
It's more common to have a reflective floor. then you can add mats when required.

Thanks John,

I checked out the studio design link; just found your forum today my studio rooms are already soundproofed, it’s similar to the basement design with the floating suspended ceiling it's not a basement however. It has multiply soundproofing layers of cotton batting insulation, mass loaded vinyl, isolation and lead tape, double dry wall with green glue; and the design already effectively cuts out sound. It's all done except the acoustic management and I just need some opinions about whether or not the ratio of acoustic tile that I described would give a good sound, or would it be to dead. Right now with a concrete floor and dry wall of course there is way to much reverb in the rooms and it would be nice to get the acoustic tile checkerboard pattern up before the carpet is installed. I'm just concerned that the design I mentioned will give the rooms too dead of a sound. I'm wondering if anybody has any experience with carpeted floors covered acoustic tiled ceilings and a checkerboard acoustic tile pattern for the walls. If I have to I can always wait until the carpet is installed and experiment attaching the tiles somehow temporally.

Appreciate any feedback

I really can't advise you on acoustic tiles as I've never used them since the 60s.

Got any picture of the space?